Organization of the Lab Manual

This lab manual will contain three types of assignments. The main type of exercise is called a “case study” and these tests or measures will be performed on you or are about you. Most of the case studies can be performed independently, but some are better if there is a partner.

The second type of assignment will use videos or educational materials from the internet, and you will be asked various questions from them as well as some perspective or opinions. This type will be called a video analysis and “report”. It is amazing how fun learning can be when it is presented this way!

The third type of assignment is “discussions.” Technically, this is best if you are in a course at an institution where some “discussion” or “chat room” application is available. People may comment via threads. Most of these are opinion-based and some educational videos or papers may be assigned to these as well. Social media thrives on discussions. I hope you enjoy this manual and are fully engaged.

This manual could serve a course in exercise physiology, or standard human physiology. Some systems lend themselves more toward being studied non-invasively from home, while others do not. There is a good deal of overlap in the function of three different sets of systems. It is because the systems work synergistically that we see this apparent overlap. The first triad is between metabolism, body composition, and nutrition. These sections will be presented in that order in this lab manual. The metabolic rate is a function of cells utilizing chemicals in a particular manner. The nutrition components one ingests can alter the metabolic rate or the metabolism of someone, and the body composition will change accordingly. Also, if someone has a high percentage of muscle, they will have a higher metabolic rate and “throw off” some of the formulas which use body weight to approximate fat amount.

In a similar fashion, it is hard to separate the second triad- cardiovascular, respiratory, and aerobic capacity or muscle endurance. The cardiovascular system can only transport oxygen if the respiratory system obtains it, and the muscle’s mitochondria can only utilize oxygen, if the cardiovascular system transports it.

Interestingly, the smart watches on the market now, can not only monitor heart rate, but they can also monitor your speed, cadence, and incline or ascent. Some can even take an EKG and even monitor the quality of their sleep or stress levels through heart rate variability, and breathing rates at rest. This manual will not expect anyone to have a “smart watch” but it can be helpful and fun to compare the findings of the watch to some of these studies.

A third triad of synergism exists with the brain, our special senses, and balance. Most would consider these quite distinct, yet balance or equilibrium is a function of your sight, proprioceptors, and the reticular system in the inner ear. The perception of sight is due to many interpretations from the brain. It must take in the visual data in the optic lobe and make sense of it in the visual cortex and frontal cortex. Thus, optical illusions are due to these interpretations. In addition, if there are cerebellar issues in someone, their balance or coordination will be thrown off. This is why the drunk driver field tests are performed!

We will explore the body in 14 Sections in this manual or course. Each section is covering a different organ system or area. For example, anthropometrics is simply body measurements, and it primarily applies to body composition and girths. This would be a combination of a couple of organ systems. Likewise, metabolism and calorie burn would involve several systems as well. Please remember that you can “isolate” a system in a living body. In science we call this “in vivo” vs. in place “in situ” or looking at isolated cells would be “in vitro”.

Nutrition is a topic that spans several sciences not to mention physiological systems. What you put into your body determines both what resources the body has to replace or regenerate a given system, but it also have endocrine and biochemical effects. This course or manual is only touching the surface of what can be explored in the world of nutrition including nutrigenomic effects and phytochemical effects, as well as the role of our microbiome on our health which is a hot topic of discussion in wellness and health!

A final note, as you go through the various exercises, try to have both an introspective perspective as well as an inductive perspective. So, what this means is look at yourself, both physically and mentally. I really want you to examine- how you tick. Athletes do this on a regular basis, but much of humankind does not. Secondly, look at the collective pattern of outcomes in your life to form a theory or overall theme. For example, you may see that you are good with health habits when things are good, but as soon as “life” falls apart, so do you! This is not a “self-help manual” and no medical advice is offered, but it can be used for some guidance, should you choose to use it for such purposes.