FITNESS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Along with six necessary elements to include in your fitness program, you should consider many additional issues when you start a fitness program.

Should I see My Doctor Before I get Started?

This issue has probably kept thousands of people from ever beginning a fitness program.  The hassle and expense of getting a comprehensive physical examination is an excellent excuse for people who are not completely sold on the idea of exercise.  We should state that it is highly desirable to have regular checkups with your family physician as part of your overall health plan.  However, the question still applies to many.  The surgeon General suggested that most adults can safely increase their activity level to a moderate amount without the need for a comprehensive medical evaluation. 

Individuals with chronic diseases should consult with their physician prior to increasing their activity level.  If more vigorous forms of exercise are desired, then a medical exam is recommended for men over the age of 40 and women over the age of 50.  It would also be recommended for individuals with more than one risk factor for coronary artery disease or if there were any other notable health problems.

How Beneficial Is Aerobic Dance Exercise?

One of the most popular fitness approaches is aerobic exercise, including aerobic dancing.  Many organization sponsor classes in this form of continuous dancing and movement.  The rise in popularity of televised and video taped aerobic exercise programs reflects the enthusiasm for this form of exercise.  Because extravagant claims are often made out by the value of these programs, the wise consumer should observe at least one session of the activity before enrolling.

Street dancing, swim dancing and Latino dancing are fast becoming some of the most popular aerobic exercises.  Popularized by rap music, hip-hop music, and the growth of vigorous dancing in music videos, these forms of dancing provide an excellent way of having fun and maintaining cardio respiratory fitness.  Have you experienced the exhilaration that results from an hour or two of dancing?

What Are Low-Impact Aerobic Activities?

Because long-term participation in some aerobic activities (for example, jogging, running, aerobic dancing, and rope skipping) may lead to injury of the hip, knee, and ankle joints, many fitness experts promote low-impact aerobic activities.  Low-impact aerobic dancing, water aerobics, bench aerobics, and brisk walking are examples of this kind of fitness activity.  Participants still conform to the principle components of cardio respiratory fitness program.  THR levels are the same as in high-impact aerobic activities.

The main difference between low-impact and high-impact aerobic activities is the use of the legs.  Low-impact aerobic do not require having both feet off the ground at the same time.  Thus weight transfer does not occur with the forcefulness seen in traditional high-impact aerobic activities.  In addition, low-impact activities may include exaggerated arm movements and the use of hand or wrist weights.  All of these variations are designed to increase the heart rate to the THR without undo strain on the joints of the lower extremities.  Low-impact aerobics are excellent for people of all ages, and they may be especially beneficial to older adults.

In-line skating (rollerblading) is one of the fastest growing participant fitness activities.  This low-impact activity has cardio respiratory and muscular benefits similar to those of running without the pounding effect that running can produce.  However, it should recognized that it requires both skill and balance.  Rollerblading requires important safety equipment: sturdy skates, knee and elbow pads, wrist supports, and a helmet.

What Is The Most Effective Means of Fluid Replacement During Exercise?

Despite all of the advertising hype associated with commercial fluid replacement products, for an average person involved in typical fitness activities, water is still the best fluid replacement.  The availability and cost are unbeatable.  However, when activity is prolonged and intense, commercial sports drinks may be preferable to water because they contain electrolytes (which replace lost sodium and potassium) carbohydrates (which replace depleted energy stores).  However, the carbohydrates in sports drinks are actually simple forms of sugar.  Thus sports drinks tend to be high in calories, just like regular soft drinks.  Regardless of the drink you choose, exercise physiologists recommend that you drink fluids before and at frequent intervals throughout the activity particularly in warm, humid environments.

What Effect Does Alcohol Have on Sport Performance?

It probably comes as no surprise that alcohol use is generally detrimental to sport performance.  Alcohol consumption, especially excessive intake the evening before a performance, consistently decreases the level of performance.  Many research studies have documented the negative effects of alcohol on activities involving speed, strength, power, and endurance.  Lowered performance appears to be related to a variety of factors, including impaired judgment, reduced coordination, depressed heart function, liver interference, and dehydration.

What Level of Physical Activity Is Necessary to Produce Fitness?

