Download Introduction - American Society of Exercise Physiologists

PEPonline
Professionalization of Exercise Physiologyonline
An international electronic
journal for exercise physiologists
ISSN 1099-5862
Vol 10 No 8 August 2007
Physiology of Fitness and Health Promotion: A 12-Week Program
Aaron Mullally, MA, EPC
Board Certified Exercise Physiologist
Graduate of the Department of Exercise Physiology
The College of St. Scholastica
Duluth, MN 55811
“Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being
while movement and methodical physical exercise saves and
preserves it.” -- Plato
Introduction
Congratulations, you are taking a big step on the way to good health. Taking
part in a weight loss program is a good first step on the road to a healthy
lifestyle. The body can benefit a lot from this because being overweight can
lead to many health complications in the long run. Being overweight is tough
on your joints, heart, metabolism, breathing, and many other physiological
functions. Being overweight can also be difficult on you psychologically as
well, especially with all of the images of how we should look in the media
today. Well, we aim here to let you know that it is not about image. In fact,
we shouldn’t really put much, if any, emphasis on image; instead, we will
focus on how losing weight can benefit your health in the long run.
I am sure you have noticed that being overweight or obese is becoming more
and more common today, especially in our society. Unfortunately, we cannot
just point a finger at one specific factor. We cannot do this because there is
more than one factor and no two people are the same. For some people,
there are genetic and medical issues with weight gain, but there is still a lot of
ongoing research to try and figure exact nature of these conditions. The vast
majority of people need to focus on making what is called a behavioral
change. This means you need to make a change in your lifestyle that affects
your health, such as eating out a lot, eating lots of junk food, being
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sedentary, smoking, drinking (excessively), living a hustle and bustle lifestyle,
and so forth.
Remember, there is rarely one behavior that affects a person’s weight. It is
usually a number of different behaviors that work together to compromise
good health. This is the most challenging part of losing weight because we
have to change the way we think and the way we live our lives. These
behaviors are hard to break because they are trained behaviors that we have
probably been doing for most of our lives. So when it comes to weight loss
we not only have to exercise our bodies, but we have to exercise our minds,
we have to train our minds to think differently as well.
Exercise alone is not enough to lose weight and keep it off. If you go through
this program for the next twelve weeks and don’t change your behavior,
chances are you will end up right back where you started, over time. The
exercise portion of this program will only work if you change your habits
outside of the gym. If you come here and exercise as hard as you can and
then go home and eat unhealthy or have a few drinks or overeat, then
chances are you will not achieve the results that you are looking for.
We don’t expect anyone to give up certain behaviors cold turkey that is why
this is a 12-week program. Throughout the course of this program you will
be coached on exercise and how to live a healthier life. Remember that for
this to work there must be a large focus on life outside of the gym as well,
changes have to be made and effort must be put in. We can only show you
the door to good health, you are the only one who can open it and walk down
the path to good health. We have every bit of confidence in every one of you
that this can be done; hopefully you share the same confidence. Good luck
and happy trails.
Back to Basics
We all strive for optimal health and conditioning at some point in time in our
lives, but with the hustle and bustle lifestyle that the average American lives it
can be easy to stray from this path. It can also be easy to get into the
mentality that a “quick fix” is more beneficial to accommodate our busy
lifestyles’ even though we may not be totally aware of the affects it will have
on us in the long run. It is also very easy to get into the habit of constantly
eating on the go, trying to grab every low fat food there is or take
supplements in place of meals. Then, after years of living this type of hustle
and bustle lifestyle, we find ourselves in a rut wondering what we did wrong
or what we could have done better to avoid poor health or a chronic
condition, such as heart disease or high blood pressure. This does not
happen to everyone in America but it does happen, and more often than it
should. And, it can be avoided with even the most basic knowledge in total
fitness (physical activity, nutrition, and mental/social health).
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Disease
At some point in time in our life we will get sick with something, that
something could be the common cold or cancer, we just never really know.
Even though we cannot predict when we will get sick we can take control of
the disease and lessen or get rid of its effects. Six of the top ten deaths are
chronic diseases:
1. Heart diseases
2. Cancer
3. Stroke
4. Chronic lung disease
5. Unintentional injuries (car accidents and others)
6. Diabetes Mellitus
7. Influenza and pneumonia
8. Alzheimer’s disease
9. Kidney disease
10. Septicemia
11. Chronic liver disease (cirrhosis)
The diseases that are listed here can either be avoided or controlled by the
way we live our life (i.e., by modifying lifestyle factors). One way of doing this
is by reducing the risk factors that are not conducive to good health. Some
examples of risk factors are: smoking, alcohol abuse, hypertension, poor
nutrition, obesity, chronic stress, and much more. People typically have
more then one risk factor at the same time because many of these risk
factors can cause other ones; an example of that would be someone with
chronic stress who tries to drink to calm down, gains a lot of weight and ends
up with high blood pressure and/or other complications. Even if we get rid of
one or all of the risk factors, we can still get a disease though; cancer is a
good example of this. There are people who have never smoked in their
entire life but they have lung cancer, so we need to bear in mind that this isn’t
a cure-all but a very good preventative technique.
Physical
Being physically fit is a very important part of living a healthy lifestyle.
Keeping fit can be very beneficial and even life saving in the long run if it is
done correctly. Keeping a good balance of weight and cardio training is
important in keeping our metabolism and hearts working correctly and
efficiently. Some benefits of physical activity and exercise are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Decreases incidences of chronic illnesses
Have more energy
Stronger muscles and good flexibility
Decrease incidence of injuries
Increased confidence and self-esteem
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Many people think that physical activity constitutes going out and running all
the time, or swimming laps and so on. But with the increase in sedentary
lifestyles, physical activity can just be some good old manual labor. Poor
fitness, obesity and chronic diseases due to inactivity have become so
prevalent today that promoting people to just get off the couch or away from
the computer can be a chore.
Nutrition
Nutrition is extremely important if we want to be healthy, and it is very easy to
slip up in this category. With the fast paced lifestyle that people live today it
is very easy to find quick solutions for eating, such as microwave dinners,
take outs, fast foods, fad diets, and much more. Many people also get
caught up in eating low calorie, processed foods that are completely
unhealthy for you. Many of the foods that are low calorie foods live up to
what they say but there is something very important that people overlook or
neglect, nutrient density. Many of these low calorie foods are processed, but
the process itself strips the food of many nutrients that are essential to good
health so we are basically taking in next to nothing.
Supplementation is also very tempting because many supplements are
enriched with everything we need or can be consumed in the place of a
meal. Fad diets also sound very tempting because they can offer fast weight
loss solutions, six pack abs, more energy and a better sex life and other
crazy things that people want to hear. All of these are very tempting but what
people don’t get is that it is not natural for your body to drop 40 pounds in
one month, or to deprive yourself of carbohydrates and so on. These are
topics that are very popular and controversial today. Some benefits of good
nutrition are:
1. Promotes proper growth and development early on in life
2. Have more energy
3. Have stronger bodies (muscles and bones)
Mental
Stress is our physiologic response to change, good or bad. We all
experience stress in our lives whether we like it or not. An example of stress
that is out of our control would be the weather. Our bodies adapt to some
fairly nice weather and then within a week it may change to cold and snow.
That isn’t much time for our bodies to catch up so for a while we feel bogged
down, tired, dreary and we tend to get cold a little more easily; all of this
occurs because of the stress that results from the changes in the weather
pattern.
The stress that we can control is typically the type of stress that becomes
dangerous to us because in many instances it becomes chronic stress. In
our society today, it is very common to see people living a fast paced
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lifestyle, trying to multitask to keep up with daily demands and so on. People
who live this kind of lifestyle are setting themselves up for many different
problems in the long run such as chronic fatigue or chronic fatigue syndrome,
having a weak immune system, or an increases susceptibility to chronic
diseases. Soccer moms are prime examples of this; they are always on the
go, trying to budget time by multitasking, and typically having very short
bouts of rest and time to gather themselves.
Stress drains our mind and body. It forces our bodies to constantly burn
energy, especially the energy that we have in reserves. Being constantly on
the go gives the body little time to replenish the energy that we put out, which
eventually leads to fatigue or burnout and could lead to more dangerous
conditions like chronic diseases. Here are a few things that people can do to
avoid the dangers of chronic stress:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Avoid multitasking; just do one thing at a time.
Take an hour or more during the day to just relax.
Practice relaxing techniques such as yoga or pilates.
Avoid people or other stressors that can have a negative influence
on you.
5. EXERCISE!!!
Behavioral Changes
This is probably the most difficult aspect of living a healthy lifestyle, whether
it is changing or completely getting rid of certain behavior. People typically
get so involved in their daily routines and personal habits that getting
someone to change his or her behavior could be as difficult as asking a
