Just 10 minutes a day! This simple exercise keeps you away from cancer and cardiovascular disease!

Just 10 minutes of exercise can increase the number of immune cells in your blood. During exercise, four major changes are occurring in your blood vessels.

01

Changes happening in your blood vessels

1. After exercise, the number of immune cells in the blood increases

According to Science and Technology Daily, two recent studies conducted by Finnish scientists concluded that just 10 minutes of exercise can increase the number of immune cells in the blood, which is very important for fighting cancer.

Two studies involving 28 newly diagnosed patients with lymphoma and breast cancer showed that cycling for 10 minutes increased the number of cytotoxic T cells (which destroy cancer cells) and natural killer cells in the blood of lymphoma patients, as well as increased numbers of white blood cells, intermediate monocytes, and B cells.

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2. After exercise, blood vessels dilate, which helps lower blood pressure

Wang Fang, chief physician of the Department of Cardiology at Beijing Hospital, published an article in Health Times in 2021, saying that exercise is a way to help blood vessels become younger without taking medicine or injections. Exercise produces nitric oxide, which can dilate blood vessels and promote blood flow. When prescribing "exercise prescriptions" for patients with hypertension, comprehensive considerations are taken into account.

In addition, slight sweating during exercise also helps to excrete sodium from the body.

3. Exercise reduces plasma triglycerides

An article on the research progress of exercise and blood lipids published in the Journal of Beijing Sports University in 2004 stated that aerobic exercise can reduce the levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol in plasma, increase good cholesterol and reduce bad cholesterol, thereby helping to improve blood lipids.

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4. Exercise helps lower blood sugar

Many endocrinologists have mentioned that "muscle is a good glucose-lowering agent." Exercise can increase muscle utilization of glucose, thereby lowering blood sugar levels.

02

To make exercise truly effective

These 3 points are very important!

1. Reach intensity: Moderate intensity

Generally speaking, it is better to do moderate intensity exercise. So, how to judge what is the moderate intensity exercise suitable for you?

Chang Cuiqing, chief physician of the Department of Sports Medicine at Peking University Third Hospital, published an article in Health Times in 2019 introducing five estimation methods:

(1) Age estimation method: Subtract age from 220 to get the predicted heart rate. 60% to 70% of this heart rate is the appropriate exercise intensity.

(2) Observe your heartbeat and breathing: Moderate exercise is characterized by slightly faster breathing and heartbeat, but not shortness of breath, slight sweating, and a slight feeling of tiredness. You will not feel tired when you wake up the next day.

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(3) Hunger: You will not feel hungry after one hour of exercise, and you will not eat too fast. If you feel hungrier and eat more after exercise, it means that you are exercising too much and need to reduce the amount of exercise.

(4) Whether the elderly can speak freely after exercise: Whether a 60-year-old can speak or sing while exercising can be used to judge the intensity of his exercise. Some elderly people can sing while exercising, which means that the intensity of exercise is too low. If they are too lazy to speak during exercise, it means that the intensity of exercise is too high.

(5) Is the intensity of the resistance exercise appropriate? Look at the amount of resistance during repetition. For example, if you feel tired after lifting dumbbells 10 times, the intensity is just right. If you can do 20 times easily without feeling tired, the intensity is too light. If you can't do 5 times, the intensity is too high. Choose a moderate intensity, which is about 8 to 12 repetitions.

2. Learn to combine: aerobic + resistance

Zhu Weimo, a tenured professor at the University of Illinois and a member of the American Academy of Sports Science, pointed out in the "Sports Fitness Hall" program that moderate-intensity aerobic exercise + appropriate strength training can have a very positive effect on the immune system. However, if the amount of exercise is too large or the exercise time is too long, it will be counterproductive and reduce the body's immunity.

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In daily exercise, moderate-intensity aerobic exercise such as jogging, brisk walking, Tai Chi, Qigong, etc. for more than 30 minutes, combined with strength training such as barbell training, push-ups, and pull-ups , can effectively improve immunity.

Of course, don't forget to warm up and stretch before and after exercise.

3. Ability to persist: 3 months

To benefit from exercise, you must persevere and exercise gradually.

Liang Chen, deputy chief physician of the Sports Prescription Clinic of the Sports Hospital of the Institute of Sports Medicine of the General Administration of Sports of China, pointed out in an interview with China Sports Daily in 2020 that long-term regular running can increase lung capacity, enhance lung function, promote heart blood circulation, improve cardiopulmonary endurance, and improve immunity, thereby enhancing physical fitness and increasing the ability to prevent and resist viruses. However, occasional exercise and excessive exercise not only fail to achieve these effects, but may harm the body.

The scientific way to exercise is to exercise 3 to 5 times a week, each time for 40 to 60 minutes, and the intensity should not be too high. And it may take 12 weeks of continuous exercise to improve immunity, and you still need to continue exercising after 12 weeks.

Source: Health Times

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