Untitled Quiz

Unit One: Concepts of Physical Fitness

• Physical fitness is the ability to meet the ordinary and unusual demands of daily life safely, effectively, and without excessive fatigue.
• It involves the body's ability to function effectively and efficiently, contributing to overall quality of life.
• Physical fitness has two dimensions: health-related and skill-related.
• Physical fitness is not static and varies among individuals.

1.1.2 Physical Activity

• Physical activity is bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure.
• It's categorized as aerobic or anaerobic.
• Aerobic activity is performed long enough to maintain or improve cardiorespiratory fitness (e.g., walking, basketball, soccer).
• Anaerobic activity is high-intensity activity that exceeds the cardiovascular system's capacity to deliver oxygen to muscle cells (e.g., sprinting, power lifting).

1.1.3 Physical Exercise/Exercise

• Physical exercise/exercise is planned, structured, repetitive, and purposeful physical activity aimed at maintaining one or more components of physical fitness.
• Common elements of physical activity and exercise are:
  • Movement by skeletal muscles that expends energy, measured in kilocalories, ranging from low to high.
  • Positively correlated with physical fitness.
• Exercise is a subcategory of physical activity.

1.1.4 Sport

• Sport is an organized, competitive form of play.
• Competition defines sport. Without competition, it becomes play or recreation.

1.2 General Principles of Fitness Training

1.2.1 Principle of Overload

• A greater-than-normal stress or load on the body is necessary for training adaptations to occur.
• "No pain, no gain" is not an acceptable training principle.
• Athletes should gradually increase stress levels.
• Example: A lifter increasing weight for squats.

1.2.2 FITT Principle

• In exercise, the stress placed on the body can be controlled by four variables:
  • Frequency (how often)
  • Intensity (how hard/degree of difficulty)
  • Time (duration)
  • Type (of exercise)
• Each variable can be used independently or in combination to impose new stress and stimulate adaptation.

1.2.3 Principle of Rest, Recovery, and Periodization

• Rest and recovery (recuperation) is essential for avoiding overtraining.
• Periodization is a systematic approach to rest and recovery, organizing workouts into blocks or periods of work and rest.
• Training cycles include micro-, meso-, and macrocycles (daily, weekly, monthly, and multi-annual).
• Lack of periodization leads to overtraining syndrome.
• This affects physical and psychological states of the individual.

1.2.4 Principle of Reversibility

• Adaptations to training can be lost over time if training is stopped.
• This principle is best described as "use it or lose it."
• Example: A decline in VO2max and other physical measurements following a period of detraining

1.2.5 Principle of Individual Differences

• Individuals respond to training differently, due to factors such as genetics, age, gender, and training status.
• Those with less training background typically experience more rapid improvements; while those with significant training experience demonstrate slower improvements.

Unit Two: The Health Benefits of Physical Activity

2.1 Physical Activity and Hypokinetic Diseases

• Hypokinetic diseases are conditions related to inactivity or low levels of habitual activity.
• Physical inactivity is a public health issue, with significant mortality related to factors like cardiovascular disease, chronic diseases, etc.
• Individuals who don't exercise regularly have a higher risk of developing several chronic diseases.
• These chronic diseases may include cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, certain cancers, obesity, and musculoskeletal disorders.

2.2 Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Diseases

• CVD (Cardiovascular Disease) is a primary cause of deaths.
• Around 80% of CVD deaths happen in low to middle income countries.
• The information on CVD, including statistics, are critical to understanding the significance of preventing this.

2.2.1 Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)

• CHD is caused by a lack of blood supply to the heart muscle (ischemia), often stemming from the buildup of plaque causing decreased blood flow.
• Risk factors for Coronary Heart Disease include age, family history, high cholesterol, hypertention, tobacco use, diabetes, obesity, and physical inactivity.
• Healthy Cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) helps lower the risk of CHD.

2.2.2 Hypertension

• Hypertension is a chronic, persistent elevation of blood pressure measured at or above 140/90 mmHg.
• It's the primary risk factor for stroke and a significant contributing factor for cardiovascular-related deaths.
• Hypertension can be treated through various measures including exercise.

2.2.3 Hyper-cholesterolemia (Dyslipidemia)

• Hypercholesterolemia involves high total cholesterol levels and is sometimes referred to as hyperlipidemia which means an increase of blood lipid levels.
• The condition is a risk factor of increased cardiovascular disease and other health issues.
• Dyslipidemia is an abnormal blood lipid profile.

2.2.4 Diabetes Mellitus

• Diabetes Mellitus is a global epidemic and major contributor toward development of Chronic Heart disease (CHD) and stroke.
• It's a major cause of many types of disease.
• Risk factors include age, gender, family history, calorie intake, and physical inactivity.