habitual smoker to quit smoking. Change needs to take place, but a newly
trained habit must be incorporated, such as buying an apple and granola bar
for breakfast instead of a donut. If someone has a lot of time for a certain
habit, then, it can be very challenging to change it or to maintain a change.
Having a certain habit coupled with a chemical dependency, such as nicotine
or alcohol, can be extremely difficult, but not impossible. Cutting a habit such
as smoking or drinking takes a lot more time and effort and encouragement
than it does to get someone to stop buying donuts. But, keep in mind that
both are equal in importance when it comes to changing for the better. A few
things to think about when changing a behavior or encouraging someone
else to change is:
1. Be positive.
2. Don’t quit cold turkey, do things step by step and be patient.
3. Consult a physician before quitting a habit that is associated with a
chemical dependency.
4. Distance yourself from negative external factors such as friends
who can be bad influences or the bar scene.
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5. Be sure that you are serious and 110% confident in your decision
before you make it.
6. Do not try to take shortcuts or take your change lightly, be serious
and do it right.
These are just basic ideas and concepts when it comes to starting or
maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but none of these should be taken lightly.
Living a healthy lifestyle is not something that can be done by taking
shortcuts. There is no easy way or a quick fix that can make it happen.
Being healthy requires time, dedication and commitment, but not enough to
consume every aspect of our lives like some people think. All we need to do
is stick to the basics, put in the effort, and the goal of being healthy can and
will be achieved.
Making That Big Change
It is time to make those ever so important changes, those changes that will
affect your health and well-being. That is why you are here right now, you
are here because you are ready and willing to make a change to improve
your health and your life, and we commend you for it. Remember that losing
weight is about more than just exercise, it is about changing the way you live
your life. Exercise is good to shave off fat and pounds, but it is ineffective if
there aren’t changes in your lifestyle. Keeping the weight off in the long run
will be difficult if changes aren’t made, and remember that this 12 week
program is just the start. It will not keep the weight off for good. Only the
changes that you make in your lifestyle outside of the gym will determine
your success in weight management.
It is important to make good decisions about nutrition because if you don’t,
then over time you can develop long-term health problems. In today’s
society it is very easy to slip into bad eating habits with all of the easily
accessible fast food, food advertisements, and cheap processed food. There
are a lot of instant foods you can buy in the supermarkets that are convenient
for that fast paced lifestyle, but are they really that beneficial? There are also
a lot of fad diets that are convenient for people as well, but do they really
work? Does all of this stuff really help? The answer is no, not really. These
types of foods offer little nutritional benefits, and fad diets are fads for a
reason. They don’t last. When it comes to what foods to eat, stick to natural,
unprocessed foods. If it is affordable try to stick to organic produce because
pesticides are not used on them. Now, there is chicken in the grocery stores
that are antibiotic and steroid free as well, so I would recommend sticking to
that. Keeping your diet as natural as possible is ideal but, unfortunately, it
can be pricey. So, if organic food on a regular basis is not financially
possible, then stick to the produce and whole foods section as much as
possible.
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If you look at all of the diets, there is one key ingredient that they all
eliminate: sugar. To be more specific, they eliminate simple carbohydrates
(sugars), that is, the sugars that lead to long-term health problems such as
type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. These types of
carbohydrates are also easy to process and are found in many different
foods and beverages, especially the ones that people enjoy (such as sodas,
candy bars, fruit juices, cereals, donuts, and other types of junk). The only
thing these foods have to offer is that they taste good, other than that they
are not good for your health and should be eliminated from your diet,
especially in large amounts.
A good way to determine if there is a high amount of simple carbohydrates in
the food is by reading the ingredients on the nutrition label. Typically the first
ingredient that is listed is the most prevalent ingredient in the food. So, if you
see high fructose corn syrup first on the list or close to the top, it is a good
idea to stay away from that food. It can be difficult at times because of the
media, which constantly puts out images of how all this junk food is so tasty
and socially acceptable. Well, this is a marketing scheme used by the
companies that make the foods, they put out many different advertisements
all over the place and the people in them are skinny and happy. Most of the
people in the advertisements are models and more than likely don’t drink or
eat the products themselves!
Fast foods are another problem in our society for a few reasons. One is
because of the media. Once again, they make the food seem great,
convenient, and again socially acceptable. You rarely see a commercial or
an ad with just one person drinking a Pepsi or eating at Hardees. Also, the
food is typically pretty cheap at these places and, frankly, the food taste
good. Once again, just because it tastes good doesn’t mean it is good for
you. These foods are cooked with a lot of hydrogenated oils, and these oils
contain trans fats. Trans fats have been associated with lowering our good
cholesterol (HDLs), and as we all know that is not good. Also, the food is
very salty which is not good for blood pressure, and a lot of the food is
processed, pretty much everything except the vegetables. They are good at
throwing out ads about “healthy” foods, like chicken salads or wraps, but
don’t be misled. The chicken in those wraps are deep fried so they still
contain the trans fats plus they typically don’t use fat free dressing, so don’t
let the adds fool you.
Fad diets have also become very prevalent in our society today because of
the rapid increase in obesity. Many of the diets offer great results within a
short period of time. The problem is that they don’t offer anything that is
really great in the long run. Many diets can help you lose weight but, when
you get off them, the weight typically comes back. This is called yo-yo
dieting. The irony of yo-yo dieting is that it is linked to causing obesity. The
exact mechanism of this is unknown, but constantly taking weight off and
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putting it back on seems to be a risk factor for obesity. So be careful of a diet
that promises great short-term weight loss goals because short-term goals
should not be the focus here. It is the long-term goals that you should be
focusing on.
Another thing to point out is that if you look at many of the diets, you will
notice a very similar trend that actually does work. They drastically reduce or
eliminate simple carbohydrates. They eliminate all the little unhealthy snack
foods, sodas, instant meals, and other types of foods and drinks that contain
these types of carbohydrates. They also cut down the number of calories
that should be consumed in a day as well. I have heard a few people say: “I
live to eat, not eat to live”. I can believe that because of the way we eat here
in America, there are a wide variety of foods and many places to access
those foods, whether it is a restaurant or a grocery store.
Another problem, especially in America, is the quantity of food that is
consumed. I am sure at some point in time you have heard of the clean plate
rule; you can’t be done eating until your plate is polished off. This is not a
good way to think because when you are full you are full; you should not eat
anything else. When you are full your body is telling you, chemically, not to
eat, so listen to it. Getting into the habit of not being finished eating until
everything is gone is a big reason why obesity is so prevalent today.
Proportion sizes here in America are also very big compared to many other
places in the world. So if you mix the large portion sizes with the clean plate
rule you get a large and unnecessary gain in your daily caloric intake, which
is not good. If you exceed you body’s energy requirements chances are you
will gain weight. If you exceed your body’s energy requirements and aren’t
very active, be prepared to gain weight. So ideally you would want to
balance your body’s energy needs and what you take in.
Ideas for Behavior Change
The following ideas for changing behavior are not new. They have been
around for a long time. You may have heard your parents say them to you or
you may have read them in health books. Each and every one of the
suggestions is simple and to the point. Think about it.
1. Do not abide by the clean plate rule!!!!
2. Stay away from simple carbohydrates (sodas, snacks, high fructose
corn syrup)
3. Stick to whole foods or natural foods (produce, whole grain bread,
meats without steroids/antibiotics)
4. Do not yo –yo diet
5. Stay active, use stairs more often, get out and walk more, etc.
6. Keep your calories to about 1800 – 2100 per day
7. Exercise!!!
8. Stay away from fast food
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9. Find a partner or group of people to exercise with
10. Stay positive, the weight was put on but can be taken back off
11. Don’t expect fast results, it takes 3,500 calories just to burn 1 lb of fat
so just keep working at it, you will see results
12. Stay away from over the counter or easily attainable weight loss
supplements, they are not as strictly regulated by the FDA as
prescription medications and may be hazardous to your health
13. Don’t live to eat, eat to live
14. Avoid going out to eat too often
15. Try to be in smoke free environments as much as possible
16. Do not drink alcohol in excess (1 12 oz can of beer, 1 5 oz glass of
red wine or 1 1.5 oz shot of liquor per day)
17. Don’t feel pressured to do things that you don’t want to do (like
ordering something on a menu that is not healthy or having a few
drinks with friends)
18. Make sure you exercise at the correct intensity to burn fat (70% of
your Hr max)
19. Focus more on burning fat than losing weight; it is the excess fat that
causes health problems and that increased your weight.
So
concentrate on getting your lean mass up (everything but fat) and your
fat mass down.
20. Stick with it, do not give up or get down on yourself if you don’t see
results right away, they will come if you stick with it and work hard.
Being Overweight
When you think of being overweight, think of body fat. Being overweight is
defined as having more body fat than is needed. Being obese is having so
much body fat that it is detrimental to our health. Here is a list of health
