1. If you are in shape, more glucose (sugar) is converted to muscle glycogen where it is used by muscles for energy.

    

2. If you are out of shape, more glucose is rejected by muscles and is converted to fat.

    

3. Fat is put on subcutaneously (under the skin) and in muscle (marbling).

    

4. Weight-bearing exercise is best because you burn more calories within the same amount of time.

    

5. Forty percent of body weight is muscle and muscle burns 95% of your energy.

    

6. If muscle doesn't work, metabolism doesn't work.

    

7. Glucose enters the muscle cells via the bloodstream. Enzymes (proteins) knock off part of the glucose molecule and break it down into pyruvic acid and beyond. Now the glucose is all in parts; carbon connects to oxygen, making carbon dioxide. Hydrogen connects to oxygen making water. Enzymes demanding oxygen are "aerobic." Those that don't need oxygen are "anaerobic". Glucose is burned down to carbon dioxide and water for energy. If oxygen isn't available the glucose goes to fat; thus pyruvic acid builds up to lactic acid which leads to fatigue, burning and pain.

    

8. Fat moves through the bloodstream and goes into a muscle and says "burn me" instead of sugar. But because your muscles are out of shape the muscles say "no", so the fat goes back into the bloodstream and on to the fat deposits (fat depot). However, the good news is that this process can be reversed. The fat can come back out of the "fat depot" as fatty acids, which are also made up of CO2, hydrogen and water. Special fat burning enzymes (proteins) burn them. These enzymes demand oxygen, thus the exercise should be aerobic in nature.

    

9. Enzymes (proteins) have one common denominator--they grow! Thus, fat-burning enzymes can grow and become more efficient.

    

10. Hypoglycemia = low blood sugar. This could be because you burn too much glucose (blood sugar) and you have "little" enzymes. As a result you use sugar as energy instead of fat and your blood sugar level falls. After exercising you eat more and gain weight.

     

11. Fat consists of two different clusters of atoms. One cluster is glycerol (a basic building block); the second is a fatty acid which is attached to the glycerol. When glycerol and fatty acid molecules are joined chemically they produce a molecule of "neutral fat" or triglyceride. Triglycerides represent the most plentiful fat in the body--about 95%. There are two types of fatty acids: saturated and unsaturated. When the molecule is saturated with hydrogen atoms it is called a saturated fatty acid (such as the predominant fatty acid in butter). If the fatty acid has only one double bond it is mono- saturated (as in olive oil and peanut oil). If it has two or more double-bonds, the molecule is polyunsaturated (as in corn or safflower oil) Regardless of the degree of saturation, all fats have the same number of calories.

     

12. Lipoproteins are important because they constitute the main form of transport for fat in the blood. If blood lipids (Greek: Lipos--meaning fat) were not bound to protein or some other substance, they would float on top like cream in milk that was not homogenized. HDL's (High Density Lipoproteins) and VLDL (Very Low Density Lipoproteins) contain the highest amount of protein and the smallest amount of cholesterol. LDL (Low Density Lipoproteins) and VLDL (Very Low Density Lipoprotein) contain the greatest amount of fat and the least amount of protein. The LDL's have the greatest affinity for sticking to arterial walls as they help carry cholesterol to the cell. They are involved in narrowing of the arterial wall in coronary heart disease. HDL's help protect against heart disease in two ways: 1) carrying cholesterol away from the arterial wall to the liver where it is broken down to bile and excreted via the intestines, and 2) competes with LDL fragments for receptor sites on the arterial wall.

     

13. Cholesterol is a widely known fatty substance present in all cells. It is either consumed in food or is synthesized within the body. It is not contained in vegetable sources and is negligible in egg whites and skimmed milk. It is required for many of the complex functions of the body. It is utilized in the manufacture of bile (for digestion and absorption of fats) as well as the hormones estrogen, androgen, and progesterone which are responsible for the development of male and female secondary sex characteristics. It is important to replace a portion of saturated fats and cholesterol (less than 300 milligrams daily) in the diet with polyunsaturated fats. Even if you ate a cholesterol-free diet, your body would produce about 1000 to 2000 milligrams of cholesterol per day to meet normal needs.

     

14. Fats come from both plants and animals. Unsaturated fats cannot be synthesized by the body so they must be consumed in the diet. Unsaturated fat, present as liquids are called oils. The more common vegetable oils are: corn oil, cottonseed oil, and soybean oil.

     

15. Fat Functions - During light to moderate exercise such as jogging, energy is derived in approximately equal amounts from the body's store of carbohydrates and fat. Exercising for more than one hour increases the amount of fat utilized to supply energy. Intense, short-term exercise generates glycogen stored in the specific muscles being used. Fat stores more than twice the amount of energy per pound as in an equal amount of carbohydrates.

     

16. Protein - the basic building block of proteins are amino acids. These are small organic compounds that contain at least one amino group and one group called an organic acid. There are 20 different amino acids present in proteins. Of the different amino acids, eight (9 in children and stressed older adults) cannot be synthesized in the body at a sufficient rate to prevent impairment in normal cellular function. These amino acids are called "essential" because they must be obtained through foods. The remaining 12 amino acids can be made by the body. A brain cell is only about 10% protein, whereas protein constitutes 20% of the weight of muscle, heart, liver and glands. Large amounts of dietary protein do not cause muscle to become larger. Contrary to the beliefs of most coaches and exercise enthusiasts, the contribution of protein to energy requirements for muscular work is relatively small. Only about 5-15% of total energy in well nourished individuals is supplied by the breakdown of protein.

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