Fitness of the body and mind - Part I

Many people face challenge when it comes to doing exercise or losing weight. Gaining weight is not a problem! There are zillions of books each claiming its own technique/method as the best to losing weight. None addresses from layman standpoint. This article is an attempt to explain to a person who doesn't know anything about the physiology/anatomy(how our body is structured and functions internally) and how the right exercises, coupled with healthy and power foods play vital role in keeping oneself physically and mentally fit.

Keep in mind, both body(classified as gross matter) and mind(subtle matter) are matter only!

All the foods that we eat contain a combination of protein, carbohydrates and fat apart from vitamins and minerals. But protein, carbohydrates and fat are macromolecules and they can't directly nourish the 100 trillion(1 trillion is 1 followed by 12 zeros) cells in the human body out of which 100 billion cells are brain cells and 20-30 trillion cells are Erythrocytes(also known as red blood cells). All the macro molecules are broken down to a much smaller unit called ATP(Adenosine Tri Phosphate) which is the currency of energy at cellular level.

In Biology, people do research at molecular level, in Chemistry at atomic level and in Physics from particle to astronomical level. All the three subjects deal with matter only. Physics encompasses the other two as far matter is concerned!

The final end product of all the three macro nutrients are as follows:

1) Protein --> ATP, CO₂(carbon-di-oxide),H₂O(water), urea(a waste which should be excreted through liver and kidneys).

1 gram(gm) of protein equals 4 kcalories.

Excess protein puts stress on the organs liver and kidneys to overwork to get rid of the toxin that builds up in the bloodstream. Bodybuilders(who are on high protein diet) normally have, in their later years, kidney failure, urinary calcium loss. High protein intake is one of the main reasons for the high incidence of Osteoporosis in the United States despite the heavy consumption of milk which contains roughly 30% calcium! Blood maintains its alkalinity in a narrow range(pH - 7.35-7.45).

The pH stands for the potential of hydrogen ion, measures the acidity or alkalinity/base of a solution/substance. I will explain the alkalinity/base and acidity later in conjunction with foods. For the time being, take it for granted that pH ranges from 0 to 14. A pH less than 7 is acidic and more than 7 is alkaline. A pH of 7 is neutral and distilled water is neutral. Saliva and urine must be slightly acidic(around 6.7),stomach is acidic as it produces hydrochloric acid, whose pH is 0, acts as protection against microorganisms including HIV(Human Immunodeficiency Virus which disables the immune system(T white blood cells/Leukocytes) thereby exposing the person to all kinds of infections).

There are 5 types of white blood cells and one is a lymphocyte and other 4 are basophils, neutrophils, monocytes and esonophils. Lymphocytes are 2 types namely B lymphocytes & T lymphocytes. B stands for "Bone Marrow" and T stands for "Thymus". In the case of HIV, T cells are targeted by the virus. T cells circulate throughout our bloodstream and B cells normally don't come out of the Bone Marrow. In cases of "Bone Marrow Transplant", sometimes the Physician purposely let healthy B cells circulate in the bloodstream. If a person, who is HIV positive, drinks half glass of water and another person by mistake, without knowing, drinks the remaining water, the latter will not get the virus as the stomach acid will kill the virus(it can't thrive in such acidic atmosphere)unless the latter had some cuts in his mouth or had sex(in which case the virus has direct access to the bloodstream and thus slowly disable the white blood cells)! But the stomach itself is protected from the acid by the thick, protective mucus layer and by secretin buffering with sodium bi carbonate which is alkaline. Heartburn,peptic ulcers can develop when these mechanisms fail.

For optimal health our body should be slightly alkaline. Small intestine is alkaline. When blood pH goes slightly acidic, the consequences can be devastating. So our body will do anything to keep the blood alkaline. Calcium(its pH is 12) is an alkaline mineral which is abundant in the bones. When blood pH goes down, due to high intake of protein which builds up uric acid,the body will take calcium from the bones to maintain the blood pH. Protein is not the major source of energy for the body. It is mainly for the repair and maintenance of tissues and muscles. When a person goes on a carbohydrate deprived diet, and eats lot of protein and fat, then the body will break down fat first, then protein. The best example is prisoners who are not fed properly. So over time, the body will break down protein to sustain the energy body needs. The skin-bone structure of prisoners is clear evidence of the conversion of muscle protein to blood sugar to support their life.