complications that obesity can bring about:
1. Cardiovascular disease (hypertension, atherosclerosis, chronic heart
failure, etc.)
2. Joint problems (osteoarthritis, arthritis)
3. Type 2 diabetes
4. Sleep apnea (pauses in breathing during sleep)
5. Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath
6. Metabolic syndrome (syndrome X)
7. Varicose veins
8. Depression
9. Poor self esteem
Bare in mind those these are only a few of the complications that obesity can
bring on. Also, remember that being overweight does not bring on nearly as
many complications as obesity but being overweight is a risk factor for it. So
this begs the question, what is considered obese? Well there is a body
composition measurement technique called the body mass index (BMI) that
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was created by a Belgian statistician named Adolphe Quetelet in the mid
1800's that people use quite frequently today. [1] The BMI is a calculation
that is used based on an individual’s weight and height; it is used to gauge a
person’s proper weight based on their height. The BMI is good to categorize
where people should be but it has its flaws. The BMI does not assess your
physiology at all, it does assess your body fat composition and can also be
inaccurate because it does not gauge how good of shape you are in; the BMI
is geared towards the normal sedentary population.
Remember that the amount of body fat is the main concern here, not weight
in general. Also, the location of the body fat is equally as important. High
levels of fat in the abdomen are typically considered a major risk factor for
the diseases that were listed above. So when you partake in this program
you should focus more burning your fat. During the course of this program
you may gain a little weight, which is ok. Since you are lifting weights your
muscles will probably grow a little larger (not much though) and if your
muscles grow your bones may become a little thicker as well. This is ok and
it is natural so don’t be alarmed. The main goal here is to get rid of the body
fat and to make the necessary lifestyle changes that will help you to maintain
your health in the future. As you burn the fat you will lose weight so do not
put a lot of emphasis on just losing weight.
Standards
BMI Standards
 < 18.5 is considered underweight
 18.5 - 24.9 is considered normal weight
 25.0 - 29.9 is considered overweight
 30.0 - 39.9 is considered obese
 40.0 or higher is considered morbidly obese
How to Calculate BMI
Metric Units
mass (kg)
height² (m)
“American” System
703 x weight (lbs)
height² (in)
1 pound = 2.2 kg
1 inch = 2.5 cm
1 meter = 100 cm
Example: A man who is 5'8" who weighs 200 pounds decides to lose weight.
During the assessment the health care professional takes his BMI, what is
his BMI?
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Ideal Body Fat Percentages
Men: 12% - 23% = healthy
Women: 16% - 28% = healthy
*A person who is 10% - 20% over their desired weight is considered
overweight
*A person who is 20% or more over their desired weight is considered obese.
Carbohydrates: The Good Guys
Contrary to popular belief carbohydrates are the good guys and are
extremely important to our everyday physiology. Our bodies are machines,
much like automobiles, and like automobiles we need fuel to keep ourselves
running. Carbohydrates are our main source of fuel; our bodies access
carbohydrates before our other substrates, such as fats and
proteins. Carbohydrates are used to keep our metabolisms running, act as
our main source of energy during exercise (this varies with the intensity of
the exercise), provide structure (chitin), resist pulling forces (cellulose), and
act as cell markers. So if carbohydrates are so vital to us why do they have
the bad rep, and why do people want to go on low carb diets to avoid
them? The answer is because carbohydrates are in a lot of food, and there
are carbs to stay away from and carbs to go after, unfortunately the carbs we
should stay away from more taste very, very good and are not a problem to
eat. Like anything else out in the nutrition world if we eat carbs in moderation
and eat the right ones we will be fine. Unfortunately there are many, many
people out there that don’t do that and end up very unhealthy bodies, so this
begs the question: which carbs should we eat and which ones should we
stay away from?
Classifications
There are a few different types of carbohydrates but we will focus on the
ones that give us energy and affect our health. There are two types of
carbohydrates that we mainly focus on; they are simple and complex
carbohydrates. These are classified based on their chemical structure and
they both have different affects on the body. Simple carbohydrates can be
broken down into monosaccharides and disaccharides. Monosaccharides are
just one lone molecule of sugar, such as the ever-popular glucose; the other
forms are fructose (fruits) and galactose (milk). Disaccharides are two
monosaccharides linked together by what is called a glycosidic bond, and the
sugars are maltose, lactose (milk) and sucrose (table sugar). Simple carbs
are broken down and/or absorbed faster and enter the bloodstream much
faster. These types of sugars are associated with having a high glycemic
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index and are associated with chronic diseases over time, such as diabetes,
heart disease, and some types of cancers.
Complex carbohydrates are the carbs that we should put more focus on in
our diet. A complex carbohydrate is three or more sugars linked together in a
chain; the other name for these is polysaccharides. We typically focus on
starch, the plant form of stored energy. These are associated with a low
glycemic index because these take longer for the body to break down due to
the number of glyosidic bonds. Since the body breaks complex carbs down
at a slower rate they are released into our bloodstream at a slower rate, once
again leading to a lower glycemic index. This concept will be discussed in
more detail later on.
Carbohydrate Digestion
Carbohydrate digestion begins in the mouth and ends in the small
intestine. There is an enzyme called amylase that starts to break down starch
until the food reaches the stomach. Due to the highly acidic environment in
the stomach the carb digestion comes to a halt, for now. Once the food
mixed with the acid leaves the stomach through the duodenum it reaches the
small intestine, the pancreas secretes a substance called bicarbonate to
neutralize that high acid content from the stomach; and the mucus in the
small intestine also helps with this as well. This is important to know because
carbohydrate digestion is halted until the acidity from the stomach is
neutralized. Once the acid is neutralized the digestion can continue thanks to
the amylase that is secreted into the small intestine from the pancreas. The
amylase breaks down the polysaccharide chains into simple sugars, or
oligosaccharides (three to eight sugar molecules linked together), which are
then absorbed by structures in the wall of the small intestine called
villi. There are enzymes in the villi as well that can break down carbohydrates
even more so they can be absorbed into the bloodstream more easily. Once
the sugars are broken down they can be absorbed by the capillaries in the
villi, and then are taken to the lymph or directly to the bloodstream. Once the
sugars enter the bloodstream they are taken to the liver for the final stage of
digestion. After a meal, blood sugar levels are fairly high so the pancreas
secretes insulin, which causes the liver and muscles and other cells to take
in the sugar for storage and other usage. If the blood sugar level starts to
drop due to starvation or exercise, the pancreas will secrete a hormone
called glucagon, which stimulates the liver to enter into a process called
gluconeogenesis (i.e., a process where the liver breaks down glycogen to
make glucose or it stimulates the liver to make glucose from certain amino
acids or a little bit from fats as well).
Carbohydrates and Exercise
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For the most part, the body stores glycogen in the skeletal muscles and liver,
plus their is some glucose in the bloodstream at all times as well. This is
enough energy to last us for a good hour or so, depending on how well
trained a person is and the intensity of the exercise. After that, a person must
consume carbs during exercise in order to sustain it. It is really important for
athletes who compete and train for endurance sports such as cross country
running or skiing, cycling, swimming, triathlons, and so on to focus on carboloading. Research has also shown that sports involved with burst activity
such as hockey and soccer should also focus on carbo-loading. This doesn’t
mean that people who only exercise at moderate intensities shouldn’t worry
about their carb intake as much as a marathoner; it just means that they
don’t need to take in nearly as much. People who exercise at moderate rates
still burn carbs, but not at the same rate that someone who is exercising at
more intense rates.
Remember the crossover concept, this is where the body is burning more
fats than carbs at lower intensities of exercise, but it is still burning
carbohydrates. As a person increases exercise intensity, the body increases
the rate it burns carbs (which is more rapidly than fat because carbs are
much easier to access and it takes less energy to break them down). This
doesn’t mean that a jogger should not worry about carb intake though;
remember a person needs carbs for more than just exercise. The brain
needs carbs more than anything; plus a jogger is still going to have to
replace the carbs that were burned during the exercise, just not as much as a
marathoner. Here are some ways exercise can benefit our carbohydrate
metabolism:
1. Increase the efficiency of oxygen consumption
2. Operate for longer periods of time at higher intensities
3. Increases GLUT~4 in our muscles, which spares our glycogen during
exercise and increases restoration of muscle glycogen after exercise
4. Increase in muscle cell mitochondria
5. Increases fat metabolism and crossover point
6. More glycogen is stored in the muscle [1]
Carbohydrates and our Health
Carbohydrates have been a big topic recently in the health field. Many
people are stating that carbs are the bad guys and others say they are the
good guys, which is it? Carbohydrates are the good guys, but over
consumption of or eating the wrong ones can lead to long- term health
problems. The simple carbohydrates are the ones that are linked to long
term health problems and because of this we should limit our intake of them.
Simple carbohydrates are released into our system much faster than
complex carbs, which stimulates our pancreas to release more insulin to
lower our blood sugar. Over time if we constantly eat too many simple carbs
14
our body will become less sensitive to insulin and eventually lead to type II
diabetes, obesity, heart disease and other diseases as well. Remember that
insulin stimulates cells to take in glucose, and adipose tissue (fat) is one of
those types of cells. The excess glucose in the blood is stored in the liver,
skeletal muscle and in the fat, and if there is no room in the liver or muscle
