Fitness For Life

Pulse Rate

Use the radial artery or two fingers GENTLY to the side of the neck. Avoid the Vulcan grip on both sides of the neck as you could cut off the blood flow and pass out. Take your resting heart rate just after waking in the morning while in a lying position. 50 to 100 beats per minute has been established as normal by the American Heart Association. However, research shows that adults with resting heart rates over 70 have a greater risk of heart attack than those with heart rates below 70. You can take your pulse during activity by pausing and finding your pulse and counting the beats for 6 seconds, then multiple by 10 to calculate the heart rate for one minute or use another formula.  

Training Zont / Target Heart Rate (THR)

The level of activity that leads to maximum conditioning. Working out below the zone = little conditioning;  working out above the zone = potential danger for some as the body can react to this level as it would a life-threatening stressor. Fight-or-flight syndrome takes over and the body does not function well at this level over an extended amount of time as complete exhaustion sets in.  Example:  It would be like sprinting from a crazed animal for 30 minutes.  

Target Heart Zone (THR)

220-age = y
y x 60-70% (lower THR)
y x 75-90% (uper THR)

FIT

Frequency, Intensity, Time

Frequency

 Exercise must be performed regularly in order to reach an adequate level of cardiovascular fitness. Aerobic activities must be performed at least three times per week.  Example:  To decrease the type of cholesterol that clogs blood vessels a person must jog 11 miles per week.

Intensity

You should be able to have a conversation while you are working out. If you are gasping and/or wheezing (like you are still running from that crazed animal), then you must slow down or risk injury or serious physical setbacks such as a heart attack. To determine when it is safe to progress in your training, check your pulse after the exercise session to determine your recovery rate.  The guiding principle is that your heart rate should drop to about 120 beats per minute within 5-6 minutes after the workout and be less than 100 beats per minute after 10 minutes. If after five or ten minutes your pulse does not drop to an appropriate level, you need to reduce the intensity of your workout. If you are achieving your recovery goals, you may elect to increase the intensity of your workout.  

Recovery Rate

Time it takes for pulse to return to RHR (resting heart rate)

Time

You should exercise within your target heart rate zone for a minimum of 12 minutes each time you work out. Remember that 12 minutes does not include the warm-up or cool down period. It should be 12 minutes once you reach your THR. A beginner may find it necessary to start a program that involves less time and then work progressively.

Aerobic Exercise

The definition of aerobic is with oxygen. The oxygen supplied to the muscles meets the muscles demand for oxygen and involves activities that can be performed for at least fifteen minutes in your THR zone. Examples:  jogging, dancing, swimming, soccer.

Anaerobic Exercise

The definition of anaerobic is without oxygen. This involves performing at a pace which uses oxygen faster than the body can replenish it. Anaerobic exercise can be done only for short periods of time. Examples:  200-meter dash, 50-yard freestyle swimming event.

Progression / Safety

Since the heart and muscles adjust to the workload you place on them, the overload must be periodically increased in order for improvement to occur. It is important to monitor your heart rate and recovery stages to insure that it is indeed safe to progress. Example: If you were running one mile in nine minutes and did so over a period of time, then to continue improving your cardiovascular conditioning you must either run a longer distance in nine minutes or run the mile in less time.

Principle of Overload

In general terms, the various systems of the body will become stronger and function better if increased demands (overload) are placed upon them. While it is important to overload your body so improvement may occur, the stress should not be so severe that your body would be unable to adjust. The amount of overload needed varies with each individual. Some of your friends may have to work more on flexibility; whereas, you may have to work harder on muscular endurance.

Warm-Up

A 10-15-minute period during which you prepare your body for vigorous exercise. Warm muscles can be safely stretched to greater ranges of motion than cold muscles. A proper warm-up includes increasing your heart rate and blood supply to your muscles by doing light calisthenics or jogging and then stretching the muscles. This activity generates heat in the muscles and joint tissues, which makes them more flexible and resistant to injury.

Cool-Down

A 10-15-minute period of mild exercise/stretching that follows your training session and allows your body and heart rate to return to their resting states slowly. A proper cool-down helps prevent blood from pooling in the muscles you were using. Without a proper cool-down, less blood reaches your heart and you may feel light-headed. It also prevents tightened muscles from becoming sore.  

Range of Motion / Flexibility

This is the ability to move body joints through a full range of motion. A reasonable amount of flexibility (joint movement) is required to live. A lack of flexibility can result in joint or muscle injury and/or pain during exercise or daily activities. It is important to include stretching in a cool-down period to reduce post-exercise pain and stiffness. In a warm-up routine, flexibilities increase blood supply to your muscles and make them more pliable and resistant to injury.

Static

stretching is a more acceptable way of increasing flexibility. It involves SLOWLY moving the muscle to its stretching point and holding for 15 to 30 seconds.

