A characteristic
of metabolism is that it can occur with or without oxygen.
"Aerobic" means "with or
of air." Aerobic metabolism requires air (which
contains oxygen) to produce energy for the body.
This is how our metabolism works most of the time.
On the other hand, "anaerobic"
means "without air" and anaerobic metabolism refers
to metabolism that produces energy without the use of oxygen.
The terms "aerobic
and anaerobic exercise" actually refer to aerobic and
anaerobic metabolism. We constantly breathe
in oxygen because we'd croak if we couldn't! So all exercise
is actually aerobic because we have to breathe. It's how
exercise affects metabolism that is the issue.
When the body needs more
oxygen than what it's getting, like when you're exercising
strenuously or doing anything that causes you gasp for
air, that is when anaerobic metabolism "takes over"
to continue to provide your body with the energy you need
to keep functioning even though you temporarily don't
have sufficient oxygen for normal aerobic metabolism.
The body uses both
types of metabolism, but aerobic metabolism is the most
efficient and the most used by the body. Getting
sufficient oxygen through breathing is the most important
factor that affects metabolism and health.
Asking the question "What
is metabolism?" is related to the question, "How
does nutrition work?" Metabolism is the physical
process of changing the nutrients in food into the body's
cells and tissues and into energy.
There are three major steps
that the body goes through to convert food into cellular
material and energy after eating and swallowing:
- Digestion - consumed
food is broken down into miniscule particles.
- Absorption - the
process where the miniscule nutrients are absorbed into
the bloodstream and travel to all the cells of the body
.
- Metabolism - the
nutrients in the cell are changed/converted into cell
material and energy.
Learning
about nutrition and giving your body the nutrients it
needs to function well is key to improving your metabolism.
The body needs the energy from metabolized nutrients in
order to continue metabolizing!
Let's compare this to a car
for a simple example. If you put poor quality gas in your
car, the car won't run very well. Sure, it will run, but
not like a sports car! If you put poor nutrition into your
body, your body won't function very well either.
What
is metabolism?
More information on nutrition and metabolism
I was fortunate to discover
a program on public television with Dr. Mark Hyman, M.D.
Dr. Hyman is a practicing physician, respected medical consultant
and New York Times best selling author.
Dr. Hyman is at the forefront
of medical practitioners and professionals who are bringing
the scientific knowledge of health and nutrition
to the practice of medicine. They are
bringing the practice of the short-term "see a symptom,
prescribe a drug" healthcare model up-to-date with
current scientific knowledge on how the body works and what
overall health requires. This emerging model of medicine
is referred to as "functional medicine."
Part of this knowledge is
the understanding of how the body works and what is metabolism.
This link will take you to
a video clip of the show that I saw and found entertaining,
enlightening and fascinating! The understanding of nutrition
and metabolism that is available from this information is
a powerful tool that you can use to improve your metabolism
and your health!
http://www.ultrametabolism.com/pr/Site/Public-Tv-Show.html
What
is metabolism?
What is metabolism of toxins?
Another factor that
affects how well your metabolism works is the amount of
"crud," or toxins, you have in your system. Your
health and well-being depend on how well your body can change
nutrition into cell material and energy - in other words,
how well your metabolism works.
Toxins are poisonous
substances that are harmful to the body. Although
the body does produce toxins (waste products) in the process
of metabolizing proteins, it is also designed to handle
and eliminate toxins as a normal function. (One reason that
water is so important
because it helps the body flush out toxins and waste!)
However, there are
many sources of toxins in the environment these days that
overload the body with crud. The body cannot
handle a toxin overload and becomes ill. Pollution
in the air, chemicals in our water supply, chemicals in
household and personal products, pesticides and chemicals
in our food supply and prescription and over-the-counter
drugs all contain toxins that the body tries to eliminate.
Too many toxins in
the body have a negative effect on metabolism. Imagine
what it would be like if you were cleaning and organizing
a work area and someone kept throwing trash in it. No matter
how hard you work to clean out the trash, it keeps piling
up! You'd probably get sick and tired after awhile huh?
That's exactly how too many toxins overloading your systems
affect your metabolism.
What
is metabolism?
Cleansing and detoxification to improve metabolism
You've most likely heard
about "cleansing" and "detoxification." You can probably
imagine what benefit that helping your body cleanse and
detoxify itself "of built up crud" in your body's systems
could have. Body
cleansing and detoxification will greatly assist in
improving your metabolism and your overall health and wellness.
I hope that this information
gives you a good answer to the question, "What is metabolism?"
Cheers!
"The
noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding."
- Leonardo da Vinci |
Return to Health Related Articles
from What is metabolism?
[Return
to the top of the page]
