What’s your fitness ID?

ACSM identifies personalized programs as the key to lifelong fitness

CHAMPAIGN, IL—One size doesn’t fit all when developing an effective fitness program. In the upcoming ACSM’s Complete Guide to Fitness & Health (Human Kinetics, 2011), Barbara Bushman, an ACSM-certified program director and exercise specialist, explains how every person has a unique fitness ID they must discover, develop, and evolve throughout their lifetime.

“Your exercise program should be your own,” Bushman says. “You are unique in terms of your health, current level of activity, and fitness goals.”

Developing a fitness ID begins by examining personal goals and considering how an activity fits into daily life. Specifics of what to include in the program can then be determined. According to Bushman, an effective program should consist of aerobic activity, resistance training, flexibility, and balance; exercises in each category should be customized according to personal preference and skill level.

“A balanced exercise program is like a sturdy three-legged stool. If one leg is weak or too short, the stool isn’t stable,” Bushman explains. “In the same way, ignoring one of the exercise components will put your fitness program out of balance.”

A balanced fitness ID also evolves with time. “No matter your age, a physically active lifestyle and wise choices in nutrition allow for an ongoing evolution of your fitness ID,” Bushman says. “Change is part of life, and your exercise program and diet evolve over time as well.”

ACSM’s Complete Guide to Fitness and Health provides scientifically based guidance on beginning or improving any exercise program. The guide also offers the most current activity and nutrition guidelines along with exercises, activities, and programs for every age and fitness goal.

“Understanding what it means to be fit, active, and healthy is the first step toward discovering your personal fitness ID,” Bushman says. “With specific information on cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, flexibility, and nutrition, people of all ages and health conditions can take charge of their fitness and develop a fitness ID unique to their needs.”

For more information, see ACSM’s Complete Guide to Fitness & Health.

About the Author

With 35,000 members, the American College of Sports Medicine is the largest and most-respected sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. Founded in 1954, the ACSM works to promote and integrate scientific research, education, and practical applications of sports medicine and exercise science to maintain and enhance physical performance, fitness, health, and quality of life for people worldwide.

About the Editor

Barbara A. Bushman, PhD, FASCM, is certified as a program director and exercise specialist through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and is a professor at Missouri State University. She received her PhD in exercise physiology from the University of Toledo and has teaching experience in identification of health risks, exercise testing and prescription, anatomy, and physiology. Bushman also is the associate editor of ACSM’s Resources for the Personal Trainer and a reviewer for ACSM’s Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Women & Health, and ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal. She has been a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine since 1999, serving on the ACSM Media Referral Network.

Bushman is the lead author of Action Plan for Menopause as well as numerous research articles. She resides in Strafford, Missouri, with her husband, Tobin. She participates in numerous activities in her leisure time, including running, cycling, hiking, weightlifting, kayaking, and scuba diving.

Contents

Part I Fit, Active, and Healthy

Chapter 1 Meeting and Exceeding the Physical Activity Guidelines

Chapter 2 Assessing Personal Fitness

Chapter 3 ACSM Program for Balanced Fitness

Chapter 4 Nutrition for Better Health and Fitness

Chapter 5 Adopting and Maintaining Healthy Habits 

Part II Exercise and Activity for Building a Better You

Chapter 6 Aerobic Activity

Chapter 7 Resistance Training

Chapter 8 Flexibility and Balance

Part III Fitness and Health for Every Age

Chapter 9 Children and Adolescents: Up to Age 17

Chapter 10 Adults: Ages 18 to 64

Chapter 11 Older Adults: Ages 65 and Over

Part IV Fitness and Health for Every Body

Chapter 12 Cardiovascular Health

Chapter 13 Weight Management

Chapter 14 Diabetes

Chapter 15 High Blood Pressure

Chapter 16 High Cholesterol

Chapter 17 Arthritis and Joint Pain

Chapter 18 Pregnancy (Pre- and Postnatal)

Chapter 19 Osteoporosis and Bone Health

Questions for Barbara Bushman

• What is a fitness ID and why should it evolve over a life span?

• What are the recommended physical activity guidelines for adults?

• What are the components of a balanced fitness program?

• How does obesity increase a person’s chance of developing hypertension and diabetes?

• Why are the health risks lower for those who have fat distributed more around their hips and thighs (pear-shaped physique) than those who carry fat on the trunk (apple-shaped physique)?

• What are the best exercises for those who have joint pain or arthritis?

• How does exercise affect cholesterol levels?

• What are a few easy ways to incorporate more physical activity into a busy lifestyle?

• What are important things to look for when reading food labels?

• How soon should children begin engaging in physical activity?

• What exercises should older adults practice in order to prevent falls?

Background Facts

• Obesity alone may no longer be linked to a high risk of death in women, according to research published in the November 2010 Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Researchers now suggest cardiovascular fitness level, not just a woman’s size, may actually be the key predictor of health and overall risk for death.
  
  
• Inherited factors may account for up to 70% of body-weight differences in individuals. This is why a child of nonobese parents has only a 10% chance of becoming overweight or obese, but a child with one obese parent has a 40% chance, and a child with two obese parents has an 80% chance of becoming overweight or obese.
  
  
• A study shows that middle-school students with higher levels of physical fitness fared better on standardized tests than students who were less fit. The study involves 338 sixth-grade students, and it shows that students who are more fit tend to show stronger academic achievement.
  
  
• The number of overweight and obese Americans has gradually increased over the past 20 years. Approximately two-thirds of Americans are now either overweight or obese.
  
  
• Physically fit men have fewer overnight hospital stays and visit their doctors less frequently, according to a long-term study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Experts say that by enhancing health with physical activity, the frequency of using the health care system is likely reduced, creating a cost savings in both public and private sectors.
  
  
• Hypertension is the most prevalent cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association estimates that approximately 73 million Americans ages 20 and older (about one in three) and 1 billion people worldwide have hypertension. Furthermore, the estimated direct and indirect costs of hypertension for 2010 equal $76.6 billion.

Facts taken from ACSM’s Complete Guide to Fitness & Health and www.ACSM.org.

Endorsements 

“This book is a great resource that compiles key information on the major areas of exercise, fitness, and health. It should be on the shelf of every fitness enthusiast.”

Steven N. Blair
Original President of the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity

Author of Fitness After 50 and Physical Activity and Health

“ACSM’s Complete Guide to Fitness & Health provides the programs, principles, and guidelines for achieving your desired results safely and efficiently. This is the authoritative book that you need.”

Wayne L. Westcott, PhD, CSCS

Fitness Research Director, Quincy College

Author of Strength Training Past 50 and Fitness Professional’s Guide to Strength Training Older Adults

“ACSM’s Complete Guide to Fitness and Health is a phenomenal resource on customizing health and fitness programs for people of all ages and abilities. Everyone can benefit from this valuable source of information on living a healthy lifestyle."
 
Melissa Johnson, MS
Former Executive Director, President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports