Physical activity and your healthy mind and body Learning Objectives Understand the 3 different somatotypes. Understand how optimum weight effects performance

Optimum weight A persons most favorable weight can be considered for a general healthy lifestyle or more specifically for a chosen sport. Top athletes will monitor their weight and body composition to give them the best advantage for competing. For the average person you can look at your body composition simply by looking at your Body Mass Index and comparing it to the optimum weight on a chart. Remember - Body composition is defined as ‘the percentage of body weight that is fat, muscle and bone’. All three of these effect body weight.

Being underweight or overweight affects performance. An athlete’s optimum weight may be different to general expected weight for a healthy person. What type of body will a Marathon runner, Boxer and Rugby Player need? A marathon runner usually have a very thin and light frame so that they dont carry extra weight. They may weigh less than their expected weight but have an optimum weight for their sport. A boxer may have high muscle mass (depending on weight category) and be heavier than expected. But they will be an optimum weight for their sport. A rugby player will have different optimum weights for the position they play. A prop will have an advantage from being heavier than a scrum half as they have different roles within their game.

Somatotypes Generally you can fit athletes into different body types for their sport. Body types look at 3 factors also known as somatotypes.

Somatotypes There are 3 somatotypes (body types) Endomorph Mesomorph Ectomorph ubzofWk&feature=relatedhttp:// ubzofWk&feature=related

Endomorph - an individual with wide hips and narrow shoulders, characterised by fatness. Mesomorph - an individual with wide shoulders and narrow hips, characterised by muscularity. Ectomorph - an individual with narrow shoulders and narrow hips, characterised by thinness. Try to remember ENDOMORPH – Dumpy MESOMORPH – Muscular ECTOMORPH – Thin

Very few people are a perfect example of just 1 of these somatotypes. They are usually a mixture of all 3 and can be placed on a scale like below.

Different sports suit different somatotypes Endomorphs are usually suited to power events - such as a rugby prop forward, a shot putter or a power lifter Mesomorphs tend to be involved with sports that require strength and sudden bursts of energy. A good example is a sprinter or male gymnast. Ectomorphs tend to excel in long distance events such as a marathon or triathlon.

Weight related conditions and effects of drugs on sport Anorexic - an eating disorder due to the loss of appetite. Underweight - weighing less than normal, healthy or required. Overweight - having weight in excess of normal (not harmful unless accompanied by overfatness). Overfat - having body fat in excess of normal. Obese - a term used to describe people who are very overfat.

Anorexia Anorexia means ‘without appetite’ and can be very serious. There are extreme conditions where people see themselves as overweight and do not want to eat in fear of putting on more weight. The loss of appetite can lead to extreme weight loss and result in a serious lack of nutrition.

Obesity Obesity is researched to be increasing in the UK. It has considerable health risks associated with it such as cancer and heart conditions. It is also linked to high blood pressure and diabetes. It is thought that the increase in obesity in adults and children is due to the lack of exercise people do as well as the increased unhealthy foods consumed in our diets. c