četvrtak, 23. srpnja 2015.

Muscles vs. fat

Muscles vs. fat

How many times have you found yourself standing on a weighing scale feeling dismayed by the number it was showing? But before this recollection puts you in a bad mood, it would be a good idea to really get in touch with your body and understand exactly what happens inside. When we say we want to lose weight, we actually mean to lose the excess fat. Take, for instance, two persons of the approximately same height weighing 65 kilos. The first person looks fit and has well developed muscles, while the other looks entirely different, somewhat puffy and with evident excess fat around waistline. And you wonder how this is possible? The answer is simple, and it lies in the volume. Namely, one kilo of fat occupies more space (volume) than one kilo of muscles. Figuratively speaking, if muscle is an energy factory, then fat would be nothing more but an auxiliary fuel tank. This means our body requires a certain amount of fat which protects out bones and organs, but ensures a proper function of the metabolism as well. However, excess fat is not only unappealing in terms of esthetics, but it’s may even be dangerous.

Have you ever been discouraged upon seeing you gain weight when starting exercising? This disappointment might have even made you give up on exercising. But, that would be a wrong thing to do, because exercising builds muscles. The thing is that muscles are being developed as the number of cell organelles, mitochondria, increases. Mitochondria represent the source of energy which is produced as the result of biochemical processes, namely, degradation of fatty acids. Fatty acids pass through membrane of the mitochondria with a help of acylcarnitine transporter into the matrix where degradation takes place. Therefore, the more acylcarnitine units, the more fatty acids can be transported to the mitochondria where they’ll be broken apart. This is why it’s good to take carnitine before exercising. It is also important to note that the number and the size of the mitochondria depends on the cell’s level of metabolic activity. Intense muscle work results in mitochondrial division, but also their enlargement. So, the more you work out, the more muscles you are likely to build, meaning that the number of mitochondria will gradually increase as the excess fat reduces.

Overall, exercising is something that should become an integral part of everyone’s life. Not only you’ll feel better in the inside, but you’ll look better on the outside too.

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