Final Entry

My experience with blogging has been an extremely positive and reassuring one.

First off, I learned a lot in this course about my peers, current events, and different perspectives. It’s given me an opportunity to expand on my own passion and show myself that I am capable of achieving a lot, given the right motivation. But regardless of my achievements, what I enjoyed most was the social aspect of the blogging experience. As an inquisitive person it’s really shown me a refreshing passionate side to people and has given me a chance to really analyze what they feel is important to them. It has also dispelled some myths and opened doors to subjects that I normally wouldn’t care to research such as politics, relationships, and different cultures.

Before I took this course, my accepted view was that I was bad at English because I lacked the skills, ability, and natural talent that would allow me to excel. By my second blog post, this notion had completely dissipated. Blogging about a passion or interest of my own allowed me to actually externalize thoughts that I had and not be worried so much about the composition rather than the material. In doing this I saw that I actually had a firm grasp of the English language and my only problem is that of creativity. It was a liberating experience to be sure and one that I will definitely suggest to anyone that needs to take this course.

A special thanks to the professor for making this course an enjoyable one.

Template for muscle gain

So after talking about proper dieting techniques I figured I should show you what a good template might look like. I will be using myself for this template and the goal of this will not be fat loss, but rather, muscle gain.

First step is to calculate my BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), and for this I will be using the Harris-Benedict Procedure for men (Venuto).

BMR for men = 66 + (13.7 x body weight in kilograms) + (5 x height in centimeters) – (6.8 x age in years) (Venuto)
BMR for women = 655 + (9.6 x body weight in kilograms) + (1.8 x height in centimeters) – (4.7 x age in years) (Venuto)


BMR for men = 66 + (13.7 x 86kg) + (5 x 186cm) – (6.8 x 21)
BMR for men = 2031.4 calories/day


So what I have just calculated is my BMR which is approximately 2030 calories a day. If you have forgotten what the BMR (often called your maintenance calories) is, it is the amount of calories needed to maintain your body in a healthy state with no weight gain or weight loss, with just your basic energy expenditure (not including exercise) (Discovery Health).

So now I have calculated for maintenance calories and since I want to gain weight in muscle I’m going to have to take into account the calories that will be needed to build up my muscle and the calories that I will burn during the process of working out. Using this website I have found that in my one hour gym sessions I will burn approximately 200 calories. To gain a pound of muscle you also need about 1,800 calories of protein*. So let’s say I wanted to gain 2 pounds of dense muscle a month. That means that I want 3,600 calories of protein split up into 30 days, which equals about 120 extra calories of protein daily. Okay since I’m not a nutritionist this is all very rough estimating, but I will have to consume about (2030 + 200 + 120) 2,350 calories on work out days and (2030 + 120) 2,150 calories on non-work out days to reach my goal of 2 pounds of muscle gain by the end of the month.

I now have a basic template for the month and the hard part is figured out. I know what I want and how to get it, the rest is just mapping out a suitable diet using high-quality, nutritious foods and breaking them up into the 5-6 meals a day discussed in a previous post.

Some extra bits of info:

- Look for a good diet ratio online (it will have the ratio or percentages you will need to eat of carbs/proteins/fats; e.g. 40-40-20 diet is good for building muscle or losing weight which is why many people use it)
- Make your breakfast the largest meal by adding carbs and protein and adjust your daily diet accordingly
- Eat a good mixture of simple/complex carbs (think simple = immediate energy, complex = prolonged energy)
- Take your vitamins and essential fatty acids
- Drink plenty of water

There you have it, this is the final post of my blogs and I hope you all learned something from it.

* There are 28 grams in one ounce, and 16 ounces in one pound, therefore, there are 448 grams in one pound and multiplied by 4 calories per gram of protein yields approximately 1,800 calories.

References

Bodybuilding.com. Bodybuilding.com. 2008. 7 December 2008 http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calories.htm.

Discovery Health. 30 October 2007. 7 December 2008 http://health.discovery.com/tools/calculators/basal/basal.html.

Venuto, Tom. AJ Design Software. 2007. 7 December 2008 http://www.ajdesigner.com/phpweightloss/weight_loss_equations_male_metabolic_rate_bmr_calorie_day.php.

Final Paper Ideas

My community is that of the Nutrition/Health/Fitness bloggers. Some of these bloggers are educators, while others are promoting a product, while others still may perhaps be sharing their own experiences as it is related to the topic. I feel that I fit in with the educators in the respect that this is a class where our compositions are supposed to be 50% research, and as such my blogs are simply an amalgamation of cited material and my thoughts.

