Peer-Reviewed Article: "Muscle and Protein Synthesis in Response to Nutrition and Exercise"

As I have thought about my last blog post regarding my research topic, I have decided I should first start on a broader scale and see what kinds of articles I can find related to my interests before deciding that is the particular topic I want to research. The first thing that made the most sense to search for was an article having to do with exercise, nutrition, and muscle growth. I came across the article, “Muscle Protein Synthesis in Response to Nutrition and Exercise” by P. J. Atherton and K. Smith which seemed fairly fitting.

I suppose their aim is to express guidelines and information to those interested in the most effective way to maximize muscle protein synthesis and therefore muscle growth. This article discusses the nutrition and exercise factors of muscle growth in several parts so there is really more than one claim, but the one I found most interesting was the claim stating that high repetitions of exercises with a weight low intensity to failure can be just as effective as low repetitions of exercises with a weight of high intensity. The claim jumped out at me because I thought that high intensity/low rep created mass whereas low intensity/rep until failure was primarily for strength.

Of course, I believe there are exceptions to this claim. Everyone’s body works somewhat differently, usually making one more effective over the other for that individual. I personally find that with some exercises it is best to use lighter weight and with others heavy weight, depending on the amount of focus I desire on a particular muscle or simply that with one more of a muscle contraction is felt than with the other. A bigger question to ask may be ‘why do some individuals’ muscles generate more muscle protein synthesis with high intensity/low rep sets and others’ respond better to low intensity/rep until failure sets?’

This is a similar concept to the diverse approaches some personal trainers take with each of their clients for how much of certain foods they should eat or what kinds of exercises they should do to reach their physique goals since different body types respond differently to various exercises and amounts of macronutrients. For example, those with a slow metabolism build muscle easily and can’t burn fat quickly, so they may have to do more cardio or eat less than someone with a high metabolism if the ultimate goal is to gain muscle mass. Of course there are more technical details for that and everyone’s metabolism is unique, but they do their best to accommodate each person’s differing needs. Similarly, it may be beneficial to research the ‘why’ instead of creating a set amount of guidelines for every person to follow.

Considering this was one of the first articles I saw, I believe it gave me a better insight to the biology behind what is really happening in one’s body in response to foods and exercise which I have never looked into before. It provided a solid basis of information for my future research and was applicable to my personal activities and interests.

“Muscle Protein Synthesis in Response to Nutrition and Exercise”: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3381813/?tool=pmcentrez

IIFYM vs. Clean Eating: English Research Topic?

All fitness enthusiasts want to know how to achieve the best results. How to do so is where the topic gets controversial. Many people simply believe in clean eating, others do things like backwards dieting, and some like the 'if it fits your macros,' or IIFYM, approach which is something I would be interested in researching for a future English assignment.

This method, I believe, consists of having a set amount of fats, carbs, and proteins to eat each day and staying within those limits, allowing yourself to splurge on something no-so-clean if it fits in these daily set amounts of macronutrients. People like it because it helps keep them from binging, helps create a balanced lifestyle, and apparently allows them to best transform their bodies, more so than simply clean eating. 

Other than these few things, I don't know much about IIFYM, how to do it, and why it works for some people. I believe it would be interesting to compare the views of those who practice it and those who don't believe in it or prefer clean eating. Right now, I believe that clean eating is the way to go. Our bodies weren't meant to digest the processed foods we have today and either way they are still unhealthy. Ultimately I think those who see better results from IIFYM than they did with clean eating is because their nutrients was not appropriate before. In a way I see it as trying to cheat your body by providing it with the refined and unhealthy version of those macronutrients. Basically, you can't cheat the system because it knows when something is off. 

However I could most definitely be wrong. This method may consist of mainly clean eating with a few splurges here and there, or it may not. I have an extensive list of questions about IIFYM in comparison to eating clean. What are the rules of IIFYM and how are they determined? If this method does work well, then why? What do those who have experience with both approaches have to say? Because everyone's body is different, will some benefit from clean eating more than the other and vice versa, or is this applicable to most?

