Fitness & Health Glossary

Enhance your understanding of fitness and health concepts with our comprehensive glossary. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced fitness enthusiast, this guide will help you navigate the essential terms used in health calculations and fitness strategies.

BMI (Body Mass Index)

A simple measure that uses your height and weight to work out if your weight is healthy. BMI is widely used as a general indicator of whether a person has a healthy body weight for their height.

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)

The total number of calories your body burns in 24 hours, including resting metabolism, daily activities, and exercise. TDEE is crucial for understanding energy balance and managing weight.

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)

The number of calories your body burns at rest to maintain vital functions like breathing and circulation. BMR is the foundation for calculating your total daily energy needs.

Calorie

A unit of energy in food. Nutritionally, it refers to kilocalories (kcal) - the amount of energy needed to raise 1 kilogram of water by 1°C. Understanding calories is essential for managing diet and weight.

Macronutrients

The three main nutrients required in large amounts in the human diet: proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Balancing macronutrients is key to a healthy diet and achieving fitness goals.

Calorie Deficit

A state where you consume fewer calories than your body burns, typically leading to weight loss. Creating a calorie deficit is the fundamental principle of most weight loss strategies.

Calorie Surplus

A state where you consume more calories than your body burns, typically leading to weight gain. A controlled calorie surplus is often used for muscle building.

Body Composition

The proportion of fat and non-fat mass in your body. A healthy body composition is associated with better overall health and fitness.

VO2 Max

The maximum rate of oxygen consumption measured during incremental exercise. It's widely accepted as the best indicator of cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance.

Glycemic Index

A measure of how quickly the carbohydrates in a food raise blood sugar levels. Understanding glycemic index is important for managing blood sugar and insulin levels.

Glycemic Load

A measure of the total glycemic effect of a serving of food, taking into account both the glycemic index and the serving size. Glycemic load is a more practical measure for everyday use.

Ketosis

A metabolic state in which your body burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates, producing ketones in the process. Ketosis is often associated with low-carb diets and fasting.

Intermittent Fasting

An eating pattern that involves periods of fasting or calorie restriction followed by periods of unrestricted eating. Intermittent fasting has been linked to various health benefits.

Resting Heart Rate

The number of times your heart beats per minute when you're at complete rest. Resting heart rate is an indicator of cardiovascular fitness and overall health.

Visceral Fat

Fat that accumulates around your abdominal organs, such as the liver, stomach, and intestines. Visceral fat is associated with increased health risks.

Hydrostatic Weighing

A method of measuring body density by weighing a person underwater. Hydrostatic weighing is considered a gold standard for measuring body composition.

Muscle Hypertrophy

The growth and increase in size of muscle cells, often achieved through resistance training and adequate nutrition.

Muscle Atrophy

The wasting or thinning of muscle mass. It can be caused by disuse of your muscles or neurogenic conditions.

Essential Fat

The minimum amount of body fat necessary for basic physical and physiological health. Essential fat is crucial for normal body functioning.

Storage Fat

Fat stored in adipose tissue that serves as an energy reserve and provides insulation and protection for the body's organs.

Type 1 Diabetes

An autoimmune condition where the body's immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, leading to high blood sugar levels.

Type 2 Diabetes

A chronic condition characterized by high blood sugar levels, which can lead to serious health complications if not managed properly.

Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)

The increase in metabolic rate that occurs after ingestion of a meal. TEF accounts for about 10% of total daily energy expenditure.

Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)

The energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating, or sports-like exercise. NEAT can be a significant factor in weight management.

Exercise Expenditure (EE)

The amount of energy expended during physical activity. It includes both the energy used for the activity itself and the energy needed to recover from it.

Respiratory Exchange Ratio (RER)

The ratio of carbon dioxide produced to oxygen consumed during metabolism. RER is used to estimate which macronutrients are being metabolized as a primary energy source.

Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR)

A measure of how well your kidneys are filtering waste from your blood. GFR is an important indicator of kidney function and overall health.

Creatinine

A waste product from muscle metabolism that's filtered out of the blood by the kidneys. Creatinine levels in blood and urine are used to calculate GFR and assess kidney function.

Macrocycle (in training)

A long-term training plan, typically lasting several months to a year, that outlines the overall structure of an athlete's training program.

Mesocycle (in training)

A training phase lasting several weeks to a few months, focusing on specific adaptations or skills within the larger macrocycle.

Microcycle (in training)

A short training cycle, typically one week, that represents the most detailed level of the training plan and includes specific workouts and recovery periods.

Periodization

The systematic planning of athletic or physical training, involving progressive cycling of various aspects of a training program during a specific period.

Progressive Overload

The gradual increase of weight, frequency, or number of repetitions in strength training to continuously challenge the muscles and stimulate growth.

HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)

A training technique that involves short bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by periods of lower-intensity exercise or rest. HIIT is known for its efficiency in improving cardiovascular fitness and burning calories.

LISS (Low-Intensity Steady State)

A form of cardiovascular exercise where you maintain the same low-intensity pace throughout the session. LISS is often used for improving endurance and fat burning.

RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion)

A subjective measure of how hard you feel your body is working during physical activity. RPE is often used to gauge exercise intensity when heart rate monitoring isn't feasible.

MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task)

A measure of the energy cost of physical activities. One MET is defined as the energy expended while sitting quietly and is equivalent to a caloric consumption of 1 kcal/kg/hour.

Why Understanding These Terms Matters

Knowing these fitness and health terms is crucial for:

Setting realistic and achievable fitness goals
Understanding the results of health calculators and fitness trackers
Communicating effectively with fitness professionals and healthcare providers
Making informed decisions about your diet and exercise routines

Related Resources

Explore our calculators and guides to put these terms into practice: