......"QUESTIONS ABOUT FITNESS".......

* Won't exercise increase my appetite and therefore keep me from losing weight?
       This is a common misunderstanding.  With moderate physical training, there appetite-stimulating effect of
exercise is not readily apparent.  In fact, research suggest that an increase in physical acting in normally sedentary people may actually depress the desire to eat.
* Can't I lose weight simply by dieting,  without exercise?
      Yes, indeed.  But with diet alone you lose muscle tissue as well as fat.  When you exercise, most of the weight lost will be fat.  For over all fitness it makes eminent sense to exercise while you diet, moreover,a diet-exercise combination should help make your weight lose more permanent by reducing hunger and other psychological stress.
* Will specific exercise remove fat from specific parts of the body?
     No.  However, since fat is reduced proportionately throughout the body, it will disappear from the trunk faster than from the extremities.  In other words, your belly will diminish before your thighs.
* Is it possible to reduce the number of fat cells in the body?
      Unfortunately, once you become an adult you can no longer reduce the number of your fat cells.  Moderate food intake combined with vigorous exercise early in life helps prevent the proliferation of fat cells.
* Can I change fat into muscles?
      Fat does not change into muscle (or muscle into fat).  If you eat too much and exercise too little, any calories beyond those you need to fuel your body will be stored as far, regardless of whether these excess calories are from carbohydrates, fats or proteins.
* Will I lose more weight if I sweat heavily while exercising?
       You will lose weight immediately after exercising, but that is due to fluid loss, not diminishing fat tissue.  This fluid will be replaced very shortly by normal thirst, so don't be fooled.  And be sure to drink water prior to, during and after vigorous exercise to prevent dehydration.
* Isn't it best to exercise on hot, humid days when our bodies perspire more heavily?
       Just the opposite is true.  When the air is too humid to evaporate the sweat from our skin, the body may overheat.  When it is not and muggy, adjust your exercise so you don't overdo it.
* Are salt tablets useful?  
      Under no circumstances should you routinely take salt tablets.  Experts agree that the easiest and best way to replace the salt lost by sweating during exercise is to sprinkle a little extra on your food.  Too much salt can aggravate high blood pressure, irritate the stomach, and actually create an unfavorable water distribution in the body.
*What's the best way to recover following vigorous exercise?
      Don't sit or immediately become inactive, walk around for five  to ten minutes.  This helps shorten your recovery time and permits the heart and circulation to return gradually to normal.
* Are vitamins important for sudden bursts of energy?
      Yes.  They are also important for stamina because they help to metabolize food into energy.  But they do not themselves contain energy.  Most people have all the vitamins they need if they eat a well-balanced diet.  Taking pills will not provide additional energy, and taking an excess of vitamins A and D can be harmful.
* How important is protient in exercise?
       The athlete's classic high-protient  pre-game meal of steak and eggs may be satisfying to the athletes, coach and restauranteur, but it's benefits for exercise performance are questionable. In fact, such a meal may actually be detrimental to optional performance, since protient is the least efficient nourishment from which the body can produce energy.  For energy, we command carbohydrates and fat.  And at least 50 percent of your fat intake should be in the form of unsaturated fats, which are generally of vegetables rather than animal origin.
* What is the function of carbohydrates in exercise?
      They provide raped energy without an increase in oxygen use.  This helps you engage in any all out, intense exercise.  It is also of crucial importance in prolonged moderate exercise when marathon runners hit the wall, they have plenty of fat to continue, but their liver and muscles carbohydrates reserves are almost gone.  Similarly, low carbohydrates diets often lead to chronic fatigue.
* Won't excess carbohydrates make me fat?
      Absolutely, but only if you take in more calories than you burn up.  The body then converts the extra carbohydrates to fat. 
* What are the effects of cigarette smoking  on exercise?
      The regular smokers tends to show a decrease in lung capacity.  While this may have only a minor effect on  light excise.  It can be a handicap during more vigorous exercise because the total oxygen available for muscular activity is reduced.
* Should I wear heavy clothing when exercising in cold weather? 
       Only during the first few minutes, until your metabolic rate has picked up.  Cross country skiers find it  preferable to wear several thin layers of clothing rather than one heavy outer garment, and to remove a layer at a time as the body warms up.
* Won't frigid air harm my lungs?
       Exercising in cold temperatures does produce an uncomfortable dryness in and certain types of heart decease.
* Can exercise reverse  or retard the normal aging process? 
      A 60 year old  who has been exercising regularly is often in vastly better shape than a sedentary 20 year old.  While exercise is no fountain of youth, people of all ages who exercise regularly will improve their ability to function.....