for glucose it goes into the fat. Since people who are sedentary don’t burn
much of their glycogen stores most of the glucose goes into the fat cells
which will lead to obesity and other problems over time. Our cells become
less sensitive to insulin due to a process called down regulation. Down
regulation is when our cells stop bringing a certain receptor to the cell
surface; there are two causes of this, very little of the hormone in the blood or
too much exposure to the hormone. This is considered one of the main
causes of type II diabetes. Fortunately this disease can be brought under
control and possibly reversed through exercise and a higher intake of
complex carbs.
Complex carbs are important for us because they are broken down at a
slower rate and therefore absorbed into our bloodstream at a slower rate,
which means they have a lower glycemic index. This is beneficial for
exercise because if we eat foods that have a high glycemic index before we
exercise our body will release insulin to lower our blood glucose levels, which
will in turn start to lower the amount of energy we have for exercise. Eating
complex carbs are beneficial to our overall health because they don’t
typically lead to insulin sensitivity, and are stored more efficiently as well.
The promotion of complex carb consumption is also implemented in weight
loss programs along with exercise to help reduce weight and manage type II
diabetes if necessary.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates should be number one in our daily caloric intake by a long
shot. Carbohydrates should constitute at least 60% of our total caloric intake
throughout the day to meet our body’s energy needs. Here is how to
calculate it:
1. First drop a zero from 2000 to make it 200
2. Next step: 200  .60 = 333, we’ll round down to 300
3. 1 g carbs = 4 calories, so 300 x 4 = 1200 calories
Some researchers say that we need at least 200g of carbs each day just to
sustain proper brain function alone, but this is not a solid fact yet. When it
comes to complex carbs 50 of the 60% daily intake should be complex carbs,
and only 10% should be simple carbs. Unfortunately in our society, it is very
common to see these numbers flipped around, which is one reason why
obesity is so prevalent.
Another reason complex carbs are important to us is they are loaded with
fiber. Fiber comes in two forms, soluble and insoluble; we mainly consume
15
insoluble starches in our diet. Bacteria in our colon eventually break down
soluble fiber while the insoluble fiber passes through our colons, irrigating
them along the way. A good analogy for insoluble starch is a snake that we
use to clear out our pipes in our homes, as insoluble starch passes through
our colon it cleans and clears it out. Fiber also slows down the digestion
process so sugars are released into our system at a slower rate as well. A
diet that is high in fiber is considered one way to prevent colon cancer in the
future, but remember this is not bulletproof since there are still some
mysteries associated with cancer, but every little bit helps.
Oh No, Fats!!
Are fats the enemy or the adversary? Do they lead to problems or help solve
them? Well, the answers to these questions really depends on us, how much
and which ones we consume. Fats, also known as lipids, serve many useful
purposes in our bodies; in fact we would not survive without them. If fats are
so important to us though, why are they such a big issue in the health world,
why the bad rap, and why do people go to such great lengths to avoid
them? People go to great lengths to avoid fats because in excess they can
be a major risk factor to our health and can help guide us into chronic
diseases such as adult onset diabetes (NIDDM or type 2), heart disease
(atherosclerosis, CAD), pancreatitis and many others. Some people are
destined to get diseases associated with fat because of genetics, but many
others manage to eat their way into one or two. Like anything else,
moderation is the key but in our society that concept is well forgotten.
The three most important lipids to us are phospholipids, triglycerides and
cholesterol. All of these serve very important physiologic roles during rest
and during exercise if we consume the right amounts and right kinds we will
be just fine.
Phospholipids
Phospholipids are very important to our cells; in fact they are one of the main
constituents of our cell membranes. Phospholipids are unique because they
are what are called amphipathic that means that one end of the molecule
likes water (hydrophilic) and one is afraid of water (hydrophobic). Our cell
membranes form a bi-layer, that means that there are two sides to it, and
there are phospholipids on each side. The hydrophilic portion faces the
outside and the hydrophilic ends, or tails; there are two tails on each
molecule, face the inside of the membrane. This bi-layer surrounds the entire
cell and acts as a wall to protect the cell from anything that isn’t supposed to
enter. There are also different proteins that are in the membrane that act as
receptors for molecules that are supposed to enter the cell.
16
The convenient thing about phospholipids is that a person doesn’t need to
worry about them in the diet because they are not essential nutrients
(nonessential). The liver uses the triglycerides to make phospholipids so we
don’t have to worry about them in our diets.
Triglycerides
Triglycerides are a very big topic in the fat world. Triglycerides are formed
when an alcohol called glycerol binds with three fatty acids, the bond is
called an ester bond and since there are three tails there are three ester
bonds, hence the name triglyceride. The main focus is on the fatty acid tails
because these determine the name and properties of the triglyceride. If all of
the hydrogens are present and there are no double bonds between any
carbons then it is called a saturated fat. If there is one hydrogen missing and
one double bond then it is called a monounsaturated fat, and a fatty acid with
more than one hydrogen missing and more than one double bond on the tail
is called a polyunsaturated fat. When a hydrogen is missing, a kink forms in
the spot on the tail where the double bond takes place, so if there are more
than one double bonds there is more than one kink. When this form is taken,
then storage becomes more difficult. It would be like trying to stack a bunch
of logs on a truck without cutting off the branches first. So, when a bunch of
polyunsaturated fats are “packed” together, they form a liquid or a oil. When
saturated fats are put together, they for more solid substances like margarine
or butter.
There is a process that is called hydrogenation that scientist use to make
foods last longer and easier to shape and store. This is done by taking an
unsaturated fat and forcing hydrogen into it (hence, the name
hydrogenation). This takes the kink/s out of the fatty acid tail and makes the
substance more solid and easy to store, plus it increases the shelf life of the
product. The fat is called a trans fat because there is a spot where a double
bond still exists but the hydrogens are not on the same side.
We need triglycerides but not too much, if our triglyceride levels get too high
they tend to lower our HDLs a.k.a. good cholesterol levels. Unfortunately the
exact mechanism that makes this takes place is unknown, so for now high
triglyceride levels are correlated with low HDLs.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol probably has the largest amount of hype in the health world
today, at least when it comes to fat. Cholesterol is essential to our everyday
lives. Without it we would be dead. Our bodies make plenty of cholesterol,
and are very cool machines because if we eat more cholesterol than we
make our bodies will slow down the production, and if we don’t eat enough
17
our body will try to compensate increasing the amount cholesterol that it
produces. Cholesterol has a few functions that are essential to our everyday
lives:
1. Arranged in an organized and uniform in our cell membranes, this
helps maintain their fluidity and stability.
2. Cholesterol is a precursor to our steroid hormones: mineralcorticoids,
glucocorticoids, sex hormones (progesterone), testosterone and
estrogen, and vitamin D.
3. Helps our cells take in materials from the outside environment
(endocytosis).
4. Used in cell signaling, and
5. Used to make bile, which aids in the digestion of fats.
Cholesterol is transported through our bodies via high density lipoproteins
(HDLs) and low density lipoproteins (LDLs). The LDLs carry cholesterol and
triglycerides all over the body to where it is needed while HDLs carry
cholesterol back to the liver to be processed. Having high levels of LDLs and
low levels of HDLs is considered a risk factor for heart disease, but the exact
cause behind this is still unknown. The best explanation so far is that HDLs
can carry cholesterol away from what are called atheromas, which will be
explained soon, back to the liver, so having a high number of these and a low
number of LDLs should be able to help prevent heart disease.
Cholesterol is associated with a very common form of heart disease called
atherosclerosis. This is caused by the buildup of three things in our arteries:
plaque, cholesterol, and calcium. This actually starts in early childhood,
between the ages 5-10 and continues throughout life. The plaque is built up
on what are called fatty streaks that line the arteries, and these streaks are
what lay the groundwork for this to happen. The fatty streak is like laying
down your cement foundation when you build a house, and the addition of
plaque and calcium over the years is like the actual building process. Our
arteries can adapt to this because they are elastic in nature, they have to
stretch when blood is pumping through them and can stretch while this
plaque is building up in them as well. Over time though when our arteries
cannot stretch anymore they start to narrow while the plaque continues to
build, this is called stenosis. The more narrow the artery gets the more the
blood flow is reduced, forcing the heart to increase the blood pressure, and
eventually a clot can get stuck in the plaque, cut off blood flow and lead to a
heart attack or a stroke. Also if the artery bulges out too much an aneurysm
can occur over time as well.
LDLs are considered problematic here because they deliver cholesterol in all
of the tissues, including the smooth muscle that lines the arteries. Once the
18
LDL enters the smooth muscle and releases its cholesterol, which is
processed (oxidized); this stimulates the arteries to become inflamed. This
really becomes a problem when are HDLs are low because they need to be
there to carry the cholesterol away from the tissue and back to the liver, so
this is why it is good to have a high number of HDLs and a low number of
LDLs.
Preventing Heart Disease
Here are some guidelines for fighting cardiovascular disease (CVD, also
known as coronary heart disease, CHD):
1. Adjust caloric intake to achieve and maintain ideal body weight. A very
common cause of high triglycerides is high body fat, especially in the
abdomen. The fat breaks off and gets into the hepatic artery and is
circulated into our system. So just reducing our body weight/fat can be
a big help [1].
2. Reduce the amount of total fats in the diet. Keeping our fat intake less