According to the surgeon general’s report on physical activity and health, moderate amounts of physical activity can produce significant health benefits, including lowering the risk of premature death, coronary heart disease, hypertension, colon cancer, and diabetes.  Even a variety of simple activities, such as gardening, walking, raking leaves, or dancing, that consistently increase a person’s daily activity levels can be as helpful for the majority of Americans as are activities such as jogging, swimming, and cycling.

What Are the Risks and Benefits of Androstenedione?

Androstenedione (“andro”) and creative have recently received much attention for their use as possible ergogenic aids.  Ergogenic aids are supplements taken to iprove athletic performance.  Andro is a steroidlike precursor to the male hormone testosterone.  When taken into the body, andro stimulates the body to produce more of its natural testosterone.  Increased levels of testosterone help a person build lean muscle mass and recover from injury more quickly.

Andro’s primary use as an ergogenic aid is to build muscle tissue, improve overall body strength, and boost performance, especially in aerobic sports.  Andro is banned by the National Football League (NFL), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the IOC.  The health concerns that most physicians attribute to andro are similar to those of anabolic steroids.

St. Louis Cardinal baseball player Mark McGwire’s admitted use of andro put this supplement in the national spotlight in the summer of 1998.  That was the season when McGwire rocked the baseball world by surpassing Roger Maris’s home run record by hitting sevety home runs.  It is interesting, though, that during the 1999 baseball season McGwire opted to stop using andro but still managed to hit nearly seventy home runs.

What Are the Risks and Benefits of Creatine?

Creatine is an amino acid found in meat, poultry, and fish.  In a person’s body, creatine is produced naturally in the liver, pancreas, and kidneys.  Typically, people get one to two grams of creatine each day from their food intake.  As an ergogenic aid, creatine performs its work in the muscles, where it helps restore the compound adenosine triphosphate (ATP), ATP provides quick energy for muscle contractions.  It also helps to reduce the lactic acid buildup that occurs during physical exertion.  This buildup causes a burning sensation that limit the amount of intense activity one can perform.

Early studies suggest that creatine can help athletes in anaerobic sports, which require short, explosive bursts of energy.  However, the increase in performance has been small, the long-term health impacts are unknown, studies has been restricted to highly trained subjects (not recreational athletes), and damage to kidneys is possible with high dosages.  Users are cautioned to consume ample amounts of water to prevent cramping and dehydration.

All in all, creatine is unlikely to prove as potentially dangerous as androstenedione.  If additional studies should indicate that creatine can consistently improve performance, this substance might be banned by many sports federations.  At the time of this writing, the safety, most prudent recommendation is for athletes to spend their time and energy improving their training programs rather than looking for a solution in a bottle.

How Worthwhile Are Commercial Health and Fitness Clubs?

The health and fitness club business is booming.  Fitness clubs offer activities ranges from free weights to weight machine to step walking to general aerobics.  Some clubs have saunas and whirlpools and lots of frills.  Others have course offerings that include wellness, smoking cessation, stress management, time management, dance, and yoga.  The atmosphere is friendly, and people are encouraged to have a good time while working out.

If your purpose is joining a fitness club is to improve your cardio respiratory fitness, measure the program offered by the club against the ACSM standards.  If your primary purpose is to meet people and have fun, request a trial for a month or so to see whether you like the environment.

Before signing a contract at a health club or spa, do some careful questioning.  Find out when the business was established, ask about the qualification of the employees, contact some members about their observations, and request a thorough tour of the facilities.  You might even consult your local Better Business Bureau for additional information.  Finally, make certain that you read and understand every word of the contract.

What Is Crosstraining?

Crosstraining is the use of more than one aerobic activity to achieve cardio respiratory fitness.  For example, runners may use swimming, cycling, or rowing periodically to replace running in their training routines.  Crosstraining allows certain muscle groups to rest and injuries to heal.  Also, crosstraining provides a refreshing change of pace for the participant.  You will probably enjoy your fitness program more if you vary the activities.

What Are Steroids and Why Do Some Athletes Use Them?

Steroids are drugs that can be legally prescribed by physicians for a variety of health conditions, including certain forms of anemia, inadequate growth patterns, and chronic debilitating diseases.  Steroids can also be prescribed to aid recovery from surgery or burns.  Anabolic steroids are drugs that function like the male sex hormone testosterone.  They can be taken orally or by injection.

Anabolic steroids are used by athletes who hope to gain weight, muscular size and strength, power, endurance, and aggressiveness.  Over the last few decades, many body builders, weightlifters, track athletes, and football players have chosen to ignore the serious health risks posed by illegal steroid use.

