Jogging has become popular for preventing heart disease, and experts like to tell us how many kilometers a person must run to burn a pound of fat. But in Russia, physiologists always remember to include the brain in calculations, and it turns out that a pleasant walk through interesting surroundings consumes more energy than heavier, but boring, exercise. An active brain requires immense amounts of fuel.

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Physical exercise, like aging, obesity, and diabetes, elevates circulating free fatty acids and lactate. In contrast, normal holistic activity organizedly activates all systems, increasing carbon dioxide concentration, circulation, and efficiency. Among various exercises with respect to mitochondria, researchers distinguish both destructive and reparative types; “concentric” muscle work is considered restorative—contracting under load and relaxing without load. This is how the heart works, explaining why normal aging does not alter heart mitochondria.

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Elite athletes are often assumed to have “good genes” and exercise is thought to promote robust health. However, these notions require qualification: elite athletes in both winter and summer sports, including Olympic competitors, have an exceptionally high incidence of asthma—approximately three times higher than the general population.

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At rest, muscles primarily consume fats; therefore, maintaining relatively larger muscle mass is crucial for preventing excessive fat accumulation.