Homo Telkomselikus

Tauhid Nur Azhar

Horeeeee…. I’m back, after a 3-week tikusruk (a type of Indonesian slang for a sudden illness) and a prolonged inflammation in my leg, I’m back to walking normally today. The favorite sidewalks are waiting for me to arrive. But I promise, don’t trick me again into the gorong-gorong (a type of Indonesian slang for a narrow and winding road).

Alhamdulillah (thank God) on this bright and blessed Friday morning, we start our activities again by walking and greeting the citizens of +62 (Indonesia) who are classified as morning people. And yes, as predicted, the morning creatures are dominated by families of beburungan (a type of Indonesian slang for a type of bird), cats, and lazy rats. It’s also fun to see the activities from a different perspective, a PoV (point of view) that’s different from Gen Z.

But as a Homo Telkomselikus (a type of Indonesian slang for a person who is addicted to their phone), I couldn’t resist the urge to check the news on my phone, which has become my closest companion. It’s not my wife, right? My wife can’t fit in my pocket, and she’s the closest to the central control point. She can also vibrate and remind me of my existence and play a multitude of roles in life.

As a result, while walking on the sidewalk with the risk of falling into the gorong-gorong again, I decided to open my phone. Social media was browsed, and online news was scrolled. Suddenly, a news article caught my attention, and I was shocked, initially amazed by the lineup of speakers who were giving a briefing to the incoming ministers and deputy ministers at Hambalang, only to suddenly become furious when I read a statement from one of the new cabinet members, “I was just contacted yesterday…”

As soon as I read the short news article, my thoughts about Riaz Shah, Ray Dalio, and Lee Soik suddenly disappeared. And I felt a chill run down my spine, why? Because yesterday, I received a call from an unknown number, and I rejected it because I was paranoid and afraid of being scammed. The number kept calling me, even changing numbers. But I was able to recognize the pattern, because the number was also a pretty number. I rejected all the calls. I almost decided to block the number.

But hearing the story in the media today about the announcement to join the cabinet through a phone call from an unknown number, just a day before the briefing, I felt a sense of despair.

It turns out that the pretty number yesterday tried hard to contact me, who kept rejecting the calls because of the urgency related to my position in the cabinet and the program briefing that had to be held.

But I didn’t give up hope, I thought, can’t we still do it? Can’t we still join the cabinet? After all, the official composition of the cabinet hasn’t been announced yet, right? Who knows, maybe there’s still a chance, even though most of the stages have been completed. With a sense of hope and anxiety, I decided to try calling the numbers again that I had rejected yesterday.

I was almost overjoyed when the first number I called answered my call. Wow, this is a good sign, I thought, maybe my presence and participation in the cabinet are still needed. From the other end of the phone, I heard a professional voice that greeted me with my full name in a formal manner. I became more excited, this is protocol, I thought. Not long after, when I asked about the purpose and reason for trying to contact me yesterday, he explained it clearly, as follows:

Sir, please allow me, we from your internet provider want to remind you that you haven’t paid your subscription fee for this month yet, it’s already past the due date, and if you exceed the 20th of the month, there will be a penalty for disconnecting the connection…

Hearing that, I felt a sense of despair. My hope of becoming a government official who can contribute maximally to the nation has been extinguished. I thought, where can I get the additional funds today to pay for my internet subscription? I imagined the crisis in the region escalating into domestic violence, when my Wi-Fi at home can’t connect for two days. It’s a disaster, a disaster, a disaster…

So, let’s just continue walking today, okay? Why? Because many studies have shown that walking has numerous benefits. Including in the field of neuropsychiatry, where walking can bring a sense of calm facilitated by neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. The last one, especially when we walk hand in hand with someone we love. In short, walking can reduce anxiety caused by worrying about the terrible consequences if the internet connection is disrupted.

But seriously, walking is indeed powerful. Biologically and physiologically, there’s a lot of evidence that walking, which is cheap and easy, has an extraordinary contribution to health through optimizing the body’s mechanisms such as metabolism and the role of organelles like mitochondria.

Walking as a light to moderate physical activity has long been known to have various health benefits, including improved metabolic performance in humans. Today’s WA story will try to delve deeper into the relationship between walking and optimizing the mechanisms of oxidative phosphorylation and the Krebs cycle in mitochondria. Using a review of recent studies, this article aims to explore the mechanisms by which walking can increase the efficiency of cellular energy production through increased mitochondrial function.

