Togetherness Helps Couples With Exercise

Togetherness Helps Couples With Exercise

Calories

Q: How many calories will I burn today?
A: The number of calories burned each day varies from person to person and is dependent on many factors.

The first factor is a persons Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). BMR is the number of calories burned at rest to maintain normal bodily functions.


A persons BMR is influenced by the following:

• Body size and composition - People who are larger, taller or naturally carry more muscle tend to burn more calories.

• Gender - Men typically carry more muscle mass than women thus, have a higher BMR.

• Age - As people age, the amount of muscle mass typically decreases and fewer calories are burned.

Beyond BMR, what other factors influence the number of calories burned each day?

• Strength training – Increases a persons lean muscle mass which requires more energy than fat to sustain itself causing a person to burn more daily calories. Muscle development also counteracts the effects of aging described above.

• Daily routine - Daily activities that keep you physically active will help you burn more calories.

• Aerobic exercise - Walking, running, swimming, etc.

• Eating habits – Start every day with a healthy breakfast. When you sleep, your metabolism slows down and breakfast primes your metabolism for the day. Regular healthy meals and snacks through out the day help maintain an elevated metabolic rate ward off cravings, binge eating, and a lowering of a persons metabolism into conservation mode. 

Are there ways to calculate the number of calories burned based on activity level? Yes, but the calculators rarely take a persons body composition into account. A persons body composition must be considered to accurately calculate the calories burned during activities.

Yawning

Q: Is there a physiological or neurological reason why people yawn? Why does yawning seem contagious? 

A: Yawning is an involuntary action that causes us to open our mouths wide and deeply inhale. Yawning has been observed in animals and humans as young as 11-weeks old.

Yawning can be associated with fatigue, stress, or boredom. However it is not completely known why people yawn or what purpose is served. The following are several theories on the subject:

Boredom Theory - Yawning is thought to be caused by boredom, fatigue or drowsiness. A yawn leads to an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and brain activity therefore, increasing human alertness or readiness.

Physiological Theory – The theory is that our bodies will involuntarily induce yawning to increase our oxygen uptake and remove excess carbon dioxide. However, clinical research has shown that yawning did not decrease in subject’s when additional oxygen was given to them or when carbon dioxide levels were reduced in the subject’s environment.

Evolution/Group Behavior Theory – Some researchers believe that prehistoric man would yawn and show their teeth as a way to intimidate others. Others believe that yawning was a nonverbal signal to communicate a change in group activity was needed, to communicate the general alertness of the group, or as a way to communicate the start and end of the day.

Brain-Cooling Theory – The theory suggests that yawning is a way of controlling brain temperature. A yawn is thought to cool your brain as ambient air temperatures increase in the subject’s environment. Some research has linked increased ambient temperatures with unpleasant symptoms associated with certain medical conditions.

Is Yawning contagious? - Yes, but it is not completely known why. One study found that consciously or subconsciously humans will react to another human yawning. As suggested in the evolution theory, yawning may be a form of prehistoric group behavior that is still evident today.

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Cramps

Q: What is a muscle cramp? What causes muscle cramps?
A: A muscle cramp is a sudden involuntary contraction of a muscle or muscles. A cramp produces a hard, painful, and bulging muscle.

Most common theories/causes of a muscle cramp are:

• Muscle fatigue do to over exertion or heavy exercise
• Dehydration
• Pregnancy
• Heat cramps

Treatments for a cramp include:

• Stretching the cramped muscle
• Remaining hydrated during prolonged periods of exercise
• Icing and massaging the cramped muscle

Any skeletal muscle can cramp. Most cramps occur in the extremities. A common leg cramp is when the gastrocnemius or soleus (calf muscles) cramp. It is important to distinguish a cramp from another common condition called Acute Compartment Syndrome.

Muscles are contained within compartments. Acute Compartment Syndrome occurs when pressure builds within the compartment due to lactic acid build up and blood rushing to the muscle during strength training. The engulfed muscle presses on blood vessels, nerves, and/or tendons that run through the compartment. The pressure leads to a feeling of muscle cramping or muscle pain. However, since there is not a sudden involuntary contraction of the muscle a cramp is not occurring.

Muscle vs. Fat

Q: As I progressed through my strength training at Fitness First, I have noticed a change in my physical appearance and my clothes fitting looser, but my weight has stayed about the same. Why?

A: Strength training is a very efficient weight modification activity. As clients progress through the strength training appointments, they will gain lean muscle. Each pound of muscle gained requires an additional 50 calories a day to sustain itself. So, with no other changes in diet or activity level, strength training will lead to gains in muscle and a reduction in fat because you are continually burning calories throughout your day.

In terms of why clothes fit differently or why your physical appearance changes with no change in scale weight, the answer is due to the fact that muscle is more dense that fat.

A pound of lean muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat. In fact, a pound of fat will be at least twice the volume as a pound of muscle.

The key is to focus on qualitative measures of health such as fat composition, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure rather than focusing on quantitative measure of health such as body weight or body mass index.