Julie K. Silver, M.D., is Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and Medical Director of the International Rehabilitation Center for Polio. She is a board-certified physiatrist and a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Medicine. She is also Series Editor for two Praeger series, The Praeger Series on Contemporary Health and Living, and The Praeger Series on Healing and Managing Injury and Disease.Christopher Morin is Founder of the American Fitness Testing Association and owner of a personal training center in Southborough, Massachusetts. He is a former bodybuilder who won 10 titles including Mr. Eastern USA, New England Bodybuilding Champion, and Natural Atlantic Coast Champion. The holder of a master's degree in health and fitness education, Morin has been trainer, nutritionist, and coach to amateur and professional athletes including 40 regional bodybuilding champions, two national champions, and one three-time world champion.

"Editors Silver (Harvard Medical School) and Morin (founder, American Fitness Testing Association) have assembled an impressive cadre of writers for this title in The Praeger Series on Contemporary Health and Living. This volume will be a necessary text for schools with programs in sports medicine, athletic training, premedicine, and physical therapy. It starts with an excellent, detailed overview of the history of exercise in health. . . . Understanding Fitness fills a significant gap for readers in general concerning how exercise improves health. . . . Essential." - Choice

• Dedication Acknowledgments Preface Chapter 1 Historical Exercise Traditions from a Health Perspective Chapter 2 Cardiovascular Health Benefits Chapter 3 Pulmonary Health Benefits Chapter 3a Strength Training Health Benefits Chapter 4 Flexibility Health Benefits Chapter 5 Functional Training Health Benefits Chapter 6 Sport Specific Health Benefits Exercise in Specific Medical Conditions Chapter 7 Exercise and Obesity Chapter 8 Exercise and Diabetes Chapter 9 Exercise and Arthritis Chapter 10 Exercise and Osteoporosis Chapter 11 Exercise and Fibromyalgia Chapter 12 Exercise and Cancer Chapter 13 Exercise and Gastrointestinal Disorders Index About the Editors and Contributors

Julie K. Silver, M.D., is Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and Medical Director of the International Rehabilitation Center for Polio. She is a board-certified physiatrist and a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Medicine. She is also Series Editor for two Praeger series, The Praeger Series on Contemporary Health and Living, and The Praeger Series on Healing and Managing Injury and Disease.Christopher Morin is Founder of the American Fitness Testing Association and owner of a personal training center in Southborough, Massachusetts. He is a former bodybuilder who won 10 titles including Mr. Eastern USA, New England Bodybuilding Champion, and Natural Atlantic Coast Champion. The holder of a master's degree in health and fitness education, Morin has been trainer, nutritionist, and coach to amateur and professional athletes including 40 regional bodybuilding champions, two national champions, and one three-time world champion.

"Editors Silver (Harvard Medical School) and Morin (founder, American Fitness Testing Association) have assembled an impressive cadre of writers for this title in The Praeger Series on Contemporary Health and Living. This volume will be a necessary text for schools with programs in sports medicine, athletic training, premedicine, and physical therapy. It starts with an excellent, detailed overview of the history of exercise in health. . . . Understanding Fitness fills a significant gap for readers in general concerning how exercise improves health. . . . Essential." - Choice

• Dedication Acknowledgments Preface Chapter 1 Historical Exercise Traditions from a Health Perspective Chapter 2 Cardiovascular Health Benefits Chapter 3 Pulmonary Health Benefits Chapter 3a Strength Training Health Benefits Chapter 4 Flexibility Health Benefits Chapter 5 Functional Training Health Benefits Chapter 6 Sport Specific Health Benefits Exercise in Specific Medical Conditions Chapter 7 Exercise and Obesity Chapter 8 Exercise and Diabetes Chapter 9 Exercise and Arthritis Chapter 10 Exercise and Osteoporosis Chapter 11 Exercise and Fibromyalgia Chapter 12 Exercise and Cancer Chapter 13 Exercise and Gastrointestinal Disorders Index About the Editors and Contributors