FITT Formula
What is the FITT Formula?
The FITT formula will help you apply the following principles to your daily exercise. FITT represents one of the four important factors that are important in determining how much physical activity is enough.
FITT refers to Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type.
Frequency (how often)
Frequency is how often you do physical activity. For physical activity to be beneficial, you must do some type of activity. If you want to improve your cardiovascular endurance, you should exercise 5 times a week doing some type of aerobic activity. Getting more than 5 days of aerobic exercise will help burn additional calories but there is a greater risk of injury if the body does not have time off to rest.
Intensity (how hard)
Intensity refers to how hard you perform physical activity. The intensity of a workout is indicated by the number of times per minute your heart beats during exercise. The appropriate intensity or pace for aerobic exercise is determined by monitoring your exercise heart rate (pulse).
Time (how long)
Time refers to how long you do the activity. In order for the activity to be effective, a training session must be maintained for a certain length of time. Clinical studies have shown that is necessary to keep the heart rate in the target zone for at least 15-30 minutes for cardiovascular benefits. Recommended
60 minutes a day; does not have to be all at one time.
Type (what kind)
Type refers to the mode or what kind of exercise is being performed. You may use different types of equipment or different types of exercise during your training session. Include exercise which develops cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and improves your body composition.
Heart Rate
The pressure of the blood on the artery wall causes the heart rate, or pulse, and it corresponds to your heart beat. The two best places to take your heart rate are at the wrist and at the carotid artery of the neck. Once you have found your pulse, count for six seconds and then place a zero at the end of that number. Or you can take your pulse for ten seconds and multiply by six.
Cardiovascular Training Zone
Cardiovascular training zone is the recommended training intensity range, in terms of exercise heart rate, to obtain adequate cardiovascular endurance development.
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Maximal Heart Rate
Maximal heart rate is the maximum heart rate a person should achieve during maximal physical exertion.
Resting Heart Rate
Your resting heart rate should be taken before you start any type of physical activity. Resting heart rate is normally taken when you are sitting or lying down. An active person has a lower resting hear rate than someone who is inactive. The reason for this is because the heart of an active person pumps more blood with each beat, thus working more efficiently.
Recovering Heart Rate
The recovering heart rate should be checked two (2) minutes after you have completed your exercise.
The higher your cardiovascular fitness level is, the faster your heart rate will decrease following the exercise.
Target Heart Rate Zone
Target heart rate zone is the range in which your heart rate should stay between while you are exercising. When you do physical activity in your target heart rate zone, you build fitness and other benefits.
Heart Rate Reserve
Your heart rate reserve is the difference between the maximal heart rate and the resting heart rate.
FORMULA FOR CALCULATING YOUR MAX HEART RATE:
Estimated maximum heart rate (if higher, slow down):
220-12 (or your age) = 208
The low end of your target zone:
208 x .50 = 104
If your heart beats less than 104 times per minute, you know that you’re not pushing hard enough.
This is the high end of your target zone:
208 x .80 = 166
Should be aiming to be within 10 beats of this target zone number for a terrific workout.
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Benefits of Exercise
 Helps control weight, build lean muscle, and reduce fat.
 Decreases chances of developing hypertension; lowers heart rate.
 Strengthens muscles, keeps your bones strong, and improves your skin.
 Increased relaxation.
 Better sleep.
 Better mood due to release of endorphins (create feelings of “happiness”).
 Stronger immune system.
 Weight loss or maintaining of weight.
 Decreases cancer risk.
 The more muscle mass one has, the higher the metabolism.
 Reduces stress.
 Improve self-confidence and self-esteem.
 Prevent cognitive decline; boost brainpower; sharpen memory; tap into creativity.
All of these examples that are listed help add years to your life. These are not the only benefits. Some of these might be short-term and some might be long-term benefits.
