Z. B. Hill - Exercise for Physical & Mental Health

An Integrated Life of Fitness

Core Workouts

Cross-Training

Eating Right & Additional Supplements for Fitness

Endurance & Cardio Training

Exercise for Physical & Mental Health

Flexibility & Agility

Sports & Fitness

Step Aerobics & Aerobic Dance

Weightlifting & Strength Building

Yoga & Pilates

Copyright 2015 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

First printing

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3156-2

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4222-3161-6

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4222-3199-9

ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-8699-9

Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress.

CONTENTS

KEY ICONS TO LOOK FOR:

Choosing fitness as a priority in your life is one of the smartest decisions you can make! This series of books will give you the tools you need to understand how your decisions about eating, sleeping, and physical activity can affect your health now and in the future.

And speaking of the future: YOU are the future of our world. We who are older are depending on you to build something wonderfuland we, as lifelong advocates of good nutrition and physical activity, want the best for you throughout your whole life.

Our hope in these books is to support and guide you to instill healthy behaviors beginning today. You are in a unique position to adopt healthy habits that will guide you toward better health right now and avoid health-related problems as an adult.

You have the power of choice today. We recognize that its a very busy world filled with overwhelming choices that sometimes get in the way of you making wise decisions when choosing food or in being active. But no previous training or skills are needed to put this material into practice right away.

We want you to have fun and build your confidence as you read these books. Your self-esteem will increase. LEARN, EXPLORE, and DISCOVER, using the books as your very own personal guide. A tremendous amount of research over the past thirty years has proven that the quality of your health and life will depend on the decisions you make today that affect your body, mind, and inner self.

You are an individual, liking different foods, doing different things, having different interests, and growing up in different families. But you are not alone as you face these vital decisions in your life. Those of us in the fitness professions are working hard to get healthier foods into your schools; to make sure you have an opportunity to be physically active on a regular basis; to ensure that walking and biking are encouraged in your communities; and to build communities where healthy, affordable foods can be purchased close to home. Were doing all we can to support you. Weve got your back!

Moving step by step to healthier eating habits and increasing physical activity requires change. Change happens in small steps, so be patient with yourself. Change takes time. But get started now.

Lead an action-packed life! Your whole body will thank you by becoming stronger and healthier. You can look and do your best. Youll feel good. Youll have more energy. Youll reap the benefits of smart lifestyle choices for a healthier future so you can achieve whats important to you.

Choose to become the best you can be!

Diana H. Hart, President

National Association for Health and Fitness

Words to Understand

motivation: Your reason for doing something.

endurance: The ability to exercise for a long time.

tissue: A certain kind of material inside our bodies that do one kind of job. Tissues are made up of just one kind of cell.

contract: Shrink or get smaller.

dilate: When something circular gets wider. For example, your pupils and blood vessels dilate when they get bigger.

stroke: When a person has a blood clot or is bleeding inside his brain.

capacity: The greatest limit of somethings ability to do something.

thermostat: Something that controls the temperature.

P eople exercise for all sorts of reasons. They exercise because they think its fun. They exercise because they want to look a certain way. Some people exercise because they like to compete. Others exercise because they like the emotional rush it gives them.