FITNESS Do You Have What It Takes

Components of Fitness  Cardiovascular Endurance Exercising the heart and lungs  Flexibility Joint health  Muscle Strength – The ability of the muscles to work against resistance.  Muscle Endurance – ability of the muscles to sustain an effort for a long period.  Body Composition The proportions of muscle, fat, bone and other tissue that make up a person’s body weight.

Cardiovascular Endurance The ability of the heart and lungs to sustain effort over a long time. Cardiovascular endurance training demands OXYGEN – it is aerobic. It improves the ability of the body to deliver oxygen and nutrients. KEYS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR ENDURANCE 1. Must work up to where you can perform aerobic activity for 30 minutes or more at a session. 2. Must be steady and constant. 3. Should be done 5-6 days a week for 30 min. Each session. 4. Must be done in target heart range. Maximum heart rate = 220 – (subtract age) = MHR Target heart rate = MHR x 0.75 = THR

Flexibility Ability to bend the joints without injury. Flexibility depends on the elasticity of the muscles and connective tissues, and on the condition of the joints. A joint’s range of motion sets limits on its movements. Stretching before and after an activity improves flexibility and reduces the risk of injury. KEYS FOR FLEXIBILITY 1. Never stretch a cold muscle. Warm up first with 5 minutes of light activity. 2. Allow each body part to move slowly through its range of motion, and hold each stretch position for seconds. 3. Breathe normally. 4. Repeat each stretch twice. 5. Chooses stretches that work all body areas: neck, shoulders, back, pelvis, thighs, calf muscles and ankles.

Muscular Strength The maximum force your muscles can apply in a single effort of lifting, pushing, or pressing. Building stronger muscles will help keep your skeleton properly aligned, aid balance, protect your back, boost your athletic performance, and Increase your metabolic rate. You can build muscular strength by performing strength training exercises using machines, free weights, resistance bands, or simply the weight of your own body (as in push-ups).

Muscular Endurance The capacity of your muscles to repeatedly exert force, or to maintain force, over a period of time without tiring. Muscular endurance is measured in two ways-static muscular endurance, or how long you can hold a force that is motionless (ex: wall sit), and dynamic muscular endurance, or how long you can sustain a force in motion (ex: crunches until failure) Muscular endurance is important for posture and for performing extended activities. Muscular endurance can be improved gradually increasing the duration that your muscles work in each bout of strength exercises, such as slowly increasing the number of push ups you perform each time your exercise.

Body Composition Body composition is the ratio of lean tissue (muscle, bone, water, organs) in your body to body fat. What is a healthful range of weight for you? There is no one ideal weight that is right for all of us. identifying a healthful range of weight is a much more practical approach. What is your body composition? Your body composition, or percentage of fat compared to muscle and other tissues, matter more than the number on your bathroom scale. A healthful range for adult males is 8% to 24%. A healthful range for adult females is between 21% and 35%.

Body Composition Measurements BMI: A numerical measurement, calculated from height and weight measurements, that provides an indicator of health risk categories.

Body Composition Measurements Continued… Skinfold Measurements: A technician uses specialized measure a fold of skin and its underlying layer of fat, and repeats this process at several locations of the body. Underwater (Hydrostatic) Weighing: A person is first weighed while dry and then submerged in water and weighed again. Because fat has a lower density that water, it floats and reduces the weight of the person submerged. The difference between the “dry” weight and the “wet” weight is an indicator of how much body fat the person has.

Body Composition Measurements Continued… Bod Pod: Using a similar technique to underwater weighing, the Bod Pod uses air instead of water. the person being measured sits in the Bod Pod chamber wearing a bathing suit, and Computerized pressure sensors determine how much air has been displaced by the body. Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA):Measures the opposition to the flow (impedance) of a very low level of electrical current through body tissues. A current will flow more slowly (be more impeded) through fat than through other body tissues. The current is passed through electrodes, measurements are recorded, and a computer calculates how lean you are from the measurement data.

The Overload Principle The body responds to OVERLOAD in a positive way. It gets itself in better shape to meet the demand next time. Progressive Overload Principle Frequency – The number of times you engage a particular exercise each week. Intensity – The level of effort at which your exercise. For cardiorespiratory fitness, intensity is usually measured in terms of how fast you get your heart beating (your heart rate). For muscular strength and endurance training, intensity depends on the amount of resistance and number of repetitions. For flexibility, intensity is measured by the depth of the stretch. Time – (duration). The amount of time you spend on a particular exercise. Type – The kind of exercise you choose to do.

Specificity Principle The specificity principle means that in order to improve a specific component of fitness, you must perform exercises specifically designed to address that component. Many exercises will improve some components of fitness but not others. Cycling, for example, is great for cardiorespiratory fitness, but doesn’t build upper body strength or increase your flexibility. You should take into account the principle of specificity when deciding which activities you choose to perform.

Reversibility Principle The reversibility principle states that your fitness level will decline if you don’t maintain your physical activity. Just as your body adapts to overload to increase your fitness, if you don’t stop or reduce your exercise routine your body will adapt to the reduced demand and your fitness will suffer. Fitness declines can happen quickly, sometimes in as little as 10 days. Therefore, it is important to maintain a consistent exercise routine to avoid reversing your fitness gains.

Individuality Principle The principle of individuality means that your will respond to the demands you place on your body in your own unique way. We each react differently to specific exercises, with some people gaining more benefit from a particular exercise than others. These individual responses are shaped, in part, by genetics. Identifying the exercises best suited to you is a key part of designing an effective fitness program

Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Work Aerobic: An activity that lasts long periods of time requiring increased oxygen demand. An example would be distance running. Anaerobic: An activity that requires bursts of great oxygen demand over a short period of time. An example would be a sprinter. Isotonic vs. Isometric Isotonic: Exercises require muscles to flex through a range of motion against resistance. Ex: Bicep Curl or bench press Isometric: Exercises require the muscles to flex against an immovable object. Ex: Wall Sit or hand stand

Holistic Benefits of Exercise PhysicalBackaches Cancer (colon, breast and other) Diabetes Digestive Disorders (ulcers, constipation, diarrhea and other) Headaches Heart and Blood Vessel Disease (heart disease and stroke) High blood cholesterol, high blood pressure Insomnia (sleep disorder) Kidney disease Obesity Menstrual irregularities, cramping and mood swings Osteoporosis (adult bone loss) Psychological/Emotional Physically active people experience less anxiety and depression than do sedentary people. Fit people deal better with emotionally stressful events than do sedentary people. Depressed people who adopt a routine of regular aerobic exercise become as well and stay as well as others who obtain psychotherapy.

OTHER HOLISTIC BENEFITS Physical Health Makes physical activity easier to perform Promotes rest, relaxation, sleep and healing Aids weight control Contributes to nutritional health Enhances disease resistance Strengthens accident resistance Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Health Strengthens resistance to depression and anxiety Strengthens defenses against stress Allows freedom from drug abuse Enhances self-esteem Enhances ability to learn Raises self-confidence Instills joy in life Inspires courage to face challenges Social Health Provides social opportunities Enhances intimate relationships Strengthens family ties Opens the way for social support Encourages citizenship Enhances energy for productive work