I will be using several very different blog sites to juxtapose the views of nutrition and health with regards to the backgrounds and goals. For instance, you could say that the goal of a particular weight loss blogging site is to promote their product “HealthBarX." In other circumstances a fellow blogger might be putting out information to help others. But regardless of their goals/intentions I want to investigate what makes the blog site successful and what people feel that they can relate to.

Nutrition is such an important aspect of our lives, but it seems in my day-to-day encounters that not enough people pay attention to their diet. With this in mind I also want to see what people are interested in. If they’re not interested in nutrition, then I’ll investigate why they’re not interested. I feel that what I find will help me better understand the readers (current and prospective) which in turn will help me reach more people.

Caffeine

In this post I’ll be talking about caffeine as a tool to further your workouts.

Caffeine is a psychoactive stimulant that is found in many plants worldwide such as the Cacao tree. As a socially acceptable drug, it has found its way into many food products such as soda, candy, ice cream, and chocolate. Its effects on a person start at, but are not limited to: stimulation of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, elevated mood, elevated energy, increased heart rate, increased metabolic rate, and increased respiratory rate (Nutrition and Well-being A-Z).

Many athletes (professional or not) use caffeine because it has been shown to increase speed, stamina, and performance in general (Clark). Since it speeds up your heart rate, it’s making you burn more calories per hour than normal, thus explaining the increased respiratory and metabolic rate. So not only will you be burning more calories per hour (for up to 3-4 hours depending on dosage), but you will also experience a psychological effect that may help keep you going past your normal burn out point. With that in mind, this may be just what you need to start burning off some calories as well as giving you an edge in the gym. For those considering using caffeine in an exercise program, it should be ingested in recommended dosages appropriate to your size about 30 minutes prior to a workout, but at least 3 – 4 hours before you plan to sleep.

Now as most of us know, caffeine is an addictive substance and therefore, care should be exercised when considering a diet regimen consisting of caffeinated supplements. It should also be noted that caffeine in doses of 500-600mg + have been shown to cause adverse effects such as: anxiety, depression, sweating, nausea, and insomnia (Mayo Clinic Staff). With regards to people with heart or health related issues, you should consult your doctor before the use of any such drug, including caffeine.

References

Clark, Nancy. RUNTHEPLANET. 2008. 6 December 2008 http://www.runtheplanet.com/trainingracing/nutrition/caffeine.asp.

Mayo Clinic Staff. MayoClinic.com. 6 December 2008. 6 December 2008 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/NU00600.

Nutrition and Well-being A-Z. 2008. 6 December 2008 http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Ca-De/Caffeine.html.

Sodium

Sodium is an electrolyte that deals primarily with the regulation of extracellular fluids, muscle contractions, and transmission of nerve impulses (American Heart Association). It is an essential nutrient because of these traits; however, most Americans receive many times the amount of sodium than is necessary or acceptable. This is partly due to the fact of high sodium levels in the processed foods that constitute many Americans’ diets. When excess levels of sodium are ingested on a regular basis, your kidneys may start to fall behind in the excretion of said mineral (Vincent). Since the sodium is not fully excreted, it stays in the blood where it increases your blood pressure by virtue of its water-retaining abilities (Mayo Clinic Staff). Having high blood pressure is not the same as having a rapid heart-beat, and therefore you will need to have your blood pressure checked by a doctor as it is not something you can readily check yourself.

“Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure.” (American Heart Association). If not for the sake of being healthy, it’s for these reasons that one should evaluate their own blood pressure and sodium intake. Research shows that healthy adults should be getting about 500mg of sodium daily, but are not to exceed 2,400mg (which even still is very high) (Mayo Clinic Staff). Some ways to cut sodium intake easily are by using salt substitutes, spices and herbs, and eating low sodium versions of processed foods you may not want to give up.

In this link to a page from the American Heart Association you can see some statistics on high blood pressure and how common it really is in American society.

References

American Heart Association. American Heart Association. 6 December 2008. 6 December 2008 http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4708.

---. American Heart Association. 6 December 2008. 6 December 2008 http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2139

---. American Heart Association. 6 December 2008. 6 December 2008
http://www.hearthub.org/hc-high-blood-pressure.htm

Lifeclinic International, Inc. lifeclinic.com. 2008. 6 December 2008 http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutrition/sodium.asp.

