Excercise Allows Longer Life and Better Health

This web article, written by Melissa Mitchell, explains that exercise improves life quality and adds years to your life. Exercise also improves yourself psychologically. This study was led by Professor Edward McAuley, "McCauley said the study -- which assessed physical activity levels, quality of life, physical self-esteem, self-efficacy and affect in a large sample (174) of adults over age 65 -- is believed to be the only one to date to examine the relationship between physical activity and quality of life over such a long time." Even with this information most people refuse to act on it, the article talks about this also.

I learned a lot from this article, and nothing that I've learned so far contradicts with the source. This inspires me to keep exercising and learning about how I can remain healthy. Hopefully when I'm 65 I will still be doing some sort of physical activity. I can also see that it's easy to ignore this advice and remain lazy, but it's not the right thing to do.

Mitchell, Melissa . "Do exercise and you will live longer and enjoy better health as well". University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 3/26/10 http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/33464.php.

Protein: The Better Picker-Upper

In the January 2010 magazine of Muscle and Body, Marie Spano wrote an article called "Protein: The Better Picker-Upper", which is about the health benefits of protein. Most athletes believe that carb loading and quality fats are the only nutrients that fuel performance activities, which in fact is very wrong. Protein needs are sometimes even more important in which it has crucial timing rules. As an overview of what protein does Marie Spano says "Protein is vital for more than just building strong muscles: it makes enzymes, hormones and other body chemicals; it helps transport nutrients and regulates water balance; and it helps build and repair tissue throughout your body, which is especially critical when you are tearing down muscle tissue during training, or recovering from an injury." Marie also talks about how protein stimulates greater glycogen synthesis (storage process of carbohydrates) than just consuming carbs only after your workout. When your glycogen storage is very high, your endurance increases allowing a better workout. Marie recomends adding protein into a high carb drink (at a 4:1 carb-protein ration) while working out for an extra push. Lastly, Marie talks about immediately after exercise where theres a window of opportunity when it's important to refuel your body with the right nutrients. If you don't you are more likely to experience greater muscle breakdown, which causes injury.

As an athlete myself, this article taught me a lot about proper ways to supplement using protein. I never knew that there was a "critical window" where your body had to have nutrients, I always thought as long as I recieved the nutrient I was fine. I also learned that adding protein in your workout drink helps endurance. Overall this was a great article on protein, and would help many readers with their own health and fitness goals.

Spano, Marie. "Protein: The Better Picker-Upper". Muscle and Body January 2010: 33-35.