My Metabolism and Me

What is metabolism? Metabolism is the chemical processes occuring within a living cell or organism that are necessary for the maintenance of life. In metabolism some substances are broken down to yield energy for vital processes while other substances are created.

These chemical processes are categorized into two phases: anabolism and catabolism. These processes occur at the same time to keep your metabolism in balance. Anabolism is basically the building up of complex chemical compounds in the body from simpler compounds and catabolism is the breaking down of the same complex chemical compounds  into simpler ones.

Simply put anabolism is the use of nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to store energy in the body for muscle repair and cell maintenance and canabolism is the use of that energy for muscle contractions and nerve impulses.

If you can picture this your body is in an anabolic state usually during rest and recovery from any activity and your body is in a canabolic state during activity (i.e. walking, weight lifting, and etc.)

Your body seeks to maintain a "set point" called the basal metabolic rate. This is the state in which the body can operate using the least energy. Small things in your environment can effect this rate (i.e. temperateure, activity level, and diet). It has been shown through research that you can manipulate your own basal metabolic rate through diet and exercise. Low calorie dieting often times slows down your metabolism because your body is trying to conserve energy so that it can operate. Exercise increases your metabolic rate and causes your body to use more energy. The combination of the two can help create a deficit in your daily caloirc intake which will ultimately result in weight loss. If you do the opposite and eat a high calorie diet and exercise you will get a net gain in caloric intake which will result in weight gain.

While the metabolism is much more complexed and in-depth this provides you with a general understanding of how the body works to maintain a constant state of balance and how you can manipulate that balance in order to obtain specific results.

On thursday, I will write about the specific energy sources the body uses for exercise and activity. Until then stay healthy, infinitely curious, and eternally grateful.

-Micah Hayes