Myokines — the muscle-made messengers
Contracting muscle releases myokines — signaling proteins that travel to the liver, brain, gut, and immune system. IL-6 released acutely from working muscle is anti-inflammatory (the 'exercise IL-6 paradox'); the same molecule chronically released from visceral fat is pro-inflammatory.
Acute exercise-induced IL-6 promotes resolution. Chronic baseline IL-6 from inactivity and adiposity drives disease. Same molecule; opposite meaning.
Prolonged sitting raises inflammatory markers even in people who exercise. Break sitting every 30–45 minutes with two to three minutes of movement — the effect on postprandial glucose and IL-6 is measurable.
"You do not exercise to burn calories. You exercise to release the molecules your immune system is waiting for."
Zone-2 and resistance — the two pillars
Two adaptations do most of the anti-inflammatory work: mitochondrial density (built in zone-2) and muscle mass (built with resistance). Everything else is optimization on top.
Zone-2: nasal-breathing pace, could hold a conversation with effort. Resistance: compound movements, sets close to failure. Twice a week is a floor, not a ceiling.
Roughly 60–70% of max heart rate. This is where mitochondria multiply, fat oxidation improves, and lactate stays low. Cheap, boring, and non-negotiable.
Skeletal muscle is your largest site of glucose disposal. More muscle = better insulin sensitivity = lower baseline inflammation. Sets of 6–12 reps, taken within a few reps of failure, on compound movements.
- Log your Zone-2 minutes and resistance sessions in the tracker.
- Hit 150 minutes of Zone-2 per week (five 30-minute sessions or three 50-minute).
- Complete two full-body resistance sessions weekly — squat, hinge, push, pull, carry.
- Break every 45 minutes of sitting with 2–3 minutes of movement.
- Log daily steps; a 7,000-step floor is the practical minimum for a non-sedentary day.
Recovery — the other half of adaptation
Training is the stimulus. Adaptation is what happens between sessions. Chronically under-recovering flips exercise from anti-inflammatory to pro-inflammatory — the same session helps a rested body and harms a depleted one.
"If sleep, mood, or HRV are trending down for two weeks, the training is not the medicine. The rest is."