The use of steroids is highly dangerous because of serious, life-threatening side effects and adverse reactions.  These effects include heart problems, certain forms of cancer, liver complications, and even psychological disturbances.  The side effects on female steroid users are as dangerous as those on men.

Steroid users have developed a terminology of their own.  Anabolic steroids are called “roids” or “juice”.  “roid rage” is an aggressive, psychotic response to chronic steroid use.  “stacking” is a term that describe the use of multiple steroids at the same time.

Most organizations that control athletic competition (for example, the NCAA, The Athletics Congress, the NFL, and the IOC) have banned steroids and are testing athletes for illegal use.  Many athletes finally seem to be getting the message and are steering clear of steroids.

Are Today’s Children Physically Fit?

Major research studies published during the last 10 years have indicated that U.S children and teenagers lead very sedentary lives.  Children ages 6 to 17 score extremely poorly in the areas of strength, flexibility, and cardio respiratory endurance.  In many cases, parents are in better shape than their children.  A major consequence of these sedentary habits in children is obesity.  The 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (EHANES) indicates that 15% of children and adolescents ages 6-19 years are overweight.  In deed from NHANES II (1976-80) to NHANES III (1988-1994), the prevalence of overweight nearly doubled among children and adolescents and has continue to rise.  The seriousness of these data is revealed by the fact that most obese children become obese adults.

This information presents a challenge to educators and parents to emphasize the need for strenuous play activity.  Television watching and parental inactivity were implicated as major reasons in these studies.  For students reading this text who are parents or grandparents of young children, what can you do to encourage more physical activity and less sedentary activity?

How Does Sleep Contribute to Overall Fitness?

Although sleep may seem to be the opposite of exercise, it is an important adjunct to a well-planned exercise program.  Sleep is so vital to health that people who are unable to sleep sufficiently (those with insomnia) or who are deprived of sleep experience deterioration in every dimension of their health.  Fortunately, exercise is frequently associated with improvement in sleeping.

The value of sleep is apparent in a variety of positive changes in the body.  Dreaming is thought to play an important role in supporting the emotional dimension of health.  Problem-solving scenarios that occur during dreams seem to afford some carryover value in actual coping experiences.  A variety of changes in physiological functioning, particularly a deceleration of the cardiovascular system, occurs while you sleep.  The feeling of being well rested is an expression of the mental and physiological rejuvenation you feel after a good night’s sleep.

The amount of sleep needed varies among people.  In fact, for any person, sleep needs vary according to activity level and overall state of health.  As we age, the need for sleep appears to decrease from the six to eight hours young adults require.  Elderly people routinely sleep less than they did when they were younger.  This decreased may be offset by the short naps older people often take during the day.  For all people, however, periods of relaxation, daydreaming, and even an occasional afternoon nap promote electrical activity patterns that help regenerate the mind and body.

How Do I Handle Common Injuries That May Be Caused by My Fitness Activities?

For the most part, emergency care that pertain to the bones or muscles should follow the RICE acronym.  Depending on the type and severity of the injury, the importance of rest (R), ice (I) or cold application, compression (C), and elevation (E) cannot be overstated.  Any significant injury should be reported to your college student health center, an athletic trainer, a physical therapist, or a physician.

What Is the Female Athlete Triad?

In the early 1990’s, the American College of Sports Medicine identified a three-part syndrome of disordered eating, amenorrhea (lack of menstruation), and osteoporosis as the female athlete triad.  The conditions of this syndrome appear independently in many women, but among female athletes they appear together.  The female athlete triad is most likely to be found in athletes whose sport activities emphasize appearance (for example, diving, ice skating, or gymnastics).

Parents, coaches, athletic trainers, and teammates should be watchful for signs of the female athlete triad.  This syndrome has associated medical risks, including inadequate fuel supply for activities, inadequate iron intake, reduced cognitive function, altered hormone levels, reduced mental health, early onset of menopause, increased likelihood of skeletal trauma, altered blood fat profiles, and increased vulnerability to heart disease.  Vitally important is an early referral to a physician who is knowledgeable about the female athlete triad.  The physician will likely coordinate efforts with a psychologist, a nutritionist, or an athletic trainer to improve the health of the athlete and prevent recurrences.