Chapter 4 REVIEW QUESTIONS (FITNESS)

[Last update: 3/3/04]

Hales, D. (2004). Chapter 4: The Joy of Fitness In An Invitation to Health (3rd ed.) (pp. 73-95). Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth.
  1. INTRO:  
    1. T/F: More than 60% of adults do not exercise regularly. 
    2. List risk factors for not exercising regularly. [key]
    3. T/F: A quarter of a million Americans die each year from causes related to inactivity. 
    4. T/F: America's young people are more active than their counterparts from 20 years ago. 
    5. T/F: The most rapid declines in physical activity occur during late adolescence and early adulthood. 
    6. T/F: You need athletic skills to keep fit.
  2. WHAT IS PHYSICAL FITNESS? 
    1. Define "physical fitness." (p. 74, also see notes).
    2. According to the book, what are the five components of physical fitness?  (p. 74, also see notes).
    3. Provide a synonym for "cardiovascular fitness."
    4. What are the two components of muscular fitness? 
    5. What does "body composition" refer to? 
    6. List diseases caused by high body fat 
    7. What forms of cancer are associated with high body fat? 
    8. T/F: Decreased flexibility with aging is a serious health problem.
  3. WHY SHOULD I EXERCISE? 
    1. List the 8 broad benefits of regular exercise. 
    2. T/F: Moderate exercise is as effective as medication in improving mood and helping to prevent relapses in people who feel anxious and depressed.
    3. Besides "burning calories," how does exercise help lower rate?
  4. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTH. 
    1. The overload principle states that, for a muscle to get stronger, it must work against a ________ than normal resistance or challenge. 
    2. According to the Institute of Medicine, what is the minimum amount of light activity a person should engage in to maintain maximal health benefits (p. 79)?  
    3. What is the minimum frequency you need to exercise to maintain fitness (p. 80)? 
    4. T/F: Physical activity goals should be adapted to your current level of fitness. 
  5. CARDIOVASCULAR OR AEROBIC FITNESS. 
    1. Describe the difference between aerobic, anaerobic, and non-aerobic exercise, and give examples of each. 
    2. Does aerobic (cardiovascular) exercise involve the whole body? 
    3. Where is your carotid artery? 
    4. What percentage of your maximum heart is your target heart rate? 
    5. Calculate your maximum heart rate. 
    6. Calculate your target heart rate range. 
    7. Other than walking, jogging, and running, list other common forms of aerobic activities.
  6. MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE. 
    1. T/F: Muscle building exercises helps reduce body fat. 
    2. T/F: Muscle building are relatively unimportant unless you are a body builder. 
    3. T/F: Muscle building exercises should be balanced with aerobic exercise for optimal health. T
    4. T/F: Muscle building exercises increases capillary supplies and total circulation. 
    5. What is a capillary? 
    6. What is muscle atrophy, and what is its cause? 
    7. What is overloading? 
    8. Which is a better strategy for improving endurance: few repetitions with heavy loads or many repetitions with light loads. 
    9. T/F: Muscles can do only two things: contract and relax.
    10. Consider the statement "all exercise involves muscle pulling on bones across a joint." What happens when a muscle pulls a bone across a joint? (ANS: The joint flexes.) 
    11. Identify, on your body the following muscle groups: deltoids, pectorals, triceps/biceps, quadriceps/hamstrings, gluteus maximus, abdomen. 
    12. What's a "set" and what's a "rep"? 
    13. What's the optimal time between muscle workouts? (ANS: 48 to 96 hours)
  7. FLEXIBILITY (comment): Although flexibility and increased motion are essential goals of health fitness, there is some controversy on how best to achieve it (e.g., recent studies show no health benefits to stretching before activities in some athletes; other studies claim that the athlete should stretch before their workout, while still others say they should only stretch after the muscle is warm.)
  8. SPORTS SAFETY.  
    1. Sports injury is a common reason people discontinue exercise programs. 
    2. Compare acute injuries to overuse use injuries, and provide examples of each (p. 92).
    3. Is a fall or collision an acute or overuse injury? 
    4. Is "tennis elbow" an acute or overuse injury? 
    5. Can pushing yourself too hard ("overtraining") cause injury? 
    6. T/F: All exercise programs and sports carry with them some risk of injury. 
    7. T/F: Preventing sports injuries is more effective than treatment them.

LECTURE NOTES ON FITNESS

  1. Physical fitness = the ability to respond to physical demands with reserve capacity to cope with sudden challenges (book definition). Dr. G adds: the ability to feel comfortable and resist disease. For example, a fit bone is one that causes no pain and resists injury.
  2. Components of physical fitness
    1. cardiovascular (aerobic)
    2. muscular strength 
    3. muscular endurance
    4. body composition
    5. flexibility
  3. Physiological benefits of regular exercise:
    1. Cardiovascular (heart and vessels) and respiratory (lungs and airways) health
    2. Mental and emotional health
    3. Weight control
    4. Increased bone density
    5. Lower risk of some metabolic diseases (e.g., diabetes)
    6. Mobility, function, and lack of pain (esp. at older ages)
    7. Protection against breast, reproductive, prostate, and colon cancer
  4. Aerobic (literally, "with air,") vs. anaerobic ("without air"): aerobic exercise builds cardio-resp. reserve; anaerobic exercise build muscle strength; anaerobic exercises causes lactic acidosis
  5. You can overdo exercise!
  6. Target heart rate = 60% - 85% of maximum. Maximum heart rate = 220 - age, e.g., a 20-year-old has max heart rate = 220 - 20 and a target rate of between .6 x 200 = 120 and .85 x 200 = 170.
  7. Strength training (heavy weight) vs. endurance training (high repetition)