Mayo Clinic Staff. MayoClinic.com. 6 December 2008. 6 December 2008 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284.

Vincent, Eileen. NORTHWESTERNUTRITION. 28 July 2007. 5 December 2008 http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/nutrition/factsheets/sodium.html.

Brain Power

So far in my posts I have discussed some basic nutritional information, metabolic processes, and a few ways to change your diet to optimize your health benefits. Now in one of my final posts, I would like to discuss what you can do for your brain. This is not a subject that gets much media attention, with respect to other dieting regimens, because of what I believe to be the lack of superficial craze. That is to say that trying to increase your intellect or striving for your personal best, from grade-school to adult life, has never quite seemed like the popular thing to do.

Opinions and self-image aside, I think we can concede that your brain is simply the most important part of our bodies. So how do we take care of this treasure? Well we certainly don’t do it by depriving it of nutrients and pumping it full of junk-food. In a time before many of the market-foods were manufactured, it wasn’t as big an issue for societies, let’s say, in the Mediterranean region, to receive a sufficient amount of nutrients for all parts of their persons’ in their normal diet. They’d get their essential fatty acids from the fish and nuts, protein from the abundant source of fish and meats, antioxidants from fruits and berries, etc.

Nowadays it’s not so easy, which is why when it comes to brain nutrition, I opt for the supplementary approach. The key word in my previous statement is SUPPLEMENTARY. That means that on top of the right nutrition (adequate protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals) I use some supplements to further cultivate my brain. A quick overview in brain nutrition shows that proteins are necessary as they are the substance that your brain builds with, carbohydrates are your energy source, and good fat is used as a regulatory component (The Thinking Business Limited). Furthermore, antioxidants protect your brain from degenerative damage by free radicals as discussed in an earlier post.

In most generic brain-power supplements, you find many of the same ingredients which include: amino acids, B-vitamins, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants. These are all elements that you could/should be getting in your normal diet, but if you’re deficient in these key elements necessary for proper brain functioning, this is how you can restore the balance. By proper brain dieting you can expect gains in your memory, mood, and functioning (AskDrSears.com). For example, have you ever misplaced your keys, looked all over the house, only to realize that they were in your pocket, purse, or jacket the entire time? How about putting things where they don’t belong, like trying to put a peanut butter lid on a jelly jar? Or my personal favorite, where I am searching high-and-low for the remote to the T.V. only to find that it had been sitting on top of the T.V. the entire time. These “brain farts” occur, in part, due to conditioning, stress, hereditary traits, sleep deprivation, but it also has a lot to do with your day-to-day memory and recognition abilities (Story). These are aspects of your brain’s cognitive functions that can be improved by the aforementioned nutritional elements. As far as your mood goes, it can help keep it elevated and inhibit “swings” or drastic polar shifts, which will enable you to approach all matters with a more level-headed outlook (Christie).

References

AskDrSears.com. AskDrSears.com. 2006. 30 November 2008 http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T040400.asp.

Christie, Catherine. Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z. 2008. 30 November 2008 http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Met-Obe/Mood-Food-Relationships.html.

Story, PJ. Jeff & Bonnie Story. 2008. 30 November 2008 http://www.pjstory.com/Forgetfulness.htm.

The Thinking Business Limited. the thinking business. 2008. 30 November 2008 http://www.thethinkingbusiness.co.uk/brain_zone.html.

Negative-Calorie Foods

This is for all my binge-eating buddies out there, I feel your pain. You try and try to diet, but you have an insatiable appetite, and no self-control.

Let’s face the facts, being addicted to food is no different than being addicted to gambling, alcohol, or drugs. According to Higgins, the mechanism that keeps an alcoholic hitting the bottle is the same as the one that brings the binge-eaters back to the refrigerator (par. 1 - 3).

So, whereas I can’t give you prescription medications to curb your appetite, I can offer another solution that will let you eat your heart out: negative-calorie foods.

In a previous post I believe I briefly spoke about how this works. Basically, you have a food, like celery, that takes more energy to break down and metabolize than the caloric value inherent in it. Therefore you are burning energy by eating this food (not enough to make a diet out of though). What this allows you to do is to binge out on these foods, which won’t add to your weight. Keep in mind though that you don’t want to base your entire diet on these foods or else you’ll most likely experience malnutrition.

