Exercise Science Major- Cardiorespiratory fitness

Hey everybody, I’m back in the United States…. Actually I have been back for a couple of months now, and the transition back has been interesting to say the least. For the most part it’s good to be home, but sometimes I do have saudades for the Brasilian lifestyle. Anyway I will continue to blog a bit, and hopefully reflect on some of my travels in Europe as well even if the posts have a larger gap in between. My post will probably shift a little more toward fitness and a little away from food =( but I’m pleased to say this post is the 1st of a 3 part series I will be writing for one of my classes so I hope you all still enjoy it. It pertains to both my Health Fitness emphasis as well as my Psychology minor ... Oh yeah the source for this info came from research conducted in Brasil!

Obesity is a worldwide problem that affects countries of all sizes and levels of development. It is well know that diet and exercise are things that combat obesity as well as cardiovascular problems that often accompany it. Cardiorespiratory fitness is a benefit of exercise that helps to reduce the risk of complications from obesity and sedentary lifestyle. Recent research has given a few insights on just how exercise intensity over a 12 week period can affect your motivation, cardiorespiratory fitness and those extra pounds. 

1. You need to know yourself and select a trainer/program that fits you- The 2 programs had trainers supervising the workouts. This may have been to protect the integrity of the study, but it also can help as you try and stay on track with your exercise goals. The first group was instructed only to walk at an intensity that gave them a good work out, and not so intense that it would stop them from exercising on a daily or every other day basis. While the second group was verbally encouraged and given feedback to get them to workout at an intensity determined by their pre-program test. This can make some people very uncomfortable. So knowing what you’re getting into when you start an exercise program can help you determine what will work best to help you achieve your goals. It is also important that your trainer is a good match for your needs and can push you in the appropriate manner.

2. Everyone has a breaking point- Over half of the participants who were pushed to keep a set intensity dropped out of the study. Like I had mentioned before, the intensity most likely caused too much discomfort for them to want to continue with the study. Without knowing what they were getting into nor the results they would achieve, anyone could have been discouraged by this.

3. We are capable of more than we think- The participants of this study that were given a set intensity and pushed to meet that intensity achieved significantly greater improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness measured by maximal oxygen consumption(VO₂max). Without this imposed intensity they most likely would have had VO2max improvements comparable to those who chose their own intensity. It all depends on how you respond to being pushed. Some thrive in this condition and other are hindered by it.

4. Exercise alone cannot significantly reduce your body fat- Based on the pre and post program measurements of a densitometer there was not a significant drop in body fat percentage (%BF) for those who chose their intensity or those who were given an intensity to exercise at, when compared to a group who did not participate in a program. However the participants did not gain any fat during the program. Some participants did lose a small amount of %BF, but this was not significant for the length of the program. It is believed that the missing piece for reduction in %BF was that there was no restriction on how many calories were consumed during the 12 weeks. So remember exercise can make you hungrier; eating the right foods is a key to changing your body for the better.

APA Format

Freitas, L. G., Krinski, K., Elsangedy, H. M., Freitas, R. Q., Durigan, J. Z., Feitosa, A. A., & ... DaSilva, S. G. (2014). The Impact of a Self-Selected and Imposed Intensity on Cardiorespiratory Fitness and            Body Composition in Obese Women. Journal Of Exercise Physiology Online, 17(2), 44-52.

Museo de Futebol

In São Paulo, while I wasn’t taking pictures of Graffiti, I had the chance to visit the soccer museum they have there. I have to say, it is one of the coolest museums I have ever been in. For starters it is located in Pacaembú Stadium, with part of it taking you underneath the bleachers. When you first enter the museum you come to a path that has smaller goal frames lining it. Each frame represents a World Cup, and each crossbar has the host countries name printed on it and “Why did we win?” or “Why did we lose?”
 

