image: Google Images
We’re hitting the science with this month’s blog folks, but it’s pretty cool stuff, so hang in there with me.
Let’s take Newton’s first law of motion: a body at rest or in motion will remain at rest or in motion unless acted upon by an external force. It’s like Netflix and a flop on the couch vs. a 45-minute bout of movement and breathing a bit harder. Both have value, but I’d say one has a way cooler story than the other (keep reading) and leaves us feeling pleasantly tired in a way that a flop on the couch cannot.
Here’s our next science recap:
It’s a crazy thing to imagine, but did you know that every living cell in the living body has within it a source of energy production? At the microscopic level, there lives a biomechanical powerhouse, building, creating and giving our bodies energy. It’s called mitochondria and is considered to be an evolutionary carryover. Almost parasitic in nature, mitochondria buddied up with us, as we evolved and we unknowingly reaped the benefit of having these tiny workhorses to keep us going.
It's here, at the cellular level and within the mitochondria, that our bodies make energy. Although every living cell has these little powerhouses, it’s within muscle tissue that they do their best work. So, when exercise and our muscles are working and our breath rate increases, these little prehistoric buddies of ours are working away to keep us going! Like little cheerleaders, mitochondria use our oxygen intake to build our metabolic rate, heat things up, burn calories, build muscle and give us a high-five of energy to keep moving forward. With our own personal cheerleaders giving us a boost, and the fires stoked, our bodies become more efficient. Not only efficient, but when we exercise, we also gain from a hormonal boost of feeling great. Super duper.
So why does this information matter? We all want to be energetic and happy humans, and movement will provide this. But the other fact of importance is that we lose muscle mass as we age and by keeping our ‘cheerleading squad’ happy, our muscles will continue to create stronger mitochondrial networks to maintain muscle mass and in turn, more energy. It’s within us as a prehistoric gift for our bodies to use at any age or stage in life. So, the cycle of ‘giving energy to get it’ continues the more we work at it and commit to it.
Let’s go back to Newton and think of it this way. Imagine that every living cell is like a tiny candle and when called upon, will light up. Next imagine when our bodies move, breathe and become stronger, more energy is required and in turn more light. By moving, we progress from dimly-lit Netflix inertia to shiny, energetic and illuminated, from within and by our own energy! And that ain't no movie!
So join me for some energizing and invigorating workouts and get your inner fires lit! Click and scroll here to see the lineup for both Fusion and Feel Good Yoga classes, coming for May and June.
Click here to see the full May and June calendar.
Lastly, if you like to nerd out on cool stuff about the body, Check this Youtube video for an animated explanation on mitochondria. It’s sciency, but also super amazing. Plus, the animation looks like another planet, but it’s all happening within our bodies!
See you on the mat:)
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