10 random, interesting facts to impress your friends

If you've ever had a conversation with me, you'd learn quickly I am a fact freak.

I've got a head full of little annoying facts that would probably only be good for an appearance on "Jeopardy."


So today, I'm going to share with you some of the completely random fitness facts that float around in my brain on a regular basis, so in turn you can relay them to your friends at completely random times.

It will make you sound brilliant, and you might actually get to meet my favorite Canadian, Alex Trebek.

1. The human body has more than 600 muscles. If they all pulled together in one direction, you could lift over 25 tons.

2. The heart beats an about 100,000 times a day in the average adult. In fact, over the course of a lifetime, the average person's heart will have pumped enough blood to completely fill 13 supertankers.

3. Your heart actually rests between beats. Over the course of a life time, your heart stands still for about 20 years.

4. The human body has about 45 miles of nerves, delivering messages to your brain at an average speed of 200 mph. Your brain receives about 100 million of these nerve messages each second.

5. Your body has about 60,000 miles of blood vessels that carry out various transportation and regulatory functions. If you are 25 pounds overweight, you have about 5,000 extra miles of blood vessels for your heart to pump blood through.

6. Most women's food cravings involve sweet food like cookies, cupcakes and chocolates. Most men's food cravings involve salty or protein-based foods such as potato chips or some sort of meat.

7. For every pound of muscle you gain, your body can burn up to 50 additional calories per day.

8. Muscle is one of the most metabolically active tissue in the body. This means muscle cells burn body fat.

9. Sixty-nine percent of men consider themselves physically fit; 13 percent actually are physically fit.

10. Forward movement like walking and running is actually the process of losing, and catching your balance.

How much of this did you already know?

Take these fitness facts and wow your friends with your new found knowledge of fitness.

Need more? You can always find more here, and at my blog www.hometeamfitnessblog.com



Chad Smith is a Hagerstown personal trainer and co-owner of Home Team Fitness LLC. Go to www.hometeamfitness.net for more information.