HEALTH & LONGEVITY GLOSSARY

Low-intensity exercise performed to promote recovery rather than create training stress.

Muscle pain and stiffness that develops 24-72 hours after unaccustomed or intense exercise.

A condition of decreased performance and fatigue that occurs when training exceeds recovery capacity for an extended period.

A measure of how well sleep restores and recovers the body, beyond simple sleep duration.

The training principle where fitness improves above baseline during recovery from training stress.

A cellular process where damaged components are recycled, playing a key role in cellular health and longevity.

A cellular signaling pathway that regulates growth and metabolism, with implications for aging and disease.

A coenzyme essential for cellular energy production that declines with age, involved in DNA repair and longevity pathways.

Cells that have stopped dividing but remain metabolically active, secreting inflammatory factors that contribute to aging.

Protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that shorten with each cell division, serving as a marker of biological aging.

A protein that supports brain cell growth, survival, and plasticity, crucial for learning, memory, and mental health.

The brain's resilience to damage or decline, built through education, mental stimulation, and social engagement.

The cognitive ability to concentrate attention on a task while ignoring distractions.

The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life.

The cognitive system that temporarily holds and manipulates information for complex tasks like reasoning and learning.

The concentration of glucose (sugar) in the blood, a critical marker of metabolic health and energy regulation.

A blood test measuring average blood sugar levels over the past 2-3 months by showing the percentage of hemoglobin bound to glucose.

How effectively your cells respond to insulin to take up glucose from the bloodstream.

A metabolic state where the body primarily burns fat for fuel, producing ketone bodies as an alternative energy source to glucose.

The rate at which your body burns calories at rest to maintain basic life functions.

The force of blood pushing against artery walls, measured as systolic (heart pumping) over diastolic (heart resting) pressure.

The variation in time between consecutive heartbeats, a key indicator of autonomic nervous system function and overall health.

The number of heartbeats per minute while at complete rest, typically measured upon waking.

The amount of blood pumped by the left ventricle with each heartbeat.

The maximum rate of oxygen consumption during intense exercise, a gold-standard measure of cardiovascular fitness.

The roughly 24-hour internal biological clock that regulates sleep-wake cycles, hormone release, and other physiological processes.

The most restorative sleep stage characterized by slow brain waves, essential for physical recovery, immune function, and growth hormone release.

A sleep stage characterized by rapid eye movements, vivid dreaming, and muscle paralysis, critical for memory consolidation and emotional processing.

The percentage of time spent actually sleeping versus total time in bed, a key indicator of sleep quality.

The time it takes to transition from full wakefulness to sleep after getting into bed with the intention to sleep.

The primary stress hormone that regulates metabolism, immune response, and the body's fight-or-flight response.

A hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and regeneration, playing key roles in body composition and metabolism.

A hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar by promoting glucose uptake into cells.

The primary male sex hormone responsible for muscle mass, bone density, libido, and overall vitality in both sexes.

Hormones produced by the thyroid gland that regulate metabolism, energy, body temperature, and growth.

A blood protein produced by the liver that increases in response to inflammation, used as a marker of systemic inflammation.

Signaling proteins released by cells that regulate immunity, inflammation, and cell communication throughout the body.

The complex community of microorganisms living in the digestive tract that influences digestion, immunity, and overall health.

A measure of omega-3 fatty acid levels in red blood cell membranes, reflecting long-term omega-3 status and cardiovascular risk.

The number of white blood cells in the blood, indicating immune system activity and infection-fighting capacity.

The nine amino acids that cannot be made by the body and must be obtained through diet.

A scale that ranks carbohydrates based on how quickly they raise blood sugar levels compared to pure glucose.

The three main nutrients that provide energy: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

The cellular process of building new proteins, particularly muscle proteins, in response to exercise and nutrition.

An eating pattern where food consumption is limited to a specific time window each day, typically 8-12 hours.

The exercise intensity at which lactate accumulates in the blood faster than it can be cleared, marking the transition from sustainable to unsustainable effort.

The maximum weight you can lift for a single repetition with proper form, used to measure and program strength training.

A subjective scale used to rate how hard exercise feels, from very light to maximum effort.

The total amount of work performed in training, typically calculated as sets x reps x weight.

Low to moderate intensity cardio training that maximizes fat oxidation and builds aerobic base without accumulating significant fatigue.