Laziness cures brain cells and extends life span

Human beings need to relax when they feel like it – it is a very good remedy for the body and especially for the brain

Better doing it tomorrow than doing it today. The people, who prefer to follow this philosophy, can now boast of having a scientifically grounded excuse for their laziness. It goes about the book titled “The Joy of Laziness,” written by a former professor of medicine, Peter Axt, and his daughter, Michaela Axt-Gadermann, a doctor and a scientific journalist (Germany).

The two authors wrote the book to stand up against the domination of the beauty and efficiency model, which can be supposedly achieved with the only one way – hard work. The two German specialists believe that excessive sports exercises can be as destructive as stress and cut people's life span. Physical exercises, the scientists believe, intensify the production of so-called “free radicals,” unstable molecules, which possess only one electron instead of two. Such a peculiarity makes molecules becomes balance-oriented, as they attach an electron of another molecule nearby and create new instability. Metabolism turns free radicals to hydrogen peroxide, which deteriorates cells and accelerates the ageing process.

Excessive physical exercises exert a negative influence on the human body on the whole. They boost the activity of mitochondria in muscle cells. Mitochondria function as the main center for the production of free radicals. They also act as the center of cell energy, where reactions of the breathing chain take place. Hydrogen peroxide appears as a result of these processes again: the substance can be neutralized with antioxidants that can be found in fruit and vegetables. Peter and Michaela Axt, however, say that laziness can become a very good substitution for fruit and vegetables.

A healthy walk and moderate nutrition can bring a lot more good to a long and active life. The German scientists say that one should not be shy about taking breaks at work, especially if there is no boss around. Peter and Michaela Axt say that human beings need to relax when they feel like it – it is a very good remedy for the body and especially for the brain. A moment of relaxation helps the brain neutralize cortisol – the hormone that the human body produces in stress situations. The stress hormone is capable of damaging brain cells and leading to memory loss and premature senescence.

Peter Axt and his daughter are perfectly aware of what they wrote in their book. Peter, 65, was a member of the German national track and field team. He took part in international competitions, which were definitely preceded with many days and hours of exhausting physical exercises. Peter's daughter followed her father's example and clinched a silver medal in a 10,000-meter racing competition in Germany, Newsru reports.