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Amino acid
Amino acids are basically the building blocks in proteins.
There are about 20 different amino acids which are divided into
essential and non-essential amino acids.
The body can create 9
types of amino acids (the non essential) by combining the 11
others received through foods. The 11 other amino acids (the
essential) must be received through food.
Amino acids are used for
almost everything in the body, and are very important for the
body's overall maintenance (creating proteins which are the building
blocks of the body).
For instance amino acids are used for repairing and building
organs, skin, hair, nails, blood system and overall growth in general. If the
body has a shortage of amino acids it will decade and you will
become sick. That is why amino acids are so important to us.
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BMI
The BMI stands for Body Mass
Index and is a term used to describe a person's
current health status with regards to weight. It is a rather
simple calculation which uses height Vs weight to determine the
BMI and thereby if a person is under, ideal or overweight.
The BMI should not be used as a diagnostic tool as it only creates
a fragment of a person's current health and weight status, and your
current knowledge of your health should be taken into
consideration as well when calculating your BMI.
For instance a bodybuilder would in most cases be classified as
overweight by the BMI calculation, although this is clearly not
true. The problem is that muscle weighs more than fat and this
will cause a bodybuilder and well build person to be classified as
overweight.
You can calculate your BMI with our BMI calculator
here.
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BMR
BMR stand for Body
Metabolic Rate and is a calculation used to
determine how fast your body burns calories.
The standard calculation is made from weight Vs height Vs age and
only shows the estimated amount of calories needed / burned when
at a minimum like sleeping and such.
Our BMR calculator has an activity level added so that you can get
a better and more precise estimate on your calorie consumption
when you are active. You can calculate you BMR
here.
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Calorie
Calories are not a thing but a unit
expression for energy. Calories can be counted in everything from
milk duds to rocket fuel. A calorie is the measurement for how
much energy is needed to heat 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius. A
calorie converted into joules which is a known energy unit in
science, it would convert into 4184 joules.
1 calorie is actually 1 Kilocalorie which is equal to 1000
calories, but the diet world just uses the term "calorie". If you
look at a food declaration you will for instance see "Kcal 45" this is the term for kilocalories.
To keep thing simple we will continue to call it "calorie" but
just keep in mind that it is actually 1 kilocalorie or Kcal.
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Carbohydrates
(carbs)
Carbohydrates or "carbs" are made from sugar and are used
to build cells. Carbohydrates are the body's preferred source of
energy and since the body only have small stores of carbohydrates,
it will need to receive them several times a day.
When digested, the carbohydrates are
transformed into glucose (sugar) and are distributed to cells with
the blood (blood sugar level).
The cells then use the glucose (sugar) made from the carbs as
fuel (energy) and the remaining glucose (sugar) that is not used
by the cells are stored as fat throughout the body.
There are 3 types of carbohydrates, and the worst type is
the carbohydrates found in sugar.
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Cholesterol
Cholesterol is both good and bad for
us. It is needed to build cell walls, digest dietary fats and
making certain hormones and a lot more. If too much cholesterol is
taken in it will damage arteries and can cause heart attack.
More than 50 percent of all Americans have too high levels of
cholesterol present and this can also be seen on the number of
heart attack deaths per year. (too high cholesterol is the main
reason of heart attacks and blood flow related diseases.
In order to lower your cholesterol you should avoid dietary fats
and saturated fats and exercise at least 30 minutes per day. If
you want to find out if your cholesterol level is too high you
should contact your doctor.
Diet
Diet means the foods
taken in by an living organism or certain types of foods and
eating habits prescribed to a person for health and/or weightloss
reasons.
Dietitian
An educated expert/adviser on food compositions and the
effect of food on a living organism. Dietitians can be found in
health clinics and in hospitals.
Glucose
When carbohydrates is broken down by our body, it is turn into
glucose which is a type of sugar. The glucose enters our
bloodstream and this is what is known as "blood sugar".
The bloodstream carries the glucose around the body and keeps our
cells supllied with glucose which the cells use as energy / fuel
to run is functions. In this way glucose can be called to body's
fuel.
If you have a too high level of glucose in the bloodstream you
suffer from what is called to high blood sugar, this may be an
indication that you have diabetes or that something else is wrong.
If the cells receive more glucose than they need they will turn it
into fat and store it for later use.
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Insulin
Insulin is a
hormone that allows glucose (sugar) to enter the cells in our body
where it is used as fuel to run the different processes that takes
place inside the cells.
If insulin is not present your body will not be able to use the
sugar that is taken in, this is called diabetes type 1. If the
insulin is present but is not able to let enough sugar into the
cell it is called diabetes type 2 which is the most common type of
diabetes among overweight and obese people.
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Metabolism
The metabolism is an expression of the
rate in which the body consumes energy (how fast the body burns
calories).
Metabolism is the Greek word for change, and this is exactly what
it is. A measurement of how long it takes for and how much energy
it takes for the body to change foods into energy and other things
needed by the body.
A fast metabolism is best and is directly related to weightloss
and maintaining a healthy weight. In order to stimulate and
increase your metabolism, you should eat many small meals and
increase your level of physical activity.
Muscles burn more energy than fat, and therefore gives a higher
metabolic rate. Skipping meals and starving will decrease you
metabolic rate and might actually work against the fact that you
eat less and thereby making a "starve" diet useless.
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Protein
Proteins are used for many different
things in our body, it helps building the structure of our cells,
build skin, hair, nails and organs. Proteins comes in many
different sizes and types, some smaller proteins build the
hormones and enzymes, and some build larger cells.
Proteins makes out about 15 percent of our total bodyweight.
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Target heart rate
Our target heart rate is the heart rate in which our body burns
the most energy and at the same time lasts the longest. In other
words that heart rate in which we will get the most efficient work
out.
Learn more about your target heart rate
here.
