Why Touching Your Toes is Important:

Flexibility training is perhaps the most undervalued component of conditioning. While recent and ongoing debate questions its role in injure prevention,your health can still gain much from a stretching regime. The body's muscles and joints play an integral part in movement. In general terms, flexibility has been defined as the range of motion about a joint and its surrounding muscles during a passive movement. Passive in this context means no active muscle movement is required to hold the stretch. Instead gravity or a partner provides the force for the stretch.

Proteins are Complex Structures:

Protein is the group name to designate the principle nitrogen constituents of the protoplasm of all plant and animal tissues. Proteins are necessary for tissue synthesis and regulation of certain body functions. However, to say that proteins are more important than any other nutrient in the body can have serious consequence.
Proteins are complex, structures made up of amino acids. The type of amino acid vary with each protein. However, nitrogen is always present. Carbohydrates and fats doSaved not contain nitrogen.

Stuff You Should Know About Fat:
There are two dominant forms of fat in the body known as the "Cis" and the "Trans form." Food and body-fats exist principally in the "Cis" forms. This is an important point although a little mysterious. In the manufacture of vegetable shortenings and margarines, some, but not all, of the oil bonds are hydrogenated. They are thus changed from their origin- “Cis form” to a “trans form.” Both forms are utilized in the body. But, the Cis form may be better utilized.
Hydrogenation also reduces the linoleic acid content of the fat. These changes have significance in digestion and are believed to affect the rate and manner in which fat is accepted and used in the body. The body does only one of two things with fats. It either stores fat or converts fat to energy.

Fat Is A Great Source of Energy:
One of the many complexities about lipids is that they digest slowly in the body. Thus, if you eat a meal heavy in fats, they stay in the stomach longer and you feel "full". Eat too much and you start a nice collection of fat in the liver, metabolic system and in various storage points around your body. (Usually these storage places are where you don't want fat to be stored).
Fat also is a rapid source of energy -- but only if you work at it.

Classified Fat:
Fats can be divided and identified as:
Simple lipids known as triglycerides which are eaters of fatty acids and glycerol. Waxes (or wax like substances) are also esters of fatty acids and long-chain or cyclic alcohols. This group includes the esters of cholesterol, Vitamin A and Vitamin D.
Compound lipids including phospholipids such as lecithin, cephalins and sphingomyelin.
Derived lipids including phospholipids such as glycerols, sterols, carotenoids and the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.

Fat Can Be Invisible:
Also, there is so-called "invisible fat". It represents about three-fifths of the total fats you consume. These sources include meats, poultry, fish, dairy products (excluding butter), eggs and baked products. All of the fat in an egg is in the yolk. Whole milk, cream, ice-cream and whole milk-cheese have appreciable amounts of fats. Fruit, vegetables, legumes, cereals and flours are very low in fat. Nuts, however, have an appreciable amount of concentrated fat in the nut oil.

Infamous Fat - Also Known as Lipids:
Lipids include fats, oils and fat-like substances that have a greasy feel. Oil, lard, hydrogenated shortening, butter, margarine, bacon and salad dressings are the most concentrated sources of fat.

Conversion Rates:
The conversion numbers 9-4-4 are used to convert a given amount of food (1 gram) into calories. Thus 100 grams of protein (x 4) is worth 400 calories. 10 grams of fat (x 9) is worth 90 calories, and 200 grams of carbohydrates (x 4) is equal to 800 calories.

Combustion of Proteins, Fats and Carbs:
Generally speaking, proteins, fats and carbohydrates provide different rates of combustion. Fat is one of the most efficient, compact sources of energy in all the foods you eat. One gram of fat when burned in the body will yield 9 calories. Proteins and carbohydrates are not as efficient. The rate of combustion for both of these fuel sources is 4 calories per gram. Thus we have a 9-4-4 ratio of values applied to the main elements of a menu.

Body-Fat vs. Lean Mass:
It is lean mass that plays the key role in any type of weight-management program. Whether you are interested in fat-loss or muscle gain, lean mass requires certain conditions in order to make a change in body-composition. It is imperative to understand that the lean mass of an individual is directly related to metabolism.