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