Your Body: What Is It and How Does It Work
Our Bodies are made up of some very important systems, these systems are:
Central Nervous System - the Electrical System
Muscular System - The Engine
Skeletal System - The Motion Center The wheels and Protector
Cardiovascular System - The Fuel Center
Digestive System - Sorting Machine (filtering out what we need and don’t need)
Endocrine System -Repair Center
Together these make up the body and enable us to function, these systems work as one off the back of the other.
Exercises ?
What are the safest, most effective exercises for muscle gain, weight loss, peak fitness and strength and why?
Ok so let's discuss exercises and a safe approach for you :) let’s look at the safest options of exercises from an anatomical and physiological point of view plus from the lifestyle view. There are compound and isolated, when looking at what’s going to be the safest and more effective to help you achieve your goals the answer is compound exercises as these exercise ranges are replicated through our daily activity as we sit and stand this a squat :) a compound exercise for the lower body our legs, picking up a box and moving it from one room to another we utilise the squat and deadlift range of motion. These exercises are also known and the BIG exercises because they require the work from our Biggest Muscles our Chest, Back, Legs!!
So what do I mean about big exercises, well our body is made of of some big muscles as mentioned and some small muscles and we know when we perform the exercises for our big muscles they require a helping hand from those little muscles… The big muscles exercises or compound exercises are achieved with for example the Chin Up - these work our back muscles but with the help of pretty strong GUNS we can lift our bodyweight WOW that's impressive our Arms can also get a workout at the same time as we get a leaner meaner back, another great exercise that is safe and maybe an option for someone working towards doing chin ups is the seated rows, this is another great PULL exercise for the back, and your GUNS (arms) and even adds a little value on your chest :)
So why are these SAFE exercises you may ask, these are considered the safe option as they put you and your body at a lesser risk level of injury or harm, let's use an example exercise to compare in a safety sense we have bent over barbell row, this is an exercise that also targets you back and arms however the risk IS you may now place stress on your lower back and the spinal area plus those all important Lumbar vertebral discs that help keep us on up, what can and is known to happen if poor form and technique as well as inadequate strength is that you can end up with bulging discs at your Lumbar Region causing significant pain and discomfort and in some cases long term damage leading you to have a CROOK back. Whereas with the seated Row we can ensure we are in the upright position as intended by our design, we can safely pull the weight towards our center of gravity point our Cinder Blocks (Abdominals) using both our big and strong back muscles we call on our big GUNS, Suns out Guns out right to help us pull the weight towards us giving both our back and arms a GREAT and SAFE workout :) We know from previous articles or chats that we have had about having leaner muscle mass we can become absolute fat burning machines (popping those firecrackers) So why not create leaner meaner looking muscle mass in our BIG STRONG MUSCLES like our Back, Chest and Legs.
Here are some Safe Body Weight Compound Exercises you can do in the comfort of your own home or even at the gym :)
Push Ups - Chest, Shoulders, Arms
Dips - Chest, Shoulders, Arms,
Chin Ups - Back, Arms
Squats - Legs, Butt
Lunges - Legs, ButtSo when we want to move our arms, legs or head the CNS sends the message to the Musculoskeletal System “Ok boys we going to need to pull that weight off the rack” or “we need to throw that ball” and as we do this we need to grab energy at the same time!! from what we have eaten (That sanga at lunch, or that apple at morning tea) which has been broken down and stored in the body, that food is broken down into small fireworks of power supply and those little firecrackers go off every time we need to blink, breath, fart, burp speak and even when typing this I am using small amounts of those fire crackers so that together the muscles can move the skeleton (Bones) Where do these firecrackers come from ? Well we utilise our Cardiovascular and Digestive System’s as the source of the energy generation, this is where our body grabs the energy and oxygen to perform its movements, and last the endocrine system is a unique one at that, this system is our repair center, this system is where our body gets its ability to build and repair muscle, skin tissue for example, think when you cut yourself or scrape your knee, a few weeks passes, depending on how you fuel yourself, the body goes to work using the endocrine system to turn that cut or graze into a scab, then from a scab into a little bit of scar tissue, leaving you with just a mark and no more sore or bleeding. AMAZING RIGHT !! but the other thing that this system does is It sends hormones to the body to control growth, blood sugar levels, body temperature, and metabolism. Exercise regulates your hormonal balance, enhancing organ function and physical fitness, and lifting your mood.
