We all know the basic benefits of exercise. For me it's a way to burn calories to maintain my 100 pound weight loss and also help lower my risk of heart disease and diabetes, two ailments that have a big impact on Latinas. But new science shows that exercise can also change your DNA.
The most amazing part? Changes in your DNA can happen even after a single 20-minute workout. Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, reported that exercise induced changes to the DNA that included helping muscles to work better and more efficiently.
If you haven't gotten to your New Year's Resolution to get more fit, what are you waiting for? This is as good a reason for me as any.
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Juleen Zierath, a professor of physiology, reports in the journal Cell Metabolism that they used biopsies of muscle cells to see what happened in a group of sedentary men and women after they worked out on an exercise bike. The results were that more cells were "turned on" in the muscles, meaning that the DNA genes activated went from being dormant to becoming muscle cells to help with exercise.
I once read that March is actually the month that most people truly start their New Year's Resolutions to get fit. It's just a few months away from summer (and bikini season!) now and I'm definitely beginning to feel the pressure.
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Like a lot of people, "exercising more" was at the top of my 2012 To Do list but, despite starting my New Year's by running in Central Park and doing the Cupid's Undie Run in February, I haven't really done much of it. With these new findings, though, I'm definitely more inspired to start running more regularly and maybe even join a gym. After all, if I'm getting my body ready for beach weather while also doing some good for my DNA, it's a win-win.
Are you going to start exercising more, now that you know it can change your DNA for the better?
Image via mikebaird/flickr
