Sports and Health

A 14-year follow-up study by a U.S. medical school showed that maintaining regular exercise can reduce mortality by 38 percent. The ninth edition of the American College of Sports Medicine's exercise prescription guidelines published a public health message recommending that all people should adopt an active physical activity lifestyle to reduce the importance of the medical evaluation required for health screening before healthy, asymptomatic people can participate in progressive exercise.

I. Physical Activity and Health

In 2008, a panel of experts from the U.S. Advisory Committee on Physical Activity Guidelines presented two important conclusions about the health benefits of physical activity, which were:1. Major health benefits can be obtained by performing moderate amounts of physical activity on a daily or several days per week.2. Increasing the amount of physical activity provides additional health benefits. Regular physical activity with longer and/or more vigorous physical activity will result in more significant health benefits than those who are less physically active.

Key physical activity recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) are as follows

>All healthy adults aged 18 to 65 years need at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per day, 5 days per week, or 20 minutes of higher-intensity physical activity per day, 3 days per week.

>A combination of moderate-intensity and higher-intensity exercise is recommended.

>30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity may be performed in divided sessions, but each session should last at least 10 minutes or more.

>Exercise to maintain or increase muscle strength and endurance at least 2 days per week for each adult.

Based on the quantitative-effect relationship between physical activity and health, individuals who wish to improve their fitness, reduce the risk of chronic disease and disability, or prevent unhealthy weight gain may benefit by completing the minimum recommended physical activity.

II. Proper Nutrition for Exercise and Fitness Users

Nutrition and exercise are closely related and have a great impact on the exercise effect. With scientific and reasonable nutrition as the material basis, exercise as a means to exchange the process of exercise consumption for the process of post-exercise excess recovery, so that the body accumulates more energy substances, thereby improving the function of the organs and systems. The health obtained at this time rises to a new level compared to the health obtained by means of nutrition alone, because at the same time, good physical quality is also obtained.

In order to achieve proper nutrition, it is necessary to maintain a balance between the calories and various nutrients provided by the food eaten at three meals a day and the energy and various nutrients required to complete the daily exercise. There should be sufficient calories and the content and proportion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats should be appropriate, and there should be sufficient inorganic salts, vitamins, trace elements and water. The basic principles of rational dietary nutrition are as follows.

>□Ensure a reasonable proportion of the three major energy-supplying nutrients: sugar accounts for 60% to 70% of total energy protein accounts for 10% to 15% of total energy, fat accounts for 20% to 25% of total energy.

>□Sugar is mainly composed of starchy foods such as cereals and potatoes, and control refined sugar and its products.

>□Fat should be mainly vegetable oil, reduce the intake of animal fat. The ratio between saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids in fat is 1:1:1.

>□Protein intake should contain more than 13 high-quality protein.

>□Vitamins should be standardized according to the supply of meals, with additional increases for those with special needs. The general ratio of vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and niacin is 1:1:10 is reasonable.

>The ratio of calcium to phosphorus in the diet is 2:1.

>□The more types of food the better, the more types of food the better.

>To achieve reasonable nutrition, we also need to pay attention to the following issues

>□The quantity and quality of energy foods should meet the needs of fitness exercise

>□Food should be nutritionally balanced and diverse

>□Pay attention to the reasonable nutrition of three meals a day

>□Fitnesses should develop reasonable eating habits

>□Reasonable hydration

>□Rational choice of sports nutrition food