Francesco D'Ambrosio’s Fisiosteel –
Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation

Hall D5 - Nutri Lab Room

Hello everyone, thank you for being here, my name is Francesco and today I am here to talk to you about longevity. Obviously, I won’t reveal the magic potion to live forever, but I’ll ask you a question right away: What is, in your opinion, the most underestimated organ for living healthily? The muscle.

The muscle doesn’t just define the strength or aesthetics of an individual, but it is a real endocrine organ, capable of influencing a person’s life positively or negatively. The muscle produces molecules that influence metabolism, the brain, and the immune system. Have you ever wondered what happens when a muscle is activated? Every step, every movement, activates vital circuits; metabolism, circulation, breathing, and emotion. We can therefore clearly state that the more you move, the more you learn to listen to yourself. But what is the connection between muscular activity and body awareness? Movement.

The more you move, the more your body sends you signals. From these stimuli, you will get responses, and the more you learn to listen and receive this information, the more you will be able to prevent or heal your body. It has been scientifically proven that a lack of mobility inevitably leads to sarcopenia, that is, a reduction of muscle mass and consequently a general dysfunction of the organism. How can we avoid this sarcopenia? Through strength and endurance exercises.

Now that we have established that:

• Muscle is a fundamental organ

• Movement prevents sarcopenia and influences your life positively or negatively

• Another fundamental component for muscle is nutrition: the right fuel

You already know that to be defined healthy, a dietary regimen must be a proper balance between macro and micronutrients, and without playing the role of a nutritionist, I remind you that to properly nourish a muscle we must introduce into our body the right percentages of:

• carbohydrates

• proteins

• good fats, vegetable or animal

However, we know that we do not always manage to include all the vitamins and other components through healthy eating. This is where supplementation comes into play, useful when it responds to a real necessity, and when movement is constant. Supplementing serves to preserve muscle, fight sarcopenia, and support recovery.

But how do I prove to you that all this is not just a copy and paste from an artificial intelligence chat? How do I really make you believe that movement, nutrition and supplementation can actually prevent, or as in my case, heal an organism? I won’t explain it, but if you give me just a few minutes I will show you: (video story Francesco fractures / accidents / recovery). Certainly, if at that moment someone had told me that two years later I would be wearing the Steelman medal, I would have answered “madness.” Instead, today that medal is here. I faced the Steelman, which is a 12-hour race alternating eight disciplines including running, swimming, canoeing, strength, biking, and rowing.

All these events are interrupted by only 30 minutes of rest.
The Steelman and I are proof that nourishing and mobilizing a muscle heals a body, heals in my case a soul. It gives you the strength to think and accomplish the impossible, to challenge yourself and your own life, to face destiny wearing boxing gloves. Movement, nutrition, and supplementation can prevent injuries, play a fundamental role in recovering from them, and yes, they are also an important component in terms of muscle longevity and endurance as well as in body awareness.