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WOMEN IN
MOTION
December
2001
Vol. 3, No. 4
This Month Contains:
-Article: Physical Activity or Fitness Exercise?
~From Around the 'Net
1. Rotating Weight Training Exercises
2. Being Kind Can Make You Feel Better
3. Exervise May Reduce Impotence Risk
4. Avoid injury
5. Two Runners? Take Turns
6. Accountability
~Words of Inspiration
~The Running Woman Board
Physical Activity or Fitness-oriented Exercise
Which is best?
The American Surgeon General's recommends 30 minutes of moderate physical activity daily for maintaining a healthy body. Most people feel that 30 minutes of walking, gardening, cleaning the house, or grass cutting does not compare with 30 minutes of cycling, swimming, jogging, aerobic dance, etc.
The level of intensity was too different to produce the same fitness results. To see this one needs to understand the difference in the benefits. Fitness-oriented exercise has the goal of improving physical capacity.
Physical activity is a much broader term. It includes just about any activity that moves the muscles. The average person is going to choose physical activity over fitness-oriented exercise because it offers more choices and adapts more easily to a person's lifestyle.
Burning calories
One mile of running equals one mile of walking. You are going to burn the same amount of calories, approximately 100 calories. Running will burn more calories per minute because it is performed at a higher intensity and you cover a greater distance. For example, a runner may run a mile in seven minutes and burn 100 calories, but it may take the walker fifteen minutes to travel the mile and to burn the same amount of calories.
If the major reason you exercise is to control weight, your body doesn't care whether you exercise for fitness or for movement. You will gain, lose, or maintain weight according to the total number of calories you take in and the total number of calories you burn over time.
Effects on the heart
Fitness-oriented exercise definitely is better in it's ability to positively affect the heart. All research points to fitness exercise having a greater impact on the efficiency of the heart. A highly fit person will have a lower resting heartbeat, indicating less work on the heart. For example, a fit heart may only beat 40 to 50 times per minute compared with the average of 72 to 85 beats per minute. A fit heart will beat less often when performing challenging tasks. Fewer heart beats means less stress and strain on the heart.
Another benefit of fitness exercise is heart and lung fitness. Raising the heart to it's target heart rate for 20 minutes three times a week can produce the greatest benefit to the heart and lungs.
Overall, fitness-oriented exercise produces a higher level of cardiovascular health.
Fitness-oriented exercise or physical activity
Fitness exercise is better than physical activity. If you like vigorous exercise, or if you are limited in the amount of time for exercise, fitness exercise may be your choice. The important point is to participate on a regular basis. The choice to be active rather than sedentary will greatly reduce the rise of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases.
Most people find a more positive outlook on life and a feeling of calmness as a result of regular exercise. Exercise can be a way of diverting the mind from everyday responsibilities or a means of stress reduction and relaxation.
The Total Person
We have known for centuries the concept of the total person: mind, body, and spirit. Physical activity strengthens the quality of a person's life and increases the sense of total well-being. It is worth the time and effort to engage in regular physical activity at home or your work site.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance. The body needs it for the functioning of the cell membranes, the insulation of nerves, and the production of certain hormones. The liver uses it to make bile that aids in digestion. There are two types: dietary and blood cholesterol.
Dietary cholesterol is found only in animal products, such as meat and dairy. Blood cholesterol is produced by the liver and from the foods you eat. Your liver makes about 80 percent of your blood cholesterol, and about 20 percent comes from your daily food intake.
In order for cholesterol to be carried in the blood, your body coats the cholesterol with proteins, resulting in a combination of substances called lipoproteins. Low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) contain lots of cholesterol. High-density lipoproteins (HDLs) contain mostly protein. HDL is called good cholesterol because it sweeps away cholesterol deposits from artery walls. High levels of HDLs lower the risk of heart disease.
Regular exercise produces a more favorable ratio of HDL to total blood cholesterol. Aerobic activity will increase HDLs. It will also help to lower blood triglycerides, a type of dietary fat that increases the risk of coronary heart disease.
