Body Composition

Body composition is combination of fat and tissues in your body. The body is made up of two kinds of fat: body fat and storage body fat.

Your body fat can be found in muscle tissue, under the skin or around the organ.

Storage body fat, also known as lean tissue, includes bone, water, muscle, organ, and tissue. Lean tissues are “metabolically active, burning calories
for energy, while body fat is not.” (Scott, 2018)

Importance of Body Composition

Body composition is used in health and fitness to characterize the percentage of fat, bone, and muscle in human bodies. The body fat percentage is of
particular relevance because it can be quite useful in determining health. Because muscle tissue is thicker than fat tissue, analyzing one’s body fat is
vital to evaluate one’s overall body composition, especially when making health recommendations. Because of differences in body composition,
especially when the same height and weight may have distinct health difficulties.

Factors Affecting Body Composition

The following factors can influence your body composition:

(1)age (humans lose muscle mass as they age);

(2)sex (women have more body fat than men);

(3)genes(play a role in whether you are biologically lean or have a tendency to gain fat); and

(4)hormones(can impact on water retention and body composition).

Defining Body Fat Percentage

The Body Fat Percentage (BFP) is a body composition indicator that reflects how much bodyweight is fat. The percentage of the body that is not fat
is called a lean mass. The Body Fat Percentage (BFP) can be measured by computing the “total mass of fat divided by total body mass, multiplied by
100. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) provides these ranges of body fat percentage values for both men and women:

Methods of Measuring Body Fat Percentage (BFP)

A number of methods for measuring body fat percentages are available, such as skinfold calculation, bioelectric impedance, hydrostatic weighing,
and DEXA scan. Skinfold measurement is both accurate and practical for measuring body fat. Calipers are used to measure the thickness of skinfolds
in millimeters in areas where fat typically accumulates (abdomen, hip, arm, back, and thigh).

Following the completion of the measurements, the data is entered into an equation that calculates body fat percentage or body lean mass. When
measurements are obtained correctly, the skinfold test has a 3%margin of error in predicting body fat. Skinfold is a preferred method of measuring
body fat in non clinical settings since it is simple to use, has established accuracy, and is not intrusive to the patient.

Body Mass Index

Body mass index(BMI) is a value derived from the mass (weight) and height of a person. The BMI is defined as the body mass divided by the square
of the body height, and is universally expressed in units of kg/m2, resulting from mass in kilograms and height in meters.

BMI is sometimes misunderstood as a measured indicator of body fat. BMI is just a weight-to-height ratio. It is a method for determining adult
weight status and general health in big populations BMI has a weak correlation with body fat, but when combined with a body fat measurement, it
provides a fairly accurate picture of your current weight status.

Having said that, having a BMI greater than 30 increases your chance of acquiring long- term and disabling illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes,
gallstones, stroke, osteoarthritis, and several types of cancer. BMI normally falls into one of the above categories in persons over the age of 20.
A word about Calories

A calorie is the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1kilogram of water through 1 °C, equal to one thousand small calories and often used to
measure the energy value of foods (“Calorie -Oxford Dictionary”).

The amount of energy in the foods and beverages you eat and drink is measured by your calorie intake. Calories are really not necessarily bad for
you. You only have to take them in moderation. Your body requires calorie-based do not burn enough calorie through physical activity.

Cardiorespiratory endurance is the level at which your heart, lungs, and muscles work together when you’re exercising for an extended period of
time. It’s useful to know your cardiorespiratory endurance level because it can either be a sign of health or a sign that you need to improve your level
of fitness.

Increasing cardiorespiratory endurance has a positive effect on your over- all health. Cardiorespiratory endurance is important during exercise and
essential for everyday tasks such as household chores, walking, and going up and down stairs. Most people can increase their cardiorespiratory
endurance by doing regular exercise.

Cardiorespiratory is composed of cardiovascular and the respiratory systems.

Cardiovascular pertains to the heart and blood vessels functions while respiratory is on the functionality of the lungs through respiration.

Cardiorespiratory endurance – refers to the ability of the heart and lungs to deliver oxygen to working muscles during continuous physical activity.

Cardiorespiratory endurance is a measurement of how well your heart, lungs and muscles work together to keep your body active over extended
period. (Frey, 2018) Cardiorespiratory endurance is an indication of overall physical health. Tests to measure this will monitor how well the heart,
lungs and muscles perform during moderate to high intensity exercise. Increasing cardiorespiratory endurance improves oxygen uptake in the lungs
and heart and can help a person sustain physical activity for longer.

Other names for cardiorespiratory endurance include cardiovascular fitness, cardiovascular endurance, and cardiorespiratory fitness.

Why is it important

Cardiorespiratory endurance indicates a person’s high level of aerobic health and physical fitness. This information can benefit everyone, not just
professional athletes.

Having a high cardiorespiratory endurance generally means that a person can perform high-intensity exercise for longer. People trying to lose weight
may want to focus on increasing their cardiorespiratory endurance because doing higher-intensity aerobic activities can help a person burn more
calories.

Advantages of Cardiorespiratoy Endurance

1.Helps improve lung and heart condition.

