Physiology of fitness : prescribing exercise for fitness, weight control, and health / Brian J. Sharkey ; [art work, Dana Kaplan].

Includes bibliographical references (pages 405-414).

Abstract: A guide to the use of exercise for fitness, weight control, and health is addressed to the expert, the enthusiast, the beginner, and the skeptic in the area of physical fitness. Two types of fitness are discussed: aerobic, the ability to take up, transport, and utilize oxygen; and muscular, the optimization of strength, endurance and flexibility. The objective physiological aspects of exercise are presented--training, body composition, and heat stress--as well as the subjective psychological aspects, such as lifestyle, relaxation, and self-image. The discussion of weight control stresses that weight loss must be accompanied by fitness, and explains diet-exercise combinations, behavior therapy, and diet fads. The relationship of health to fitness is explored, focusing on the advisability of medical exams and the benefits of regular exercise to the cardiovascular system. Techniques for analyzing fitness, energy balance, health risks, and lifestyle are included in the appendices. (cj).