Reactive Oxygen Species and Antioxidants: What They Are and Why They Matter

Senior Summary Box

- Oxidation is normal; Oxidative Stress is not.
- Antioxidants help maintain cellular balance
- Real food and regular movement matter more than supplements
- Consistency over time beats quick fixes

You don’t need a science degree to understand what’s going on inside your body—but a few simple ideas can make a big difference to your health.

Two of those ideas are 1) reactive oxygen species (free radicals) the Bad Guys, and 2) antioxidants (the Good Guys. They sound complicated, but the concepts are actually very simple.

Let’s break them down in plain English.

What Are Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)?

Reactive oxygen species—often shortened to ROS—are a natural by‑product of living. (the Bad Guys), But they're not all bad.

Every time you breathe oxygen, eat food, exercise, or fight an infection, your body produces energy. During that process, tiny unstable molecules are created. These are rea...

Nutrition Fundamentals

Nutrition saved my life long before I realized it.

For years, I thought fitness was mostly about exercise. If I trained hard enough, often enough, everything else would take care of itself. I was wrong. Exercise matters, but nutrition is the fuel that makes exercise work—or fail.

Nutrition and exercise are equal partners. One without the other simply doesn’t get you where you want to go.

Calories: Your Body’s Fuel
Every bit of energy your body uses comes from calories, and calories come from three sources:

Protein
Carbohydrates
Fat

These are called macronutrients. Understanding them—even at a basic level—gives you control over how you feel, how you age, and how your body performs.

Protein: The Rebuilding Nutrient
Protein is best known for building and repairing tissue. Every gram of protein provides four calories, but its real value isn’t energy—it’s structure.

Your body is constantly rebuilding itself. Muscle, bone, skin, organs—all of it is in a constant cy...