• Calculate your Ideal weight, Body fat %, Body Mass, Caloric and Fat needs
• Read and summarize a nutrition article
• Plan healthy meals
• Analyze your activity and fitness habits
• Set fitness goals

• Internet Access
• Fitness and Health Worksheet
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Use the PHYS.com website to complete the calculations below. Record this information on the Fitness and Health Worksheet.

1. Calculate your Ideal Weight

   Your ideal weight is really a range of weights that is considered healthy, as long as your body fat is reasonably low.

   • Go to the PHYS.com website and select Ideal Weight under the "Calculators" box on the right side of the screen.
   • Submit your gender, age and height information.
   • Use the Calculate button.
   • Record this result on your Fitness and Health Worksheet.

2. Calculate your Body Fat Percentage

   For health, the important thing isn't how much you weigh, but how much of your weight is fat.

   • Go to the PHYS.com website and select Body Fat % under the "Calculators" box on the right side of the screen.
   • Submit your gender, age, height and waist size information.
   • Use the Calculate button.
   • Record this result on your Fitness and Health Worksheet.

3. Calculate your Body Mass Index

   The Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator measures your weight relative to your height and provides a reasonable estimate of your total body fat. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight and one 30 or above is considered obese. Use the BMI calculator in conjunction with the Body Fat Percentage calculator for a more overall gauge of your health risks.

   • Go to the PHYS.com website and select Body Mass under the "Calculators" box on the right side of the screen.
   • Submit your gender, age, height and weight information.
   • Use the Calculate button.
   • Record this result on your Fitness and Health Worksheet.

   Calories: What are they?

   A calorie is a unit used to measure energy, specifically the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius. The word calorie comes from a Latin word that means heat. A kilocalorie, also called a kilogram calorie, is equal to 1,000 calories. Most dietitians, nutritionists and other food professionals simply use calorie when they mean kilocalorie.
   Are all calories created equal? Yes, even though the body seems to pack on fat calories faster than others. As someone said when wolfing down a bowl of superpremium ice cream, "I might as well just glue it on my hips." There's good reason for this. Gram for gram, fat contains more calories (food energy) than either protein or carbohydrate.
   • 1 g fat = 9 calories
   • 1 protein = 4 calories
   • 1 g carbohydrate = 4 calories
   • 1 g alcohol = 7 calories
   How many calories should you consume each day?
   It depends on your age, height, weight, whether you're active or sedentary, whether you're trying to gain weight, lose weight or maintain weight. And certainly, your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is a factor. You gain weight when you consume more calories than your body needs, and lose when you consume fewer.

4. Calculate your Caloric Needs

   This calculator will estimate the calories you need to maintain a healthy weight for your height and activity level.

   • Go to the PHYS.com website and select Caloric Needs under the "Calculators" box on the right side of the screen.
   • Submit your gender, age, height and activity level information.
   • Use the Calculate button.
   • Record this result on your Fitness and Health Worksheet.

5. Fat Needs

   Fat should never contribute more than 30% of your total calories.

   • Go to the PHYS.com website and select Fat Needs under the "Calculators" box on the right side of the screen.
   • Submit your gender, age, height and activity level information.
   • Use the Calculate button.
   • Record this result on your Fitness and Health Worksheet.

6. Eating Right Articles

   Choose one of these Eating Right articles. Read it and summarize it on your Fitness and Health Worksheet.

7. Planning Meals

   Now that you know approximately how many calories you should consume, let's plan your meals for one day. Focus on nutrition, not calories. The healthiest diet is one that contains a lot of plant foods - vegetables, whole grains, legumes and fruit. Choose these over things like burgers and chips, and you end up with a full supply of nutrients, plus dietary fiber.

   You may want to check out these sample menus before you create your own:

   • Menu For 1800 Calories
   • Menu For 2000 Calories
   • Menu For 2500 Calories

   Below are a variety of Internet sites that will help you make wise decisions when it comes to planning your meals. Record your proposed meals on your Fitness and Health Worksheet..

   • Recommended Dietary Guidelines: advice about food choices that promote health and prevent disease.

   • The Food Guide Pyramid: an outline of what to eat each day based on the Dietary Guidelines.

   • Cyberdiet: a collection of hundreds and hundreds of food labels.

   • Dining Out Decoder: a Menu Maker that suggests entrées that meet your nutrition needs and please your taste buds.

   • Snack-O-Matic: a personal treat tracker. Select the taste or texture you desire most and get a list of food and their nutritional value.

   • Calorie Calculator: search for a food item and find out how much fat and how many calories it contains.

8. Burning Calories

   Most of us know that exercise is recommended at least 3 times a week for 20 minutes at a time. Sounds easy, but most Americans don't meet that goal. Try these online exercise calculators to see how many calories you expend doing some of your favorite activities.

   • Calorie Control: Exercise Calculator:
     • Choose an activity from the pop-up menu.
     • Submit the activity duration (minutes) and your weight.
     • Use the Calculate button.
     • Record this result on your Fitness and Health Worksheet.

   • PHYS.com:
     • Select Caloric Needs under the "Calculators" box on the right side of the screen.
     • Scroll down until you see the words "See how many calories these activities burn:" and select an activity from the pop-up menu.
     • Submit your gender, weight, duration and activity level information.
     • Use the Calculate button.
     • Record this result on your Fitness and Health Worksheet.

9. Personal Fitness Planner
   • Take this online quiz to help you figure out if you are active enough.
     Note: This planner is designed for teenagers. If you are not a teenager you may still take the quiz, but the results may not be as pertinent to you.

   • Summarize the results of the Personal Fitness Planner on your Fitness and Health Worksheet.

10. Online Activities:
    • Food Pyramid Match Game: Test your knowledge of the 5 food groups, and how many servings you need from each group.
      Note: You'll need the Shockwave plugin from Macromedia to play.

    • Calcium Quiz: Find out if you get enough calcium in your diet.

    • Nutrition on the Web: An interactive site created by and for teens. (Spanish and German language versions as well.)

    • Diet Analysis Web Page: Enter the foods you've eaten for one day and receive a complete nutritional review of your diet based on the Recommended Dietary Allowances for your demographic.