ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, July 16, 1996 TAG: 9607160024
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Personal Health
SOURCE: JANE BRODY
Most of us are not and will never be Olympic athletes. We are not obliged to train day after day to improve our performance in a particular activity. Yet many amateur players and ordinary fitness buffs act as if their chosen activity was the only one they could or would want to do. They are the Johnny One Notes of exercise.
Among my friends, for example, there is Arthur, who runs seven miles a day, every day, seven days a week; Kuchela, who plays singles tennis - and only tennis - four or five times a week, and Jane, who swims - and only swims - half a mile or more every day.
To be sure, they are doing far more than most other Americans to stay in shape as the years tick on. But there is growing evidence that they would be much better off with a more varied activity program.
I learned the hard way that combining two or more complementary forms of exercise is the safest way to be physically active and the only way to achieve balanced fitness. This approach to exercise, called cross-training, is fast catching on with active Americans, including many elite athletes who were once single-sport devotees.
My foray into multiple activities is like an advertisement for cross-training. It began with a passion for singles tennis that I pursued for an hour or more a day, seven days a week. Initially, it was my only activity, other than walking and biking to the courts. Then, in my mid-30s, I found myself getting winded on the tennis court.
Thinking I needed to increase my aerobic capacity, I started jogging three or more times a week, while continuing to play daily tennis. Suddenly, my back went out, and I had to abandon all activity, even walking, for six weeks.
When I was finally able to resume exercising, I took up swimming to get back in shape without stressing my back. Cycling, too, proved to be an activity I could pursue without back pain.
Eventually, I got back to running and tennis, but I soon began to realize that seven days a week of singles was more than my body would take without complaint. Besides, my performance on the court seemed to become increasingly erratic.
I could not help but notice that when I was forced to spend a day or two off the courts, I played all that much better the next time. My body seemed to be telling me that it needed a rest from tennis every few days if it was going to be at its best.
Fitness, it turns out, is far more than being able to run a mile or more without getting winded or having your muscles turn to jelly. In addition to developing aerobic endurance, the ability to sustain a demanding oxygen-using activity like running, cycling or brisk walking for prolonged periods, balanced fitness includes muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and having a healthy ratio of muscle to fat.
In her excellent book, ``Cross-Training'' (Fireside/Simon & Schuster, 1992, $12), Gordon Bakoulis Bloch listed the above features of total-body, or balanced, fitness as one of the main benefits of mixing activities.
Even if you are aerobically fit, you may not be strong enough to lift a heavy object, open a tightly closed jar or carry a heavy package a long distance. And you may not be flexible enough to bend without breaking or to survive a misstep without spraining a ligament or pulling a muscle.
Then there is the matter of overuse injuries, which come from overworking certain body parts by overdoing one activity. Among the more common problems are shin splints, tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis and runner's knee.
By reducing the frequency with which any one activity is pursued, cross-training allows time for overly stressed parts of the body to rest and recover from the damaging effects of exercise before a chronically painful injury results.
In the meantime, you can stay in shape with your alternate activity. Or, if you should already be injured, cross-training allows time for the injured part to heal while you maintain the benefits of activity.
By introducing variety into your exercise program, cross-training counters boredom and burnout and increases the likelihood that you will remain physically active for as long as you live. It also permits flexibility in your workout.
It may not be possible to swim or play tennis or jog every day or in every place you happen to be. Cross-training gives you choices, as many choices as you may want, regardless of weather or circumstances.
Your choice of activities should be determined not only by your interests, opportunities and abilities, but also by whether they contribute to balanced fitness. A given activity may improve more than one facet of fitness. These are some of the possibilities:
nFor aerobic conditioning: The ability of your heart and lungs to function most efficiently can be enhanced by activities that sustain a raised heart rate for at least 20 consecutive minutes without making you become breathless. Depending upon your initial fitness level, these can include brisk walking; jogging; swimming laps; cycling; skating; cross-country skiing; water or step aerobics; jumping rope; playing vigorous tennis, squash or racquetball, or working out on a treadmill, ski machine, exercise bicycle or step machine.
nFor muscular strength and endurance: Muscles must be stressed to get stronger. The activities listed above that promote aerobic fitness will also strengthen some muscles and increase their ability to sustain repeated contractions. But other opposing muscles will be relatively neglected, which increases the risk of injury. To achieve a balance, try lifting weights or working out on resistance machines to strengthen neglected muscles. For example, women naturally have weak upper-body muscles, and those who walk or jog are doing nothing to enhance upper-body strength. For them, lifting free weights, swimming the crawl or using a rowing machine would be ideal.
nTo foster flexibility: Muscles and joints that can move freely through their full range of motion are least likely to become injured. Activities that promote endurance or strength also tighten certain muscles at the expense of others. In runners, for example, muscles in the back of the legs become stronger and tighter than those in the front, increasing their vulnerability to knee and ankle injuries. Flexibility is fostered by gentle, nonstressful activities like stretching, yoga and tai chi. Regardless of which activities you choose, stretching before and after exercise should always be part of your routine.
nTo reduce body fat: Any activity that burns a significant number of calories will help you lose body fat and increase the ratio of muscle to fat. The biggest calorie burners are the activities that involve the sustained use of large muscle groups, in the legs, arms and torso, like those listed under aerobic conditioning. Especially helpful are weight-bearing activities, which increase bone mass.
LENGTH: Long : 117 linesby CNB