I did some simple internet searching and found a woman who wrote a blog post about her positive experience with switching from eating clean to IIFYM and she listed a number of links, many of which discussed how to approach it. I have yet to look through the sources, but her post is linked below.

"Jodiefuturefigure's Blog": https://jodiefuturefigure.wordpress.com/2013/08/03/the-iifym-directory/

MLK and Modern Day Society

"Letter From Birmingham Jail": 

http://www.uscrossier.org/pullias/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/king.pdf

Martin Luther King Jr. is easily the most recognized and inspiring civil rights leader in the United States. He was a thoughtful speaker and writer, and his passion and ability to these things is the reason he is so renowned for his works. I had never thought about it before, but he did these things in a persuasive manner;  his "Letter From Birmingham Jail" which is linked above is often analyzed in English courses, such as the one I am in now, to observe how to write persuasively in a graceful manner.

Basically, this letter was written by King while he was in jail for performing nonviolent acts against segregation in the city of Birmingham. A few clergymen wrote an article regarding these acts which was displayed in the newspaper, so King decided to write this letter as a response refuting their claims of his acts being "unwise and untimely." He claimed the exact opposite: his actions were very wise and very timely. He calmly discusses is reasons for being there, compares himself to the other clergymen, points out the things that were not carried out as part of agreements made with the people of Birmingham on their part, and tries to connect with the audience on a more emotional level as well. 

The persuasive use of ethos, pathos, and logos is identifiable throughout the piece of writing. Going off topic a bit, I couldn't help but make connections between King and Hitler. They were both persuasive, trying to convince groups of people to do things for certain reasons, but approached these methods differently, one aiming for peace between people and the other for hatred towards groups of people. In circumstances such as the Holocaust where people were being persuaded to blame use others as scapegoats, valid evidence was not presented. We discussed this in class and it is worth thinking about. If the German people had understood what needed to make up a substantial argument, they may not have been persuaded as easily and who knows, the Holocaust could have possibly been prevented.

Overall, I think King's messages are very applicable to today's society, but I feel as though what is commonly discriminated against and abused in our society as a social norm has shifted. Yes, recently there have been issues regarding police officers and teenage African Americans, such as what happened with Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin or in Ferguson. 

However, nowadays the media alters the truth and, in all reality, it is impossible to know what the people involved were really thinking. People don't take to these instances lightly: individuals are either on one side or the other, and one could say that in itself creates more boundaries between us.

I would love to believe that we can live in a world where wars and bullying and discrimination don't happen. But, I do not believe this is at all realistic. There will always be someone who thinks less of someone else for whatever reason, or has some bias towards a group of people. Until every country is an equal mix of people of all races, genders, sexual affiliations, cultures, backgrounds, beliefs, etc., this is not even a remote possibility for society. The United States is more diverse than any other country as far as I know, and we still have many many problems with these types of issues.

We are beginning to emphasize the importance of individuality more than ever, though. This is causing people to become more comfortable in expressing this individuality, and in turn creating more to be discriminated against. For example, just a few decades ago people would almost never admit to being homosexual. It wasn't remotely socially acceptable. Since racism became less of an issue and people became more accepting, or so it seems, I think people believed that there would be more of a chance for other things to become accepted as well.

Discrimination against homosexuals is like the new racism. It isn't legal for people of the same gender to get married in many states, so if that isn't history repeating itself then I don't know what is. This is America; people are people and everyone should be treated equally. That's what our country is about, right? The words that our country was built upon have never actually been fully enforced because there are always exceptions to that rule. Why is this even up for debate? People are people. We are all individuals, yes, but when it comes down to it we are still all alike, and we all deserve to be treated that way, no exceptions. 

Animals should also be included in this because they are such a huge part of our lives, yet there is so much abuse and inhumanity going on constantly. Of course, more has come with technological advancements and a growth in population leading to mass production of food. The meat industry is absolutely unbelievable with its current methods. 

