excerpt on exercise from june 2009 hippocrates e-newsletter

Detoxify with Exercise
by Brian Clement (Hippocrates Health Institute)

A good way to keep your body free of congestion is by vigorous daily exercise. Unless you are active, your body deteriorates very quickly. The fact that your body contains more than 700 muscles is an undeniable indication of the fact that your body is created to be active. Many people habitually fall into the trap of inactivity, thereby experiencing the catch-22 vicious cycle, whereby one avoids exercise because he is grossly out of shape, while the reason that one is out of shape is that he does no exercise!

You must be determined and motivated to exercise daily, thereby eradicating the restrictions — physical, mental and emotional, that result from inactivity. Sluggishness of body, thought and feeling is manifested as a pervasive internal stagnation that constrains most of the organs to function at only a percentage of their capacity, which inevitably results in a toxic accumulation. An improper diet and lack of exercise constitute a potentially-literally-deadly combination.
When you exercise vigorously, you are giving your body a thorough house cleaning. Among the important functions of your bloodstream, three are particularly-health-promoting and very much benefited by exercise.

The bloodstream carries nutrients that are extracted from the food that you eat to every cell in your body. Exercise facilitates the journey of these nutrients to their destination while, at the same time, generating enormous amounts of oxygen in the bloodstream. The intensely-oxygenated blood helps the nutrients that constitute our fuel to be burned more completely when they reach the cell. It might be more-than-figuratively said that exercise helps to feed our cells.

The bloodstream is also the corporeal sanitation-department, eliminating the residue that remains after the food/fuel has been burned. Every microscopic cell is akin to a tiny oven in which low-level combustion occurs. And, since the body must eliminate large amounts of residue and toxic waste daily, only an unimpeded bloodstream that is powered by vigorous exercise can do the job thoroughly.

An unimpeded bloodstream obviously keeps the veins and arteries open, because it inhibits the accumulation of cholesterol on the inside walls of these channels. Exercise helps to maintain our internal cleanliness and, when arteries and veins are clear of obstructions, blood-pressure is normal. Exercise strengthens the heart, and a strong heart works at a slower but more efficient pace. The more one learns how the body functions, the more one can understand the importance of exercise.