Does Exercise Help Reduce Inflammation? – LifeSavvy

A fast-paced, busy lifestyle combined with unhealthy foods and a lack of water intake throughout the day can take a toll on your body and lead to inflammation. illness or health.

The best way to stimulate your lymphatic system to reduce inflammation and protect yourself from its harmful effects is to focus on cleansing your diet, lowering your stress levels, improving your sleep quality, and making sure you have a regular weekly routine. include physical exercise.

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is the body’s natural, biological response to any kind of irritant, pathogen, or other foreign and potentially harmful substance. The immune system responds to threats by activating cells and releasing various chemicals to widen blood vessels and send blood and nutrients to the affected area.

It can be acute, manifesting as immediate redness, swelling, and a hot skin surface around the affected area, or it can be chronic, slowly accumulating in the body over time and wreaking havoc in the background. I have.

In general, we do not recommend exercising for acute inflammation caused by an injury, but we do recommend exercising for chronic inflammation, which is the root cause of the so-called disease.

How does exercise reduce inflammation?

Chronic inflammation has a much more subtle list of symptoms than acute inflammation and is often overlooked until it becomes severe. These include fatigue, low energy levels, depression and anxiety, body aches, These include digestive problems, brain fog, inability to concentrate, and an overall weakened immune system.

This makes the body susceptible to various infections and diseases, which, if left untreated, can lead to many serious health complications down the road.

Along with a healthy diet, exercise is one of the best ways to reduce stress and overall inflammation in your body, strengthen your immune system, and protect yourself from disease. Studies have shown that just one session of moderate exercise can already provide him with anti-inflammatory benefits and improve blood flow and nutrient transport.

Additionally, exercise balances hormones and reduces the production of many harmful proteins, such as TNF (tumor necrosis factor), which helps regulate local and systemic inflammation. Exercise strengthens the immune response and helps prevent infections and illnesses.

5 exercises to reduce inflammation

We’ve compiled a list of the best and easiest exercises to help you stimulate your body to reduce inflammation, flush out toxins, improve blood circulation, and feel better overall.

shoulder stand

Start by lying on your back and lifting your legs vertically into the air. As you inhale, lift your hips and grasp the pelvis from below to fully support it. On your next inhale, lift your hips even higher, activating your entire leg, from your quadriceps to your feet.

Hold this position for 3-5 long breaths in and out. If you find it difficult, lower your pelvis slightly so your legs are in a slightly angled position. This eases your upper back while delivering on its promise of reducing inflammation.

Such inversions help to bring blood back to the center of the body and reduce pressure on the lower back, which aids in pain management and overall inflammation.

walk the incline

Walking is one of the best low-impact exercises that can help reduce inflammation and stress in your body. Incline walking is considered a low-intensity exercise that is often used for long periods of time to reduce back pain, strengthen the entire posterior chain, and utilize fat stores to stimulate the body and is used as fuel, which aids in fat loss.

Start with a small slope and build up over time. The goal is to make the exercise sustainable for at least 20 minutes and aim for his 40-45 minutes in the fat burning zone. This should be 50-75% of your maximum heart rate.

sun salutation routine

Yoga is known for its relaxing and stress-reducing benefits, and sun salutations are a great way to start your practice.

Begin by standing at the beginning of the mat with your feet together. On a long inhale bring your arms over your head, and on an exhale bend your legs and place your palms on the floor next to your feet. Bend your knees as much as you need and relax your head.

Inhale and look forward, exhale and step back into a plank position. It activates the core muscles and strengthens the quadriceps. Inhale and move your whole body slightly forward, exhale and bend your elbows to lower your body into a low plank position.

Inhale and push your hips forward, lifting your body into an upward dog, pressing your palms and feet firmly into the ground. As you exhale, lift your hips and form an inverted V with your body into a downward facing dog.

Stay here for a few long breathing cycles and either stay still or bend one knee then the other and take the dog for a “walk.”

twist

The twist helps pump fresh blood and oxygen throughout the body, providing a variety of nutrients and flushing out toxins. It is one of many therapeutic exercises derived from

Start in a seated position and stretch your legs out in front of you. Bend your right knee and bring your foot closer to your sitting bone. Lift your right foot and place it on the outside of your left thigh. Grab your right knee with your left hand and bring it closer to your body.

Place your right palm directly behind your pelvis and use it as a lever to push off the floor, straightening your spine. Take a deep breath and as you exhale slowly begin to twist to the right, looking as far back as possible. Take three long breaths and exhale before repeating on the other side.

forward fold

Another stress-relieving exercise that is common in many different workout styles is the forward bend. Closing your body and folding your legs activates your parasympathetic nervous system, stimulating your body to relax and go from “fight or flight” to “rest and digest.”

You can perform any kind of forward fold you like, but it’s always best to start with the easiest one. Get into a standing position, with your feet hip-width apart. As you inhale, slowly bend your legs and let your upper body hang over your lower body. Grab your elbows and slowly start rocking from side to side. You can bend your knees or keep them straight as needed, but keep your upper body as relaxed as possible.

Take 3-5 long breaths in and out, then relax your arms and let them hang. Gravity pulls you down, naturally stretching your hamstrings, calves, and entire back. Stay as long as you like before slowly rolling up and standing up.

Inflammation is a serious problem that we all deal with in one way or another, and implementing significant lifestyle changes is the first step in reducing its harmful effects and preventing it from happening again and again. is the most important step in

These exercises are easy to perform and even easier to add at the end of every workout. Recommended.