Diet and Fitness: AQA Past Paper - PDF

## 3.5 DIET AND FITNESS ### WHAT IS FITNESS? - If you are fit, you are able to meet the demands of your environment. - You can go about daily activities without getting tired easily. - A fitter person can move faster, run further and carry out more difficult skills better than an unfit person. ##...

## 3.5 DIET AND FITNESS ### WHAT IS FITNESS? - If you are fit, you are able to meet the demands of your environment. - You can go about daily activities without getting tired easily. - A fitter person can move faster, run further and carry out more difficult skills better than an unfit person. ### Exercising regularly can improve your fitness. Exercise strengthens the heart, lungs and muscles. It improves the following: - Endurance (ability to stay active without getting tired) - Stamina (ability to stay active for a longer duration) - Flexibility - Agility (ability to move quickly and easily) - Balance - Speed - Coordination (ability to move two or more body parts smoothly) - Reaction time ### Try It Out - There are five components of health-related fitness (ability to stay physically healthy). - This table shows how you can improve them. | Component of Health-Related Fitness | What is it? | How to improve it | |---|---|---| | Cardiovascular endurance | Ability of the heart and lungs to supply oxygen to the muscles | Do aerobic exercises like running and cycling, and sports like basketball | | Muscular strength | The maximum force your muscles can exert during a contraction | Do resistance training by lifting weights, working with elastic bands or using exercise machines | | Muscular endurance | Ability of the muscle to exert a force repeatedly over a period of time | Do push-ups, sit-ups and planks | | Flexibility | The range of motion of a joint or a group of joints | Do pilates, yoga and stretching exercises | | Body composition | Proportions of fat, muscle, bone and water in the body | Exercise regularly, reduce the intake of sugar and fats to reduce the percentage of body fat and consume more proteins to increase muscle mass | - Do some of the exercises listed in the table above to help you stay physically healthy. - Take note of the following when you exercise: - Take safety precautions as you do the exercises. For example, do warm up exercises before exercising. - Start your exercise routine gradually and slowly. - Consult your doctor first before starting strenuous exercises, especially if you have not been active, or have any injuries or health conditions. ### HOW DOES DIET AFFECT FITNESS? - You have learnt about the importance of having a balanced diet. - If someone eats too much and becomes overweight or obese, it will affect his or her fitness. - The heart and lungs have to work harder as the body is heavier and larger. - The knee joints have to support a greater mass, which can lead to knee pain that affects movement and balance. - The extra body mass can also affect agility, speed and stamina. ### Eating too much food rich in sugar and fats can affect the body composition by increasing the percentage of fats in the body. - Eating too little can affect one's fitness too. - Food supplies us with energy. - If there is not enough energy, we will feel weak and tired when carrying out daily activities. - We will not be able to think clearly. - Eating too little also negatively affects performance in sports. For example, you will not have enough energy to do physically demanding sports. - You will also not have enough stamina to play sports for a prolonged period. ### Try It Out - Your body mass index (BMI) indicates whether you are underweight, of acceptable weight, overweight or obese. - Do these to find out your BMI: - Measure your mass in kilograms (kg) and your height in metres (m). - Calculate your BMI using this formula: ``` BMI = Mass in kilograms / (Height in metres)2 ``` - Use this table to find out which range your BMI falls in: | Range | Male | Female | |---|---|---| | Underweight | 19 or less | 18 or less | | Acceptable weight | 20-25 | 19-24 | | Overweight | 26-30 | 25-30 | | Obese | 30 or more | 30 or more | - Based on your BMI, do you think you need to change your diet? Why? - Take note that bodybuilders, weightlifters and muscular people may have BMI in the obese range. - They are actually not obese as their bodies have more muscle mass and a low percentage of body fat. ### Other than the amount of food in your diet, the types of food that you eat can affect your fitness too. - Eating food rich in proteins affects your body composition as proteins build muscles. - Eating food rich in carbohydrates before a sports event, e.g. long-distance running, can improve your endurance. - Taking food rich in proteins and carbohydrates after exercising can help with muscle repair. ### Key Points: - Being fit means being able to meet the demands of your environment and carrying out daily activities without getting tired easily. - Exercise strengthens the heart, lungs and muscles. It improves endurance, stamina, flexibility, agility, balance, speed, coordination and reaction time. - Eating too much or too little can affect our fitness. The types of food that we eat can also affect our fitness.