DID YOU KNOW

The human body has 206 bones.

A tendon is a strong band of fibrous tissue that connects muscle to bone.

A ligament is fibrous connective tissue that connects bone to bone, or bone to cartilage.

The word aerobic means with oxygen.  Aerobic exercise requires oxygen from the blood to fuel the energy producing mechanisms of muscle fibers.

Collagen is the most abundant type of protein in the body.

Skin is our largest organ.

This is my last post. Thanks for reading the information.  I hope you have enjoyed it and learned something new.

BLOOD ANATOMY

Blood has four main constituents:  plasma, erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets.

Plasma is the fluid portion of blood.  It is composed of numerous chemicals including sugars, minerals, and proteins (albumin, globulin, and fibrinogen).

Erythrocytes are red blood cells.  They contain hemoglobin and carry oxygen to all the tissues of the body.

Leukocytes are white blood cells.  They combat infections.

Platelets are important in blood clotting.

THE LUNGS

This is where the air you breathe is processed and the oxygen is removed and transferred to the blood stream for distribution throughout your body. 

Oxygen is the cream of the air you breathe.  When air comes into your lungs, the oxygen is extracted from it, "bottled" in red blood cells (hemoglobin) and then sent off on the blood stream assembly line for distribution.  When they reach the tissue, the "bottles" exchange oxygen for waste products (carbon dioxide and water) and then carry these wastes back to the lungs where they are flushed out when you exhale.  The bottles are then ready to pick up more oxygen and start the process all over again.

AIR

The air we breathe is approximately 21% oxygen and 78% nitrogen, with negligible traces of other gasses.  This ratio does not vary.  What does vary, however, is the amount of air your lungs are able to process.  If your lungs cannot process enough air, they can't extract enough oxygen to produce energy for your body.

MID DAY SLOWDOWN

Many of us start to feel sluggish mid day.  When this happens, stand up and take a few deep breadths.  Then jog in place for 2 or 3 minutes.  This will get the oxygen flowing through your body and you should feel rejuvenated.

PROTEIN

Proteins are the building blocks that grow and repair your body.  Proteins are needed for muscle, hair, skin, and internal organs.  Proteins are made up of chains of amino acids.  For each protein, there are specific amino acids in a specific amount, and they are joined in a unique order.  There are 22 amino acids.  Eight of these are called the essential amino acids because they cannot be made by the body and must be provided by the diet. 

Protein foods are classified as complete or incomplete.  Complete proteins come from animal sources such as chicken, fish, and dairy.  They contain all the essential amino acids that help build your muscle and body tissue.  Incomplete proteins are found in plant foods such as grains, seeds, nuts, and vegetables.   We can compensate for the amino acid deficiencies in an incomplete protein by combining it with another protein.  Proteins with opposite strengths and weaknesses complement each other. 

It is important to eat enough protein each day so your body will have the necessary components  to repair and build muscle and body tissue.

ISOMETRICS

Isometric exercise is a type of strength training where the muscle length cannot change during the contraction.  This is called a static contraction.   Examples:  pushing on a wall.  Pulling on both ends of the same towel at the same time.   Holding a weight in one position without any movement. 

Isometric exercises increase strength at the specific joint angle of  the exercise performed.    In contrast to this, dynamic exercises increase strength through the full range of motion, (push ups, curls, etc.)

Both  isometric and dynamic exercises are good for increasing strength.