All these systems work in unison all at the same time making us A POWERFUL Animal.
So how do we make sure we can walk and talk, run and jog, lift and carry for a longer stronger lifestyle ? We do huffy puffy exercises so our Cardio and Digestive systems explode with lots of firecrackers, like it’s a new years party in there, we lift heavy objects until we can lift them and let our endocrine system rest and repair us so we can lift more weight more often :) Creating stronger bones with less risk of Osteoporosis and a stronger leaner engine to reduce the risk of heart disease. Fuel our bodies with yummy nutritious food and of course enjoy the foods we eat :)
Food What Do We Eat and What It Means
Now we look at the energy sources, we know we grab the energy from the cardiovascular and digestive system in the form of oxygen and food. But where does that fuel come from ? it comes from the food we eat, our food sources can be broken down into 4 groups we call macronutrients and they are
Carbohydrates - 4 calories per 1 gram.
Protein - 4 calories per 1 gram
Fat - 9 calories per 1 gram
Alcohol - 7 calories per 1 gram
So we know what they are now right, so where do they all come from, let’s begin from the top at Carbs, Carbohydrates come from sources such as fruit, vegetables, whole grain cereal, brown and wholegrain bread, brown pasta, rice, and legumes. These are the foods we should be consuming more of and most of the time. These foods should take up 2/3rd’s of the plate :) This is the main energy source for our body Carbs as glycogen and glucose are generated from Carbs. As the preferred source of energy we need to have a minimum of 400 grams per day just to allow the body to function through its normal process thats without exercise and activity
Then we have Protein, this comes from lean red meat , chicken, fish, seeds and nuts, dairy products ie milk/yogurt/cheese, also we can find it in eggs, beans and legumes so it doesn't matter if you are a vegetarian or not you can still find a valuable source of protein from some of these listed *smile because that’s WINNING :)Its used to help repair and build muscle mass and strength helping you lift heavy objects more often :) but if you have too much you will go through a process called oxidation where the body will remove the excess through sweat, pee, and POOP!! Because we CAN NOT store this for later it’s a one time use kind of deal :) so we have to top up every day with about 1g per kilogram of body weight is sufficient. We don't burn protein it goes straight for delivery to the muscle’s so we can stay strong :)
Lets now Chew Fat, oh no, it's scary, no one likes FAT haha we shouldnt consume too much, this is correct and we should be aware of how much fat we consume as it has 9 calories per gram and that can add up very quickly if you aren't careful. Even though there are three types of fat they are still…. *Drum roll please* …… FAT and go in as FAT and head on into the FAT ZONE you know them zones your Love Handles that end up popping out over your jeans. Now where does fat come from it comes from a variety of sources and more commonly known to be in Ice Cream, Milk and Cheese :) does this mean we need to STOP eating these items ?? most definitely not we just need to be mindful and remember moderation is the key So how do we eliminate the fat ? we can start to consume less of it, have you heard of the Less is more saying? In the case of fat this is a perfect way to sum it up :) and we can do huffy puffy exercises that get our heart rate up and muscles roaring into the burning zone So Let’s
