The Effects of Exercise on Metabolism

List the calories burned per hour and the health benefit. Is this workout hard, intermediate, or easy?

 Day 1

30 minutes of brisk walking, including 5-minutes of jogging, 5-minutes of calf stretching and 5-minutes shoulder and upper arm stretch.

200 calories burned in 30 minutes for my 5’6 height and 120-pound weight. Health benefits include weight loss, stronger bones, reduced stress, better moods, and fall prevention. 

intermediate

 Day 2

30 minutes of cycling, including 5-minutes of warm-up jump and a 5-minutes standing on one foot.

360 calories burned in 30 minutes for my 5’6 height and 120-pound weight. Health benefits include increased fitness, muscle strength, increased endurance capacity, easy flexibility, and weight loss.

intermediate

 Day 3

30 minutes running in water, including 5-minutes high jumps and a 5-minute cool down.

380 calories burned in 30 minutes for my 5’6 height and 120-pound weight. Health benefits include increased immunity, muscle power, weight loss, and bone strength. 

hard

 Day 4

20 minutes swimming, including  5-minutes weight lifting and a 5-minute heel-to-toe walk

350 calories burned in 30 minutes for my 5’6 height and 120-pound weight. Health benefits include increased cardiovascular endurance, proper coordination, muscle strength, joint flexibility, and muscle limber,

hard

a) What type of meals would give you enough energy for your workouts? How is the energy from food converted into energy when you exercise?  (100- to 200-words). 

Since I use much energy during and after the workouts, I need to fuel my body by eating right foods and drinks, in the right capacity and time. Before the workout, I often eat healthy carbohydrates with low fat such as whole grain cereals, fat-free yogurt, brown rice, whole-wheat toast, whole grain pasta, fruits and carbohydrates (Sherwood, 2015). I also take clean water for hydration and more often, avoid a lot of healthy proteins and foods with high saturated fats. I take this kind of food before the workout for instant energy provision. During the exercise, I periodically take healthy carbohydrates such as bananas, raisins and low-fat yogurt for instant energy provision. After the workout, I drink clean water, taking some orange or mango blended juices and some healthy carbohydrates. I also take some food with protein to aid in repair and muscle growth after the exercise. After taking these foods, they will go through the process of digestion in the gut. During digestion, the food is broken into smaller units called substrates, which include carbohydrates, proteins, and fat. The substrates are then absorbed in the gut and the energy stored in them chemically released in cells and thereafter stored in the form of a high-energy compound known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). During the exercise, the chemical bonds holding ATPs together are broken and the energy released for cell functions such as muscle contraction.

b) People often look for an exercise or nutrition program in hopes of boosting their metabolism. How would you define metabolism? Is it possible to alter an individual’s metabolism? Provide examples to support your opinion in 100- to 200-words.

Metabolism is a combination of various biochemical processes that one’s body requires to convert food into energy. The process of metabolism is different in people due to different factors such as age, gender, body temperature, body size, hormones, body composition, pregnancy, activity level, stimulants intake, and food intake (Rando & Simmons, 2015). Some of these factors affecting metabolic rate are vulnerable to change while others like age and gender cannot be changed. One can therefore change his or her metabolic rate through controlling food intake, activity level, body composition, and stimulant intake. Through exercise, one burn more calories resulting to an increase in the rate of metabolism. For those individuals who cannot manage hard exercise, daily movement such as brisk walking, climbing stairs, housework and digging is enough to boost their metabolic rates. One can also improve his or her body composition to burn more calories through muscle building. Finally, eating enough right number of calories can maintain one’s healthy metabolism.   

References

USDA. (2015). How many calories does physical activity use (burn)? ChooseMyPlate.gov. Retrieved from https://www.choosemyplate.gov/physical-activity-calories-burn.

Duarte‐Rojo, A., Ruiz‐Margáin, A., Montaño‐Loza, A. J., Macías‐Rodríguez, R. U., Ferrando, A., & Kim, W. R. (2018). Exercise and physical activity for patients with end‐stage liver disease: Improving functional status and sarcopenia while on the transplant waiting list. Liver Transplantation, 24(1), 122-139.

Rando, O. J., & Simmons, R. A. (2015). I’m eating for two: parental dietary effects on offspring metabolism. Cell, 161(1), 93-105.

Sherwood, L. (2015). Human physiology: from cells to systems. Cengage learning.