The fast track to fitness: how to start moving according to the principles of epigenetics

Why is sport so healthy? Because it activates genes that not only help to increase performance, but also have a positive effect on the body as a whole. So how can you awaken the right genes and improve both your fitness and health faster? The right kind of exercise is key, but smart dietary supplements can also help.

What happens when a person who is not used to sports goes for a long hike or bike ride? Probably the next day he can hardly get up, his legs hurt like hell and he gets very tired. His muscles and tendons have developed a number of micro-tears, to which the body reacts with inflammation, energy reserves are depleted, immunity may even deteriorate…

A healthy body can cope with all this, but if this “horror” were to be repeated regularly, it could have unfortunate consequences. So, when the body becomes aware that the horror is going to happen again (i.e. when we start playing sports regularly), it will take steps to protect itself: It will strengthen muscle fibers, increase joint resistance, improve the performance of the heart and lungs, and grow the network of tiny blood vessels in the muscles to get more oxygen and nutrients to the working muscles.

In short, in order to protect itself from damage, the body gradually adapts to regular sports load. And the “by-product” of these processes is the growth of performance and a positive effect on health.

5 rules to awaken the sports genes

But how does such a muscle know that it should get stronger? Simple: regular movement awakens the genes that have always been in our DNA. But until we moved, they weren’t needed, so they just slept – they were switched off. But as a result of regular exercise, so-called epigenetic reactions are triggered in the body that turn on these genes, and if we keep them active, they will work to benefit our fitness and health.

However, in order for the genes to switch on in the right way and for movement to be of real benefit to us, it is important to follow a few rules.

Rule No. 1: Regularity

Positive epigenetic changes in muscle and other cells appear after just one exercise. This seems like good news, but if the next load comes after a long time, these changes will almost completely disappear, and we will be starting almost from scratch.

The body is inherently lazy, it saves energy. So when we don’t use anything too much, like muscles, we don’t waste energy on maintaining them, and the genes are turned off. If we want to turn them on and keep them on, we have to give them the right information. This is not one exhausting load every once in a while, but smaller loads, but regularly – otherwise their activity will drop again and we will start all over again.

In order to keep our fitness growing, we need to exercise at least 3 times, but even better 4 times a week. And if we find time to move every day, even if it’s just a short walk, we’ll do even better in terms of health. According to research, positive changes in gene methylation, which translate into reduced inflammatory processes in the body and other health benefits, can be seen with as little as 10 minutes of exercise a day. And when physical activity is extended to 30 minutes a day, epigenetic mechanisms are already affected in a fundamental way.

If we don’t want to move as often, and we’re more concerned with health and maintaining an optimal weight rather than performance gains, just two one-hour training units a week have a positive effect, according to researchers.

Rule No. 2: Gradual increase in load

The essence of fitness growth is adaptation to a certain type of load, and for this to happen, the load needs to gradually increase. If it stays the same, over time there will be nothing to adapt to. So it makes no sense to totally destroy yourself right at the beginning with some extremely demanding activity – it’s better to start very lightly and gradually increase slowly to give your body time to adapt.

For a person who has not done any sports at all, it is enough to go for a brisk walk 3-4 times a week. Every other week, he can extend two of these walks – for example, by five minutes.

At the same time, however, you also need basic strengthening, especially of the core or the middle of the body. These are the muscles in the abdomen, back, hips and deep stabilizing system of the spine, which create support for the working limbs. If these muscles are weak, the risk of injury increases.

Rule No. 3: Correct intensity

The greatest health benefit is the so-called aerobic (endurance) exercise of moderate intensity. It is also sometimes called conversational intensity, because we should have no problem speaking coherently. It can be cycling, walking, swimming, but running is not suitable for most beginners because they cannot run at a low enough intensity.

Rule No. 4: supply the building blocks

If we want our fitness to grow, we need to provide the body with nutrients from which to build and maintain the necessary tissues. In particular, it is important to take in good quality protein, healthy fats and a wide range of vitamins and minerals.

Rule No. 5: smart food supplements

There are a number of natural dietary supplements that have so-called epigenetic effects, i.e. they can influence the activity of genes in our DNA. Thanks to this, they are also able to significantly support the process of adaptation to physical stress, and therefore performance growth. Here are some tips on particularly effective ones:

Curcumin – a dye from turmeric root supports metabolism, improves blood circulation to working muscles, and thus sports performance (strength and endurance). Thanks to its anti-inflammatory effects, it accelerates recovery. Especially in the elderly, it also enhances the positive effect of exercise on the cardiovascular system. Read more “

Rhodilola – an herb belonging to the adaptogens increases the overall energy level and supports endurance and strength performance. It is especially suitable for those who are starting to move, even at an older age. Read more “

Pomegranate – improves the production of testosterone, which is necessary for muscle growth, promotes blood circulation in working muscles, improves strength and endurance performance. Read more “

Quercetin, a polyphenol found in many plant foods, improves endurance and helps to increase fitness faster in beginners. It helps to improve endurance. It is great in combination with curcumin or EGCG. Read more “

Coleus forskohlii – herb native to the Himalayas supports fat burning and testosterone production. Read more “

EGCG – a substance from green tea improves fat burning and endurance performance, anti-inflammatory. Read more “