Here is an article that gives a brief overview of the negative-calorie diet plan and from which I have pulled the list of negative-calorie foods.

Negative-calorie foods:

Asparagus
Apple
Beet
Cranberries
Broccoli
Grapefruit
Cabbage
Lemon
Carrot
Mango
Cauliflower
Orange
Celery
Pineapple
Chile peppers
Raspberries
Cucumber
Strawberries
Dandelion
Tangerine
Endive
Garden cress
Garlic
Green beans
Lettuce
Onion
Papaya
Radishes
Spinach
Turnip
Zucchini

What you could do is to add some of these foods to your diet, especially if you realize that you are lacking some other nutritional elements. Antioxidants for example are hardly ever eaten in most people’s diets, but you can fulfill your requirements for them and curb your hunger by eating a fruit salad filled with oranges, strawberries, and raspberries. How about some fiber? You can grab an apple on your way out to work and have about 3 – 3.5 grams of fiber along with a healthy energy booster. If you start incorporating these foods into your diet you'll be amazed at how quickly the change will come about.


References

Higgins, Dilara E. Realization Center for Food Addiction Program. 24 June 2003. 15 November 2008 http://www.realizationcenter.net/fdaddct.htm.

Womens-Health-Questions.com. Women's Health. 2008. 15 November 2008 http://www.womens-health-questions.com/negative-calorie-foods.html.

H-2-Oh!

I’m sure we’ve all heard someone say to us “You’re supposed to drink 8 cups of water a day,” without having the reasons behind it explained. In this post I will explain why it is important for you to drink 8 cups of water a day (approximately).

Water, like some of the other substances covered, is considered an essential nutrient (substance) because your body cannot synthesize enough of it to stay alive. Thus, we must receive it from another source, whether it’s from food or beverages. According to the Mayo Clinic Staff, the average person uses about 2 liters of water daily, which is equal to 8 cups of water. This is the rationale behind the 8 cups of water; because you want to replace what you’ve used so that come tomorrow you won’t be dehydrated.

Water acts as a catalyst (trigger) for many reactions that go on in the body such as digestion, absorption, transportation of nutrients, metabolism, and expulsion of waste products (Vincent). Without enough water all of these functions are impaired and start to slow down.

You may think that 8 cups of water a day is a ridiculous task, especially because you only get thirsty about once or twice a day. I urge you to abandon this logic, because it’s as erroneous as eating only when you’re hungry. The fact of the matter is that by the time your thirst mechanism has kicked in, your water levels are sub-optimal, and therefore this cannot be used as a reliable indicator of when to drink.

As someone who abides by this rule, but is just as lazy as the next, I advise you to make a game of it. For instance, every time you scratch your head, make a note to drink a cup of water as well. Anything that gets you to drink your 2 liters will suffice. Also, a cup of water is bigger than a normal mug, and 2 liters is about half a gallon. Keep in mind that drinking 8 cups of water, a day, is the MINIMUM amount recommended to replenish what you’ve lost. So next time you scratch your head (or any other part of your body) remember to reach for that cup of water as well.

References

Mayo Clinic Staff. MayoClinic.com. 20 June 2008. 20 November 2008 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283.

Vincent, Eileen. NORTHWESTERNUTRITION. 28 July 2007. 20 November 2008 http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/nutrition/factsheets/water.html.

Metabolism and Supplements

If knowledge is indeed power – then I feel it is my responsibility to tell you to check with your physician before adding supplements to your diet. I am not familiar with each of your individual medical histories and there could be great concern in taking some supplements.

First, discard all notions that supplements are “bad” for you. If you hold on to those thoughts you’re just buying into media hype, and that says something about yourself. We should all learn to investigate claims further because half the time we find out the people making such bold assertions cannot back them up what-so-ever.

Let’s begin. In this post we’ll be discussing how to raise your metabolism effectively by proper supplementing. What I don’t want you to do after you read this is to run to the store and start buying caffeine and metabolic enhancers, and all that jazz. While those supplements do offer positive effects, they don’t offer long-term healthy solutions. We want to supplement with nutrients and minerals that our body SHOULD be getting on a regular basis, and not those that will artificially boost certain bodily functions.

