Aerobic exercise awakens dormant organ functions

1. "Redundant" body, exquisite design

The human body, from structure to function, is not "just enough", but full of reserve and redundancy, which is the margin left to us by the Creator.

• A pair of kidneys, only one is needed to maintain life;

• The capacity of the lungs is only about 15% in the resting state;

• The ejection fraction of the heart, even if it drops to half, can still support basic circulation;

• The liver can be resected by two-thirds and then regenerated;

• Bone mass, muscle reserve, and brain capacity are also far beyond daily needs.

This is not a waste, but a "residual design" after careful consideration by the Creator.

When primitive humans faced cold, hunger, running, fighting, infection, and trauma, these spare abilities were the trump cards for survival.

2. Modern people have "frozen" their organs

In modern society, people have enough food and clothing, the environment is kept at a constant temperature, people commute by car, and labor is replaced by office work:

• Less sweat, less movement, less oxygen intake;

• Decreased metabolism, unused muscles, slower heart rate;

• The "reserved functions" of organs are almost no longer used.

Over time, these backup systems begin to degenerate:

We are not getting old, we have set our bodies to "energy-saving standby" mode for many years.

3. Aerobic exercise is a "wake-up program"

Fortunately, the Creator did not lock these backup systems once and for all. They are just waiting for a wake-up signal, and the name of this signal is: "exercise" - especially whole-body, aerobic, continuous exercise.

• When you sweat profusely, the kidneys must regulate water, sodium and pH;

• When your heartbeat speeds up, the heart must increase blood pumping;

• When you breathe rapidly, the alveoli must expand and exchange oxygen;

• When you use a lot of energy, the liver must participate in sugar and lipid metabolism;

• The contraction of skeletal muscles and the load-bearing of bones also begin to respond...

These dusty systems wake up one by one when you sweat.

4. Awakening is a continuation and a reconstruction

Over the years, I have restarted my life with swimming.

• My kidneys have gone from slow degeneration to functional recovery;

• My heart rate has gone from chaos to stability;

• My blood pressure has gone from being uncontrollable with medication to being basically stable at 115/70;

• My sleep, body temperature, energy, digestion, and even my eyes... have all changed.

I have not "become younger" or "cured",

I have just awakened my body again.

5. Conclusion: Organs need a sense of participation

The Creator gave us redundancy, not to keep it idle, but - occasionally, you need to go all out.

Organs are not machines, but partners in your body. They will not complain about not being used, but will degenerate in silence.

To wake them up, you don't need medicine, but you are willing to go out, jump into the water, breathe faster, and let your blood flow.

Every movement is a dialogue with the life reserve system:

"Are you still there?"

"I am here, as long as you still need me."

(The author of this article is not a medical professional. The above is only a personal opinion and is not used as a medical basis for anyone).

Peter Lee  in Toronto