I found the attributions for loss in 1986, and 1998 to be the most interesting. In 86- “Because Maradona, unhappily, was not born in Mato Grosso do sul” for those of you who don’t know Maradona was an Argentine soccer star who most Brasilians are NOT a fan of. In 98- “Because the real Brasilian Futebol ghost is not Uruguayan” After reading about the Cup wins and losses I continued on and came across some wonderful facts that are quite relevant to my field of study. For example did you know in England during the 1966 World Cup coffee was prohibited because the English considered it a stimulant? However, the Brasilians asked why English Tea was not also prohibited, and the subject was said to be dropped there. Somewhere in the middle of the museum I had a chance to play foosball on tables that varied greatly in the configurations of players.

I also got a chance to pop my head into the actual arena.

The museum was filled with all kinds of terms of the game and displays of the development of equipment. These were exciting to me as a sports fanatic and would make a die-hard soccer fan feel as if they found the Holy Grail. I would like to share a few more fun facts about Brasilian Futebol here. The biggest win in Brasilian Futebol history was during the Rio de Janeiro state championship of 1909 Botafogo beat Mangueira 24-0. The most expulsions in a game was 22, when a fight broke out between Botafogo and Portuguesa in a 1954 tournament match. The fastest goal scored in Brasilian Futebol history was in 3.17 seconds, by Fred of América- MG in 2003. Next I’ll talk about the lower level of the museum that has a ton of interactive activities that use projection. They had one game that projected on to the floor. It was similar to air hockey, but it was futebol themed so you blocked and kicked with your feet. They also had an area where you could kick an actual ball at a goal with a projected goalie on the wall and it would tell you the speed of your kick. I did not wait in line for this because a few school groups were in line making it a very long wait. If you enjoy sports at all and find yourself in São Paulo this museum is a must see. It is exciting, interactive, and teaches you about History of the Sport and Brasilian culture as it is tied to the Sport.

Unimed 10k

 I ran my first 10k race ever here in Brasil. The race was sponsored by Unimed. I have a long history as a runner (over 10 years) and am well versed in 5k races. To be honest I was a little worried when race day came around. I did not get the chance to train as much as I would have liked, and feared I would run the last few kilometers as slow as a snail. In reality it felt pretty good aside from feeling slow in the 5th kilometer as some of the 5k runners started to pass me using up all they had left. I don't believe I tapered off as much as I expected considering I ran the first half of the race at almost the same pace as would for a 5k(essentially I raced two 5k's back to back).   The results can be found online at http://www.acorrg.com.br/resultados/r_unimed_14.pdf     I managed to finish at a pace that surprised myself. I finished 37th out of 118, my official time was just over 45 minutes, but I actually finished the race a bit before that. Due to the differences in the timing systems I delayed the stopping of the clock. The timing system I am used to in America has a chip that you tie into your shoelaces. There are then sensor plates laid across the start line and the finish line. When you cross the start line your time starts and when you cross the finish line your time stops. I should have known something was different for this race in Brasil when the time device was wrapped around my wrist as a bracelet. Well my Portuguese level was low, and I didn’t really register for the race ahead of time because I didn’t have a CPF number so I just went with the flow. That said, the timing device was not a chip at all so I can only assume that the clock started at the same time for everyone regardless of when you actually got to cross the start line (that defiantly added a few seconds). It turns out the bracelet had a barcode on it that was scanned after you crossed the finish line. Since this was about 20yards past the finish arch I started to walk, oh well. Overall I was very pleased with how I performed in the race, and I would love to train for another race soon.

Fitness

Fitness to me is not just physical in nature. It also is not something that you have or not. Everyone has a degree of fitness, and just because one has a different degree of fitness it does not make one superior or inferior to another. In terms of the physical component of fitness, health benefits and quality of life can be affected by one’s level and this gives fitness importance, as our body is a temple for our consciousness.  A great example of how I view fitness is the Greek concept of Areté. This essentially means be the best you can be. If one thinks they have achieved Areté they indeed have not. This I believe applies to both the physical and mental aspects of fitness. I will also follow this by stating the fact that we are all human and lack perfection, this limitation is what causes the wide varieties of degrees of fitness and as long as one makes an effort they should never be looked down upon.