than 30% of our total caloric intake is ideal. The calories that replace
the fat that we are cutting off should come from carbohydrates,
especially complex carbs that contain fiber. Eating monounsaturated
fats and omega-3 fats along with aerobic (endurance) exercise will
also help to reduce our lipid levels [1].
3. Reducing saturated fats has been recommended for a long time but
lately this has found some scrutiny because of many original tests that
were conducted with saturated fats. Many scientists are now saying
that when saturated fats were mentioned as a risk factor trans fats
were mixed in with these so the test results were not accurate. Some
people are also saying that saturated fat is beneficial for us, but if we
want to be on the safe side if we avoid saturated fats our chances of
avoiding trans fats increases as well [1].
4. Reduce the consumption of hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated
oils. There is a correlation with consuming these and lowering our
HDL levels because of the trans fats. Foods that contain trans fats
are: margarine, vegetable shortening, white bread; packaged goods
such as cookies, crackers, potato ships, and cakes; and fried fast
foods like French fries [1].
5. Substitute saturated fats with poly and monounsaturated fats
(PUFAs). Consume 10% or less of our dietary fats from
polyunsaturated fats and 10-15 % from monounsaturated fats
(MUFAs). Eating nuts, such as walnuts, are a good source of both of
these types of fats while olive and canola oil are high in
MUFAs. Vegetables are also good sources of PUFAs [1].
6. Consume foods that are rich in omega~3 fatty acids. These are said to
help prevent CHD (coronary heart disease) by making our blood less
viscous, increasing HDLs, and by increasing the tone of our vascular
19
system. These are said to help reduce the incidence of CHD but still is
not a set in stone idea yet [1].
7. Decrease cholesterol intake to 300 milligrams per day or 100
milligrams per 1000 calories consumed [1].
8. Reduce the intake of refined sugars and eat more foods with complex
carbohydrates and dietary fiber. Table sugar can increase our
triglyceride levels more than complex carbs can. Also, increase the
intake of fruits and vegetables, especially fruits because they contain
antioxidants that can help combat some negative outcomes of fat
oxidation (PUFA and MUFA) [1].
9. Graze throughout the day, this means eat a little bit of food at a time
instead of eating just the three meals a day [1].
Daily Intake
According to the National Research Council, there is no recommended RDA
(recommended daily allowance) for fats. [1] There are two kinds of fats that
are essential though, they are an omega~3 fatty acid called alpha linoleic
acid and an omega~6 fatty acid called linoleic acid. [1] Even though there
isn’t an exact RDA for fats, it is recommended that we do not exceed 30% of
our total calories as fat. Here are some easy steps to determine your daily
intake of fat:
2000 Calorie diet
2000 x .3 = 600 Calories
1g fat = 9 calories
600  9 = 66.6 grams
Amounts per serving
Calories = 90
Fat Calories = 30
a) 30/90 = .33
b) .33 x 100 = 33%
More Detailed
Calories = 90
Total fat = 8g
Saturated fat = 3g
20
Remember that 1 gram (g) of fat = 9 Calories
Total fat = 8g x 9 Calories/g = 72 Calories
Then just use the same procedure as you would for the amounts per serving:
72/90 = .80 .80 x 100 = 80% fat Calories
It is recommended that we eat 100 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per 1000
calories each day.
2000 Calorie diet = 200 mg/day
Proteins, Cool
Proteins come in many shapes and sizes and perform many functions in our
body. Proteins can act as receptors for hormones or other substances, give
shape to virtually every 3-D structure in our body, give mechanical support,
regulate our metabolism via enzymes, act as hormones, form blood clots, are
cellular machinery (which is important in muscle contraction) and perform
many other functions in our physiology. So in knowing that proteins are
composed of only 20 or so different amino acids one may beg the question:
“How can they perform so many functions?” The answer to this is variety; the
number of shapes that proteins can take is almost unlimited so it is easy to
see why they can perform so many different tasks. Proteins are not only
important in our everyday functions but also help us in exercise too, but how
much? Before we get into that we should look at how proteins are made first.
The Secret Code
DNA is ultimately responsible for our protein; it carries the code that
determines the arrangements of the protein’s building blocks, amino acids.
Once again there are only 20 or so amino acids but their arrangement is
determined by DNA. So during the process of translation (this is the process
of making proteins) amino acids are put together in a line, this is called the
primary structure and the structure itself is a polypeptide chain. This is the
shape that many of our hormones take; they travel around our body in the
primary structure and carry out their specific functions wherever they are
needed. The next shape proteins take in their synthesis is called their
secondary structure. This is when proteins actually start to form a three
dimensional structure as a result of the polypeptide chains bending and
twisting, well on portions of the chains. The two shapes that are common
with secondary structures are alpha helixes and beta pleated sheets. Alpha
helixes don’t resist pulling forces very well, but can eventually regain their
shape when the pulling stops; an example of this is wool. The beta pleated
sheets on the other hand can resist pulling force very well; this is what silk is
primarily made of. Next in the process of protein development is the tertiary
21
structure; this is where proteins actually start to become their actual shape,
and this is where the diversity card is really played. When proteins form their
tertiary structure different polypeptides and other proteins in their secondary
structure start to come together and the protein actually folds as well. This is
important to know because if a protein is off by a single amino acid or
misfolds, the result could be death. Last but not least is the quaternary
structure, this is where folded proteins glob together and make one big
structure, such as hemoglobin or an enzyme.
All of that may seem like a bit much and may not seem relevant to what you
all are looking for but it this is relevant. Like I mentioned earlier, even one
amino acid in the wrong place or one incorrect fold can lead to a myriad of
problems, the classic example of this is sickle cell anemia. The amino acid
valine replaces a glutamic acid (also an amino acid) and this causes our
hemoglobin to go haywire. Since the hemoglobin can’t take its proper shape,
neither can the red blood cell. Remember that our red blood cells carry
substances throughout our body, and one of those substances is oxygen.
This lowers our red blood cells capacity to carry oxygen and so far we do not
have a cure for it.
Exercise
Proteins are important for exercise, but more for their structure than the
energy they can provide. Again, everything that we use for exercise
(muscles, bones, hormones, neurotransmitters etc.) is made of proteins, so
our chemical and mechanical forces come from proteins. The big question is
though: how much energy can we get from proteins? The answer is very
little. As we know from previous lectures our bodies use a certain ratio of
carbohydrates and fats when we are at rest and during exercise. The ratio
just changes as our intensity of exercise increases. Our bodies use a little
protein when we are exercising, but not much, at least not enough to yield a
significant amount of energy.
This doesn’t make proteins useless during exercise though; the amino acids
can be used for other purposes that help us during exercise. One is by
providing our energy production systems (metabolism) with the proper tools
to make energy. When our body is making ATP for energy, there are certain
intermediates (tools) that are used, but unfortunately they get used up, and
when this happens our body cannot make energy properly and we start to
fatigue. Amino acids from protein breakdown can help support our energy
making processes, thus buying us some more time during exercise.
Some amino acids can also be converted into sugar (glucose) by being
transported to the liver. Our muscles can also release an amino acid
(alanine) into our bloodstream, which goes to our liver and is made into sugar
22
through a process called gluconeogenesis (gluc- sugar, neo- new, genesisto make). During very prolonged periods of exercise our muscles can use
amino acids themselves as energy, but this usually occurs in highly trained
athletes who have a high carb/protein diet.
Nutrition
Many people think that bacteria are small, and in many ways insignificant,
but the reality is biochemically bacteria are our superiors. Bacteria can
survive in environments that we cannot even enter because they are so
extreme, they can eventually become immune to our ways of killing them and
they can make all of their nutrients themselves. Bacteria can synthesize all
20 amino acids while we can only make eleven. The eleven amino acids that
we can make are called nonessential because we do not need to consume
them while the nine that we do need to take in are called essential amino
acids. Another thing to keep in mind is that there are foods that are complete
protein and foods that are incomplete. The difference between these are:
foods that are complete protein sources have all the amino acids in them that
we need while foods that are incomplete lack one or more amino acids. This
is important to know because our bodies will only absorb the amino acids if
all of them are present and accounted for. The majority of us don’t have to
worry about this though because meat is a complete protein, all of the
essential and nonessential amino acids are in meat, so just by eating meat
alone we can get an adequate amount of amino acids. Some other foods that
are good sources of protein are: milk products, nuts, legumes, and
peas. Many fruits and vegetables also have proteins in them but they also
lack all nine essential amino acids making them incomplete proteins; which is
why we it is good to eat a variety of different foods in our diets.
There really is no RDA for protein consumption, but we should still be
conscious of what we are eating. Remember that meats, especially red meat
and pork, can be high in saturated fat and contain high levels cholesterol,
and have a lot of sodium in them as well. Also the way we prepare our meats
can have an affect on us as well, whether it is what we put on them for flavor
or how they are cooked. Even there is no RDA for proteins there are still
recommendations, but these also vary with age. For all of us the
recommendation is 0.8 grams/kg or body weight or .36 grams/pound of body
weight. Here is how to calculate this:
Grams/kg:
0.8g of protein x (bw  2.2) = grams per day
Example: 0.8g/protein x (180lbs  2.2) = 65.44 grams protein/day
23
1 gram of protein = 4 calories
65.44 x 4 = 262 calories of protein per day
Grams/pound:
.36 g/protein x pounds = grams per day
Example: .36 x 180 = 64.8 grams of protein/day
64.8 grams/day x 4 = 259.2 calories of protein per day
Guidelines for Using the Exercise Room

