Posted by jujube on February 7, 2005, at 12:05:30
In reply to Re: protein and fat metabolism » jujube, posted by CareBear04 on February 5, 2005, at 18:59:15
I can not in good conscience accept such compliments. I am certainly no expert be any means. And, the summary was simply a compilation of articles, etc. which I had read and saved (I have been too tired lately to re-write and put the gist of my findings in my own words. Oh the joys of cut and paste!). I am sure there are people who are far smarter and more knowledgeable than I who could provide even more succinct and useful information.
Anyway, here is some information on aerobic exercise which may answer some of your questions.
> I used to think the main benefits of aerobic exercise were improved cardiovascular health, increased metabolism and an increased sense of well-being (including mood brightening, improved ability to handle stress and reduced anxiety). Aerobic exercise does so much more. Here is a list of benefits that was in one of the documents I had come across and retained for reference:
Improves Bone Calcium; Improves Blood High Density Cholesterol; Improves Handling Of Excess Heat; Increases Hemoglobin; Improves Resistance To Cold; Decreases Blood Tri-glycerides; Decreases Blood Pressure; Decreases Insulin Requirement; Increases Glycogen Storage; Less Conversion Of Sugar To Fat; Increases Stroke Volume of Heart; Decreases Resting Heart Rate; Helps Avoid Senility - Increases Oxygen Delivery To Brain; Increased Oxygen Pickup In The Lungs; Increases Fat Burning Enzymes; Fat Deposits Release Fatty Acids Better; Better Control Of Hunger; Decreases Body Fat; Increases Muscle Mass; More Calories Burned; More Fat Calories Burned; Decreases Muscle Dependence On Sugar; Decreases Incidence of Hypoglycemia
What I have read is the aerobic exercise helps you maintain a normal weight by increasing your metabolism (the rate you burn calories). In addition, muscles that are not used become small and inelastic, but aerobic exercise will help tone your body by increasing muscle size, strength and flexibility while burning calories.
When we exercise, our bodies require more energy and our metabolism increases in order to supply it. However, most of the time we are not all that active, which is the reason people want to increase their metabolism. The idea is to burn more calories when doing very little, like sitting around or even sleeping.
With regard to resistence/weight training, I have read that properly performed high intensity strength training stimulates the development of muscle mass which in turn will alter metabolism in two different ways. First, resting metabolic rate is increased when one gains muscle mass. While the energy expenditure per pound of lean body mass does not change, the addition of more muscle mass means higher energy expenditure or increased metabolism at rest. Further, the more muscle mass an individual has the greater the post exercise oxygen consumption. What I have gathered from things I have read is that strength training individuals have more muscle mass, they burn more calories during the post exercise period.
Improved muscle health. Aerobic exercise also helps improve muscle health. From what I have read, it stimulates the growth of tiny blood vessels (capillaries) in your muscles. This helps your body more efficiently deliver oxygen to your muscles and remove from them irritating metabolic waste products, such as lactic acid. This can lessen your pain if you have chronic muscle pain, fibromyalgia or chronic low back pain.
I extracted this from a shot Mayo Clinic article I had come across and saved for future reference: When you participate in aerobic exercise, your body burns calories. Although a fat calorie is the same as a glycogen calorie, you can vary your exercise to focus on burning one or the other. To burn fat, choose an activity that's low to moderate in intensity and takes longer, such as brisk walking, swimming or square dancing. Short-term, higher-intensity activities (anaerobic exercises), such as 100-yard sprints, tend to burn glycogen. These short, intense activities, however, won't burn fat as effectively and therefore aren't as effective for weight loss. They're also more stressful to the body in general, and you may put yourself at risk of injuring yourself or overstressing your cardiovascular system if you're not in shape.
I just wanted to add the following which I extracted from the reading I have done since proper diet and adequate exercise go hand in hand in maintaining weight and toning our bodies. When our main source of energy (glucose) depletes, the process of metabolism turns to fat stores (body fat) for it’s primary energy source. On the other hand when our supply of blood sugar is too high, the process of metabolism stores excess "energy" by converting it into body fat causing the weight scale to move in an upward direction. Proper diet will increase and speed up your metabolism. It is important to never skip a meal or go on any type of starvation diet. You should always eat healthy snacks between meals. The idea is to eat frequently to prevent hunger pangs, and to keep your energy levels consistent which in turn will increase and speed up your metabolism. Our bodies were designed with a survival mechanism just in case there is a time of famine. Because of this mechanism, it is easier for the body to store fat. If we go on any calorie deficit diet or some type of starvation diet you can forget about increasing your metabolism because our body's metabolism decreases in order to conserve energy. In this mode, it is much easier for the body to store what we eat as body fat and burn energy from muscle tissue. Since muscle tissue burns a higher amount of calories, the less we have the lower our metabolism will be.
Increase metabolism by eating several smaller meals per day. The idea is to never let yourself get hungry. One way to accomplish this would be to eat three healthy nutritious meals and eat healthy nutritious snacks in between those meals keeping yourself satisfied throughout the day. It will be very important that the snacks are healthy, and that the meal sizes are reduced to compensate for the additional calories the snacks provide to prevent weight gain.
poster:jujube
thread:452737
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/health/20050105/msgs/454328.html