A balanced diet combined with regular exercise aid in the overall general health of the body. ...

Health

A balanced diet combined with regular exercise aid in the overall general health of the body.

Humans require energy to function. The total energy used by an individual depends on the type and intensity of the activity and the energy required for basic life processes

The amount of energy required to maintain minimum essential life functions is called basal metabolic rate, or BMR.

Humans obtain the energy required to carry out basic life processes from the food they consume.

Food energy is measured in calories. The amount of food energy (calories) a

person requires varies with body weight, age, gender, activity level, and natural body efficiency.

For the body to use food (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates) for energy and building materials, the food must first be digested into molecules that are absorbed and transported to cells.

Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions involved in storing fuel (food) molecules and converting fuel (food) molecules into energy.

In order for the body to use the fuel energy stored in food, the food must first be digested and combined with oxygen (oxidized).

Three factors contribute to the overall metabolic rate of the body.

The Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) accounts for about 60% of all energy used by the body.

Daily physical activities such as walking and moving around account for another 30% of the energy used by the body.

Finally, 10% of the energy used by the body is used to digest and process (oxidize) food.

If one consumes more calories than the body uses, the excess is stored and weight is gained.

Weight loss occurs when fewer calories are taken in than the body needs.

To burn food for the release of energy stored in it, oxygen must be supplied to cells, and carbon dioxide removed.

The heart /lung system work together to deliver oxygen rich blood to all of the organs, tissues and cells of the body.

Lungs take in oxygen for the combustion of food and they eliminate the carbon dioxide produced.

The circulatory system moves all these substances to or from cells where they are needed or produced, responding to changing demands.

In order for systems to work properly, energy from the cells must be transformed into a useable form for cells and ultimately, organs, to perform work. These systems work together in order for the body to function properly and maintain a balance.

Regular exercise is important to maintain a healthy heart/lung system, good muscle tone, and bone strength.

Regular exercise increases the heart rate providing more oxygen for the body to use for processing food. A healthy body requires a delicate balance between a healthy diet and physical activity.

In order for energy balance to occur, Energy In = Energy Out. This means that caloric intake equals caloric output.

Food components (protein, fat, and carbohydrates) taken into the body have the following fates: they can be used to fuel metabolic activities and physical activities, they can be incorporated into growing body tissues, and they can be stored as fat.

There are two important concepts of energy balance

First, to allow for normal body growth, more food energy must be consumed than can be accounted for solely on the basis of energy required for metabolic and physical activities.

Second, insufficient energy intake may affect cellular metabolic activities, body weight, growth, tissue formation, and health.