Dress appropriately; wear clothing that is comfortable, that can
breathe, and that can offer you full range of motion when you are
working out.

Wear appropriate footwear; don’t wear outside shoes and wear shoes
that fit your feet correctly, and ones that offer the best support for your
foot to prevent injury.

Always have a water bottle with you so you can keep hydrated while
you workout.

Always do a warm up to ensure that you get adequate blood flow to
your muscles and prevent injury.
Guidelines for Using the Weights

Work your upper body three days a week and your lower body two
days a week, your legs need more time to recover after a lifting day

Add variety to your workouts, don’t just work the same muscle groups
and don’t do the same exercises all the time

DON’T LIFT WEIGHT THAT YOU CANNOT HANDLE!!!

Use etiquette when you lift, put everything back where it belongs,
such as: weights, bars or other equipment that may have been used.

ALWAYS HAVE A SPOTTER!! Don’t be afraid to ask a random
person or an employee at the gym to spot you, they will be more than
happy to help.
24

When you perform a lift do so in a controlled motion; the motion
should be: 2 seconds up from the starting point and 4 seconds back
down.

It is natural to feel some soreness while you lift; this is your muscle
fatiguing. If you feel any sharp pain or any other kind of pain that you
are unfamiliar with stop the exercise right away and locate a staff
member.

If you feel any chest or jaw pain stop the workout immediately, locate
a staff member and seek medical attention if necessary.
Guidelines for Using the Cardio Equipment

Use a setting that is right for you, don’t over do it on the machines
because you could injure yourself and someone around you as well.

Pay attention to what you are doing; focus more on the machine that
you are on, not the television or someone around you.

There is no shame in taking a break if you need to, overworking
yourself can cause injury and also cause you to not want to use the
equipment.

Vary your workouts, don’t over work yourself and don’t just putz
around, you need to get a good quality workout while you are here

If you feel any “bad” pain, stop your workout immediately and find a
gym employee