2. Reduces the incidence of heart disease, lung cancer, type 2 diabetes, stroke and other illnesses.

3. Improve the body’s ability to endure dynamic exercises.

4. Boost your sense of well-being.

5. Improving your cholesterol and blood pressure level.

Warm Up Cool-down
  Prepare the body and mind before  Promote recovery and return the
exercise. body to a pre exercise, or pre work
 Increase the body’s muscle out level.
temperature to make the muscles  Assist your body in its repair
loose, supple and pliable process
 Prepare the muscles, tendons and  Enhances flexibility
joints for the activity  Helps in gradual recovery of heart
 Reduce the risk of injury rate and blood pressure

Heart Rate

Heart rate is the number of heartbeats per minute, which shows how fast the heart is beating (bpm). The heart rate can change depending on what the
body needs to do, like take in oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide. It is usually the same as or close to the pulse at any point around the body.
Physical exercise, sleep, anxiety, stress, illness, smoking, and taking drugs are all things that can change or affect your heart rate.

Resting Heart RATE

To find the Resting Heart Rate (RHR), a person should take their heart rate for one minute as soon as they wake up in the morning. This is the time
after which the person is said to have rested enough. For the RHR to be more accurate, it needs to be measured on 3 consecutive mornings, and then
the average needs to be found

Flexibility

■ The achievable range of motion at a joint or group of joints without causing injury

■ Lack of flexibility or improper stretching leads to muscular/skeletal problems and injuries

■ Usually occur when a tight muscle is abruptly forced beyond its achievable range of motion

Benefits of Good Flexibility

■ Promotes healthy muscles and joints

■ Improves elasticity of muscles and connective tissue around joints, enhancing freedom of movement

■ Makes activities of daily living (turning, lifting, and bending) easier to perform

■ Regular stretching increases circulation to the muscles

■ Helps prevent low-back and other spinal column problems

■ Improves and maintains good postural alignment

■ Promotes proper and graceful body movement

■ Improves personal appearance and self- image

■ Helps develop and maintain motor skills throughout life

Flexibility in Older Adults

■ Good range of motion is critical in older life

■ Lack of good range of motion can severely hamper mobility

■ Lack of flexibility may cause falls and other injury

■ A simple stretching program can alleviate or prevent this problem and help people return to an exercise program and normal ADLs

■Genetic factors

■ Physical activity

■ Joint structure (shape of the bones)

■ Ligaments

■ Body temperature

■ Tendons

■ Muscles

■ Skin

■ Tissue injury

■ Adipose tissue (fat)

■ Age

■ Gender

Factors Affecting Flexibility

■ Range of motion about a joint depends primarily on the structure of that joint

■ Greater range of motion can be attained through plastic and elastic elongation

■ Plastic elongation

■ Permanent lengthening of soft tissue

■ Elastic elongation

■ Temporary lengthening of soft tissue

Evaluating Body Posture

■ Good posture enhances

■ Personal appearance

■ Self-image

■ Confidence

■ Improves balance and endurance

■ Protects against misalignment-related aches and pains

■ Prevents falls

■ Enhances overall sense of well-being

Principles of Muscular Flexibility Prescription – Modes of Training

■ Static stretching

• Lengthen the muscle tissue gradually through a joint’s complete range of motion and hold the final position for a few seconds.

■ Causes little pain and has a low risk

For injury. • The most frequently used and recommended.

■ Passive stretching

■ Muscles are relaxed.

• External force is applied to increase joint range of motion.

Principles of Muscular Flexibility Prescription – Modes of Training

■ Dynamic stretching

■ Uses movement speed, momentum, and muscular effort to increase joint range of motion.

■ Not associated with loss of strength and power.

• Preferably completed prior to competition

■ Ballistic stretching

■ Jerky, rapid, and bouncy movements that force the muscle to lengthen.

■ Effective, but at the cost of muscle damage when performed too fast.

■ If excessive, plastic elongation and the accompanying loss of joint stability may result.

■ Slow, gentle, and controlled-ballistic stretching is effective and safer than standard ballistic stretching.

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF)

• Stretching technique that uses reflexes and neuromuscular principles to relax the muscles being stretched

■ Based on a “contract-and-relax” method

■ Benefits of PNF

■ More effective than slow-sustained stretching.

■ An increase in strength of the muscle(s) being stretched.

■ Disadvantages of PNF

■ More pain.

Need for a second person to assist. Need for more time to conduct each session.

Intensity

■ The degree of stretch should be to only a point of mild discomfort or tightness at the end of the range of motion.

■ The muscle should be relaxed as much as possible along with relatively slow stretching movements.

■Warm up vs. stretching

■ Warm-up: The goal is to get the muscle warm, so it resists less

• Light aerobics first

3- to 5-minute warm-up for steady activities

■ Up to 10 minutes for stop-and-go activities and athletic participation in general

■ Stretching: movement of joints through their full range of motion and holding the final degree of stretch according to recommended guidelines.

■ In general, after an aerobic workout is the best time to stretch

Effects of Stress

Excessive stress causes muscles to contract

■ Frequent tightening of the muscles can throw the back out of alignment and constrict blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to the back
■ Chronic stress releases hormones linked to muscle and tendon injuries

■ People under stress forget about proper body mechanics, increasing risk for injury

■ Proper stress management should be in your back care program