Respiration and Ventilation

Sometimes the terms used in discussing the functions of the respiratory system can be confusing because they are used slightly differently in the technical world of fitness and medicine than they are by the rest of us. In this section, we'll look at two processes:

FOREVER STRONG FOREVER YOUNG

How to preserve peak Health, a Strong Body and Your Passion for Living At Any Age

Heart Rate

The heart rate , sometimes called a pulse, is simply the number of times your heart beats every minute. One measurement of a person's fitness is his resting heart rate how hard his heart has to work while the person is sitting. Resting heart rates vary from 60 to 90 beats per minute. Physically fit people and people with good genes have a lower resting heart rate. Less fit people , people on some medications, people dealing with stress, and people who have just come from the coffee shop may have higher resting heart rates. (Caffeine tends to increase resting heart rate.)

Water Weight

Water weight is the percentage of body weight made up of water. Water makes up more than 75 percent of your body . Without enough water, your digestive system doesn't work smoothly, and your blood doesn't flow properly. In a typical day, you lose about 10 cups of water from your system through sweating , evaporation, breathing , and waste removal. Food contains some water, but you still need to drink about eight cups of water a day .As you exercise, your rate of water loss goes up, and therefore , so does your body's need for water.




Bone Weight


Bone weight is the percentage of body weight made up of bone. The human body has a complicated skeleton that includes 206 bones 22in the skull and 27 in each hand alone! All together, the skeletal system, which includes flexible cartilage and ligaments, accounts for about 20 percent of body mass . Our bones provide a very stable framework for our muscles and skin, as well as protect our internal organs. However, bones in a living person aren't like the dry, dusty bones you've seen in a museum. They are made up of living tissue that makes blood cells and stores minerals, such as calcium. Bones are light, yet they are five times stronger than steel. We'll talk more about the skeletal system later in this course.

SETTING SMART GOALS

Personal fitness trainer and nutritional specialists work with clients to ensure that the goals they set are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time specific. One easy way to remember these attributes is that first letter of each can be used to spell SMART.



S-- specific
M--measurable
A--attainable
R--relevant
T--time specific

What Controls Our Health Habits?

Also contributing to the difficulty in changing our health habits is the fact that these habits often are unstable over time. For example, some people go on crash diets for special occasions such as weddings and reunions. In doing so, they restrict their caloric intake for a short time losing large amounts of weight only to return to their old eating habits following the special occasion. Other people might adopt a healthier lifestyle only to slip back into their old pattern  during a time of high stress. The job of a personal fitness trainer and nutritional specialist is to help clients establish and maintain healthy behaviors that they can sustain for a lifetime.

Dont't just Sit There!

Our bodies are meant to move. You don't have to be expert in human anatomy to see that the muscles and joints of the human body are put together so that it can bend, stretch, jump, and run . So why is it so hard for most of us to get on that treadmill or bike and exercise each day ?When it comes to our bodies and muscles, the saying Use it or lose it really applies. By failing to use our bodies, we allow our muscles to weaken and our joints to become stiff. Then , when we try to start an exercise routine, our bodies resist the sudden extra force. And this isn't just physically discouraging. Mentally , someone who tries to exercise and finds it too difficult or painful will be quick to pick up a defeated attitude.

Assess Your Psychological Health

Since psychological health plays a key role in wellness, it is an important aspect to consider when evaluating your overall health. Even small adjustment problems can become troublesome if they are not addressed in an effective manner. Do you have a positive outlook on life, or do you view things pessimistically? If you suffer from a psychological disease such as depression or an eating disorder, are you taking steps to address your illness?


General Health

Smoking, drug use, and excess alcohol and caffeine consumption can be extremely damaging to your health. Do you overindulge in any of these? Yearly physicals are a good idea even for the most healthy and active individuals. Do you suffer from any chronic pain or illness? Do you take any medications, if so , are these medications still necessary?