Physical fitness invigorates body for daily life

Published Jan. 19, 2011
By Airman 1st Class Heather Holcomb
81st Training Wing Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Editor's note: This is the third in a series of articles about personal wllness.

Despite the fact that the average American sprints through life, their bodies are quite often just along for the ride.

Stephanie McCann, health and wellness center dietitian, said that the state of Mississippi has been the most obese state in the country for the last six years in a row.

The advancement of technology and higher demand on people's time has made it increasingly difficult to keep up with the physical wellness that is essential for a long, productive life.

According to the Cooper Institute, "Physical fitness is defined as the ability to carry out daily tasks with vigor and alertness, without undue fatigue and with ample energy to engage in leisure time pursuits and meet above average physical stresses encountered in emergency situations."

In other words, a person who takes care of their physical wellness is better able to complete daily tasks and respond to emergency situations.

Physical wellness can be broken down into two main aspects -- physical activity and nutrition.

Physical activity

Incorporating physical activity into everyday life doesn't necessarily mean going to the gym or running every day, it simply means aking the time to move.

Terry Jordan, exercise physiologist at the HAWC suggests using the acronym FITT when formulating an exercise plan.

Frequency -- Ms. Jordan said, "It's important that you progress on a weekly basis, but do it in small increments."

She recommends setting a goal to work in one extra day of physical activity and then after two weeks add another extra day with the final goal being five times per week.

For example, start by being physically active once a week then, two weeks later, increase to twice a week and continue until you reach the final goal.

"We get comfortable with what we're doing," Ms. Jordan said, "to progress we have to get a little uncomfortable."

Intensity -- It's recommended to exercise at between 70 and 80 percent of your maximum heart rate. To calculate this you subtract your age from 220 then multiply that number by 0.7 and 0.8.

If you don't have a heart monitor or a stop watch to determine heart rate, determine the intensity of the workout by gauging your bility to carry on a conversation.

If you can easily carry on a conversation with your wingman, you probably aren't at your target heart rate. If you cannot say a short sentence, you are probably above your target heart rate.

Time -- Start with a dynamic warm-up for about 5-10 minutes such as jogging or jumping jacks, anything that gets the heart pumping nd the blood flowing.

Then, move on to 20-60 minutes of cardiovascular training where you are within that target heart rate.

Finally, end with a 5-10 minute cool down in which you calm your breathing and your heart rate and lessen the stress on your muscles.

Ms. Jordan said that thirty minutes is adequate to benefit your health, but if you want to lose weight it is better to shoot for 40-60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

Type -- "If you're trying to lose weight, start with endurance and then do strength training when the weight is lost," Ms. Jordan said.

This is the area to be creative in and find a way to maintain interest in physical activity. The options are endless. Find what you enjoy and what works for you and go out there and do it.

Bill Jinske, CSC fitness director, said "Fitness is a way of life, just like eating and sleeping. One must be willing to make this commitment and constantly make modifications in their daily lifestyle to accommodate their priorities in life."

Nutrition

Ms. McCann said that after the age of 20, metabolic rates decrease and calorie needs decline.

"We are no longer building up height and structure," she said. "We are in a maintenance stage."

She also said that because of this decline, men are prone to gain 2 pounds per year and women are prone to gain 1½ pounds per year.

However, a nutritious diet can help to curb weight gain, especially in conjunction with physical activity.

One pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. The bare bones way to lose weight is to subtract an extra 3,500 calories.

However, there is a healthy way to go about it and there is a dangerous way to go about it. It's true that if you don't eat or if you overexercise that you will lose the weight, but you'll end up damaging your body in the long run.

Ms. McCann said, "A healthy diet is rich in plantbased foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and cooked, dried beans and peas; moderate in animal foods such as lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, low-fat dairy foods; and limited in solid/saturated fats, sugars and salts."

She explained that our bodies were genetically manufactured to be hunter-gatherers with the ability to store fat for times when food was scarce or unavailable.

"Now, the food seems to hunt us," Ms. McCann said.

She said that in our current society there is no end to the food available and there's hardly a need to leave our homes throughout the day with the advent of motor vehicles and the Internet.

Ms. McCann also explained that there are seven general habits of people who have lost weight and kept it off.

1. They balanced their food intake and activity level.
2. They ate a low-fat diet.
3. They ate breakfast everyday.
4. They weighed themselves once a week and kept track of their progress.
5. They limited TV and computer time throughout the day.
6. They exercised around 60 minutes per day.
7. They kept track of their food intake.

Ms. McCann also recommends eating out less frequently, reducing consumption of high calorie beverages, purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season, packing a lunch and snacks to eat at work, occasionally substituting beans and peas for meat and spacing meals out throughout the day.

Ms. McCann and Ms. Jordan recommend asking yourself two questions before you begin your trek toward physical wellness:

What barriers may interfere with my plan?
What enhancers can help with my plan?

For more information or to make an appointment to attend the BE WELL (balanced eating, workout effectively, live long) seminar, call the HAWC, 376-3170.