PERSONAL WELLNESS Flexibility & Body Composition

What is flexibility?  The ability of a joint to move through it’s “normal” full range of motion.  Easily adapts to your activity level  Quickly increased, just as quickly lost  Specific – flexibility in one area does not translate to flexibility in other areas

Types of Flexibility  Static  The ability to hold an extended position at one end or point in the joints range of motion  Dynamic  The ability to move the joint through the full range of motion with little resistance

What makes us flexible?

Types of Joints  Hinge Joints  Limited forward and backward movement. No natural side to side movement within the joint  Ball & Socket Joints  Full range of motion in different directions

Muscle Elasticity & Length  Muscle tissue is the key to developing flexibility  Connective Tissues:  Collagen – Structure and Support  Elastin – Elastic and Flexible.  Elastic Elongation – temporary stretching of elastin fibers  Plastic Elongation – Long term lengthening of connective tissues

Slow-Twitch & Fast-Twitch  Different muscle fibers are responsible for different types of movement.  Slow-twitch are mostly fatigue resistant (can work longer), but are “slower”. They get their energy from the aerobic system.  Fast-twitch contract more rapidly, but fatigue quickly. Rely primarily on anaerobic system  Most muscle contains both types, some more than others.

Motor Units  Nerve connected to a number of muscle fibers.  Smallest motor unit = 2 muscle fibers up to hundreds.  Small motor units typically contain mostly “slow-twitch fibers”. Larger contain “fast- twitch”  Our brain tells the body how many motor units to use depending on the strength needed

Why flexibility?  Joint Health  Tight joints make the body susceptible to injury from joint damage.  Aging Process leads to deterioration of cartilage, loss of joint motion, increased joint pain.  Regular stretching can keep joints healthier and strong allowing for more exercise and movement – domino effect.

Why flexibility?  Prevention of Low-Back Pain & Injuries  Poor stability can cause the spine to put extra pressure on the nerves and cause pain.  Good flexibility in the hips and knees can keep the back from moving too far out of line, causing pain.  Joint flexibility should be balanced. Too much and Too little can lead to health issues

Why flexibility?  Relief of body aches and pains  Relief of muscle cramps  Improved body position (posture, strength, etc.)  Improved balance  Relaxation  Improved “impaired mobility”

Body Composition

What makes up my weight?  Fat & Fat Free Mass  Fat-free mass: bone, muscle, connective tissue, organ tissue, teeth, and water.  Body fat is everywhere – organs, nerves, brain, heart, lungs, liver, mammary glands, tissues, circulatory system, etc.  Essential Fat is necessary. 0% body fat is not a healthy goal to strive for. Where does our long- term energy come from?

Essential Fat  3-5% body weight (men) 8-12% (women)  Fat stored in adipose tissue  Under skin – subcutaneous fat  Around organs – visceral fat  We all have pre-determined number of fat cells – we influence their size

Excess Fat  Unused calories  1lb body fat = 3,500 calories. Eating just 100 extra calories (that you don’t need) will result in 10lb weight gain in one year.  Excess body fat is responsible for many health issues.

Healthy Body Composition

Overweight or Obese?  Total body weight above the recommended range for good health  Serious degree of overweight that carries health risk OverweightObesity

Fat America

1960 & Today  Adult’s average weight in 1960:  166 (Men)  140 (Women)  Today:  191 (Men)  164 (Women)  Obesity has increased from 13% to 36%

How does this effect wellness?  Doubles mortality rate?  Can reduce life expectancy by years  Negative self image  Healthcare costs

Metabolic Syndrome  Insulin resistance syndrome  Too much body fat affects the body’s ability to use insulin. We become resistant – leads to higher glucose levels, high blood pressure, Increased LDL and decreased HDL  Many negative effects:  Type 2 diabetes  Cancer  Hypertension  Gallbladder / Kidney diseases

Where do we store fat?  Men and women (post-menopause) tend to store fat in abdominal area (upper regions) – Apple shape  Women (pre-menopause) tend to store in hips, butt, and thighs – Pear shape  Why does this matter?  Excess abdominal fat – high blood pressure, diabetes, early onset heart disease, stroke, cancers, etc.  Posture, balance, joint health affected by disproportionate bodies.

Other effects  Physical activity – limited due to bodies difficulty performing with efficiency. Poor breathing, circulation, flexibility, joint health, etc.  Emotional Wellness – depression, anxiety, sleep patterns, body function affects our emotional cycle

What about low body fat?  Essential fat is necessary for the body to function:  Energy for activity  Reproductive, circulatory, immune disorders  Bone loss  Women – loss / decrease of menstrual cycle (amenorrhea) – caused by disruption of normal hormone function – can lead to early onset osteoporosis, heart disease, death

What does my weight tell me?  Body weight is what?  Total mass – fat free mass + fat  Crude methods to determine body fat percentage  BMI (Height and Weight table)  This does not give us an accurate view of percentage – an idea, but not a true reading

Other ways to estimate body fat %  Underwater weighing (hydrostatic)  Lean people tend to sink and weigh more in water  Higher body fat folks tend to float and weigh less  Bod Pod  Air displacement  Skin fold testing  Uses calipers, measures a sample of skin. Should be repeated at the same time of day, and at the same site to evaluate changes.

Other ways to estimate body fat %  Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA)  Fat free mass has more water content – good electrical conductor, fat tissue not so much

Where is my fat?  Waist Circumference – measures abdominal fat  Waist to Hip ratio – Divide waist circumference by hip circumference – also used to measure abdominal fat.

Lab 6.1  Body Mass Index  Measure your height and weight, do the calculations and determine your BMI risk

TEST TIME…  Chapters 1 – 6  Majority of info pulled from power points  Book content is fair game