2.2.5 Obesity and Overweight

• Overweight and obesity are classified using body mass index (BMI).
• BMI from 25-29.9 kg/m2 = overweight
• BMI = 30 kg/m2 or more = obese.
• Obesity and overweight have become significant problems globally in both low and middle income countries.
• Risk factors for obesity include age, gender, genetics, cholesterol intake, physical inactivity.
• Restricting calories and increasing caloric expenditure via activity are important for reducing body weight and fatness.

2.2.6 Metabolic Syndrome

• Metabolic syndrome is a combination of risk factors linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD).
• Factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, insulin resistance, and abdominal obesity.
• Prevalence of the condition is related to age and BMI

Unit Three: Making Well-informed Food Choices

3.1 Sound Eating Practices

• Nutrition is the science of how food and beverages influence biological systems.
• A nutrient is a compound that performs essential functions in the human body.
• Nutrients are classified into Macronutrients and Micronutrients

3.1.1 Macronutrients

• Macronutrients are needed by the body in large amounts.
• Carbohydrates (e.g., sugars, starches) are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
• Proteins (e.g., meats, legumes) consist of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
• Lipids (e.g., fats) are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
• Water is the only macronutrient that doesn't provide energy.

3.1.2 Micronutrients

• Micronutrients are needed by the body in small amounts.
• Vitamins are essential for normal physiological processes in the body.
• Minerals are essential elements for normal physiological processes in the body.

3.1.3 Calories (Food Energy)

• Food energy is measured in kilocalories (kcals) also called calories.
• A kilocalorie is the amount of energy to raise 1 kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius.
• Nutrients provide different amounts of calories per gram (e.g., carbohydrates provide 4 kcal/g; lipids, 9 kcal/g).

3.2 Nutrition and Physical Performance

3.2.1 Nutrition Before Training Exercise

• Eating before training provides the body with fuel for exercise, stabilizing blood sugar levels, and reducing risk of injury and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
• Adequate food intake 2-4 hours prior to exercise is recommended; enough to feel comfortable without being overly full.
• Type of foods should include low glycemic index (GI) foods (i.e., foods like fruits, bread, & milk), which are better suited and promote gradual rises in blood sugar levels.

3.2.2 Nutrition During Exercise

• During prolonged exercise (greater than 45 minutes), consuming a carbohydrate drink is recommended at an intake of 60 g of carbohydrate per hour.
• Insoluble carbohydrates should be avoided during high-intensity exercise due to potential gastrointestinal issues.

3.2.3 Nutrition After Exercise

• Eating carbohydrate-rich foods or drinks immediately following exercise is vital for glycogen replenishment.
• Earlier recovery following exercise is promoted by consuming carbohydrate-rich food or drinks within 30 minutes of training.

Unit Four: Health Related Components of Fitness and Principles of Exercise Prescription

4.1 Health Related Components of Fitness

• Overall goal of a healthy fitness program is to optimize the quality of your life related to your fitness, including: -reduce risk of disease -improve total physical fitness

• Five components of health-related physical fitness are:

  • Cardiorespiratory Endurance
  • Muscular Strength
  • Muscular Endurance
  • Flexibility
  • Body Composition

4.2 Muscle Structure and Contraction

• Muscle is made up of fibers, enclosed by connective tissue, linked to bone via tendons.
• Muscular contraction results in movement.
• Muscles receive signals from motor nerves.
• The motor nerve and all of its controlled fibers is called a motor unit.
• Neuromuscular junctions are points where nerve signals prompt muscle contractions to occur.
• The sliding filament theory explains that contraction happens through myosin filaments sliding across actin.
• Muscle contractions stop when the signal from the nerve stops and sometimes muscle cramps can happen due to uncontrolled muscular contractions

4.3 Types of Muscle Contractions

• Isotonic (dynamic): muscles contract and cause movement, including concentric (shortening), eccentric (lengthening), and isokinetic (constant speed).
• Isometric (static): muscles contract but do not cause movement; for example holding a position.

4.4 Muscle Fiber Types

• Skeletal muscle fibers are classified as slow-twitch, fast-twitch, and intermediate.
• Slow-twitch fibers are used for sustained activity (e.g., walking) because of their high resistance to fatigue
• Intermediate and fast-twitch fibers are used for fast action (e.g. quick movements and sprinting) and less resistant to fatigue.

4.5 Flexibility

• Flexibility refers to the ability of your joints to move through their intended range of motion.
• Flexibility is crucial to prevent muscle-tendon injuries and lower back pain.
• Stretching exercises improve flexibility, including ballistic, static, and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF).