There’s no denying that exercise is excellent for your physical and mental health. But are you exercising in the ways that best suit your body – your unique genetic makeup? 

If you’re a follower of The Blood Type Diet®, you already know that personalized nutrition based on your ABO blood type has tremendous benefits ranging from a robust immune system to maintaining a healthy weight to overall health and well-being. But did you know that your genes dictate more than what you should eat? They also offer insight into personalizing your exercise.

The Stress / Exercise Connection

With The Blood Type Diet, exercise is really all about personalized stress reduction. When we talk about the damaging long-term impact of stress on the immune system, it’s not the stress itself, but how the body reacts in the moment and afterwards. Exercise is a great way to re-set.

Since each blood type has its own instinctive stress response, it’s not surprising that each type also has a preferred exercise profile, rather than a one-size-fits-all solution. A personalized exercise program based on your unique genetic makeup can help you recover from stress and even resist its harmful effects.

Exercise for Blood Type O

More than any other blood type, Type Os need intense exercise to maintain physical health and emotional balance. A consistent, rigorous exercise program releases the buildup of stress hormones in their systems.

The most successful form of exercise for Blood Type Os is cardio based, such as running, cycling and martial arts.

If you can’t do high intensity workouts, that’s OK. Start by walking and quicken your pace as you get stronger. Anything that elevates heart rate for a Type O can help to lower stress, balance emotions and shed pounds.

Exercise for Blood Type A

You could say that when it comes to exercise, Blood Type As are the opposite of Type Os. Heightened levels of cortisol make it harder for Type As to recover from stress. Exercises that have a quieting, calming effect are most beneficial. Try hatha yoga, tai chi and meditation.

That doesn’t mean that Type As can’t break a sweat. If you like aerobic exercise, just be sure to maintain overall mental calmness to achieve the most benefit. Highly competitive activities that strain the body and the mind could actually cause more stress. Relaxing, soothing routines best help Type As manage stress.

Exercise for Blood Type B

When it comes to exercise for Blood Type Bs, you can think of B for balance. Type Bs need to balance meditative activities with more active forms of physical exercise. They are literally wired for it.

A sample routine might be three days of cardio exercise and two days of relaxing activities. Type Bs can choose from a wide range of exercises but seem to do best with moderate activities that aren’t too aerobically intense, have an element of mental challenge and involve other people. Some excellent forms of exercise for Blood Type Bs are tennis, hiking and golf.

Exercise for Blood Type AB

When dealing with stress, Type ABs tend to share characteristics with both Type As and Type Os. They do best with a mix of both calming activities and intense physical exercise.

Hatha yoga is an excellent choice for Type ABs, as are swimming and bicycling. An ideal routine would include high-octane cardiovascular activities, weight training and calming exercises that also improve flexibility. 

Enhancing workouts with protein

Protein plays an important role in repairing and rebuilding muscles. Many people turn to protein shakes or on-the-go protein bars to help this process, especially after a period of intense exercise.

Dr. Peter D’Adamo’s specially formulated Uniblend Protein Powders blend seamlessly into any beverage and are Right 4 All Types. Available in both cocoa and unflavored, Uniblend has no synthetic additives, sweeteners or Avoid ingredients.

For more information about the connection between blood type, stress and exercise, see pages 80-85 of Dr. D’Adamo’s best-selling book Eat Right 4 Your Type.