The results of the study show that walking can trigger an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis, increase the activity of enzymes in the Krebs cycle, and improve the efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation, which overall contributes to better metabolic performance in humans.

Walking itself, like what I did today in the complex, is one of the simplest forms of physical activity that can be done by various age groups. Although it’s considered a light activity, walking has a significant impact on human metabolic health.

Well, today, after being pranked by a phone call about my internet subscription, we need to know about the organelle called Mitochondria, because walking and mitochondria, as the center of energy production in cells, have a close relationship. Mitochondria play a crucial role in metabolism through the mechanisms of oxidative phosphorylation and the Krebs cycle. While walking is known to optimize mitochondrial function, which in turn contributes to increased metabolic capacity in the body.

Mitochondria are organelles responsible for producing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) through two main mechanisms: the Krebs cycle and the electron transport chain (oxidative phosphorylation). The Krebs cycle, which occurs in the mitochondrial matrix, involves a series of biochemical reactions that oxidize acetyl-CoA to produce electrons in the form of NADH and FADH2. These electrons are then used in the electron transport chain to drive the proton pump, which generates an electrochemical gradient across the mitochondrial membrane. This gradient is the driving force for ATP production through ATP synthase.

Walking regularly can increase mitochondrial biogenesis through the activation of the PGC-1α signaling pathway. PGC-1α is a co-activator of transcription that plays a crucial role in inducing the expression of genes related to the formation of new mitochondria and the increase in enzyme activity in the Krebs cycle. Activation of PGC-1α is usually triggered by increased energy demand during physical activity, including walking.

A study by Hood et al. (2009) showed that moderate physical activity, such as walking, significantly increased PGC-1α expression, leading to an increase in mitochondrial number and oxidative capacity in muscle tissue. The increase in mitochondrial biogenesis directly affects the efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation and the reduction of free radical production, contributing to long-term metabolic health.

Walking is also known to increase oxygen supply to muscle tissue, which is a key element in the process of oxidative phosphorylation. During this activity, capillarization of muscle tissue increases, allowing for more efficient oxygen supply to mitochondria to support electron transport. A study by Larsen et al. (2012) states that moderate increases in oxygen supply through light physical activity increase the efficiency of ATP synthase, improve the ATP/Oxygen ratio, and overall optimize energy production.

Let’s also look at the main biochemical cycle in the biological energy production process, the Krebs cycle, where the Krebs cycle plays a crucial role in carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism, which are oxidized to produce energy in the form of ATP. Walking, although with low intensity, is sufficient to trigger continuous activity of the Krebs cycle, especially in skeletal muscle tissue. Research by Gibala et al. (2014) revealed that although walking does not significantly increase energy output, the cumulative effect of this sustained physical activity helps maintain enzyme activity in the Krebs cycle, such as citrate synthase and isocitrate dehydrogenase, at optimal levels, thereby supporting more efficient energy metabolism.

The increase in mitochondrial function as a result of walking directly contributes to improved human metabolic performance. This physical activity helps increase the efficiency of energy substrate utilization, improves the balance between energy production and consumption, and reduces the accumulation of lactic acid, which can potentially cause muscle fatigue. Better metabolic efficiency is not only important for physical performance but also for the prevention of various metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

While entertaining myself due to failing to join the cabinet and being pranked by a pretty number, I continue to walk and have a specific target in the future. Based on the direction and navigation from the gadget in my hand and the possibility of applying the Starlink’s direct-to-cell mode, which has been implemented for post-disaster conditions after the hurricane that devastated the Florida coast, my phone, which is still connected to Halo, the most reliable provider in the country, has shown and determined the destination point. Warung Sate Maranggi Mang Yana, that’s what it says there, and it’s positioned on the digital map of Google. Yes, sadness and anxiety can be managed and controlled through various means, and two of them are walking and eating delicious food, right?

Further Reading

Gibala, M. J., & McGee, S. L. (2014). Metabolic adaptations to short-term high-intensity interval training: a little pain for a lot of gain?. Exercise and sport sciences reviews, 36(2), 58–63.

Hood, D. A., Tryon, L. D., Carter, H. N., Kim, Y., & Chen, C. C. W. (2016). Unravelling the mechanisms regulating muscle mitochondrial biogenesis. Biochemical Journal, 473(15), 2295–2314.

Larsen, S., Stride, N., Hey-Mogensen, M., Hansen, C. N., Andersen, J. L., & Helge, J. W. (2012). The effect of high-intensity exercise training on mitochondrial function in human skeletal muscle. Mitochondrion, 12(4), 318–324.