twilight fanatics challenge! get your vamp on by november 1

This was originally my blog, but I wanted to share it with you all.

Whole body metabolism is regulated primarily by your hormones. In this post I will discuss some general principles related to energy metabolism and energy balance. Food is the only source of energy and raw materials from which our body is made. In this way, that old saying you are what you eat is entirely the truth. Your body relies on the food you consume to carry out all of its functions and perform its repairs. Between meals the body converts energy stores into smaller molecules that cells can use for energy. When you eat the body replenishes these stores by converting nutrients into energy storage molecules. The way the body stores and utilizes energy - energy metabolism - is influenced by your eating patterns as well as growth, stress, and metabolic rate. In all cases, whether the body stores or uses energy is controlled by endocrine signals. Two critical concepts drive the control of energy metabolism.

1. Because food intake is not continuous, the body stores nutrients during periods of intake and then breaks down these stores during the period between your meals.

2. The brain is dependent on glucose as its primary energy source. Because of this fact, blood glucose levels must be maintained at all times in the body, even between meals.

When we eat, digestion breaks down the large food molecules into smaller molecules which are then absorbed into the blood stream. Carbohydrates are transported in the blood as glucose, proteins are transported as amino acids and lipids are transported in lipoprotiens. Blood flow distributes these nutrients to tissues throughout the body, where they are taken up by cells. Inside cells, the molecules undergo three potential fates:

1. They may be broken down into smaller molecules. In the process releasing energy that can be used for driving various cellular processes.

2. They may be used to create other molecules needed by cells and tissues for normal functions such as growth and repair.

3. If they are in excess they may be converted to energy storage molecules. The two primary energy storage molecules are glycogen and triglycerides, or fat.

Some small molecules can be inter converted. The ability to do this, plays an important role in whole body metabolism. The energy requiring processes of cells fall into three categories: mechanical work, which is movement of cells. Chemical work which is the formation of bonds during chemical reactions. Transport work which uses energy to move a molecule from one side of a cell membrane to another. The amount of energy expended per unit time is the body's metabolic rate. The metabolic rate of a person is influenced by a variety of factors, including muscular activity, age, gender, body surface area and temperature. the basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the rate of energy expenditure of a person who is awake, laying down and is physically and mentally relaxed and has fasted for at least 12 hours. The BMR represents the energy requirement of performing tasks such as pumping blood. Most BMR expenditure is due to activity in the central nervous system, and skeletal muscle. Which account for roughly 40% and 20-30% respectively. The BMR varies from tissue to tissue, muscle tissue has a greater BMR than fat tissue. This is why muscle burns more calories than fat.

For 3 to 4 hours after a meal nutrients are absorbed during the absorptive state. Nutrients during this time are plentiful in the blood. Glucose serves as the primary source of energy for cells, while fats, amino acids and excess glucose are taken up by liver, muscle and fat cells and then converted into energy storage molecules. The postabsorptive state is the time between meals when the nutrients are not being absorbed. Energy stores are mobilized to provide cells the energy they require. During this phase glucose is used primarily for the nervous system while other systems in the body use different energy sources, such as fat, to spare glucose for the nervous system. In summary, energy is stored in the absorptive phase and then used in the postabsorptive phase. This rule is important because despite the fact that we do not constantly consume food, the body provides a steady supply of nutrients to cells. The body must constantly expend energy to stay alive.

The energy needs of the body is primarily met by glucose. Absorbed fatty acids and amino acids can be used for fuel, particularly if diet is rich in these nutrients but poor in carbohydrates. Amino acids may be used to create proteins. Proteins are not created as storage molecules, they have important structural and functional roles in cells. Because of this fact, proteins are constantly being made and degraded. For this reason, the mass of the body that is protein is stable and does not change solely on the amount of amino acids consumed. Consuming more amino acids will not create more muscle for the body. The body will use protein as a nutrient source only if conditions are extreme, because it does so at the expense of losing functioning molecules. 20 - 30% of the bodies energy reserves is proteins, and some can be used for energy without being harmful. But a continual use of protein for energy is harmful and can be potentially fatal.

Whereas the body is limited in its ability to store energy in other forms it is unlimited in its ability to store energy as fats. The creation of fat is the final pathway for all nutrients that are absorbed in excess of the bodies needs. Fat stores represent 75 -80% of stored energy and contain enough energy to last for about two months.

