This document discusses physical activity and its relationship to reducing health risks and prolonging quality of life. It states that physical activity is related to lower risks of developing health problems like anxiety and atherosclerosis. Additionally, an active lifestyle is associated with prolonged independent living in elderly individuals. The document examines risk factors for heart disease and categorizes them as primary versus secondary, noting that physical inactivity and low cardio respiratory fitness are now considered primary risks. It also discusses how lifestyle behaviors can be modified to alter risks while factors like family history and age cannot be changed directly. Maintaining physical activity can help reduce the effects of aging on physical decline. The document concludes by listing clinical risk factors associated with low back problems.

1. Andrea Audine P. Jandongan
MPE – Sports Stream

2. Fitness Management

3. If one lives long enough, health problems
will develop, leading to an inability to function
independently and eventually causing death. One
aspect of an individual’s quality of life is to
prevent or delay the premature development of
these health problems, prolonging the healthy
and independent living portions of life.

4. There is an evidence that physical activity is
related to lower risk of premature development of
many health problems including;
Anxiety Atherosclerosis

7. An active lifestyle is also related to estimates of
prolonged quality of life and independent living in
the elderly.

8. Primary and Secondary Risk
Factors for Heart Disease
Primary Secondary
Smoking Obesity
High total cholesterol High very low-density cholesterol
High low-density cholesterol Inability to cope with stress
Low high-density cholesterol Older age
High blood pressure African-American
Physical inactivity Male
Low cardio respiratory fitness Family history
Diabetes High-fat diet
High fabrinogen

9. Although this distinction has been helpful
in the past, the differentiation between
primary and secondary is increasingly difficult
to maintain. For example, earlier reviews
concluded that physical inactivity was a
secondary risk factor, and cardio respiratory
fitness was not listed under either category of
risk.

10. Later studies have found strong evidence
that both physical inactivity and low levels of
cardio respiratory fitness are primary risk
factors. For our purposes, the health fitness
instructor should know all the risk factors and,
more importantly, what individuals need to do
to lower their risks of developing health
problems.

11. Alterable and Unalterable Risk Factors
Another way to classify risk factors is to
distinguish between inherited risk factors that
cannot be altered and unhealthy lifestyle
behaviours that can be modified. The risk
factors that cannot be altered include the
family history of premature cardiovascular
disease, gender, race, and age.

12. Part of the risk associated with family
history and age cannot be changed. The good
news however is that some of the family
history risks can be changed. These alterable
family history risks include an unhealthy diet;
sedentary lifestyle; smoking; and poor stress-
coping behaviors that tend to be transmitted
from parents to children.

13. In terms of aging, many fitness characteristics
get worse with age; that is, if people from 20 to 80
years of age were tested and the results were
plotted against age, a steady deterioration would
occur with each decade. This decline starting in the
mid-20s, has been called the aging curve. A portion
of the deterioration seen in aging curves, however,
is caused by older individuals participating in less
activity-not by aging process itself. People who
maintain active lifestyles slow down the fitness
decline seen in typical aging curves.

14. Clinical evidence indicates that several risk
factors are associated with low - back
problems.
• Lack of abdominal muscle endurance
• Lack of flexibility in the midtrunk and
hamstrings
• Poor posture - lying, sitting, standing, and
moving
• Poor lifting habits
• Injury of low back

15. Risk factors - A characteristic, sign, symptom,
or test score that is associated with increased
probability of developing a health problem.
For example, people with hypertension have
increased risks of developing coronary heart
disease.
Low - back problems - Strong discomfort in
the low back area, often caused by lack of
muscular endurance and flexibility in the
midtrunk region, or improper posture or
lifting.