Nutritional and physiological analysis of an aerobic and anaerobic workout

Nutrition and Exercise

"Four hours ago, I ate three oz of baked chicken marinated in one tsp olive oil and other spices, one cup rice and one-half cup beans, two cups salad (romaine lettuce, carrots, onions and radishes) with two tablespoons ranch dressing and one cup of skim milk. Now, I am going to run for forty five minutes and will lift weights for another thirty minutes."

Types of Activities

Translated the word aerobic means "requiring oxygen to live." Oxygen is necessary to release energy from the body's stores of fat, glycogen (starcy storage material), and sugars. During aerobic exercise a constant supply reaches the muscles. During aerobic exercise the rate at which oxygen reaches the muscles keeps pace with the rate at which it is used. Due to this continual replenishment, the activity can be sustained for long periods of time.

In contrast anerobic exercise relies on a different series of biochemical reactions to obtain energy from the stores of sugar and fat in the muscles (American, 1989). In anaerobic exercises the body creates the energy without oxygen. When exercising a person's heart rate determines whether he is doing aerobic or anerobic exercise. Women should subtract their age from 225, while men should do the same but use the number 220. The goal rate should be 70% of the maximum heart rate. When a person's heart rate exceeds 70% he is doing aerobic exercise.

Examples of aerobic exercises include running, cycling, swimming, fast dancing, and power walking while anerobic exercises are weight lifting and using resistence machines. An exercise regimen that combines 45 minutes of running with 30 minutes of weight lifting is a combination of aerobic and anerobic exercise.

Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats

Based on a meal of three ounces of baked chicken marinated in one tsp olive oil and other spices, one cup rice and one-half cup beans, two cups salad (romaine lettuce, carrots, onions and radishes) with two tablespoons ranch dressing and one cup of skim milk, nutrition can be broken down as follows:

Chicken breast -- protein

Olive oil -- fat

Spices -- none

Rice -- carbohydrates. A more detailed nutritional value can not be determined from the information given. Nutrition would vary greatly depending upon the type of rice. Is it white, wild, or brown?

Beans -- carbohydrates and protein

Salad (romaine lettuce, carrots, onions, radishes) -- carbohydrates

Ranch dressing -- fat

Skim milk -- all (USDA, 2011).

Pathways

Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and glycolysis are the two main pathways that control energy metabolism of a cell. The first stage in the production of energy by breakdown of glucose in body cells; a chain of chemical events requiring a specific set of enzymes, and resulting in formation of ATP. In aerobic metabolism subsequent sequences produce several times more ATP. In anaerobic metabolism glycolysis is the only means of energy production from glucose, and lactate is the end-product (Metabolism, 2011).

Beta oxidation and Gluconeogenesis

Gluconeogenesis is the formation of glucose from noncarbohydrate sources, such as certain amino acids and the glycerol fraction of fats when carbohydrate intake is limited. Liver is the main site for gluconeogenesis. In beta oxidation fats are broken down in the mitochondria to make Acetyl-CoA, the molecule that begins the Krebs Cycle, a series of complex chemical reactions in all cells that use oxygen as part of their respiration process. The Krebs cycle produces carbon dioxide and a compound rich in energy, Adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This chemical provides cells with the energy required for the synthesis of proteins from amino acids and the replication of DNA (Wise Geek, 2011).