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From Around the
'Net
1. Rotating Weight Training Exercises
Weight lifters tend to stick with one routine and repeat the same
exercises over and over. However, the body adapts to muscle
repetition resulting in a training standstill or plateau. It is
important to vary the exercises you do and the order in which you do
them. A good idea is to have several good exercises for each muscle
group and rotate them on a regular basis. Also, varying the types of
exercise equipment may be advantageous. Exercise machines generally
isolate the working muscles, and free weights require additional
muscle groups to be used for balance and stability. Alternating
equipment will keep the body changing to accommodate the new muscle
fibers being used, resulting in continued growth of muscle size and
strength.
2.
Being Kind Can Make You Feel Better
We were all taught those basics rules to live life by in kindergarten.
Our lives get more complex, even as our society attempts to simplify.
We find ourselves short on time and even shorter on patience. We begin
to focus on ourselves, and can't see the needs and feelings of others.
As we approach the holidays and the beginning of the new year this is a great time to get back to the basics
and practice kindness. Do something nice for someone. Hold your tongue
and remember that if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at
all". Try not to be so judgmental.
Spread the
holiday spirit into the new year, and enjoy yourself while you do it.
3. Exercise May Reduce Impotence
The New England Research Institutes of Watertown, Massachusetts, a
private health research firm, found men who burned 200 calories or
more a day in physical activity had far less risk of erectile
dysfunction. Sedentary men were at highest risk.
Cardiovascular exercise (aerobic) helps to keep the arteries of the
body clear of fat deposits resulting in adequate blood supply to the
sexual organs. However, this is only a preventive measure. Men with
erectile dysfunction will not reverse this condition through exercise
alone.
So if this is a concern, get your man working out.
4. Avoid injury
You know running can cause injuries. In fact, almost 25
percent of adults who run suffer from musculoskeletal injuries. Why? The
main cause is sudden, significant changes in your training routine. Lack
of proper rest between high intensity workouts, a sudden increase in
distance, and an intense workout can all contribute to injury. To avoid
the urge to run too much too soon this spring (and risk injury),
continue running through winter. And remember to take time off if you
feel any pain.
5. Take Turns
“When two marathoners are living under the same roof, take turns
tackling a 26.2-miler. This way bills get paid, home-cooked meals get
made, dishes get washed, and the idle, rested runner in the household
can better support the ambitions of the tired marathoner-in-training.”
–Eileen Portz-Shovlin, RW senior editor
6. Accountability
Throughout our lives we encounter accountability on numerous levels.
First and foremost we are accountable to ourselves, our families and to other people - running members, co-workers, and neighbors.
We are also accountable to our God. Whatever that god may be in your life.
Of course we must be accountable to our job or business so we can provide for our families.
But in our running lives how can we improve except by being accountable to all of the above and to others as well.
Additional comments are found on the cl-winmotion Tip of the Month.
Words of Inspiration
"The marathon, like most things worth doing, offers risks and rewards.
Because it gives a chance to go beyond usual boundaries-and at least an
equal possibility of failing
-the race both attracts and frightens
runners.”
- Joe Henderson, The Complete Marathoner
The Running Woman Board
The Running Woman Message board continues to be active. With the winter season approaching a number of runners are concerned with what to wear in the cooler weather. We continue to offer advise to all posts. Thanks to all of you who have provided assistance to members old and new. Good Luck and Continued Running to all.
Gord
If you wish to have us feature a picture of you
and an article about a road race you have enjoyed, contact us.
About This Newsletter
Experts - we are not. Information presented here is a
collection of research with a taste of experience and opinion added
for flavour. We don't get upset if someone disagrees with anything
that has been said or written. In our experience with runners, it is
difficult to get agreement on most anything. If it works for you,
then it works.
Neither Women in Motion nor the author of this
newsletter provides professional medical advice. The information in
this newsletter is intended to help you better understand running
issues. It is not intended to replace the advice of a physician. If
you read something in the newsletter that contradicts what your
physician tells you in any way, always follow your physician's
advice.
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Gordon Samson,
Editor
Women in Motion
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Gordon and Fariyal
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Women in Motion
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"Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes
perfect."
-Fariyal Samson, B.PE, B.Ed
© Women in Motion
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