Exercise Makes Your Genes Happy
Seventy percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. Today’s children are the first generation expected to age more quickly and die younger than their parents. The one intervention that actually works — yet most people resist — is exercise. Even the smallest amount of exercise makes your genes happy.
How Did We Get Here?
Scott Gordon of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte described the journey in a lecture called “Fitting Into Your Genes: The New Paradigm for Healthy Ageing.” Back in the hunter-gatherer period, people walked miles to find their next meal. “Our ancestors were pre-programmed to expect and respond to physical activity,” said Gordon, chairman of UNC Charlotte’s kinesiology department.
Those who survived could go days without eating, then gorge on a feast and store extra calories for hard times ahead. They had what Gordon called “thrifty genes” — bodies designed not to waste excess calories but to feed off their fat efficiently.
“The human genome hasn’t changed for 10,000 years,” he said.
But our habits have. During the agricultural revolution, people ate more regularly and were active enough in the fields to burn off calories. Today, technology has most people sitting in front of screens for most of the day. We still have our thrifty genes — and we still enjoy a feast — but we’re no longer burning enough calories to match.
Exercise Is Medicine
Gordon encouraged people to exercise and eat more healthy foods to stem the effects of aging. “Exercise is medicine. It’s truly a magic bullet for dozens of disorders,” from heart disease to diabetes.
He encouraged simple re-integration of physical activity:
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator
- Park farther from your destination instead of circling for the closest spot
- Eat less salt, fat, and sugar
“You can choose to be sedentary, let your health decline and be biologically older than the average population,” he said. Or: “You can choose to fit into your genes and age in a very healthful fashion.”