Multivitamins speak for themselves pretty much. There are few critics of vitamins, and those that are out there are most certainly the minority, probably lacking any scientific proof. A vitamin is a vital mineral. More accurately, it is an organic compound that the body cannot synthesize in sufficient amounts and therefore needs to be received in the diet (familydoctor.org editorial staff). The vitamins are crucial because they have so many different biochemical functions that are necessary for your survival. You should be eating a multivitamin daily, and note that whole food multivitamins have a higher absorption rate (typically around 90-95%) than their synthetically produced counterparts like Centrum (which is around 70%). The two vitamins I’d like to touch on are vitamins B and E. Vitamin B acts as a co-enzyme. What’s a co-enzyme? It’s a co-factor that is necessary for particular enzymes to function. So what’s an enzyme? Enzymes are molecular structures that increase the reaction rates of their respective chemicals. For example, the enzyme lactase acts on lactose (which is found in dairy products) to help speed the breakdown of this nutrient. Enzymes exponentially increase these reaction rates and that’s why co-enzymes are so important, because some enzymes need their co-factors to function. Now vitamin E is not necessarily related to metabolism, but I thought I’d share anyway for your own benefit. Vitamin E is an antioxidant. As an antioxidant it slows or halts some oxidative processes that go on in your body. According to the National Cancer Institute, oxidation releases free radicals (free-floating molecular structures that look to steal electrons) that cause reactions in your body that lead to cell damage/death, and cancer in some cases. The reason this happens is because these free radicals look to gain an extra electron from anything they can, and when they take them from healthy cells in your body this can cause the cell to mutate. The antioxidants job is to give these free radicals the electron they need so that they can neutralize them and stop them from causing harm.

B-complex is a vitamin so it may seem redundant, but hear me out. When you take a multivitamin you’re not getting the most out of those B-vitamins because there are simply so many kinds of B vitamins. They only put certain ones in there and your body could stand to take in much more since any extra that is not utilized is excreted. B-complex is going to load you up with much more co-enzymatic molecules and energizing molecules (natural alert energy) allowing your metabolism to be boosted and many times it will say on the label that they are for metabolic support.

Essential fatty acids are the next on our list. These are some more substances that cannot be synthesized in the body and therefore must be obtained in your diet. Don’t let the word fat make you think it’s automatically bad, although I know some of you think that way. Originally given the name Vitamin F, these fatty acids play a part in many metabolic processes as well as preventing some illnesses and helping your body function more efficiently in general (A.D.A.M., Inc.).

Now I must let you know that I’m about to start talking about poop. Fecal retention is known as constipation, and I bet most of you aren’t constipated, however, I know that all of you are retaining fecal matter. Bear with me now, I know this is gross to some, but the average person retains some fecal matter at all times in their body. That means when you defecate, not all of your excrements are being expelled. I’ll tell you why. If you know anything about the intestines (small and large) in your body you know that it’s a labyrinthine, tubular structure. In that structure we have cilia, which are cylindrical finger-like structures that jut out from the walls of your intestines whose purpose is to increase surface area for the absorption of nutrients. This in turn increases your metabolism because the catabolic functioning gets sped up. But what happens when your intestines get clogged and bogged down with fat and waste? Your metabolism goes down for starters, because there’s less surface area for nutrients to be absorbed through. If you’re a heavy fat/meat/fried food/protein eater then your intestines are likely to be more clogged than your average person (keeping fiber intake constant). So to give your body one of the quickest jumps in metabolism that you can, I advise a colon cleanse. You can do this in several ways, either by going to a physician and having the procedure done or the much less invasive high-fiber powders which act as laxatives. Doing this colon cleanse will expel years of built up waste and will free up clogged cilia allowing you to absorb much more of your food/nutrients.

Not only will these help boost your metabolism, but there will definitely be the added psychological effect when you lose those initial pounds. Who knows, this could be the impetus that turns you into a self-proclaimed nutrition/fitness guru yourself.

References

A.D.A.M., Inc. University of Maryland Medical Center. 1 May 2007. 20 November 2008 http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm.

familydoctor.org editorial staff. familydoctor.org. December 2006. 20 November 2008 http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/otc-center/otc-medicines/863.html.

National Cancer Institute. 28 July 2004. 20 November 2008 http://www.nci.nih.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/antioxidantsprevention.

Ophardt, Charles E. Virtual Chembook. 2003. 20 November 2008 http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/index.html.

Raising your metabolism

Okay let's cut right to it. You want to raise your metabolism, and you want to raise it now.

Let's review one simple thing about metabolism first though. When you are saying that you want to raise your metabolism, you're really saying "I want my body to utilize the nutrients I supply it more quickly, and effectively."

