Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life

Healthy skin is elastic and supple, giving it a youthful appearance. As you read in Chapter 2, a small amount of direct sun exposure is healthy. Ultraviolet rays in the sun kill bacteria that can clog pores and restrict proper perspiration. And because toxins in the body get excreted through sweat, clear, unobstructed pores allow the body to detoxify fully.
     
    Another benefit of exercise is its influence on the pituitary gland, an endocrine gland in the brain. Soon after you’ve begun exercising, the pituitary releases a growth hormone that contributes to the building and maintenance of body tissue throughout the body. It also makes losing body fat easier. It has been shown that people who exercise only one set of muscles experience growth throughout the whole body—in muscles they don’t even exercise. For example, a person who does squats but no upper body weight training will develop stronger chest muscles. This can be attributed solely to the release of growth hormone. This effect has been shown to occur even when only one side of the body is being used in weight training. If a person were to lift weights only with his right arm, over time his left arm would also grow stronger. Not surprisingly, though, the untrained muscles do not develop as quickly as the trained ones. Nevertheless, the exercise instigates body-wide renewal. This is a powerful feature. (Sleep also releases growth hormone, but only if cortisol levels are kept low—as the Thrive Diet aims to do.)
     

exercise: getting started
     
    We know moderate exercise holds an important position in the creation and maintenance of optimal health. For me, however, it is more than that. Training for competitive endurance sports has been an integral part of my life and a daily routine since I was 15. Because I love it, exercise is relatively easy for me; I never have to force myself. This means the exercise produces less stress, resulting in a quicker recovery than those who have to force themselves to exercise would experience. However, I got to the point where I needed to exercise for several hours each day to feel good, both mentally and physically. Luckily, I recognized that this was not mentally healthy—a feeling of dependence never is. I did not want to feel as though I had to exercise to feel productive. I began to view it as any other chemical dependency, since that is literally what it was: My endorphins were to blame. Chemicals are released during exercise that improve mood; this can become an addiction of sorts. You may have heard of the runner’s high. This is nothing more than a rush of endorphins. One of the biggest challenges for competitive athletes is to not over exercise. In part driven by competitiveness but more because of endorphins, many high-level athletes are in danger of overtraining, and in turn, an overuse injury. Adrenal burnout (discussed in Chapter 1), for example, is a hormonal injury caused by too much stress. One way to exhaust adrenals is to simply train more than the body can recover from.
     
    That said, endorphins can be an excellent motivator. I know most people are not as eager to exercise as I am. I also appreciate that many people downright dislike working out. But keep in mind that not much exercise is necessary to achieve a high level of health. Small amounts of exercise are good for health; larger amounts are good for fitness. The Thrive Diet is about building optimal nutritional health. From there, other facets of health, such as peak fitness, can be achieved if desired.
     
    As little as 20 minutes a day can be enough exercise when just starting an exercise program. A good way to structure a program is to alternate between cardiovascular exercise and resistance training. Cardiovascular exercises such as walking, running, cycling, swimming, and rowing might be done on the first day. Day two might then consist of weight training and calisthenics (using body weight as resistance). Simply alternate days like this, with one day off each week for rest.
     
    Cardiovascular exercise helps develop a strong heart and therefore a more efficient one. The more efficient the heart, the more blood will be circulated with each pump it performs. An efficient heart will be able to pump at a slower rate, which will conserve body energy. The same goes for resistance training: It improves muscular efficacy, making day-to-day activities less physically straining. It also has been shown to improve bone density and