| Smoking
Inhaled smoke
has been linked to lung cancer, lung disorders, and coronary heart
disease. Smoking also affects a person's ability to perform aerobic
tasks. The same mechanisms that eventually lead to lung disorders
limit the ability of the lungs to take in air and distribute oxygen
to the blood. This ability is particularly crucial when performing
tasks that involve large muscle groups continually contracting for
several minutes or longer. A candidate who smokes may be specifically
affected in his or her ability to climb stairs or walk or run for
any length of time, especially while carrying equipment. A smoker
may not be able to do as well on an event that involves this type
of activity as a non smoker of similar size, ability and training.
Therefore, in order to maximize their potential to do well on the
Physical Ability Test, applicants who smoke are urged to quit smoking
as soon as possible. Candidates are reminded that, by law, they
must be non-smokers to work as municipal or MBTA police officers.
Weight
Control
Carrying excess
weight in the form of fat will reduce an applicant's performance
potential on the Physical Ability Test. Excess weight increases
the work that the muscles, heart, and lungs have to do when performing
tasks. For example, when an overweight person walks up stairs, the
leg muscles have to lift more weight. The heart also has to pump
more blood to those working muscles, putting additional stress on
the heart. When muscles have to work harder, against the stress
of carrying excess weight, injuries can result ranging from pulled
leg muscles to a heart attack.
In an effort to promote safety and optimal health, it is recommended
that overweight applicants try to lose weight before participating
in the Physical Ability Test. To best accomplish this, overweight
applicants should begin a weight reduction program that contains
both a nutrition and an exercise component.
Weight loss can best be achieved by:
(a) decreasing the amount of food you normally eat through the reduction
of portion sizes
(b) changing a few "bad habits" such as the amount of
high fat food selections you may be making
(c) increasing the amount of exercise you are presently getting.
1. Through reduction of food intake. A successful
weight loss program always includes an eating plan designed to provide
the right amount of vitamins, minerals, and calories to avoid hunger
pangs and any possible nutrient deficiencies. Nutritionists suggest
the following method to assess your current calorie intake and to
cut back calories appropriately. To determine your current caloric
intake: multiply your present weight by the number 15.
The answer is the average number of calories you are eating daily
to maintain your current body weight. The number 15 is used because
it takes approximately 15 calories to maintain one pound of body
weight.
Now that you know the average number of calories you're eating,
to lose weight, you need to reduce this amount by between 500 1000
calories per day. To demonstrate the effect of reducing your calorie
intake, look at the following examples:
3500 calories = 1 pound of body weight
500 calories x 7 days a week = 3500 calories (1 pound)
1000 calories x 7 days a week = 7000 calories (2 pounds)
By cutting back 500 calories per day, you will be able to lose approximately
1 pound of body weight per week. Cutting back 1000 calories per
day allows you to lose approximately 2 pounds of body weight per
week. Losing any more than 2 3 pounds of body weight in one week
could be detrimental to your health and also increases the chances
of gaining the weight back more quickly. So go slowly and steadily.
Some people will lose less than a pound one week and 2 pounds the
next. There often is no clear way to gauge weight loss, but be confident
that if you're cutting back on calories, you will definitely see
a difference over the long haul.
2. Through exercise. An exercise program is also
a key component of losing weight and keeping it off. For example,
if you don't want to cut your calories by 1000 per day but still
want to lose 2 pounds of weight per week, you can cut calories by
500 and increase exercise by 500 calories. The results will be the
same.. a 2 pound weight loss. Here are some examples of ways to
burn roughly 500 calories through energy expenditure:
Ways to Burn 500 Calories
• walk 5 miles (takes 100 minutes)
• jog 5 miles (takes about 55 minutes)
• climb stairs for 80 minutes
• cycle or row for 60 minutes
3. Through appropriate food selection. Now that
you realize some of your weight loss options, the next step is to
select the appropriate foods. Our first aim is to identify the foods
you're currently eating that are too high in fat. Some examples
might include:
• peanut butter
• ice cream
• butter or margarine on toast, vegetables, popcorn, potatoes,
etc.
• large amounts of meats and their skins
• fried foods such as french fries, fried chicken, fried eggs,
etc.
• cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, mayonnaise, salad dressings
• high fat desserts such as cookies, pies, cakes, pastries
and donuts
• fatty meats such as ribs
• oils
Although fat is an essential nutrient, most Americans are simply
eating too much of it. You should get only about 20-30 percent of
your total daily calories from fat. But rather than try to calculate
what that number should be, your goal should be to cut back on fat
as much as possible.
Your next step is to assess how many fruits and vegetables you're
eating. The recommended number of fruits is 2 4 pieces per day (or
2 4 cups of canned fruit in it's own juice). Vegetables can be eaten
cooked or raw to total 2 4 cups per day. In many cases, vegetables
can be eaten in any quantity due to their very low calorie content.
Finally, assess how many foods you eat from the grain, cereal, and
bread category. It is recommended that the majority of food you
eat in a day come from these foods, 6 11 servings per day. Examples
include:
• rice
• pasta/noodles
• potatoes, corn, peas, dried beans such as navy, pinto, garbanzo
and black beans
• all types of bread, bagels, muffins
• all types of cereal
• cornmeal
• stuffing
• sweet potatoes, squash, yams
These foods are referred to as complex carbohydrates. They are responsible
for providing you with the most available form of energy, glucose.
Consequently, your diet needs to be plentiful in them, yet you can
still lose weight due to their typical high fiber content.
Protein rich foods should be kept to a minimum, to the surprise
of many people. In fact, only 12 15% of your total daily calories
need to come from protein rich foods such as meat, eggs, milk, yogurt,
and other dairy products. Look for lean meats; remove skin from
chicken and fish; trim all fat off meat; and select skim milk, no
fat yogurt, and lower fat cheese such as mozzarella.
An example of a high carbohydrate, low fat eating plan that can
be adapted to your desired caloric intake follows. NEXT
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