We can raise our metabolism in a number of ways, whether it's by dieting, exercising, supplementing, or by relieving stress. In this post I will discuss dieting and exercise and their role in increasing metabolism.

Dieting

Since your body is constantly housing biochemical reactions it's safe to assume that we need a steady and constant supply of energy right? Well I'd say that's a fair assumption, and logically speaking it makes sense. So the first order of business is to cut your 1-3 meals a day into 6 small meals a day. In this way you are ensuring that your body has a steadier supply of nutrients, and that you will be storing less fat too. How does that happen? Well when you eat your 3 meals a day, if all of the nutrients aren't used, which they most likely won't be, then the extra nutrients gets stored away as fat. When you eat smaller meals daily, you're less likely to store fat because you'll have less excess nutrients.

Another powerful way to change your nutrient intake is to find healthier substitutes for you normal diet. This could be as simple as substituting the kinds of cereals you eat or as drastic as re-organizing your entire shopping list. For example, I have about 5 pounds of stubborn fat that I'm having trouble getting rid of. So in my first order of business I started substituting because I believe it's the easiest route. Instead of buying the normal 2% milk, which has 5g of fat (45 calories from fat) per serving, I opted for the no-fat milk. Seeing as how I have 3 servings of milk daily, I just cut 135 calories out of my daily diet! Now if you remember the calculation for a pound of fat you can see how quickly you can expect to lose weight without doing anything else. 3500calories/135calories = approximately 30. That means in 30 days/1 month I could lose a pound of fat just by substituting out my milk. Pretty easy if you ask me.

Metabolism - 1, Fat - 0

Exercising

It's important for you to exercise on a weekly basis at the very least, regardless of your weight. Not only does it reduce stress, which is a way to increase your metabolism, it also rids your body of harmful free radicals, and other waste products in your body. I won't go in-depth here because this is not an exercising guide but, one of the best ways to quickly increase your metabolism is by doing HIIT. HIIT is an acronym for High Intensity Interval Training. What this means is that instead of running for 20 minutes at a constant speed, you would run steadily for 45 seconds, and then sprint for 15 seconds, and continue that loop until you reach 20 minutes. The reason this type of training is so effective is because it doesn't let your body catch a break. What I mean to say is that our bodies are extremely resilient and efficient pieces of machinery. When you run for 20 minutes and the treadmill says you’re burning calories at a steady 15 calories per minute, it's lying. Your body quickly adapts to any exercise so that it can put out as little energy as possible to achieve any given task. Your bodily components start to work synergistically to accomplish this task. So by constantly shocking your system with intense bursts, you effectively keep your metabolism from settling down. If you adopt this difficult method of exercise you will be greatly rewarded.

Metabolism – 2, Fat – 0

In the next post I will discuss supplementing and relaxation techniques as it relates to raising your metabolism.

References

intervaltraining.net. 2008. 20 November 2008 http://www.intervaltraining.net/hiit.html.

muh-tab-uh-liz-uhm

I want you to read the title of this post, and then read it one more time. I cannot stress enough that this is simply an introductory measure to helping you understand metabolism. Too often I have found that people, in general, rely too heavily on one source of information without going the extra distance to verify the authenticity/credibility. I want you to understand that I'm still learning every day, and I have a far way to go before I can consider myself a nutrition guru.

Okay, now let's begin.

What is metabolism? It is "The sum of all the physical and chemical processes by which living organized substance is produced, and maintained (anabolism), and also the transformation by which energy is made available for the uses of the organism (catabolism)" (Cancerweb). What this definition is basically stating is that metabolism is the sum of two metabolic functions: anabolism, and catabolism. Anabolism deals with the building processes that your body goes through, such as, adding muscle, bone, and everything else on your body that grows. For this process to go on, it needs energy and raw nutrients; catabolism is the mechanism by which anabolism is powered. Catabolism deals with the breakdown of the nutrients supplied to/by your body.