I was hope this was informative. All information was taken from the book, Principles of Human Physiology.

how do you wake yourself up in the morning? I mean to EVERY morning but then the alarm goes off and I'm just UGGGGGGH....and I sleep in for the 45 minutes I should be working out.

I don't know how to kick this....it's killing me because then I'm forced to fit my workouts in during the evening when I'm making supper, helping kids with homework, putting them to bed, eating supper, etc etc etc etc.

I'm in! I have a lot more than 25 to lose but, this could be fun

I tried the c25k yesterday but ended up stopping...My pants kept falling down!(which is great because it shows that I am loosing weight!) So I went out and got some workout clothes that fit me and was able to do day 1 today!! I was excited:-)

I tried the c25k yesterday but ended up stopping...My pants kept falling down!(which is great because it shows that I am loosing weight!) So I went out and got some workout clothes that fit me and was able to do day 1 today!! I was excited:-)

Oh, that's great, thanks for sharing. I'm giggling on the bus now

I decided that I wasn't going to be "delicate" this morning and went running for 30 mins in spite if the on/off rain showers.

I have heard that working out in the morning is better for you (jump starts your metabolism). That said, I am a pleasant morning person but I find I have no drive to exercise in the am. I can do 40 minutes on my Gazelle in the evening w/ minimal effort. In the morning, I begin counting down the minutes after 5 minutes. My goal is for 20. I would go back to evenings, but with my job I come home lat a lot. Between dinner and the kids - I skip the work out.

Any suggestions on improving stamina and energy in morning hours??

BTW - 2 days and running on exercising in am - go Alice

I noticed that it helped me if I ate a very small breakfast first. I will usually throw a vitatop muffin in the micro and eat that with some water before my morning workouts.

This week's challenge is to push yourself in your workout endeavors. If there's something you've been thinking of trying out, do it. If your already a gym rat, push up your time or your intensity. Add five minutes of jump-roping to your routine. Start that C25K. Get your mind to a place where it can visualize your muscles and your arteries - see your blood pulsing, feel it moving. Stretch. Jump. Sweat. Work on your vampire reflexes. Attend to your instincts!

I've decided to give c25k a try because I have a 5k coming up in Sept. that i'm determined to enter on the race side instead of the fun walk. Anyway, with that said, I'll only be able to train every other week (when my son is in camp), so we'll see where I'm at 3 months from now. However, one thing I can do, that I've not done yet...since you mentioned it...is jump rope! Now, if I can only figure out where my son put it.....

is it too late to join this challenge? I cannot WAIT for this movie to come out and it would be awesome motivation for me to meet my goals!!

how do you wake yourself up in the morning? I mean to EVERY morning but then the alarm goes off and I'm just UGGGGGGH....and I sleep in for the 45 minutes I should be working out.

I don't know how to kick this....it's killing me because then I'm forced to fit my workouts in during the evening when I'm making supper, helping kids with homework, putting them to bed, eating supper, etc etc etc etc.

I'm the same way!! I have to get up at 4:30 as it is, so trying to wake up any earlier is crazy!

Sorry I haven't checked in but I have been working. Having two jobs really stinks.

my personal trainer has me do jumping squats! They are killers! Good job on pushing yourself!

This week's challenge is to push yourself in your workout endeavors. If there's something you've been thinking of trying out, do it. If your already a gym rat, push up your time or your intensity. Add five minutes of jump-roping to your routine. Start that C25K. Get your mind to a place where it can visualize your muscles and your arteries - see your blood pulsing, feel it moving. Stretch. Jump. Sweat. Work on your vampire reflexes. Attend to your instincts!

I've decided to give c25k a try because I have a 5k coming up in Sept. that i'm determined to enter on the race side instead of the fun walk. Anyway, with that said, I'll only be able to train every other week (when my son is in camp), so we'll see where I'm at 3 months from now. However, one thing I can do, that I've not done yet...since you mentioned it...is jump rope! Now, if I can only figure out where my son put it.....

Ha-ha! Send him over here if you need to train - I will trade you c25k time for Zumba time on my end!!

The scaled moved today! Yay! As frustrating as it is when the scale doesnt move, I love seeing the changes in my body and ability and that number 'slowly' moving up on my ticker does help with my motivation. How was everyone elses week?