Health Sciences and Medicine Kinesiology: Fitness - Coursework Example

Health sciences and Medicine Kinesiology- fitness Cardiovascular endurance refers to the heart’s ability todeliver blood to working muscles and the ability to use it in exercises like running long distances. Another importance is because the heart controls oxygen flow to all the vital organs in the muscles therefore cardiovascular health has a direct impact on both endurance and strength wise.   Muscular strength is the amount of force a muscle can exert in a single contraction. Strength is determined by spasm in fibers, which emphasis more on rapid surges of energy.  Another thing to remember is that one should never repeat strength training on a specific muscle more than once every 48 hours as this can cause numerous injuries and wear the muscle out. Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle to do continuous work over a long period. It is determined by how well an individual’s slow twitch muscles fiber develops. Slow twitch muscle fibers cannot wield as much force as fast twitch, but can bear an effort over greater period. Flexibility is the length of an eccentric motion that a muscle can perform. Flexibility is important because it reduces the risk of injury in any sport and improves performance. Flexibility is how far a muscle can stretch its fibers. The more the fibers can stretch the more the muscle becomes flexible. Body composition is the body’s relative amount of fat-to-fat-free mass. It is divided into two types of mass: fat-free mass for example bone, water, muscle tissues and body fat located within the body useful for protecting internal organs. Those with optimal body composition are typically healthier and efficient than those with less than ideal body. Examples of cardiovascular exercises include light jog of about 15-20 min, rowing machine 15-20min quick pace, and ending with three sets of push-ups of about ten reps each set. The second example includes beginning with a cardio bike 15-20 min from medium to quick pace, then three sets of chin-ups with a maximum of reps and finishing off with a step machine 15-20 min quick pace. Third example is treadmill 15-20 min light jog to run, skipping rope for 15mins with fast pace and then finishing off with triceps dips three sets with a maximum of eight reps in each set. Muscular strength exercises may include bench press, dumbbell fly, shoulder press, and triceps’ extensions. Second example is exercise focusing on back, abs, and biceps. One may begin with a cable row, and then shoulder shrugs; dumbbell curls and finish with varied ab exercises like sit ups to follow respectively. Third example of muscular strength is leg exercises that include squats, leg press calve press and lastly quad extensions. Muscular endurance exercises ay include a 15-20 minutes light jog to run, rowing machine 15-20minutes quick pace and finishing with three sets of push-ups. A second example of muscular endurance may involve beginning with a cardio bike for 15 minutes medium to fast pace, then three sets of chin-ups with desired maximum reps and finishing off with step machine for 15 minutes quick pace. Third example of muscular endurance may involve skipping a rope for ten minutes with fast pace and finishing off with triceps dips three sets for a maximum of eight reps. Exercises that boost flexibility of muscles include; stretch exercises like hamstring stretch by sitting on the floor with the back straight. Another example is neck stretch that involves touching your left ear to your left shoulder. Third example of boosting flexibility is the knee lift that involves lie with back flat on the floor or lift your knees to the chest. Skill related factors of fitness Strength is the extent to which muscles can exert force by contracting against resistance. An example of strength may be holding or restraining an object. Power is the ability to exert maximum muscular contraction instantly in an explosive burst of movements. The two components of power are strength and speed. An example of exercise that involves power is sprinting. Agility is the ability to perform a series of explosive power movements in rapid succession in opposing directions. A good example of an exercise that involves agility is zigzag running. Balance is the ability to control the bodys position in a stationary or moving state. Flexibility is the ability to achieve an extended range of motion without any interference by excess tissue. Physical benefits of Exercise Exercises plays an important role in resetting the appestat hence the body is able to regulate the amount of fat loss and fat gained depending on an individual’s nutritional intake. Additionally, exercise lowers the risk of adult onset diabetes. Moderate exercise burns approximately 200 calories, which lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes. Exercises also boosts insulin efficiency by helping it to remove sugar from blood before it is stored as fat. Moreover, exercise helps boost the immunity of the body. Regular exercise increases white cell count, which improves the body’s ability to fight infections. A combination of exercises and low fat diet can reduce levels of LDL cholesterol in the body. Regular