It has been hypothesized that working in an active situation stimulates the anabolic restoring and protective processes in the body (Karasek & Theorell, 1990), whereas working under job strain inhibits anabolism. In both active jobs and job strain, psychological demands are high. This means that mobilization of energy has a high priority. Long-lasting energy mobilization may lead to catabolism, the breakdown of protein for the provision of energy “at any cost”. Due to the high level of anabolism taking place in the active jobs, the body will be able to stand these periods of energy mobilization well. In flexibility terms, this means that the active jobs enhance the body’s capacity to stand periods of energy mobilization. This could be one way of describing flexibility in physiological terms. However, in the job strain situation, anabolism is inhibited and the body’s capacity to stand periods of energy mobilization is therefore limited. Read the rest of this entry »