Diets and Weight Loss

fitness and exercise

benefits of fitness

• to muscles
  • increases muscular strength
  • increases muscular endurance
  • increases muscle tone
• to heart and blood vessels
  • reduces resting heart rate and blood pressure
  • increases cardiac stroke volume and cardiac output
  • more rapid heart rate recovery following physical activity
  • lowers level of fat content in blood
  • lower cholesterol, lower triglycerides
  • raises HDLs
• to respiratory system
  • increase in recovery of oxygen capacity or oxygen debt capacity
  • increase in lung capacity
• to body composition
  • reduction in body fat
• to mental health
  • reduces depression
  • relieves stress
  • fewer psychosomatic diseases and disorders
• to aging process
  • promotes skin elasticity
  • fewer chronic diseases
• miscellaneous
  • improves quality of sleep and relaxation
  • may prevent breast and colon cancer
  • improves visual activity
  • improves vitality (energy without fatigue)
  • better digestion elimination
  • fewer physical accidents and injuries
• increases metabolic rate

components of fitness

• muscular strength: the forces a muscle exerts against a resistance
• muscular endurance: the ability to continue using muscular strength
• flexibility: the ability to move the body through a full range of possible motion
• cardiovascular endurance: the ability to sustain vigorous activity that requires increased oxygen intake for an extended period of time
• body composition: the percentage of fat tissue and lean tissue in the body

types of exercise

• isometric: muscles are tightened for 5-10 seconds, no movement
  • eg. wall sit, pushing against immovable objects
• isotonic: muscle contraction causing movement
  • eg. free weights, push-ups
• aerobic: continuous use of oxygen over an extended period of time
  • aerobic: “with air”
  • eg. long distance events, “cardio”
• anaerobic: short, fast bursts of energy
  • anaerobic: “without air”
  • eg. sprinting, quick events with rests in between

fitness and exercise terms

• overweight: a body weight that is 10% or more above the desirable body weight
• obese: a body weight that is 20% or more above the desirable body weight (excess fat)
• calorie: a unit of energy produced by food and used by the body
• caloric expenditure: the number of calories a person uses for digestion and physical activity
• warm up: a period of three to five minutes of easy physical activity intended to prepare muscles to do more work in the actual workout
  • eg. stretching, light jogs or walks
• cool down: a period of five to ten minutes of reduced physical activity to help the body return to a non-exercising state
  • also eg. stretching, walking

anabolic steroids

• anabolic steroid: a synthetic derivative of the male hormone testosterone
• male effects
  • reduction in sperm production
  • aggressive behavior
  • severe acne
  • hair loss
  • these effects are usually reversed after steroid use ends
• female effects
  • masculine traits appear
  • aggressive behavior
  • lower voice
  • menstruation and ovulation stop
  • abnormal growth of hair on face, breasts, and chest
  • severe acne
  • these effects are not usually reversed after steroid use ends
• long-term effects
  • depression
  • hypertension
  • stunted growth (especially when taken during puberty)
  • atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries)
  • higher risk of liver cancer

hypertrophy

• hypertrophy: the building of muscle tissue (increasing size and strength of the muscle fiber)
  • eg. exercise + protein + carbohydrates = hypertrophy
• exercise
  • resistance: increased force used against the completion of a task
  • eg. adding weight or distance to an exercise
  • repetition: the number of times one completes an exercise
  • eg. going from 20 to 40 sit-ups in a set
  • recovery: rest period following exercise
  • recovery time; also occurs between sets of repetitions
• strength: high resistance + low reps + high recovery time
• endurance: low resistance + high reps + low recovery
• different exercises effect different people, largely variant on their body types

injuries

• strain: an overstretched muscle or tendon
• sprain: a torn ligament
• dislocation: when a bone is removed from its joint
• fracture: a crack in a bone
  • closed fracture: no break in the skin
  • opened fracture/compound fracture: breaks the skin
  • stress fracture: incomplete fracture, caused by repeated stress
• contusion: a deep bruise
• concussion: an injury to the brain that causes disorientation, memory loss, and/or unconsciousness
  • often resulting from a blow to the head
• splint: a material or device used to protect and immobilize a body part

diets and weight loss

body types

• endomorph: muscular, stocky, weightlifter
  • eg. football/hockey players
• ectomorph: long-boned, lean, marathon runner
  • eg. cross country runner
• mesomorph: average build, usually higher percentage of body fat
  • most common body type