Another important nugget of information to retain before we venture forth is the idea of negative feedback. According to Tortora and Derrickson, negative feedback is a process which most organisms on this planet use to keep biochemical homeostasis (pg. 10). That is to say that just as organisms make up an environment, biochemical components within our own bodies make up a microscopic environment of their own. The way it works is that once a bodily process completes a cycle, its output is partially fed back into the system’s input to “decide” at what rate to continue this process, if at all. For example, I’m sure most of us have drunk alcohol before. I’d go as far to say that many of us have probably been black-out, passed-out drunk. While blacking-out depends more on a person’s individual brain chemistry, passing-out is a negative feedback mechanism that keeps you from killing yourself. Here’s how: When you drink alcohol you are increasing your BAC (blood alcohol content), and once you knock back enough drinks, your BAC gets dangerously high. Well, as you’re metabolizing the alcohol your body gets signals that the BAC is dangerously high, so once a threshold is reached, your body shuts off and you pass out. This is to keep you from consuming more drinks, and risking alcohol poisoning or death. That’s the cliff notes version but, it sufficiently demonstrates how your body utilizes the feedback system.

Now back to metabolism. It’s a known fact that metabolism decreases with age. The question is why. In some people it seems like metabolism plummeted as soon as puberty stopped, and for others there may have not been a drastic difference between high school and the golden years. The key to keeping your metabolism going strong is proper dieting and supplementation, routine activity, and abstinence from drugs. You see, during your childhood, and adolescence, your body is working hard to develop your brain and your body to their predefined, genetic limits. That means anytime you eat, those nutrients are being allocated to the various parts of your body that require it. Once puberty stops, however, your skeletal structure remains more or less constant, and your brain has pretty much reached maturity as well. This means that a lot less nutrients are being utilized in your body now and if you continue your same lifestyle (exercise/eating/sleeping habits) you’ll most likely notice weight gain. Why? Well, before you may have been ingesting 2,000 calories a day. From those 2,000 calories, your body was using 1,400 for maintenance, another 300 to build your body up, and 300 for exercise. Now that your body is not growing much, save for exercise induced hypertrophy, you have an excess of 300 calories a day that are not being utilized. That’s a lot of excess caloric intake in one day. Now this excess energy is getting stored away as fat, and glycogen stores (daily energy). You are now gaining weight and your body knows it, so to keep from gaining weight unnecessarily so, it’s going to drop your metabolism by the process of negative feedback. What your body is trying to accomplish is slowed weight gain because if less nutrients are being broken down, and used to build up, that means less is becoming fat. The problem here is that if the same amount of nutrients are being ingested then all that has been accomplished is a slowed metabolism. This cycle will perpetuate itself and that’s how many people lose control of their body.

In the next section we will discuss metabolism as it relates to you, and ways to increase your metabolism.

References

Cancerweb. 2007. 8 November 2008 http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?metabolism.

Tortora, Gerard J. and Bryan Derrickson. Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. Danvers: Von Hoffmann Press, Inc., 2006.

Welcome Back

In this segment I will touch on the need-to-know basics of nutrition, and I'll try to be as simple as possible.

**Note - I will only be talking about what is nutritionally relevant unless otherwise stated, for the sake of space and time.

Vitamins and other minerals aside, I'd like to talk about the important and basic macromolecular (macro - big, molecular - pertaining to molecules) structures that make up your diet: proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids (which we will refer to from here on out as fats).

What is/are protein(s)? You may have heard about it from people talking about the ever-popular Atkins Diet. It is a macromolecule made up of amino acids (which we will talk about later) that has several key functions in your body. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, protein is necessary for: the growth and maintenance of body tissue, to make red blood cells, maintaining proper functioning of antibodies, and for regulation of enzymes and hormones. What I want you to remember is this: that your body absolutely NEEDS protein because it is the building block of which your body is built.

What are carbohydrates? Carbohydrates are your main source of energy and come primarily from plants. Does this mean that a non-plant food can't have carbohydrates? Absolutely not, and you'll soon see why. There are two types of carbohydrates: simple, and complex. There are three kinds of carbohydrates: starches, sugars, and fiber (Galvin, "Carbohydrates"). So does this means that there are a total of 5 kinds of carbohydrates? No. When I say simple and complex I'm referring to the chemical composition of the carbohydrates, where simple refers to a small molecule, and complex refers to a large molecule. When I'm referring to starches, sugars, and fiber I'm talking about the kinds of carbohydrates. Starches and fiber come primarily from plant-based food but, a carbohydrate that can be found elsewhere is sugar. Anyway that will have to do for now until my lengthy post on carbs. Remember, carbs are your main source of energy.

Last, but definitely not least, fats. Fats are your long-term energy stores. They insulate your organs against shock, provide you with essential fatty acids, are necessary for digestion of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), and acts as a buffer against diseases (Kaneshiro). The problem is that it is easy to get too much fat but, the bigger issue is that people are not getting the right kinds of fat.

