Are you starting to move? Don’t overdo it!

“I’m going to exercise regularly.” That’s one of the most common New Year’s resolutions, resulting in fitness centers, pools and other sports facilities filling up regularly in January. From an epigenetics perspective, it’s one of the best things we can do for ourselves, but the problem is that it’s too much initial enthusiasm that often spells failure later on.

Movement is one of the most significant positive epigenetic factors. If we engage in it regularly, a number of changes occur in our genes that lead not only to improved athletic performance or weight loss, but also to a number of other positive changes.

Reasons why it’s good to move

1. Slowing down aging

First, movement helps to reduce the overall rate of gene methylation. This is one of the epigenetic reactions that reduce the activity of individual genes – if the methylation rate is high, they may even be switched off completely. It is true that during the aging process, gene methylation gradually increases, and movement therefore counteracts this process.

Regular exercise also increases the concentration of so-called non-coding RNAs in telomeres, which are the ends of chromosomes that shorten with age. These non-coding RNAs increase the stability of telomeres and thus help slow down the ageing process.

2.Improving mental performance

The positive effect of regular exercise on mental performance is quite extensive, both at a younger age and especially in the elderly, where the average difference in mental fitness between active and inactive individuals is significant and is due to epigenetic processes related to exercise. For example, it increases the production of the neurotropic growth factor BDNF in the brain, which is essential for the proliferation, differentiation and protection of nerve cells.

Movement, especially aerobic movement, has a direct and immediate effect on cognitive function. In one study, just half an hour of physical activity was able to improve brain neuroplasticity (i.e. promote the formation of new brain connections). The most pronounced effects were observed in the area of motor skills, which would not be so surprising, of course, but also in the area of memory. In other research, noticeable changes in neuroplasticity were observed after just 15 minutes of movement!

In another study, volunteers then completed 20 minutes of brisk walking at about 60% of their maximum heart rate. When they were then subjected to intelligence and mindfulness tests, they performed much better on them than they had when they had rested before.

3.Support weight loss and weight maintenance

Often we can find the opinion that exercise is not so important in weight loss because the amount of calories we can “burn” during exercise is low compared to dietary modifications. But adjusting energy balance is not the only reason to exercise. In fact, regular sporting activity activates a number of genes that can significantly help with weight loss.

For example, regular aerobic activity (i.e. endurance exercise of moderate to moderate intensity) significantly improves the body’s willingness to use fat as fuel. In addition, it also epigenetically improves the production of the enzyme AMPK, which promotes the absorption of glucose from the bloodstream and its use within muscle cells. As a result, it is easier to maintain balanced blood glucose levels, which is important not only in the prevention and treatment of diabetes, but also in weight loss.

In addition, endurance and speed-strength activities positively influence the secretion of a number of hormones that affect the processes of weight loss and weight gain in a rather fundamental way.

4.Prevention and support for disease treatment

In addition to the aforementioned support of AMPK production, which is important in the prevention and treatment of diabetes, regular exercise has a positive effect on a number of other processes that affect our health. For example, it regulates the activity of genes that control the production of inflammatory cytokines. This helps to reduce the intensity of chronic inflammatory processes in the body, which is important in the prevention and treatment of many diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular disease. Its effect on reducing the overall methylation rate is also significant, as excessive methylation is involved in the development of a number of diseases.

Why start slowly?

Quite a few people are starting to move as part of their New Year’s resolutions. Often these are people who have not exercised for many years and are often overweight or even obese. They throw themselves into their new lifestyle with enthusiasm, with the result that they simply overdo it.

Too ambitious a start will cause their muscles to ache in the first place. The pain itself, however, is not as much of a problem as what is causing it. It’s caused by microscopic injuries to muscle fibers that result in inflammation. But if a person is obese and eats poorly, for example, there is already quite intense chronic inflammation in the body. So now the level of inflammatory processes increases even more, which, for example, overloads the immunity.

But an even bigger problem can be the increased risk of injury. All of our body’s systems need time to adapt to the stress. For example, in response to regular physical activity, not only do muscles become stronger and the respiratory or cardiovascular systems become more efficient, but tendons, ligaments and joints are also strengthened. However, if we don’t give them enough time for these processes and overload them from the start (especially when combined with excess weight), sooner or later we will be surprised by an injury.

Lastly, physical stress that the body is not adapted to is stressful for the body. Thus, if a person who has not exercised before throws himself into training, his body increases the production of stress hormones, which have negative epigenetic effects – for example, they complicate weight loss and increase the risk of developing a number of civilisational diseases.

Some important principles

So if you are starting out, you should start slowly in terms of both time and intensity of the load and only increase it very slowly. Here are some useful guidelines:

• Initially, combine strengthening exercises aimed at stabilising the trunk and joints with endurance exercise, but this must be of moderate, at most moderate, intensity. It is therefore not advisable for beginners, especially those who are overweight, to start with running, for example. A better choice is brisk walking, cycling or swimming. It is ideal to alternate these activities to avoid overloading the stressed muscle groups and tendons.
• If you want to take up running, which is so popular today, first gain basic endurance with the above activities and only move on to running when you are able to breathe (the appropriate intensity of exercise for beginners is that at which you can speak fluently). But if you are not interested in running and want to stick to brisk walking, for example, this is not a problem.
• Take exercise as often as possible. Half an hour four times a week will give you a much greater health and training effect than an hour twice a week.
• Gradually increase the load time. For example, you can start with three 20-minute workouts during the week and only 40 minutes on the weekend. Then add another five minutes to two of these workouts each week.
• Do not increase the intensity for at least three months. As your fitness grows, you can (and should) of course start to speed up, but it should still be at an intensity at which you are able to have a coherent conversation.
• If you are healthy, you can include one more intense workout after three months.
• You should warm up before every physical activity, then stretch the strained muscles afterwards.

Useful dietary supplements

Epigenetic dietary supplements can be a great help for those who engage in regular exercise. Which ones are worth trying?

For the development of endurance – endurance performance and the body’s ability to burn fat during exercise will be supported by EGCG, Coleus forskohlii, astaxanthin or omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids. Quercetin is also very suitable for beginners, as it accelerates the adaptation processes to exercise.

For the development of strength – very effective are pomegranate and Coleus forskohlii, which promote the production of their own testosterone. Astaxanthin will also improve the effect of regular strengthening.

For sore muscles – the cause of muscle pain is inflammation, so nutrients and herbs with anti-inflammatory effects, such as curcumin, ginger, EGCG or resveratrol are suitable in this case.

Before training – about half an hour before the workout it is advisable to take dietary supplements that will improve blood circulation to the working muscles. Pomegranate, curcumin or ginger work great in this regard.

For sore tendons and joints – inflammation and pain in joints and tendons is perfectly dampened by boswellia or rosemary. However, if the pain is due to exertion, you should stop training until the problem subsides, or during this time, include another activity that does not strain the area (for example, swimming instead of running).

Weight loss support – try EGCG, quercetin, Coleus forskohlii or curcumin, for example.