Get More Mitochondria... Get More Energy
(Part 3 of a 5 Part Series on Body Awareness)
It kind of defies logic that you could
get MORE energy from exercising.
Doesn't walking a couple of miles wear
you out, not raise your concentration and get you moving?
For most people this is the case. They
walk, run or exercise only to find themselves whipped, sore
and bruised.
It doesn't have to be this way. You don't
have to go through your life with little energy--just enough
to make it through the day and then crash on the couch.
I've spoken to many long distance runners
and athletes who have supported what I know as a trainer and
athlete--they all say that they feel GREAT after a long run
or a tough workout.
So why are you feeling beat up?
I'll tell you in the simplest terms possible--your
body isn't adjusted to activity.
In the first two parts of this series on
body awareness, I spoke about how food affects your energy
levels. Now I want to address how the physiology of exercise
can tune you into what your body is doing when you workout,
so your energy levels will skyrocket.
Yes, that is entirely possible.
The awareness of your body functions and
how they create energy lead to a very tangible and logical
connection between why you should start some exercise routine
and the direct affect that routine has on your quality of
life.
Increasing your body's knowledge and addressing
your energy levels and how they build through exercise will
take you to a level of heightened awareness and to the enriched
and energized daily experience of good health and fitness.
Here's the meat of it.
When you don't exercise, you're muscles
take a break. Sort of like everyone does on the weekend. Not
working? Forget answering the phone.
Same with your muscles, not working out?
They're not doing squat. It's a simple analogy... the only
exception to it is that YOU go back to work on Monday. Your
LAZY MUSCLES don't start work again until you put them to
work.
So here's what happens while they are taking
this extended vacation. In each of your muscle cells there
are little organelles called mitochondria. These little guys
make the energy for your cells to use in their everyday functions,
including your activity and exercise. That stuff is called
ATP.
When you are inactive, your body gets smart
and the number of mitochondria are reduced. If your not using
them and don't need them all, your body gets rid of them.
Sort of like corporate layoffs or downsizing for efficiency.
So here you are, inactive with fewer mitochondria, and you
decide you need to do something about your health and start
to exercise. What happens at first is that you feel like garbage
after you exercise, because your body hasn't made the energy
adjustments yet. You are still in hibernation mode.
After some time and when exercise becomes
a routine, your body realizes that you're back on the go and
starts to create more mitochondria to handle to workload and
supply enough energy for you.
So now you have more mitochondria, more
energy, feel better after you exercise and your body has adjusted
to a state where your energy stores are readily available.
Those mitochondria don't just stop producing energy when you
stop exercising, they're now there to stay--just as long as
you continue to exercise.
The most exciting part of this process
is that you'll know when this all has happened. You'll feel
lighter. You'll be more focused. You'll smile more. These
special little mitochondria can help with depression, mood
swings and binges. All you need to do is move around a bit,
get your body adjusted to some exercise and you'll feel fantastic!
That feeling is something that you can
really get used to.
Next time, we'll talk about how you can
judge your health and fitness progress by sensing your energy
levels. I've found many people what to look in the mirror
to judge how well they're progressing with a program.
In Part 4, I'll tell you a better way that
will keep you on your workout program and not leave you wondering
what happened 3 months later when you've since stopped exercising
and gained back all the weight.
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