Cardiovascular Fitness (Endurance)
Exercising to improve cardiovascular fitness will increase your energy level, making it possible for you to exercise longer without tiring, and making you feel better. Additionally, exercising for cardiovascular fitness will help you look good, improve your ability to meet the problems you face daily. Cardiovascular fitness is the ability of your lungs, heart, and blood vessels to deliver adequate amounts of oxygen to the cells to meet the demands of prolonged physical activity.
Benefits of Cardiovascular Fitness
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Reduced risk of heart disease
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Reduced risk of high blood pressure
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Reduced risk of diabetes
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Reduced risk of heart attack
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Reduced risk of a stroke
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Years added onto your life
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Lower body fat as a result of more calories burned
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Ability to do normal activities without being fatigued
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Ability to enjoy leisure activities
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Raise self-confidence and self-esteem
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Bones become stronger
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Increase in the amount of hemoglobin allowing more oxygen to be circulated in the bloodstream
Aerobic and Anaerobic Activity
Aerobic Activity refers to those activities that require oxygen for prolonged periods and place enough of a demand (overload) on the body that beneficial changes occur in the lungs, heart and vascular system.
Aerobic activities involve covering slow distance rather than short bursts of speed. Examples include: cross country running, swimming laps, and yoga.
Benefits of Aerobic Training
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Lung capacity increases and this is associated with a greater longevity.
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An increase in oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.
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A decrease in resting heart rate and an increase in cardiac muscle strength.
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A lower heart rate at given workloads.
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Promotes strong and healthy bones.
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An increase in the number of functional capillaries (better blood circulation).
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A faster recovery time from physical activities.
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Lower blood pressure and blood lipids.
Anaerobic Activity refers to exercises which do not utilize the oxygen a person presently is breathing.
Examples include 100-yard dash, short sprint workouts, gymnastic routines, and strength training.
Characterized by bursts of speed or effort.
WATCH YOUR CALORIES
Calories are the amount of energy made available from food during the digestion process. Since teens' bodies are going through intense physical changes, they need a slightly larger amount of calories than the 2,000 calories recommended each day for adults. Active teens especially are in need of a slightly greater number of calories.
While the amount of calories had each day is important for teens in maintaining their health, the source of those calories is equally important. If a few hundred calories each day are coming from junk food like sugary snacks, pop and fast food, teens are more likely to either overeat or have less energy due to the quality of the food (converted into energy).
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Should be eating 4-6 small meals a day.
Eat slowly.
Stop when you are full, not just because it looks good or tastes good.
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Eat regular meals; skipping meals set you up for losing control and overeating.
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Watch out for ‘empty calories’ (foods that are full of calories but have not nutritional value…ex. junk food, chips, high sugar drinks, etc.).
Drink Water
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More than 75% of your body is made up of water—even bone is more than 20% water.
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Should be drinking 8 glasses of water a day, totaling 64 oz; 9-13 glasses if you’re exercising.
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Water helps keep your body’s temperature stable, it carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, cushions joints, protects organs and tissues and removes wastes. You lose water from your body through sweating, breathing, and urine.
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Being properly hydrated helps your body function at its best. Dehydration – not having enough fluid in your body – can cause headaches, fatigue, crankiness and poor concentration. It also affects your athletic performance.
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Water helps energize muscles. Water intake will help with the muscles not becoming fatigued or cramping.
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Studies show that drinking water can reduce the chance of those annoying zits and blemish breakouts. Water also helps unclog pores and makes your face glow, refreshed and clear. As an added bonus, drinking water helps to keep your teeth clean and white by removing bacteria.
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Drinking large amounts of water throughout the day also speeds up your metabolism. Drinking several glasses of water before each meal creates the feeling of fullness. Most of the time when our bodies feel “hungry”, they are actually craving water.
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Lack of water or dehydration can lead to migraine headaches, loss of energy, dizziness, and other diseases. When our bodies struggle to maintain themselves with insufficient water, you cannot expect them to perform up to par. By drinking water throughout each day, improvements in skin, body, and fitness are bound to occur.