2) Carbohydrates --> ATP,CO₂,H₂O. A healthy diet should consist of 50-65% carbohydrate to avoid weight gain/loss. When a person thinks that carbohydrate is junk and protein is good(I have lot of friends who think like this and they neither have energy nor lose weight because of their stupidity!) and go on carbohydrate deprivation, he/she is going against body's natural mechanism. After the digestion of carbohydrates, the end products are glucose, fructose and galactose. For active adults(who do exercise actively!), 60-65% should come from carbohydrates.

Glucose(C₆H₁₂O₆),followed by Fat for long term energy store, is the main source of energy for the body including brain cells,red blood cells,CNS(central nervous system),retina all of which require constant supply of glucose. Just 40 minute of resting activity consumes up the entire circulating blood sugar. 15 minutes of walking is taken up by the entire blood glucose. The normal blood glucose(assuming that an adult male has 5 litres of blood) is 3.3g to 7g. Brain alone consumes 6g of glucose an hour! The only organ, on a short term basis, that can produce glucose is liver which produces 200mg per hour. It is the duty of the liver to maintain stable blood sugar levels. Only during prolonged fasting, kidneys also produce glucose.

Liver is the one that metabolises the food and also the sole organ for removing toxins from our body. After small intestine, all the important nutrients now interact directly with the liver and bloodstream and the unwanted residue go to the large intestine and finally come out as fecal matter. When this organ is screwed up, death is assured. Let me give you an example of the power of this organ. When a person drinks alcohol, say whiskey which is normally 40% or 80 proof, the liver stops metabolising everything else and solely concentrates on alcohol and try to get it out of the bloodstream as fast as it can. Whenever you subject your body with toxicity, you put this miracle organ to work around the clock to keep the body in stable conditions. So, don't mess up with this organ. I have humble respects for this organ.

Only liver and kidneys are sugar producers. All other organs are sugar burners and they take up glucose from the blood and using it for energy production. Glucose can't enter the cell directly due to its molecular weight(180 g/mol) and it is further broken down through "aerobic" or "anaerobic" metabolism to a much smaller unit ATP that cells can use. The body first breaks down carbohydrates, then fat and then protein. Anything excess, more than what the body's energy needs, will go to storage as fat in adipose tissue, and carbohydrates as glycogen in liver and muscle. To put it bluntly, consider glucose as your checking account and fat as your savings account!!! You don't touch your savings until your checking account is completely emptied up.

One unit/gram of carbohydrate again equals 4 kcalories.

3) Fat --> ATP,CO₂,H₂O

Fat serves many purposes in our body. Without some percentage of fat, one can bruise oneself very easily. Fat acts as insulation(in the skin)regulating the temperature of the skin. It also acts as protection for our knees, kidneys(which move flexibly,when you walk,as they are nicely cushioned by the surrounding fat) and "heart" which is hidden behind the adipose tissue. There are good fats and bad fats. The degree of saturation of the fatty acids determine if the fatty acids are good or bad. If the fatty acids don't consist of any carbon double bond, then it is a saturated/bad/hydrogenated fat(vegetable, palm oil). If it contains at least one carbon double bond, then its called mono unsaturated/good fat(olive oil) and it is called polyunsaturated fat if it contains more than one double bond(Canola has many double bonds). You don't use these two oils at high temperatures as the double bonds break and become hydrogenated/saturated. So, for deep frying, use peanut, or vegetable oil. But try to avoid fried foods as much as you can for the sake of your heart:-) In case you eat fried stuff, make sure you get ample exercise that day!

We will see how different exercises utilise these three nutrients and how one can easily shed pounds of junk fat and gain muscle when one understands the basic metabolism of the three nutrients. Ideally, one should incorporate exercises that are 60% aerobic and 40% anaerobic...