exercise improves sex life. A good diet and exercise programme results in stress management and heightens sexual arousal and pleasure. Exercise improves the efficiency of muscles to use oxygen hence enables body to deliver more oxygen to vital organs like heart, brain, and lungs. Exercises build muscle including heart muscle hence enables heart to pump more blood per stroke without strain. Exercises acts like a tonic by improving many symptoms of aging like muscle degeneration, cardiovascular difficulties among others. Exercises prevent humans from life threatening diseases and conditions like diabetes and hypertension hence increases our time to live. Exercise also increases size of muscle and muscle is useful burning fat in the body. Weight training exercises increase bone density and prevent cases of osteoporosis or softening of the bone. They make body to generate more calcium that is important in bone formation. Exercises release endorphins that elevate moods of an individual and act as pain relieving factors. Exercises increase blood flow to the brain, which helps the brain to relax and one can concentrate more. Exercise also improves digestion and speeds the passage of food through intestines. Regular exercise also lowers chances of getting colon cancer because it results into the body eliminating toxic excretions. Heat exhaustion vs. Heat stroke In heat exhaustion, a person experiences extreme tiredness or fatigue due to of a drop in blood pressure and blood volume. Heatstroke occurs when the body temperature becomes increasingly high due to excessive heat exposure. The body is unable to cool itself and starts to overheat. Signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke Common signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion include; misperception, dark urine, vertigo, fainting, fatigue, headache, muscle contractions, biliousness and vomiting, pale skin, profuse sweating and rapid heartbeat. On the other hand, common signs and symptoms of heat stroke are confusion, vertigo, headache, thirst, nausea, hyperventilation, muscle cramps, heavy sweating, extreme fatigue, urinating less often, and tachycardia. Aerobic vs. Anaerobic exercises Aerobic exercises require energy. Our bodies use glycogen and fat as fuel. This low level of exertion can be sustained over long periods. As one is breathing heavily with exertion, carbon dioxide is expelled from the body. Lactic acid is not a product in aerobic exercises. Aerobic exercises burn excess fat, improves mood and strengthens heart. Examples include running at a comfortable pace, biking, and swimming. In anaerobic exercises, oxygen is not present. Glycogen acts as fuel and once it is over an individual becomes fatigued. The body builds up lactic acid, which causes fatigue. Therefore, this exercise only happens in short bursts. Examples include; athletes who run short distances like 100-meter dash, sprinting, and weight lifting. Determining the proper intensity for workout The two main ways to measure exercise intensity include how one feels after the exercise and one’s heart rate. How one feels determines the subjective measure of how hard physical activity feels when doing it. Heart rate offers a more objective look at exercise intensity. The higher the hearts rate during physical activity the higher the exercise intensity. These are two main ways that help to gauge exercise intensity. Other technological ways are use of heart rate monitors. The basic way to calculate ones maximum heart rate is to subtract his or her age from 220, for example, I am 25 years old to get my maximum heart rate I will subtract 25 from 220, which is 195 beats per minute. To determine my target heart rate, multiply 195 by 0.7 to get 136.5. To determine the higher target range, multiply 195 by 0.85 to get 165.75. Therefore, the target range is between 136.5 and 165.75 Dissimilarity between diastolic and systolic blood pressure Diastolic blood pressure is the minimum pressure in the arteries when the pumping chambers of the heart fill with blood.it has a range of between 60-80mmHg in adults. Blood vessels remain relaxed in diastolic phase. Systolic blood pressure measure the amount of pressure that blood exerts on arteries and vessels while the heart is beating. Has a range of 90-120 mmHg. Methods of determining body composition Bioelectrical impedance measures the resistance of body tissues to the flow of a harmless electrical signal. Current flows through the parts of the body composed of water. This method measures the strength and speed of electrical signal and then uses height and weight to calculate body fat content. Hydrostatic weighing determines body fat by application of Archimedes’ Principle of displacement. Involves measurement of person weight and comparing with rise in level of water if an individual is put in water. Skinfold measurement involves calculating body fat by measuring skinfolds. Skinfold thickness at specific locations on the body are measured and compared to the norm. Body mass index is a screening tool used to measure weight relative to height. Calculations involve dividing body mass by the square of height. The result determines the body mass index according to the scale of normal. Read More