By It’s not laziness, but one thing you may not realise
Take yourself back to when the restrictions began to ease, and we could start becoming a lot more active. Some of us got back into the gym, whilst others decided outdoors was safer. Perhaps many other enthusiasts decided that walking or playing a sport was more their thing. Whatever your choice, think back to how difficult it was when you began your exercise schedule after the lockdowns. Exercise becomes a lot harder the less you do — say scientists at the University of Leeds. Deactivation of a protein called Piezo1, a blood flow sensor, reduces the density of capillaries carrying blood to the muscles. When we experience blood flow restriction, the activity becomes more complex, leading to how many exercises we can perform. These findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. These findings were the results of experiments carried out on mice. You might wonder if this particular protein is found in humans -and the answer is yes. This protein is in both mice and humans. Therefore, similar results could occur in humans as well. Fiona Bartoli, a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Leeds, said: “Exercise protects against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression and cancer. Unfortunately, people fail to exercise enough for reasons such as an injury or too much time spent on the screen. Lack of exercise puts people at risk of disease. The fewer people take the time to exercise, the less fit they become, which leads to a downward spiral of a sedentary lifestyle.” Keeping the protein Piezo 1 active is crucial to our physical performance. To give you an idea of the experiment with mice & the role of this protein, the scientists compared two groups of mice. One was a control group whose level of Piezo 1 was disrupted for ten weeks. Walking, climbing and running wheel activity was observed. However, the reduced piezo one mice showed a striking reduction in activity levels. We should note from these observations that the desire to exercise was still as high as the group without interruption inactivity. They wanted to be active, although they found it difficult to sustain their activity at a higher level. Does this sound familiar to you? The great news is that this will lead scientists to think about how the loss of muscle function could be treated in new ways — specifically by activating Piezo 1, as it may help to maintain exercise.
Key takeaways
Exercise! That’s probably an essential part of the message behind this experiment. Sometimes we can’t help it — and a break is required. I, for one, am recovering from a surgical procedure in which exercise has been prohibited for almost two months. That’s not to say I can’t walk or be as active as possible. You can do certain things that speed up your recovery and help you maintain some fitness level. Any injury or recovery period needed will determine the exercise that’s allowed. Although, it is pretty natural to struggle with exercise until your body gets back to the level it once was before your injury or operation. This study did not mention the effects of muscle memory in response to exercise. That’s one advantage bodybuilders have through weight training — whilst others focus on cardio alone. Something to ponder about. Please view the expanded information here if you want to read more about this research.
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