Exercise and Health Fitness

The exercise factor on weight loss

Filed under: Aerobic, Diet, Essays, Muscle, Physical, Programs, Women, equipment — arlene @ 5:02 pm

People who attempt to lose weight purely through exercise often find that there is an increase in their lean body (muscle) mass and a decrease in their fat mass, but very little change in their total weight. However, in combination with a balanced reducing diet, an increase in physical activity seems to encourage the loss of weight which is due mainly to fat losses.

Some researchers have suggested that exercise maintains or increases the muscle compartment (muscle tissue is far more active than fat tissue and contributes largely towards basic energy expenditure) and in this way at least partially prevents the diet-induced decrease in energy requirements. The latter could be responsible for the reaching of a ‘plateau’ in weight loss.

There are several other advantages in combining increased exercise with a balanced reducing diet. For example, it has been shown that exercise:

• uses up energy (kilojoules) which in turn helps you to achieve an `energy deficit’ sufficient to allow continued weight loss. (more…)

Nutrition for Exercise: Finding the Balance…

Filed under: Diet, Essays, Muscle, Nutrition, Physical, Trainer, Women — arlene @ 2:38 am

For a world-class track athlete, a few seconds may be the difference between a good performance and a ‘great’ performance, or the difference between being a qualifier and a gold medallist. In a recent survey of Olympic hopefuls, many indicated that they would be willing to sacrifice both health and long life by taking potentially harmful substances which have been shown to enhance performance. Some may regard this simply as an illustration of the extreme competitiveness of world-class sport, but what it highlights is the extent to which athletes and sportsmen and -women in general are influenced by claims that foods, liquids or other substances are able to improve their performance. Virtually every food or part thereof has at some time been promoted as having magical performance-enhancing properties this raises the question: Does what we eat or drink really affect our physical performance in sport in particular and exercise in general? (more…)