Nervous Tissues

If I had to pick a favorite, nervous tissue would be my choice. Often underestimated and ignored in the world of sport and fitness, it’s that unassuming nervous tissue that controls everything you do, everything you are, and everything you perceive. It’s pretty powerful stuff, really.

Your body is riddled with nerve endings, each with the purpose of receiving information or giving instruction to other tissues. Through a series of chemical reactions information is received and converted into nerve action impulses, much like electrical signals. These electrical signals are sent to and through the spinal cord, and then to the brain. If the information is perceived as urgent by the spinal cord, the spinal cord sends immediate instructions back to the tissues before the nerve action potential reaches the brain for actual interpretation. This is when reflexes occur. Read more “Nervous Tissues” →

Muscle

Muscular tissues are formed of elongated cells called muscle fibers. They use ATP, a chemical compound that is produced through cellular respiration (which we will likely cover at a later date in detail), to generate force. Muscular tissue produces movements, maintains posture, generates heat and provides protection. We have three different types of muscular tissue in our bodies, skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle. Read more “Muscle” →

Fat (Adipose)

Culturally, we sensationalize fat. Fat’s bad. Fat’s good. There’s skinny fat, and there’s just fat, fat. There are countless fat-reducing diets and there is a sociological push to embrace ones own fat. We shouldn’t comment on persons fat, while at times a doctor must in order to offer the best possible care. But a doctor who prescribes fat reduction is often considered cruel and/or cold – sometimes even lazy, because it seems that that’s the only answer he or she will give no matter what the person’s complaint or ailment. And far too many of us are obsessed with fat. Even the thinnest or most fit of us will see fat in the mirror and sleep with a scale under our bed. Read more “Fat (Adipose)” →

Bone

Bone provides support and protection to your body. It produces blood cells, and stores both minerals and triglycerides. We like to think of our bones as hard, static, solid, unmoving or unchanging pieces to our skeleton. But believe it or not, your living bone tissue is forever growing, remodeling and repairing itself (or in other words, breaking itself down and building itself back up). It is not stagnant or static at all, but is forever changing inside your body. Read more “Bone” →

Blood, Cardiovascular System & Obesity

Blood
Your blood is a fluid connective tissue. Its plasma is combined mostly of water with a wide variety of dissolved substances including nutrients, wastes, enzymes, plasma proteins, hormones, respiratory gases and ions. It also contains red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Red blood cells transport oxygen from the lungs to body cells, while removing carbon dioxide from cells to the lungs for exhalation. Blood carries nutrients from the gastrointestinal tract, and hormones from the endocrine cells to other body cells. Blood also transports heat and waste products to various organs for elimination. White blood cells and platelets are some of the building blocks of your immune system, aiding in defense against foreign bodies (viruses and bacteria, for example), and tissue repair. Blood acts to protect by clotting, which creates a barrier against excessive loss from the cardiovascular system after injury, and white blood cells are involved in immune responses. These immune responses include injury recovery, allergy response, and phagocytosis (or consumption and destruction of dead cells and other noxious substances). In addition, several blood proteins like antibodies, act to protect us against disease in a variety of ways. Read more “Blood, Cardiovascular System & Obesity” →