A quick how-to on counting calories:

1. 1 gram of protein = 4 calories
2. 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories
3. 1 gram of fat = 9 calories

Fat has more than twice the amount of energy as protein or carbohydrates!

Now that your familiar with the basics let's jump right in.

Calories.

So, when you hear calories, what do you think of? If you thought of anything other than energy I would like to re-direct your attention. In physics I learned that a calorie is a measure of energy. More specifically it is the amount of energy necessary to raise the temperature of a gram of water by one degree Celsius. It may further surprise you to learn however, that this is not the unit of measure you see when you look at a box of Cheerios. What you actually see on the nutrition label says calorie but, it is understood (by the FDA) that the precise amount is actually a kilo-calorie (denoted kCal).

This means that when you eat a meal that consists of 190 calories, you are actually ingesting 190 kCal (190,000 calories)! This means that with that amount of energy you could heat up one kilogram of water 190 degrees Celsius. Of course, this is assuming that the body utilizes all of this energy (which it doesn't), and assuming that we could somehow extend the boiling point of water from 100 to 200 degrees Celsius (which we can't without the introduction of other chemicals). But I digress. The point I'm trying to get across is that it is a lot of energy. Whatever your body doesn't utilize gets stored as fat and partially excreted (very small amounts). For me what has worked in the past is viewing my body as a machine. You wouldn't give your car too much oil, or water your plants too much, right? Well, extrapolate this knowledge and apply it to yourself and it becomes much easier to see how your eating habits are affecting you personally.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 6 March 2008. 20 November 2008 http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/nutrition_for_everyone/basics/protein.htm.

Galvin, Mary L. Kids Health for Kids. February 2008. 20 November 2008 http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/carb.html.

—--. Kids Health for Kids. February 2008. 20 November 2008 http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/protein.html.

---. Kids Health for Kids. February 2008. 20 November 2008
http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/fat.html

Kaneshiro, Neil K. MedlinePlus. 20 October 2008. 20 November 2008 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002468.htm.

After much thought and consideration...

I decided I'd blog about dieting, and no, I don't mean how to get six pack abs in 3 easy installments of $14.95. What I mean is being conscious of your eating habits. Dieting is one of those seemingly inexhaustible topics with almost too much information to make sense of. This unfortunately leaves many people discouraged and inevitably a good portion will most likely never educate themselves on the topic. However, over the course of the next few weeks it is my sincerest wish that I properly educate my peers out there, because dieting does not start and stop at the dinner table. It is a way of life that demonstrates that you care enough about your well-being; that you have enough focus and discipline to do something for yourself, by yourself. The rewards of proper dieting will quickly transcend corporeal properties, and it is my belief that you will have an improved quality of life.

This all must sound corny, believe me, I know. Just last year I had a completely different view: eating when hungry, not paying attention to what I was eating, nonchalantly skipping meals, and just being downright ignorant of the damage I was doing to myself. Then I thought to myself, what are the most fundamental components of my life? What do I do every day that I'm not paying more attention to? Well, I started brainstorming ideas, and sleeping, eating, and walking quickly came to mind. I soon realized that the bed I slept on was uncomfortable, I did not feel as well as I believed I could, and my feet and back were killing me. For my feet I purchased orthotics which are unbelievably comfortable. For the bed I purchased a new pillow, and a comforter/mat. For my lack of energy, and overall apathetic worldview I went old school, and purchased a nutrition book. In this way I made a conscious decision to take control, which has improved the way in which I deal with nearly all aspects of my life, and it is actually what got me back into school after a 1.5 year hiatus.

With that in mind here is what I plan to cover over the course of the next few months:

1. Nutritional elements of food
2. Supplementation
3. Nutrition myths
4. Effects of nutrients or lack thereof

For those of you who plan to follow my blog and utilize the information I provide, I commend you. We're creatures of habit and simple pleasures; it's going to be hard to adopt new habits and deny those pleasures.


Thanks for reading.

- Jack


Post statement - If any of my readers have an aspect of nutrition that they would like me to research, I urge you to leave suggestions.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Jack.

I am somewhat unorthodox in my methods, although I do appreciate, and utilize conventional methods as well.

I am terrible at expressing my thoughts on "paper," so this class will definitely be a challenge for me.

I'm one of those people that writes their thoughts down, only to be deleted moments later.

This is only my fourth substantial sentence, yet six were written.

That is all for now.