Lives are lives, and living in a space that's too small or crowded, being fed remains of other animals, and being killed brutally is not really living. Think what you will about animals and whether they have feelings or not, but every person who has an animal in their life that matters to them should believe they do. Whenever debating with someone about this, I always say something like, 'How would you feel if that was you?' Almost always my response is similar to, 'But I am not an animal. The circumstances aren't the same. There is no comparison to be made because humans are simply superior.' Tell me this didn't used to be the common belief of practically every white person in the United States when comparing themselves to slaves and provide concrete, detailed evidence, please.

Taking this into account, Martin Luther King's words can be applied to anything and everything in some shape or form. There are areas I did not touch on such as women's rights and stereotyping, simply because I would go on forever if I could, but considering his words is worthwhile in facing our frequently changing society.

Blogs on Nutrition, Fitness, and Health

Below are three blogs I found that each discuss fitness and nutrition in a different light.

http://toneprofessionalfitness.com

This blog is about general fitness and eating well. The author includes posts about tips on what to eat and when, what kind of foods to gravitate towards or stay away from, and exercise advice; basically how to be healthy and active. This is a good blog for basic information and tips on healthy living.

http://www.lifetime-weightloss.com/blog/

Lifetime Weight Loss posts information about healthy eating and the science behind weight loss and how the two intertwine. It includes posts about dealing with cravings, how to plan meals, absorption of nutrients, and a wide variety of other topics having to do with health, personal trainers, losing fat, and so on. I like these posts because they often incorporate the actual science behind the topics instead of simply stating advice. This blog provides a basis of knowledge along with the information to support it to act as a trustworthy website for health and nutrition advice.

http://www.bodybuildingblogger.com

Bodybuilding Blogger has fitness and nutrition advice for those who are serious about weightlifting and maximizing muscle growth. It provides a viewpoint geared towards extremists of the fitness world, offering somewhat altered advice since the style of training and nutrition is a bit different from other types of athletic activity and nutrition. This is my particular area of interest as well, so I can learn things that will directly help me reach my goals.

Clearly, all of these blogs intertwine because they are about living a lifestyle that incorporates fitness, nutrition, and overall good health. They differ because each is detailed and specific in its own way. One is primarily tips and tricks for being healthy and active, another is about weight loss, nutrition, staying healthy, and the scientific explanation behind these things, and another is geared towards those focused on bodybuilding and using training and nutrition to maximize muscle growth. Each has somewhat of a different perspective on how to approach an ideal, healthy lifestyle.

This is My Blog

Hello, I am Elyssa Engler. In this blog I will discuss what I am doing in my college English (121) class and its application to my area of interest: nutrition and fitness/wellness. 

There are a lot of stereotypes about fitness nutrition, training, and what to do to see the best results (as far as muscle gain and fat loss goes) that are extremely false or actually unhealthy. In my blog I will attempt to address the most accurate truths on how to maximize health, muscle gain, and fat loss and correct the falsely believed stereotypes through knowledge I accumulate through the usage of multiple online tools.

**Ted Talk Video Link: http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en

In my first English 121 class period, my peers and I watched a Ted Talk (**link above) about "single stories," or the stereotypes we most commonly believe as a result if a lack of exposure to, in this case, different cultures. The speaker, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, uses the argument that this ignorance because of a lack of exposure to different realities causes us to believe that the "single story" is the "only story," making it hard to imagine anything but that story. She uses experiences from her life to support her argument. 

For example, when she came to America to attend college, her roommate  asked where she learned to speak English so well and assumed she did not know how to use a stove because she was from Africa. Clearly her roommate was unaware that English is the official language of Nigeria, Adichie's home country. Additionally, she was not in any way unfamiliar with stoves or any other type of technology we have in America, as she had them where she lived, too. But, she is probably not the only one who would assume such things, as we all have a stereotypical idea about what certain people and places are like.

There are single stories for practically everything, and my blog will identify some of these single stories for the fitness world. It will also show my growth as a student in learning multiple stories from the writing and education world along with learning about my discipline of interest. 

Currently, my single story for education is that one needs a quality, formal education to be successful in life. I understand that there are exceptions to this, but I am not sure how these people go about becoming successful. Using this blog will hopefully teach me that there are other ways to be an educated, successful professional without an extensive formal education and how to do so in any discipline.