Inside each cell within your body is a tiny structure known as mitochondria meaning “little bean.” Some cells contain thousands while other cells have none. The main function of this “little bean” is to metabolize or break down carbohydrates and fatty acids and generate energy.
Mitochondria literally look like a tiny bean shaped energy factory inside each and every one of the body’s cells – each one working hard to convert the food we eat into energy.
They are a type of organelle that takes in nutrients and breaks them down into energy rich molecules for the cell. Once food is combined with oxygen, this fuel mixture is used to run every system and process in the body.
Since fat is part of the food that they convert, our mitochondria need to be in top fitness – working fast and efficient if we are going to burn off excess body fat. One single cell may have anywhere from 200 to 2,000 plus mitochondria. The cells that work the hardest such as those in the heart, liver and muscles contain the greatest number.
The rate at which your mitochondria transform food and oxygen into energy is called your metabolic rate.
In order to lose weight, we must have metabolic fitness. It is basically the speed at which your body’s engine is running and is determined by two factors:
The number of mitochondria you have
Howe efficiently they burn oxygen and calories.
Every single one of these mitochondria inside your cells is listening to and responding to the metabolic signals that you give them or fail to give them. This happens approximately every 15 to 20 minutes.
The more mitochondria you have the more efficient they consume oxygen, the faster your metabolic rate, the easier it is for your body to burn calories and the more energy you will have (they convert energy locked inside food into energy that the cell can use).
These tiny cellular furnaces await signals from you and depending on what they receive in the way of nutrition and exercise will either fire them up creating cell and tissue growth and renewal or dampen them down like a fire that has run out of fuel.
When they dampen down or are extinguished altogether, the cells shift toward body fat storage or fatigue, under producing energy and lapsing into disuse.
Mitochondria can also be damaged and harmed by a build of harmful toxins. This will seriously affect your body weight and ultimately your health. When toxins are floating around inside your body they prevent you from burning those unwanted pounds of body fat. In fact, studies prove that such toxins can actually hinder the efficiency of your fat burning systems.
Since mitochondria produce chemical energy (in the form of adenosine triphosphate or ATP), you could compare mitochondria to a miniature battery – providing needed power to the cell when required. The main reason we breathe oxygen is to allow the process of energy conversion to take place within the mitochondria. If a cell sends the message that it is not getting enough energy to survive more mitochondria are created.
For cells requiring more energy, mitochondria can reproduce by growing larger and dividing.
Bottom line:
Mitochondria are found in both animal and plant cells. Their organelles provide energy to the cell. As the the powerhouse or power plants of the cell it is imperative to keep then healthy and working properly.
Your chance of living an extended long life filled with ‘vital energy” all depend on the health of these little bean shaped energy factories so you need to be doing all you can to protect your mitochondria. It seems, the more high functioning ones your body houses, the healthier and longer you’ll live.
Mitochondria get damaged for many reasons and one of the biggest is a diet of poor quality foods and lack of healthy foods. White sugar and flour along with other unhealthy processed and chemically laden foods force our mitochondria to burn through all the “junk” food and that in turn causes the release of free radicals along with the inflammation that comes with it before any nutrients are even utilized.
We must provide our bodies what is needed in the way of defense in order to repair and avoid any damage to our mitochondria in the future. We do that by fueling them with phytonutrients, healthy fats, proteins, fiber and plenty of antioxidants.
If you truly want to take command of your life and avoid disease somewhere down the road, your mitochondria need to be in tip-top condition. It’s time to throw away all the false statements you’ve accepted about exercise and diet and learn what it really takes to stay healthy and fit.
“Reclaim Your Longevity” can help you do just that…
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