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On this special edition of Movin’ Together, Joe Cannon joins me to discuss the importance of exercising. Joe holds an MS in exercise science and a BS in chemistry and biology. I have had the privilege of being mentored by Joe for over ten years, attending personal trainer classes that he was teaching at the fitness conferences.

Joe has also been helping people sort dietary supplement facts from fiction, so I had recently reached out to him about a supplement I was taking because I have chosen to eat a plant-based diet over the past year. He did some research on the product and told me his opinion based on scientific research. He assured me that it was essential to know my B12, D, and Iron blood levels while eating a plant-based way of life. I told him that Dr. Ungvarsky had ordered those blood tests at my recent yearly physical, and I was awaiting the results. When the test results all came back in the normal ranges, I was happy to share with Joe the results!

Joe first began researching dietary supplements because the product’s advertising did not match the scientific research data. Joe says, “I am a research guy. I like to transform the research into ways in which everyone can understand it while still making it scientifically correct. I like to tell people what science says so you can make the decision that is best for you.” One of Joe’s resources for more information about supplements is entitled ‘Nutritional Supplements’ What Works … and Why.

Joe appreciates the science of exercise, having a master’s in exercise science, so I asked him about three benefits of exercising. The first benefit he chose to highlight was the change that can happen in our genes for them to become healthier.
Epigenome Research has shown that up to 80% of what happens to us is not due to our genes but how we live our lives. Joe stressed,” Getting exercise on a regular basis is one way in which we can make those good genes more expressable, so this, in turn, lowers the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc.”

The second benefit of exercise Joe mentioned was its effect on making our immune systems more robust in fighting different infections we may encounter.

The third benefit of exercise is strengthening our muscles, helping us avoid Sarcopenia, which is the loss of muscle size and strength due to aging that begins slowly in our 30’s and 40’s. One of the best ways to keep the muscles strong is by doing resistant type exercise. Joe encourages us that just because you are older does not mean you cannot gain strength. Watch the video presentation to see what happened when a group of people over the age of 90 did exercises for a month!

Joe told about a study done several years ago that if all you did was walk 15 minutes a day, that translated into about three extra years of life. Joe encourages us to go slow and steady because like is not a sprint but a marathon!

If you would like more information about the benefits of exercise or supplements, please visit Joe’s websites; joe-cannon.com and supplementclarity.com.

Next time on Movin’ Together, registered dietician Jen Davis will be joining me to discuss plant-based eating!