Is Your Exercise Program Causing You to Age Faster?

The benefits of doing regular exercise are well documented. Experts in the field of exercise physiology are constantly reminding us how exercise can help us lose weight weight loss , gain lean muscle strength equipment , release stress yoga , improve our cardiovascular system aerobic products and help us to lead a more healthful and fulfilling life. With all these fantastic benefits associated with regular exercise perhaps we should also ask ourselves are there any negatives to regular exercise?

In addition to all the great health benefits associated with regular exercise, many individuals say they exercise to look and feel younger. Recently, researchers have discovered a possible flaw in this concept. It seems that exercise with all its many benefits also increases the formation of dangerous free radicals. These are the same free radicals that are associated with many disease related health conditions. Free radicals are known to damage cell membranes, proteins and DNA. Under normal conditions the body has an efficient system to keep these free radicals in check. The body uses what scientists term antioxidants to attack these free radicals and render them harmless before they can wreck havoc on the body, but exercise is not what we would call normal conditions.

As you exercise you increase the body's demand for energy. This elevated demand increases the body's use of oxygen, glucose and fats. According to Lester Packer, PhD and renowned expert on antioxidants, "there is a delicate balance between oxidants (free radicals) and antioxidants, yet exercise like disease can tip the balance toward excessive free radical production". The research is overwhelming that exercise does indeed promote health, but new research also points to the fact that exercise increases the production of free radicals. The solution, according to many experts, is to balance your body's production of free radicals by providing it with protective antioxidants.

Exercise Plus Antioxidants Equals Improved Health

Dr. Packer suggests that as you increase your exercise level or intensity you should also increase your consumption of antioxidants. Fortunately, antioxidants are easily obtained. Food sources include green or orange colored vegetables, citrus fruits, unrefined oils, brewers yeast and whole grains. In other words if you use the food pyramid as a guide, you will provide your body with an excellent supply of antioxidants. For those of us who have a hard time following this guide each and every day, supplements may be the answer to our antioxidant needs.

vitamins, vitamin c, beta-carotene antioxidants, and selenium. These antioxidants have garnered most of the press but there is also exciting new research on CoQ10 (co-enzyme Q10) CoQ10 and alpha lipoic acid. CoQ10 plays a vital role in energy production and works with vitamin E as primary fat-soluble antioxidants. Alpha lipoic acid is called the "universal antioxidant" because it is both fat and water-soluble meaning it can fight free radicals both inside and outside the cell. It also has the ability to reactivate both vitamins E and C once they have been used to fight free radicals.

Each antioxidant has specific types of free radicals that they are able to counteract. It is therefore important to provide your body with a variety of antioxidants to insure that you are counteracting all the various types of free radicals. Most multi-vitamin and mineral formulas contain the major antioxidants (vitamins E, C, beta-carotene along with the mineral selenium). With the new research surrounding antioxidants it is easy to find quality antioxidant formulas that provide a full spectrum of valuable antioxidant protection.

Based on the evidence there is no doubt that regular exercise is essential to a healthy life but to take full advantage of these rewards you should also include a healthy dose of antioxidants.