If you feel any chest pain or jaw pain stop your workout immediately,
find a gym employee and seek medical attention if necessary.
These are some basic guidelines to follow when working out to ensure
proper safety and a quality workout. The gym is a great place to improve
your health, lower your risk factors for chronic diseases, and to meet new
people. If the exercise equipment is used properly, it can provide you with all
of your exercise needs; the gym here as more than enough to get you
headed in the right direction. Also, if you have a heart problem, type I or II
diabetes, or any other medical condition you should see your physician so he
can clear you to exercise and give you guidelines to exercise by. If you have
any questions about anything in the gym do not hesitate to ask a personal
trainer or other staff at the gym, there is no shame if you don’t understand
how to do something. We are here to help you get the safest and most
quality workout you can get so feel free to utilize us at any time.
25
Exercising
Many people exercise or train for a variety of reasons such as losing weight,
preparing for a race, or just for the enjoyment. Everyone has one reason or
another to exercise, but the question is how do you exercise? How would a
person really prepare for a race or lose weight? Well there are different ways
to go about each one of these but there are some basic guidelines that
everyone can at least appreciate. Also, knowing how cardio (aerobic) and
weight (anaerobic) exercises benefit us is a big tool in all of this as well.
Aerobic (Cardio) Exercise
There is a reason that aerobic exercise is called cardio and that reason is
right in the name. Cardio really works on making your cardiovascular or
cardiopulmonary (heart and lungs) systems stronger than they were before
you started exercising. Our hearts really take in a lot of the benefits because
it becomes a stronger, more efficient piece of equipment in our body. The
heart becomes bigger which means that the ventricles (chambers) that lie
inside of the heart get bigger, which means that more blood can enter our
heart. Since our hearts are getting bigger, they are getting stronger as well.
Since the heart is stronger it can pump blood with more force and get it out
into the body much easier than before exercise. This is great because our
blood pressure drops when this happens because our heart does not need to
work as hard to get the blood out of our hearts and into our periphery, so this
is a good way to combat low blood pressure.
Cardio exercise is also good for burning fat if it is done correctly. It is logical
to think that exercising for a longer period of time will burn fat, but how
should we utilize that time? Well the intensity that we exercise at is just as
important as the amount of time we spend exercising because we need to
maintain a certain level of intensity during that period of time. The gold
standard is for that is a minimum of 70% of your maximum heart rate. This is
relatively easy to figure out, there are two popular ways of doing this; the first
is the Karvonen method:
THR = [(HR max - HR rest) x % intensity of the workout] + HR rest = THR
First you need to figure out your maximum heart rate (HR), and the easiest
way to do this is by taking 220 minus your age.
Example: 220 - 24 = 196 bpm
[(196 - 60) x .70] + 60 = 155 bpm
This method should be used if you do not know your maximum heart rate.
The other method is the called the Simple Method:
26
THR = HR max x % intensity
Example: 196 x .70 = 137
You will notice that these two methods yield different results; that’s nothing to
be afraid of. The Karvonen method is considered more accurate than the
simple method when calculating your target heart rate for exercise. These
two methods are really the best non-invasive ways to figure out your
maximum heart rate and your target heart rate.
The reason that people should work at 70% of your maximum heart rate is
because of the way we burn energy and the way our hearts work. Exercising
at 50-60% of your maximum heart rate is still just fine to maintain a healthy
heart, but if you really want to focus on your metabolism and weight loss then
70% should be the main focus. When you exercise at 70% of your maximum
heart rate, you burn more food energy. [1] When we work at this intensity we
are still burning about 75 - 85% (depending on what you read) fat for our
energy needs, so this is a great way to lose weight and become leaner. The
amount of time that a person should train also varies with the organization or
research that you get the information from, but the bare minimum should be
20 minutes of cardio (aerobic) exercise at 70% of your maximum heart rate
to achieve good cardiovascular benefits and calorie expenditure.
Weight Training (Aerobic Exercise)
Aerobic exercise is exercise that consists of very short, intense bouts of
exercise that is maintained for very short periods of time. This type of
exercise includes: weight training, sprinting, and jumping; we will mainly
focus on weight training for this particular informational session. Weight
training is very beneficial and should be incorporated in your exercise
program as well as the cardio. Weight training helps to increase our lean
mass, this means that our muscles become larger and stronger; remember
from previous talks? Weight training also makes our muscles more efficient
as well because our nervous system has to adapt as well. When we lift
weights, our peripheral nerves (the nerves that branch out from our spinal
cord and out into our body) have to adapt as well. They adapt by adding
more motor units to the muscle; a motor unit is an extension of the neuron
that activates the muscle that it corresponds with. If our muscles get bigger
and stronger, then our neurons (cells of the nervous system) need to add
more motor units to the muscle fibers, this is done to activate more of our
muscle in response to the extra force.
Lifting weights is also good because it can help to prevent injury by making
our muscles stronger so they can support our bones and joints during
27
exercise. Weight training will help our muscles support our joints and protect
them from injury, and keep the joints more stable as well.
Lifting weights also helps keep our bones strong as well; the force that is put
on our bones makes them have to lay down more tissue and become
stronger and more stable so they can withstand the force in the
future. Running can also do this as well because of the constant pounding
that our feet and legs have to endure.
Now when it comes to lifting weights it is logical to think that the more weight
we lift the more we will bulk up. People usually associate this with losing
endurance and that is correct if you cut your cardio out. Gaining muscle
mass has been associated with a reduction in the amount of mitochondria in
our muscle cells. Remember that our mitochondria are the power factory of
our cells; they supply our cells with the energy they need to carry out their
functions, and the fuel that they provide is ATP [2]. If there are less
mitochondrion there will be less ATP to supply the cell with energy and there
will be a drop in endurance. We can counteract this process though with
cardio training; remember that cardio training will increase the amount of
mitochondria in the muscle cells. So by doing your cardio you can combat
the loss in mitochondria as your muscle cells grow larger.
This is just some very basic information when it comes to exercising but it is
also useful. There should be a good balance of cardio and weight training in
your exercise routine because the benefits you get from each one is different
and beneficial to your health. Remember that doing your cardio exercise
helps to strengthen your cardiopulmonary system, especially your heart, and
is also good for burning fat. Doing your cardio will also help to boost your
metabolism; your body will be able to burn calories more efficiently and will
be able to store energy more efficiently as well. Weight training will also help
to boost your metabolism, it will give you more storage space for energy,
strengthen your bones, and promote lean mass and help to decrease your fat
mass. Just remember you should always consult your physician and/or an
exercise physiologist before you start an exercise program to make sure you
are at good enough health to partake in it and to make sure there are no
contraindications that would exclude you from certain exercises. This is
especially important to do if you have been sedentary for a long time or know
someone who has been because you never know what may have changed
during the period of inactivity.
Blood Pressure
I am sure you have all heard somewhere that being overweight or obese
causes high blood pressure (hypertension). Well, this is true. Being
overweight is one way of getting high blood pressure. Being overweight is
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not the only way to attain high blood pressure though, there are other ways
as well: high salt diet, genetics, sleep apnea (pause in breathing during
sleep), insulin resistance, and environmental factors. All of these, except
genetics, can be attributed to our lifestyle and the decisions we make. But
what really is blood pressure, and how do our bodies maintain and control it,
and why do our decisions make such a difference?
Have you ever wondered what your blood pressure actually is? Well it is a
pressure that is created when the left ventricle of your heart contracts (like
your bicep in your arm); it is a pressure that pushes the blood out of your
heart and into your body. The pressure is strongest in your arteries and the
weakest in your veins. Your arteries carry the blood away from your heart
and have strong muscular walls while the veins carry the blood back to the
heart. There are a few factors that determine your blood pressure: blood
volume, cardiac output, resistance to flow (viscosity), and blood distribution.
Here is a little bit of each:
Blood volume - it is logical to think that if we have more blood our
pressure will be higher. Think of a balloon, the more you fill the
balloon with water the more it expands. It expands because the
increased volume of water puts pressure on the sides of the balloon
and makes it expand. An example of this being a problem in our body
is an aneurysm.
Cardiac output - cardiac output is defined as the amount of blood
being pumped from the ventricles of the heart per minute. There are
two factors that determine your cardiac output: stroke volume (SV)
and heart rate (HR). If you multiply these two together you can figure
out your cardiac output. Your SV is the amount of blood that is
pumped out by a ventricle, and your heart rate is how many times your
heart contracts; we typically measure this per minute. If your heart is
pumping out more blood and pumping many times then it would make
sense to think that your blood pressure would increase.
Viscosity - viscosity is resistance to flow, more or less. The thicker
our blood is the more resistance there will be therefore increasing our
blood pressure. Diabetes is the big concern here because high levels
of sugar in our blood for prolonged periods of time (years) can cause
many health problems, such as kidney failure, blindness, and loss of
extremities.
Blood distribution - this has to do with resistance in our periphery
(peripheral resistance). Depending on where there is blood there will
be different amounts of resistance. The smaller the structure, the
more the resistance and the higher the pressure.
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Blood Pressure Controls
Reflexes in our body regulate our blood pressure; these take place
through complicated circuits that are wired to what is called the
cardiac control center in your brain stem (medulla oblongata). These
reflexes respond to our cardiac output and peripheral resistance. If
these go up then receptors that are in our aorta and carotid arteries
(baroreceptors) send a signal to the cardiac control center, the center
interprets the signal and lowers the blood pressure. If blood pressure
drops then the circuit does not fire, as many signals to the cardiac
center and the blood pressure should increase.
Our kidneys also help to regulate our blood pressure by regulating our water
volume in the body. If our blood volume get to high then our kidneys get rid
of some of the water in our urine and if our volume drops to low our kidneys
secretes an enzyme called renin that goes through a series of reactions that
causes vasoconstriction in the body. So think about this, if there is a
massive vasoconstriction in the body, there will be more resistance. Think of
a hose, you run water through it just the way it is and the water moves freely.
Now if you put your hand around the hose and squeeze it you can feel the
pressure increase because the sides of the hose are putting more pressure
on the water. You can then feel the water move through the hose with more
force, especially when you look at the end where the water comes out.
Causes of Hypertension
There are a few known causes of high blood pressure, which were listed
earlier. It seems that the most prevalent causes in our society are obesity
[3], high salt intake, and genetics and insulin sensitivity. All of these work
together to lead us into hypertension, if we allow them, well all but genetics.
Here is a little blurb on each one:
Salt - A good rule of thumb is that where salt goes water goes. In the
chemical world opposites attract, unlike the dating world. Salt is
positively charged and water is negatively charged so water likes salt.
So if we consume high amounts of salt or cannot metabolize it well
then our blood volume will be high.
Insulin sensitivity - remember that insulin is the hormone that is
secreted when our blood sugar levels get too high. If our cells
become sensitive to insulin then we cannot get that sugar out of the
blood and it increases the viscosity of it, which raises the blood
pressure. This is where we see a lot of long-term problems such as
kidney and eye failure and extremities having to be amputated. High
blood pressure alone damages our blood vessels, especially the
smaller ones (capillaries) that supply our nerves with blood. Add that
increased viscosity from high sugar levels then you really see
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problems, especially in the eyes and kidneys and extremities (feet and
hands).
Obesity - The exact cause of obesity related hypertension alone is
still not very well understood. Researchers have found that having a
large amount of abdominal fat is more of a risk factor for hypertension
than overall displacement of fat [3]. This means that a large amount of
fat in our midsection seems to have a greater affect on our blood
pressure than having a large amount of fat everywhere. The exact
mechanism/s of this is still under some scrutiny though.
Combating Hypertension
Hypertension can be dealt with, prevented, and eliminated if a lifestyle
change is made. According to the North American Association for the
Study of Obesity by lowering your weight, changing your diet, and staying
active you can drop your blood pressure; you can even lower it to the point
where you would not need medications. Research has shown that cutting
calories alone and physical activity/exercise alone can help us lose weight,
but if you want the greatest results you would have to do both. Reducing
emotional stress also helps lower your blood pressure. Try and eliminate
things that really stress you out, or try to avoid situations that would really get
to you. Also, eliminate excess alcohol consumption and smoking (if you do)
from your life, these things really create havoc on our blood pressure.
Hopefully this will give you all a better understanding of blood pressure and
why having hypertension is detrimental to our health. Having high blood
pressure is a harmful condition that can cause damage to our hearts,
vascular system, and other systems of the body as well. There is plenty of
hope though because today there is a very good knowledge about
hypertension and how we can combat it. The biggest area that health care
professionals seem to agree on is making the lifestyle change. Remember
that there are a number of risk factors out there for hypertension that should
be avoided. This is a good website that lists many different ones:

