Anabolic

When something is anabolic it builds the body

Anabolic refers to building more complex substances from simpler substances in the body.

"Ana-" is a prefix from Greek. In this case it means "up".

"-bolic" comes from "metabolic". Metabolic refers to all the processes in the body which build, breakdown or maintain.

What anabolic means to you

The things that you do that build a strong, healthy and beautiful body are anabolic.

So what are the things that build a strong healthy body? You know them. Enough sleep, sunlight, fresh vegetables, plenty of fresh spring water and lean protein.

These things build you up and make you healthy. So they are anabolic.

Junk food and overeating

When you eat unhealthy foods or when you overeat it is not anabolic. You are not building a healthy body. You are actually forcing the body to cope with a problem.

When you overeat the body has excess fuel it does not need and it has no choice but to store it as fat.

But when you eat proper amounts of food rich in nutrients you build a healthy body.

A note about insulin

There are hormones that are anabolic, and they help your body rebuild. One of these is insulin.

Insulin helps you take the energy into your cells that you need. Without insulin sugar just floats around in your blood and you get sick.

But too much of anything is not a good thing. If you eat too much carbohydrate you make too much insulin and then you store fat.

Carried on long enough you get high blood sugar, damage to the pancreas -- which makes insulin -- and eventually diabetes.

Anabolic steroids

But there is another meaning for anabolic. You might have heard of drugs that bodybuilders take. They call them anabolic steroids.

They take them to build those huge muscles. And they do work. But the price is awful.

Bodybuilders that take drugs are in terrible health. They are just a heartbeat away from a stroke or a heart attack. And they are miserable people.

But the things that are really anabolic -- water, fresh air, enough sleep, vitamins, minerals and lean protein -- are the things that you put into your life to become strong and lean.

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