Fitness & Weight Management

What is Fitness? Fitness is the ability to meet the demands of day-to-day life

What does a person need in order to be fit? Healthful eating habits Regular exercise

Physical Benefits of Fitness Heart & lungs work efficiently The body has increased lung capacity Blood pressure stays normal Calories are burned efficiently

Nonphysical benefit of Fitness High self-esteem Less stress Clear thinking

Muscle Strength Muscle strength is how much work the muscles can do at one time

Strengthening exercise Strengthening exercises help improve your performance during physical activity Help prevent muscle injury

Aerobic Exercise Aerobic exercises are sustained, rhythmic exercises that improve the efficiency of the heart and the lungs i.e. running, swimming, walking

How many times/week must you exercise for it to be effective? Three times

Benefits of Stretching Exercise Flexibility Prevents muscle pulls and injuries

Begin a Workout Begin with warm-up activities such as walking and stretching

End a Workout End with a cool down – slow movements and additional stretching

Healthy Weight Factors that determine a person’s healthy weight: –Height –Age –Gender –Bone structure –Body build

Obese To weigh at least 20% more than the healthy weight recommended by physicians

Underweight To weight at least 15% less than the healthy weight recommended by a physician

Can Thin People be Unfit? Some thin people may not have an adequate amount of body fat and muscle to maintain good health (While the research remains unclear, there is strong evidence that being both fit and at a healthy weight is key to good health)

Basal Metabolism Basal metabolism is the minimum amount of energy required to maintain the automatic functions of the body (breathing, blood flowing, heart pumping, etc.)

Exercise Affects Metabolism Exercise increases the metabolic rate and helps burn energy faster

The Affect on Metabolism of Drastically Lowering Your Food Intake It can lower the metabolism and make it difficult to lose weight

Increasing Exercise helps in Weight Management Physical activity burns calories and increases the metabolic rate

Achieving Weight Loss Goals To lose weight, take in fewer calories than the body burns and increase physical activity

What food do you eat while trying to lose weight? Low-fat, low-calorie, nutrient dense foods Whole-grain products vegetables fruits

Avoid Fad Diets Fat diets often exclude one or more of the basic food groups and can be dangerous to health

Anorexia Nervosa An eating disorder that involves an extreme urge to lose weight by starving oneself

How do Anorexic’s View their own Body? They have a distorted body image in which they see themselves as fat even when they are painfully thin

Bulimia Someone with bulimia has bouts of extreme overeating followed by attempts to get rid of the food eaten by purging

Treating Eating Disorders Medical treatment Nutritional counseling Psychological counseling Support of family & friends