**Explode** Those Firecrackers off like the 4th of July!!
Let’s discuss the hard stuff, sit back and have a wine while we sink into some boozy talk :)
Alcohol has 7 calories per gram and is a toxin to the body and as soon as we put this stuff in our liver goes to work on processing it, trying to remove it all in one hit !! heard of breaking the seal ? well its a term that is widely used at the bar amongst friends of friends who have a beer or two then have to go to the loo, this is the genius work of the liver telling your body you do not need it and maybe call a taxi :P So if its a toxin and we are flushing it out, why do we get drunk??? Well the more you have the harder your liver has to work but it can not keep up for long, before you know it you’re double parked, busting to wee and your mates are telling you to skull skull so now the alcohol starts to get into the bloodstream and BOOM now you are drunk, need to wee more than likely going puke those double parked drinks up as soon as you finish them, and your mates are telling you to have one more when ideally you should call mum to come get you and take you home. So next time you have a couple of beers remember when you’re sweating, needing to wee this is your body trying to remove it :) and it will do this overnight as well, so while you sleep you may (if you have had more than enough) will sweat in your sleep, wake up bursting to wee and in some cases need a Grog Bog (POOP TIME)
How does the body get stronger and bigger?
Our muscles are what enable us to move, walk, jog and run, they also help us to lift heavy things and depending on how strong you are can differ in what and how much you can lift :) but there is good news, if you strength train once a week then you’ll increase size and strength in no time at all.
Muscle doesn't just serve for that purpose did you know that having leaner muscle mass helps you burn calories :) even if you do not want to be a bodybuilder, superstar athlete, you can still have lean muscle mass and be a fat burning MACHINE !! Lean muscle mass increases your metabolic rate (our resting phase) meaning while you sit here reading this amazing article full of info you are burning calories from Fat and Carbs WOW !! :that’s pretty awesome, our Metabolic makes up for 70% of our energy expenditure. The more lean muscle mass you have the more chance you have for burning fat while you rest and work :P but……. If you have a small amount of muscle mass then your body will flick the fat switch off and leave the carb switch on giving your body less chance of burning fat and instead STORING MORE OF IT in those LOVE HANDLES….. Not the place you want them to be I bet :P so getting stronger how do we do it ? we do it by doing heavy exercises, moving heavy items around safely and effectively so that our muscle fibers can tear and repair, you remember the previous talk and article we spoke about the endocrine system or repair system well it is a vital part of this process, so we have to put it to work :) so what we do is break down the muscle fibers and tear them, then the endocrine goes into overdrive repairing the muscle and in that process also creates a little more so next time you lift a little more, lift a little heavier, but it doesn't do it all on its own, we need that macronutrient we spoke of as well remember protein? Now this is where the protein comes in and goes into the muscle fibers and helping them repair and regrow STRONGER and BIGGER for the next AWESOME session you put them through…
So in briefe, we lift heavy objects with our big strong muscles, we tear and repair them with the endocrine system and the aid of some protein, so we can do it all over again in 5 to 7 days WOW !! So now you know, you can spend less time in the gym and more time doing other things you enjoy :)
How do we physically get fat?
How do we burn fat?
How does it get out of the body?
We get fat when we start eating too much and not moving very much, so we are overloading our plate with too much and eating until we pop like balloons. We burn the fat we chew by doing huffy puffy exercises over an extended time so we can get into the heart racing, sweat dripping huffy puffy phase where we use oxygen and nutrients together to keep going, as we can only burn fat in the presence of oxygen.
A great example would be when Usain Bolt Blitz’s down the 100m straight and leaves his mates in the dust, this phase does not rely on oxygen, it's over before it's begun its very fast and the cardiovascular system can't catch up, where as someone on a 5 or even 10 kilometer run will pace themselves out, and the body will rely on oxygen to help keep the muscles going the distance as well as utilising oxygen our body will begin to use Fat that has been stored from previously eaten source :) so depending how much cake or ice cream you eat ha ha you might need to go a little further a little more often :P we also know that strength training on a regular basis will help us burn fat at our Metabolic state (Resting Phase) We get it out of the body by burning it off with as mentioned Huffy Puffy exercises ie Jogging, Running, and with a little extra help we can lift heavy objects to create leaner muscle mass to help aid the process. All while taking care of what we eat :) more veggies, more fruits, plenty of water and less of that fatty we mentioned earlier you know the ones, the ones that will block the pipes ha ha