You and Your Metabolism

According to the international sports science association metabolism is defined as the chemical process occurring within a living cell or organisms that are necessary for the maintenance of life. In metabolism some substances are broken down to yield energy for vital processes and other substances necessary for life are synthesized. Wow, now that is a mouthful, simply put metabolism is the breaking down of foods like fat, carbohydrates, and proteins into usable energy for the body. Our current physical state is determined by number of things, the foods that we eat, the exercise that we do or don't do, and a small amount is attributed to our genetic make up. When we begin to exercise our bodies change on a cellular level we have increased endurance the capillaries in our bodies become stronger and they dispense more oxygen to vital organs. The heart becomes stronger causing it to pump blood more efficiently which helps decrease blood pressure and our resting heart rate. This means we can do longer and harder works before becoming futiaged. Once this happens the body begins to release any unnesseary fat that it was storing so that you become better at that exercise. This is a perfect example of why swimming, jogging, running, and even bicycling helps burn away large amounts of unwanted pounds. The reason behind this is that our bodies have a base rate of metabolism that it seeks to maintain, this is called your metabolic setpoint it's usually the lowest amount of energy that your body requires in order for it to continue to function. For instance if you have a consistent sedentary lifestyle where you don't do a lot of physical activity that setpoint is naturally going to be lower then a more active person. But don't fear because your metabolic setpoint can always be changed, through physical activity and diet you can reset your metabolism! For the most part I think we are all aware of the three catigories our food falls in, carbohydrates, proteins and fat and we all know that carbohydrates are awesome at giving the body more energy. And I would say that most of you know that when we eat fats they generally stay fats and are stored as such because it has the same structure as our natural body fat. But did you know that Protein helps to grow muscles and repair tissue damage? It also takes longer for Protein to make the transition into fat. So what does all this have to do with your metabolism and getting it to work at an effective level? It's simple, the more exercise and physical activity that you do the more food you have to eat. Think of your body like a car and think of food like gas, you can't run your car without gas so likewise your body can not function without food. Remember food is not the enemy, but a lack of physical activity is. So until next time and as always happy eating!!!