Friday, March 20, 2009

Fitness by PatEliCom™

Fitness by PatEliCom™ Source: http://patelicom.webs.com/ :: RePosted:MARCH.17,2009

Although fitness and health have similar properties, they are in reality, two very different concepts. While health refers to the absence of diseases, fitness refers to the degree of body functioning and the ability of the body to handle physical demands. The more efficient the body functions, the higher the level of fitness. The higher the level of fitness, the greater is the chance of the body being free of diseases and maintaining a healthy state. Fitness is a major part of a preventative medicine advance to health.Benefits of Exercise and FitnessCorrect and regular exercises result in a large number of benefits, not only to the body but also to the mind. The key benefits that you will derive are mentioned below.*It improves your mental outlook and your mood due to the release of chemicals called endorphins in the body. *It improves general health, wards off diseases, and slows down the aging process. *It helps you to achieve a better body composition e.g. lower body fat and more muscle. *It improves the state of mind, promotes better mental health, and improves sleep. *It helps in achieving better bone density. *It enhances self confidence and improves the appearance of the person. *It helps to avoid atrophy. Atrophy refers to the shrinkage of muscles as a result of little or no exercise. Exercise leads to hypertrophy, which refers to the tissues and muscles gaining in strength due to overload.
Source: : http://patelicom.webs.com : Posted: November 14, 2008 Fitness by P.E.Spruill

Components of Fitness There are five basic components of fitness, each of which is explained below. A. Cardio respiratory endurance. It is the ability to perform prolonged large-muscle dynamic exercises at moderate-to-high levels of intensity. It is a central component of fitness that trains the heart and makes it healthier and more efficient. B. Muscular strength. It is the amount of force that a muscle can exert with a single maximum effort. Adequate muscular strength is important for body alignment and also for the performance of daily tasks. An increase in muscular strength means increased fat-free mass and therefore a higher rate of metabolism. Maintaining strength and muscle mass is also vital for healthy aging. C. Muscular endurance. It is the ability to sustain a given level of muscle tension. It is important for good posture, injury prevention, and for the performance of various physical tasks. D. Flexibility. It is defined as the ability of joints to move through their full range of motion. Poor flexibility, which can be improved by exercises, leads to stiffness, misalignment, and pain. E. Body composition. It is defined as the proportion of fat-free mass (muscle, bone, and water) and fat in a body. Healthy composition is a high proportion of fat-free mass and a low proportion of fat. Weight training is the best way to add muscle mass. Motor FitnessFactors such as speed, agility, eye-hand coordination, and eye-foot coordination are classified as components of "motor" fitness. Although motor fitness is mostly inherited, it can be developed over time. Motor fitness is essential for all sports especially where the brain has to react quickly to control the limb movements. For example, table tennis, shooting etc.
VO2 MaxVO2 Max is a measure of fitness. The more fit a muscle, the more oxygen it draws from the blood. This is made possible by an increased quantity of myoglobin, which is the oxygen storing protein of the muscles. A person who is fit will be able to store more oxygen from the air as compared to unfit people. Exercise increases the cardiovascular fitness which in turn increases the amount of blood and oxygen that goes to muscles at every heart beat. VO2 Max is a measure of how much oxygen is consumed by a person per minute of exercise. This is done by asking the athlete to wear a mask so that the amount of oxygen used per minute during exercise can be calculated. Arterio-Venous Oxygen Difference (VO2 difference) VO2 difference can be defined as the measure of oxygen that is consumed by the muscles. It is the difference between the oxygen content of the blood in the arteries and the oxygen content of blood in the veins. While only about 25% oxygen is utilized when a person is resting, this can exceed to about 80% during exercise. Calculate Your Exercise Heart Rate RangeIn order to calculate the range of your heart rate during exercise, just follow the following steps. *Estimate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220 i.e. 220-age. *Determine your lower limit exercise heart rate by multiplying your maximum heart rate by 0.6. *Determine your upper limit exercise heart rate by multiplying your maximum heart rate by 0.9. Your exercise heart rate range is between your upper and lower limits.Health benefits at the lower range are usually enough for most individuals and also improve the fitness levels. Trainers should be careful with clients who take medicines for high blood pressure as they could affect the heart rate.patelicom

Source: http://patelicom.webs.com : Posted: MARCH 19,2009 Fitness by P.E.Spruill