Ballistic

stretching usually involves bobbing, bouncing, or jerky movements where the body’s momentum is used. This can be harmful because you may exceed the stretchable limits of the tissues involved.

Muscular Strength

This is the ability of a muscle or muscle group to exert or resist a force (anaerobic).  Example: tipping the refrigerator forward to move the rug underneath it or bench pressing a heavy weight for a few repetitions.

Muscular Endurance

This is the ability of a muscle or muscle group to apply force over a period of time. Example: carrying golf clubs for 18 holes or bench pressing a light weight for many repetitions (20 or 25).

Body Composition / Percent of Body Fat

Lean body mass is muscle tissue and other non-fat tissue such as bones, ligaments, and tendons. Body fat results from stored calories that have not been burned up. The distribution of your lean body mass and body fat will change depending upon how active you are, how much you eat, and how fast you are growing. Height and weight charts can be misleading because they do not tell you how much of your weight is lean body mass and how much is body fat. Muscle mass weighs more and takes up less space than the same amount of fat tissue (muscle weighs three times more than fat.) Body weight is not the crucial thing, but body composition is!  

Ideal Body Weight

how much you would weigh if you had an appropriate percentage of body fat. If you want to control your weight, you should reduce how many calories you take in. Eat the RIGHT KIND OF CALORIES  and then increase the amount of calories you expend (exercise).

Blood Pressure

This is the measure of the force that is made by blood pushing against the walls of the arteries and veins of the body.  A blood pressure is created by the heart pumping and is recorded with two numbers. The higher number is the systolic pressure and is your blood pressure at the moment blood is pumped from the heart by the ventricles. The lower number is the diastolic pressure and represents the blood pressure when the heart is relaxed and filling with blood.

Systolic Pressure

120 + or - 20

Diastolic Pressure

80 + or - 10

Normal range of blood pressure

systolic/diastolic

Hypertension

is caused by blood pressure that is too high (from stress, poor eating habits, smoking, alcohol, gender, heredity, age, etc.) and remains high. The blood vessel walls thicken and force the blood to be pumped through a much narrower opening.

Blood Cholesterol

Blood Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in the cells. It is needed by the body, but diets high in saturated fats can cause levels to become too high. When this occurs, the cholesterol may collect in blood vessels (restricting blood flow) and clog them or shut them off completely.

Stress

caused by situations, events, or people that make demands on your body and mind.  Examples: an alarm clock, upcoming test, game or performance, anticipating asking someone out on a date, etc. Your body responds physiologically in exactly the same manner to both positive stress (eustress) and negative stress (distress). The mental or emotional changes you exhibit in response to a stressor will actually control how you respond physically. If the emotions caused by the stressor are strong enough, you will undergo a change in behavior. The manner in which you respond to the stress, both physically and mentally will determine if the immediate and long-term effects of stress are positive or negative. If you are a physically active person, it will be easier for you to deal with the stress because exercise will burn up the additional supply of adrenaline (caused by the stressor) and will allow body functions (such as heart rate and blood pressure) to return to normal. This will not happen if you are a couch potato. The adrenaline will remain in the body system for a long period of time, keeping body functions at an unusually high level.

Positive Stress (Eustress)

Stress affects you in a positive manner every day. It can provide you with the energy and motivation to accomplish things you want to do or that have been demanded of you. Progression and advancement are usually based on a challenging situation. Positive stress will make you more creative, alert, aggressive, and dedicated to a

task, while keeping you from becoming bored and fatigued. Eustress will make you feel good about yourself unless you allow a positive experience to turn sour. Even getting good grades or going on vacation can be stressful if you perceive those experiences to be loaded with pressure. PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING!

Negative Stress (Distress)

Too much stress can have a negative affect and can interfere with school work, home life, and how you relate to your peers. Over an extended amount of time, the effects of negative stress can pile up on you. They act on you in combination, not as individual stressors.

Level 1 of Distress

This level is the least severe—symptoms include short periods of irritability, fatigue, worry and frustration.

Level 2 of distress

Similar to level one except at this level, the symptoms will last longer, possibly as long as two weeks or more.

Level 3 of distress

This level is the most serious. The body’s resistance to illness is lowered—you may experience minor health problems such as frequent colds, headaches, dizziness, or diarrhea. You become accident-prone or injured at this time—your concentration skills are shot.  

The 10 Steps of a Stress Management Program

Don’t worry about the little things, get fit, you are what you eat, catch some sleep, a laugh a day keeps the stress away, daydreaming, recognize stress coming, role play, support groups, goal setting and time managmet

Negative Coping Techniques to Avoid

Being over-sensitive or over-emotional, impatient, trying to avoid situations by using drugs and alcohol to numb yourself or create and escape. NONE OF THESE ARE WORTH YOUR TIME, YOUR ENERGY, OR YOUR LIFE.