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NCHPAD - Building Healthy Inclusive Communities

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Principles for Improving or Maintaining Fitness


Exercise terminology

Three characteristics can describe any exercise. These dictate how the exercise regimen will affect training. Intensity refers to how hard the work will be done and may be measured in terms of speed or weight lifted. Power exercise would include heavy weight moved at high speeds. Duration refers to how long the exercise will be conducted. High intensity work cannot be sustained for long periods. Endurance exercise would involve mild to moderate work conducted over long periods. Frequency, of course, means how often the exercise is conducted and can refer to number of sets per session [eg. 30 pushups in a set, four sets, with a 1 minute rest between sets would be a frequency of four sets in seven minutes] or times per day or days per week. To have an affect, exercise must occur with a frequency of at least every other day or three days per week.

Aerobic Capacity

In order to build cardiorespiratory endurance, it is necessary to exercise at a moderate level of intensity for more than 20 minutes. Because the individual is developing the systems for supplying oxygenated blood to working muscle, aerobic exercise involves as many large muscles as possible. So, running [high intensity], jogging [medium], and walking [low]. With

Body Composition

Body fatness is a matter of calorie intake [food consumption] and calorie use [work or exercise]. To reduce fatness, one must burn more calories than are taken in. So, the simple and universal rule to reduce fatness is to exercise more and eat less, but one can also pay attention to what one eats.

Exercise [or muscular work] will burn calories regardless of the intensity. Body weight and movement efficiency affect the equation, but one pound of fat will provide enough energy to cover roughly 35 miles.

If trying to lose weight, be careful not to lose it too fast. Most doctors would recommend a rate of about one pound per week or perhaps as much as six pounds per month. Also remember in a growing child or one building muscle through exercise, some of the fat weight may be replace by lean muscle weight, reducing the percent body fat. This will not show up on the scales, but you will eventually see it and your child will feel it. Most children love eating carbohydrates, such as pizza or pasta. These are very quickly digested and easily stored as fat. Careful dieting involves, of course, reducing the amount of calories in the diet, but one can also eat more slowly digested foods, such as the protein in chicken and fresh or steamed vegetables. These have the advantage of costing more energy to digest and keeping the stomach fuller longer, so that there is less urge to snack between meals. If snacking is a hard habit to break, popcorn provides excellent low calorie bulk.

Strength

Strength development is accomplished through resistance training [eg. weight lifting]. Generally, high resistance [intensity] is provided through a few repetitions of a movement [<10, short duration] with a long rest period in between sets [> than duration of the set]. Strength development is specific to the muscles doing the work. So, raising the arm palm facing downward, will strengthen different muscles than pulling downward with the arm. So, if one wishes to lift heavier boxes, pushups would not be prescribed. However, it is recommended that muscles on both sides of a movement [flexion and extension] be exercised so that one does not overpower the other.

Endurance

Once sufficient strength is developed, the muscles can be worked toward increasing endurance. This is accomplished by performing the same movement against lower resistance for longer duration [eg. jogging versus sprinting] with a shorter rest interval. Strength and endurance are closely related. That is, one cannot have one without some of the other.

Flexibility

Stretching exercises to increase flexibility should be done every day. Before putting a stretch on the muscle, be sure proper position is achieved. For example, experts agree that the sit & reach stretch for the lower back and hips should be performed only one leg at a time [with the other knee bent; foot against the opposite thigh] to avoid injury to the lower back. With any stretch, the rule is to stretch to the point where it feels tight and hold it for seven to ten seconds. Then relax briefly and stretch again - for at least three repetitions. Each consecutive stretch should be a little farther.


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