Physical Fitness

1. Physical Fitness Zeina Ghossoub El-Aswad, MSc

2. Physical Fitness • “Ability to respond to routine physical demands, with enough energy to cope with a sudden challenge” • Components of physical fitness • Aerobic endurance (cardiovascular fitness) • Muscular strength and endurance (resistance training) • Body composition • flexibility

3. Physical Fitness • Is NOT something that, once achieved, lasts a lifetime. The beneficial effects of training diminish within two weeks after training stops, and disappear altogether within 2-8 months • All components are reversible

4. The Couch Potato Crisis • The sedentary death syndrome or SeDs is a silent epidemic that is killing around 250,000 Americans/year • According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, as many as 60% of Americans do not exercise regularly

5. The Couch Potato Crisis • Sedentary living is disabling and deadly. It increases the occurrence of serious conditions such as: • Arthritis, breast and colon cancer, cardiovascular diseases, depression, sleep apnea, obesity, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, hypertension, stroke

6. The Couch Potato Crisis • Alarmed by American’s sedentary lifestyle, health officials have shifted their emphasis from promoting regular and rigorous exercise to urging people to become more active in any way possible: any kind of physical activity is better than nothing

7. The Couch Potato Crisis • Recent studies have actually confirmed that “lifestyle” activities such as walking, gardening, and housecleaning are as effective as structured exercise programs in improving heart function, reducing blood pressure and maintaining weight Recommendations by health experts: 30 minutes of moderate physical activity/day

8. Physical Activity • Involves any bodily movement caused by muscular contraction that results in the expenditure of energy Unstructured (Leisure activities) Structured (Planned program of physical activity)

9. Benefits of Physical Activity • Enhanced immunity • Reduced blood pressure • More efficient blood pumping and enhanced lung capacity • Reduced back injuries • Better bones • Longer life • Protection against cardiovascular diseases • Reduced risks of some cancers

10. Benefits of Physical Activity • Brighter mood • Better mental health • Lower weight and body fat • Improved insulin sensitivity • Improved digestion and elimination • Improved sleep • Reduced menstrual cramps • More active old age (Strength and mobility)

11. The Physical Activity Pyramid • (Picture)

12. Nutrition and Physical Performance • Physical performance is affected by: • Genetics • Training • Nutrition (diet)

13. Diet • The best type of diet for physical fitness is the same one that is recommended for people in general • Healthy diet promotes physical fitness because it: • Facilitates maintenance of a normal weight • Supplies adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals • Prevents atherosclerosis formation

14. Muscle Fuel/Energy • Energy for muscle activity comes from fat and glucose • Low to moderate intensity exercise: fat is the primary source of fuel for activities of, such as walking, swimming, skiing, or running. Oxygen is needed to convert fat to energy, hence the name aerobic exercise

15. Muscle Fuel/Energy • ---Fat burning exercise is the aerobic type • High intensity-short duration activities such as sprinting are fueled primarily by glucose. Conversion of glucose to energy for intense activity does NOT require oxygen • A person’s ability to perform continuous intense physical activity is limited by the amount of glycogen stored: which can fuel 1-2 hours of continuous intense exercise

16. Muscle Fuel/Energy • Both glycogen and endurance can be increased by loading up muscles with glycogen for about 3 days prior to an event • Carbohydrate loading : • It calls for increasing CHO intake to 60-70% of calories. Note that CHO loading does NOT enhance performance in athletes participating in physical activities less than an hour or two

17. Proteins • Recommendations for athletes are higher than those for the general population (table 6.7). • Most people in the USA and Canada receive much more proteins than they need. • Even athletes in training do not typically need to increase their protein intakes. The additional foods they eat to meet their high energy needs deliver protein as well.

18. Proteins • Inadequate protein is NOT the reason athletes tire early or fail to build muscles • Protein drinks: most people obtain adequate protein from their daily intake. There is no need to use expensive protein drinks • Energy bars: Despite their marketing claims, energy bars do not build up muscle or boost energy more than any other food

19. Water • Physical activity increases the body’s need for water. People should drink in response to thirst, and consume enough water to replace the amount lost in sweat • Rule of thumb: 2 cups of water 15-20 minutes before an event and ~ ½ cup every 15 minutes during the event

20. Sport Drinks • Beverages that contain a weak solution of CHO, sodium and other electrolytes appear to improve endurance and hydration status during prolonged, intense events that last > 1 hour. Sports drinks may be consumed in addition to water and NOT as a replacement for water.

21. Steroids • Synthetic derivatives of male hormone, used in dangerous forms/doses • Have side effects on reproductive organs, the mind and blood cholesterol