Mark Skelton

Chronic medical conditions are those that develop slowly over time. Affected persons often do not know how the condition developed, deny that their behavior is the cause, or think that the cause or behavior is outside their control.

Three lifestyle behaviors that contribute to pain and illness and yet are controllable are introduced here. They are physical inactivity, poor nutrition and inadequacy of personal values. These are often interrelated and when diagnosing symptoms and prescribing remedies all three must be considered among other possible considerations.

Eleven selected common serious chronic conditions are listed here. They all may result in pain, disability, drug dependence and death. The three behavioral / lifestyle precursors mentioned are provided with recommendations to correct the condition.

Note: There are other lifestyle issues such as smoking, age, gender and heredity. Entries are possible examples of conditions or corrective actions – not exhaustive. Refined products are any processed / packaged products, including all milk products, beverages, etc., etc.

It may be possible to prevent, cure or manage each of these illnesses by correcting the problematic lifestyle issues involved. Doctors are qualified to diagnose, prescribe drugs to suppress symptoms and perform surgery. Consulting a fitness instructor, a nutritionist or a sociologist will help determine the most effective adjustments to lifestyle to correct the root cause of a medical condition.

Overweight and obesity are probably the most prevalent contributing factors to many other conditions including among those listed: heart disease, diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension, depression and low self-esteem. They are most commonly connected to physical fitness and physical inactivity in relation to dieting and calorie or fat intake or burning. An exercise program with proper nutrition is a more effective and holistic approach to health than dieting.

Should overweight not be an issue, exercise remains of primary importance in correcting all of the medical conditions mentioned. A strong and effective cardiovascular / respiratory system and a strong and flexible musculoskeletal system will give the body and mind the basis for health.

It may be possible to find encouragement by joining in activities such as dancing, gardening, hiking or golf. But if the present level and type of physical activity does not address specific medical conditions that develop in the body a more intense and specific program may be necessary. Once the level of fitness needed is achieved the exercise frequency can be reduced to a maintenance level. If the intent is to challenge the body to compete in specific sports the exercise routine can be changed to train for strengthening or endurance of the applicable muscle groups.

A fitness instructor is trained to help develop an exercise routine suitable to a person’s particular needs, capabilities, schedule and environment. Lifestyle adjustments that will increase physical activity will also increase consciousness of fulfilling body needs for sane nutrition and sufficient fresh water intake. Note that there is no substitute to consumption of lots of plain water every day to keep the body internally cleansed. Exercise causes thirst and promotes consumption of plain water.

Adequate physical activity, sane nutrition and good values are positive lifestyle components that benefit body, mind and spirit. Make them all part of your lifestyle!

Exercise for weight loss

A male wants to lose fat from his abdominal region - he should have a 34-inch waist rather than a 37-inch waist. His height is 5’8” and weight is 180lb. (82kg.) Body Mass Index (BMI) 27 when according to the height and weight (BMI) table for a medium frame his weight should be 160lb. (73kg) (BMI 24). He is 20lb or 13% overweight. What to do?

An adult has between 30 and 40 billion fat cells that swell or shrink (but never disappear) as fat is stored or burned. Men have the propensity to put on weight in the abdomen just as women have the propensity to put weight on the hips and thighs. They also tend to drink more alcohol - processed by the body much like fatty foods. Unfortunately, excess fat deposits on the torso are also associated with increased health risks.

Exercising the muscle groups in the region of fat accumulation will strengthen those muscles but not affect the quantity of fat. In other words doing abdominal exercises will not reduce the waistline. There is no such thing as spot reduction.

The essential element of an exercise program designed for fat reduction is “aerobic” activity. This type of exercise improves the fitness of the whole cardio-vascular system in addition to the muscle groups used in performing the exercise. This means that the heart, lungs, circulatory system and base metabolism rate will all improve with the exercise as well as burning of excess fat stored in the body.

Aerobic exercise can be coupled with weight training for muscular “conditioning” or “toning”, which improves muscle strength and endurance and body flexibility. Rest periods of 48 hours are recommended between sessions on the same muscle groups.

There are four essential factors that comprise a fitness program. They are 1) Frequency of exercise i.e. number of exercise sessions per week 2) Intensity i.e. level of exertion 3) Time - duration of the exercise and 4) Type - type of activity. Your “FITT” formula for weight reduction will have a primary cardio component and a secondary muscular conditioning component. The following table summarizes a program suitable for weight loss:

Energy is consumed in muscular contractions by either anaerobic burning or aerobic burning. Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP, the body’s energy currency) is stored in muscle tissue and consumed by the tissue for periods of exertion up to 10 seconds. Blood glucose and glycogen are consumed for periods of exertion up to 3 minutes. These are anaerobic energy sources. In aerobic exercise fat is the energy source combined with oxygen supplied through the cardio-vascular system.

The efficiency of the body to use stored fats rather than glucose or blood sugar in aerobic exercise increases as the body becomes fitter and the base metabolism rate or set point increases.

Heart rate is used as an indication of exercise intensity. The average resting heart rate for an adult is 60 – 80 beats per minute (bpm). Maximal heart rate is the maximum an individual can attain and is based on the formula [220bpm – age = max. heart rate]. If the target heart rate is 60% of max. and age is 50 the target pulse rate will be 220 – 50 = 170 x 0.6 = 102 bpm. Upper and lower limits for target heart rates may be similarly calculated.

The MET Value Table is a table of energy expenditures for a large number of activities. Sitting still is set at 1 MET and leisure bicycling for example has a MET value of 4. It is possible to calculate the number of calories expended in an activity using a MET Value Table, weight and exercise time period. For example, if a person weighs 80kg and bicycles at a 4MET value for 40 minutes, he will have expended 4 (MET) x 80 (kg) x 40/60 (time in minutes) = 213 calories. Bicycling faster at 12-14mph (moderate) would be 8 MET and a 426 calorie expenditure.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that we try to accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate – intensity exercise on most days of the week, i.e. roughly 200 calories burned a day from physical exertion or exercise. When trying to lose weight, calorific intake must be decreased and more calories expended from exercise. Since there are 3500 calories in one pound of body fat, a calorific deficit of 500 calories a day (which means 500 more calories are burned than consumed), times 7 days, approximately 1 pound of fat will be lost per week. The best way to achieve this calorific deficit is to reduce the number of calories eaten per day by 250 and to burn off 250 with exercise.

A fitness instructor can help someone wanting to lose weight develop a fitness plan to suit his needs, capabilities, interests, schedule and environment. An exercise program should be started before you become limited by specific symptoms. Being overweight is an obvious signal of potential problems. If you are already on medication you may need to consult your doctor. There is no excuse not to get fit! …and enjoy the benefits


Copyright©2003 Mark Skelton. About the author