Lexicon - Metabolism
The term metabolism covers all biochemical processes in the body. Energy metabolism, i.e. the breakdown of substances such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins for the purpose of providing energy, is of central importance for athletic performance. The quality of the energy metabolism is measured by how quickly and effectively the body metabolises and processes the substances from food.
Cycling as a metabolic tune-up
The quality of our energy metabolism determines how well the body converts ingested food into energy. The actual metabolism takes place inside the cells: If the enzymes and messenger substances involved work well together, we have plenty of energy for sport and everyday life. Otherwise we feel tired. Roughly the same as after a sedentary day at the desk.
"After just a few hours of sitting, the body drastically slows down its metabolism," reports Prof Ingo Froböse from the German Sport University in Cologne, who is investigating the effects of prolonged sitting with a team of sports scientists. Inactivity causes the body to reduce calorie consumption and the fine control circuit of enzymes and messenger substances comes to a standstill.
According to the researchers, climbing five flights of stairs a day helps to combat slight office fatigue. Dr Ingo Froböse advises getting on your bike regularly. Continuous endurance training is one of the three most important levers for tuning your metabolism.
Cycling tours in the great outdoors are better than indoor cycling in the gym. "Oxygen is the elixir of life for cells, it boosts the metabolism," emphasises Prof. Froböse. The sports scientist recommends two to five rides per week. Regular training increases the number and size of mitochondria, which burn oxygen in the cells and produce energy.
Cycling as a metabolic tune-up - the importance of muscles
At the same time, the myoglobin content in the muscle cells increases so that they can transport more oxygen from the cell envelope to the mitochondria. After just a few weeks, sporty cyclists will notice that climbs suddenly become easier or that fatigue sets in later than usual on long rides.
Endurance athletes should not underestimate the importance of their muscles for their metabolism, warns Ingo Froböse. To illustrate this, the sports scientist uses the image of a car engine: "Just as its performance is determined by engine capacity and horsepower, muscles and endurance are important for energy metabolism." Endurance training provides more horsepower through the increase in mitochondria in the cells, while more muscle mass means more cubic capacity for the organism.
Strength training for muscle mass
Even when they are not being used, muscles consume around 30 per cent more energy than fatty tissue, depending on the level of training. The metabolism of a well-trained athlete therefore burns more energy than that of an untrained person, even when idle. Froböse recommends two to three units of strength training per week to build up muscle mass. This training becomes more important with increasing age: from the age of 30, the body loses an average of three kilograms of muscle mass every ten years.
As a result, the proportion of fat in the body increases and the basal metabolic rate of energy decreases.
Speaking of basal metabolic rate: "Beware of diets!" warns the sports scientist, "Starving yourself for just a few days can have devastating consequences for your metabolism." If the body is starved, it reduces metabolic activity as much as possible. In addition, it even begins to break down its biggest consumers: the muscles. This sets a negative spiral in motion.
According to Froböse, it makes sense to eat according to your personal basal metabolic rate. This can be roughly calculated using standard formulae:
>> for women: 1.0 x normal weight* in kg x 24 = GU
>> for men: 1.1 x normal weight* in kg x 24 = GU
Or you can have it measured in a sports medicine practice. The sports scientist recommends a sensible composition of 40 to 45 per cent carbohydrates, 30 per cent fats and 25 to 30 per cent proteins. "Eat slowly, take breaks and eat several small portions throughout the day to provide the body with an even supply of nutrients," advises Prof Froböse.
Cycling as a metabolic tune-up - preventing diseases
Many people still believe in the predisposition of good and bad "food metabolisers". However, it is true that our genes only determine around 30 per cent of how our metabolism works. The far greater proportion can therefore be influenced by lifestyle. "Everyone can develop in one of two directions," emphasises the sports scientist.
The first noticeable changes can occur within a few weeks.
In addition to the newfound fitness on the bike, you feel fitter, more alert and more active in everyday life, promises Froböse. In the long term, a well-functioning metabolism protects against diseases such as heart attacks or strokes, which are favoured by a disturbed fat metabolism.
HoweverShort phases of motivation do not help the metabolism. The positive effects can only be achieved by revving up your metabolism - and keeping it there permanently.
Metabolic Typing & Co
The right diet based on your metabolic type? More and more body-conscious people are swearing by individual analyses. What's behind them?
Metabolic science assumes that every person has an individual metabolism and therefore not all foods are equally healthy for everyone. As early as 1930, researchers discovered through experiments on twin rats that animals with identical genes had different nutrient requirements. In 1978, William L. Wolcott developed a system for the medical analysis of metabolism.
He is regarded as the founder of the "Metabolic Typing". The aim of these and other metabolic analyses is to develop a nutrition plan that is optimally tailored to the body's needs. Those in favour believe that this will lead to long-term health. Relevant forums on the Internet are full of positive reports. Metabolic analyses have been offered in Germany since 2003. The most widespread terms are "metabolic typing" and "metabolic balance", which are often incorrectly used interchangeably.
The analysis methods are different: With "Metabolic Typing", the counsellor sends painless electrical impulses through one of the participant's arms and notes whether the muscle contraction causes a difference in length to the other arm. This "arm length test" is usually followed by a "bioelectrical impedance analysis", which measures the percentage of body fat, among other things.
At "Metabolic Balance", 36 blood values are analysed and evaluated with data such as height, weight and food preferences. In both cases, the counsellor develops a type-appropriate nutritional concept based on the data obtained.
Cycling as metabolism tuning - metabolism turbo
Support your metabolism in everyday life with these simple tips.
Oxygen
Ventilate the office and your home even in winter. Every single cell needs oxygen to process sugar and fats so that muscles and other organs can utilise the energy directly. However, the oxygen in the office is often just enough to supply the brain as the largest oxygen consumer.
ConsequenceThe other cells do not get enough of it and have to reduce their metabolism.
Heating
Regulate the room temperature downwards. This is because one of the most important tasks of our metabolism is to maintain a body temperature of 36.6 degrees. The warmer the room, the less the metabolism has to work for this task.
Stretch and stretch
Follow the example of a cat: if you tense and stretch your muscles more often throughout the day, you immediately increase blood flow and improve the supply of nutrients to the cells.
Iron
In order for oxygen to reach the cells, sufficient iron must be available in the body to transport it further. Athletes have an increased iron requirement and should have their iron levels tested once a year.