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Water keeps our immune system stronger by ‘flushing’ out the bacteria from our body.
Muscular Endurance
Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle to perform repeatedly with moderate loads for an extended period of time. Muscular endurance is the practical use of raw strength. Muscular endurance combines both anaerobic and aerobic energy. Muscular endurance is increased through the overload principle. For example, a person should use more repetitions and less weight to increase the muscular endurance.
Benefits of Muscular Endurance
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Improves physical appearance, fitness, and physical and mental health.
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Enables people to work longer without getting tired.
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Maintains better posture.
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Increase your lean body mass and decreases fat.
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Decreases heart rate, helping reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
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Muscular Strength
Muscular strength is the ability of a muscle to exert maximum force against resistance. The amount of strength you need to stay healthy and to do what you want depends upon your personal needs and interests. Some people think that only males need to be concerned about their strength. Both males and females need strength to be healthy, to avoid injury, and to look good. Muscular strength is increased by lifting more weight and using fewer repetitions.
Benefits of Muscular Strength
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Enables you to work and play hard with less fatigue
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Strengthen bones
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Help prevent muscle injuries and soreness
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Increase lean muscle mass
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Muscle burns more calories than fat (high metabolism)
Flexibility
Flexibility refers to the achievable range of motion at a joint (where two bones meet) or group of joints without causing injury. A reasonable amount of flexibility is required to live a healthy and functional lifestyle. Generally, females tend to be more flexible than males. Also, younger people tend to have more flexibility than older people. Too much flexibility leads to unstable and loose joints, which may increase injury rate, including joint dislocation.
Benefits of Good Flexibility
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Improving and maintaining good range of motion in the joints enhances the quality of life.
Promotes healthy muscles and joints.
Enables greater freedom and the ability to participate in many types of sports and recreational activities.
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Make activities of daily living much easier to perform.
Body Fat vs. Body Composition
Body Fat refers to the percentage of your total body that is comprised of fat tissue. Fat is stored energy that is available for the body to use as needed. When calories that are taken in exceed the calories that are needed to fuel the body's activities, these extra calories are deposited in fat cells for later use.
Body Composition is the make-up of the body in lean body mass and fat mass. It is usually referred to as a percentage of fat and lean body mass (includes muscles, bones, skin, and body organs). Body
Composition is the technical term used to describe the different components that, when taken together, make up a person's body weight. Often times this includes components such as fat, muscles, water, bone, and organs. It is really viewed as a fat vs. muscles ratio.
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Females between the ages of 13 and 17 should not have a body fat percentage below 12 percent. For females a percent between 12 and 15 is low, 16 to 25 is considered a healthy range, 26 to 30 is the overweight range and a percentage over 30 is classified as obese.
Males between the ages of 13 and 17 should not have a body fat percentage below five percent. For males a percent between five and 10 is low, 11 to 25 is considered a healthy range, 26 to 30 percent is the overweight range and a percentage over 30 is classified as obese.
Why we need fat
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It is an insulator; helps your body adapt to heat and cold.
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Acts like a shock absorber; it can help protect your body organs and bones from injury.
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Helps your body use vitamins effectively.
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Is stored energy that is available when your body needs it.
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Essential body fat is necessary to prevent some health problems such as abnormal functioning of some organs.
Muscles weigh more than fat. You can weigh more than someone else of the same size because you are more muscular and have less body fat than the other person. You can weigh less than someone else of the same size because you have smaller bones.
When exercising make sure that you allow 48 hours of recovery for same muscle group. This will allow for full recovery of that muscle. When a person works out, there are small tears that occur to the muscle. The muscle grows stronger when it repairs itself. However, if the tear becomes too much (due to injury or overuse) it can cause the muscle to not be able to repair and get stronger.
Endurance: less weight, more repetitions.
Strength: more weight, less repetitions.
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