http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Atoz/common/standard/transfor
m.jsp?requestURI=/healthatoz/Atoz/dc/caz/card/hypr/hypr_gen_risk.js
p.
Reasons Exercise Lowers Blood Pressure
1. Makes our hearts bigger and stronger
2. Bigger and stronger heart = more strength to pump blood
3. Bigger heart means more blood can enter heart so more blood is
pumped out with less effort
4. Lowers body weight which helps to lower blood pressure
5. Decreases sympathetic activity (slows body down)
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6. Increase baroreceptor sensitivity [2]
Anaerobic vs. Aerobic Exercise
Energy, it’s a good thing to have when it comes to exercising. Energy is not
only used by people who exercise but by all living organisms to sustain
life. So where does this energy come from, and when we acquire it how do
we use it? Well as humans we consume our energy from the food we eat and
sometimes from the drinks we drink. Then after we consume the food we
break it down into a more simple form so it can be absorbed by our small
intestine, more specifically the intestinal villi. Our food is then absorbed into
our lymph to be transported to the blood; and once the food reaches our
blood it is carried to the proper location. Once the food reaches its location it
is stored for further use if it is not needed right away. Keep in mind this is the
overly simplified version of this, but in general, this is how our body
works. Our body has many ways of making energy from many different
substrates, but we are going to focus on two methods: anaerobic respiration
and aerobic respiration. Both of these methods make energy but in different
amounts, so that means they will influence certain types of exercise more
than others; first we will focus on anaerobic type exercise.
Anaerobic
The term anaerobic means without oxygen, energy is made without the use
of oxygen. During anaerobic respiration energy is made in the cytoplasm of
our cells, this is the goop right inside of the cell where all our other functional
parts lie in. There are two types of anaerobic pathways that we use to make
energy for exercise, the ATP - CP system and glycolysis. Both of these
systems are used to generate what is called adenosine tri-phosphate or
ATP. Our cells use ATP to drive our cellular machinery to perform certain
functions.
The ATP-PC system is used in cells that operate at a very high metabolic
rate, such as the brain and muscles. This is used to regenerate ATP that is
used up at a rapid rate. Glycolysis is where a single molecule of glucose is
broken down to for ATP. This is a process that goes through various steps
and stages while to break the glucose down and into ATP. The gross gain of
ATP in this process is four, but two ATP are expended early on so the net
gain of ATP is two. This process is sometimes termed inefficient because of
the small amount of ATP that it yields but it is not. The amount of energy that
is yielded from this process is very high, the problem is it cannot make
energy for very long periods of time. Glycolysis will give us enough fuel, each
person varies here, for about a good minutes worth of very intense exercise.
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This process is very dominant in athletes who do sports that require short,
intense bursts of activity, such as: sprinting, jumping, and weight
lifting. People who are genetically made for these types of activities have
what is called type II b, or slow twitch muscle fibers. Type II b muscle fibers
look white like a chicken breast because they lack something called
myoglobin. Myoglobin is the hemoglobin of muscle fibers, it helps the muscle
fibers take in and use oxygen. Since type II b muscle fibers can’t take in
much oxygen, they can’t make as much ATP as other muscle fiber
types. Also, type II b muscle fibers have a lot of enzymes that are used in
glycolysis.
Aerobic Exercise
The term aerobic means with oxygen, energy i.e. ATP is made with the help
of oxygen. Aerobic respiration takes place in the mitochondria, also known as
the powerhouse of the cell. There are two cycles involved in aerobic
respiration and exercise: the Krebs cycle (TCA or citric acid cycle) and the
electron transport chain (ETC). Once glycolysis is finished there is something
else that is made; a molecule called pyruvate. Pyruvate is then changed into
another molecule by an enzyme, called pyruvate dehydrogenase, to acetyl
Co-A. This is an important step because once this takes place aerobic
respiration can take place. Remember that the end product of fat metabolism
is also acetyl Co-A but burning fats take more energy then carbohydrates,
the same goes for amino acids.
The first step in aerobic respiration is the Krebs cycle. This cycle also only
forms two ATP, but it forms other molecules that are important to initiate the
next step (ETC) and they are NADH and FADH². These two molecules are
what drive the aerobic respiration through to the next process; which makes
the bulk of the ATP. The ETC uses NADH and FADH² to produce ATP with a
structure/enzyme called ATP synthase. Once these molecules give up their
hydrogen (H) this gives the ATP synthase the energy to make ATP. This
process ends up making around 36-38 ATP, depending on the person.
People who are more endurance oriented are associated with this type of
energy production because their muscles (type I fibers) have a lot of
myoglobin in them. Type I fibers, or slow twitch fibers, are gray in color, much
like a migratory birds muscles. Also, their muscles have a lot of mitochondria
and enzymes to drive these processes.
Benefits
Each type of exercise can bring about different benefits for our bodies, during
exercise and during rest. Here is a list of how aerobic exercise can benefit
us:
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1. Makes our heart bigger, stronger, and more efficient (during
exercise and rest)
2. Increases the number of mitochondria in our skeletal muscle and
heart
3. Increase the enzymes needed for aerobic respiration
4. Burns fat
5. Increase our metabolism
6. Tone muscles
7. Get rid of lactic acid much faster (during and after exercise)
8. Lower blood pressure
9. Lower LDLs (bad cholesterol) and raise HDLs (good cholesterol)
10. Stronger bones due to the impact
11. More energy
12. Lower the risk of chronic diseases such as: diabetes, CVD, cancer,
etc.
Here are some benefits of anaerobic exercise:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Increase in metabolism
Store energy more efficiently
Promote lean muscle mass
Increase skeletal muscle strength
Make bones stronger
Help prevent or combat chronic diseases such as: osteoporosis,
diabetes, etc.
7. Increase the number of enzymes needed for anaerobic respiration
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References
1. Williams, Melvin H. Nutrition for Health and Fitness, 6th edition. New
York: McGraw-Hill, 2002
2. Brooks, George A. Exercise Physiology: Human Bioenergetics and its
Applications, 3rd edition.
Mountain View: Mayfield Publishing
Company 2000
3. http://www.obesityresearch.org/cgi/content/full/8/3/270
Also, the following Internet sources are excellent resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triglycerides
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesterol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Target_heart_rate