Find here a list of the key terms and words used in the fitness and weight loss space. These are bite-sized definitions meant to give you a quick understanding of the term.

  • Aerobic Exercise: Physical activity that uses large muscle groups and increases heart rate and breathing for an extended period.
  • Amino Acids: The building blocks of proteins, essential for muscle growth and repair.
  • Anabolic: Referring to the metabolic process that builds up molecules, often associated with muscle growth.
  • BMI (Body Mass Index): A measure that uses height and weight to determine if a person is underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese.
  • Body Composition: The proportion of fat, muscle, bone, and other tissues in the body.
  • Calorie: A unit of energy, often used to measure the energy content of foods and the amount of energy burned during physical activity.
  • Calorimetry: the measurement of heat production, usually measured in units of calories.
    • Direct Calorimetry: used to estimate one’s metabolic rate both at rest and during exercise. 
    • Indirect Calorimetry: Usually used to estimate one’s metabolic rate, specifically, by the measurement of oxygen consumption.
  • Cardio: Short for cardiovascular exercise, which improves heart and lung function.
  • Catabolism: The breakdown of complex molecules in the body, often associated with muscle loss.
  • Clean Eating: A diet approach focusing on whole, unprocessed foods.
  • CICO (Calories In, Calories Out): The principle that weight loss occurs when calorie expenditure exceeds calorie intake.
  • Compound Exercise: Exercises that work multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
  • Deload: A planned reduction in exercise volume or intensity to allow for recovery.
  • DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness): Muscle pain and stiffness that occurs 24-48 hours after exercise.
  • Electrolytes: Minerals in the blood and other bodily fluids that carry an electric charge, important for hydration and muscle function.
  • EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption): The increased rate of oxygen intake following strenuous activity.
  • Fartlek: A training method that blends continuous training with interval training.
  • Fasted Cardio: Performing cardiovascular exercise on an empty stomach.
  • Flexible Dieting: An eating approach that focuses on macronutrient intake rather than specific foods.
  • Glycogen stores: The body’s way of storing excess glucose for future energy use. Glycogen is a complex carbohydrate. When the body doesn’t immediately need glucose for energy, it converts it into glycogen for storage
  • HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training): A training technique alternating short periods of intense exercise with less intense recovery periods.
  • Homeostasis: The tendency of the body to maintain a stable internal environment for cells by narrowly regulating critical variables such as pH or acid base balance, oxygen tension, blood glucose concentration, body temperature, etc.
  • Hypertrophy: An increase in muscle size through enlargement of component cells.
  • Intermittent Fasting: An eating pattern that cycles between periods of eating and fasting.
  • Isolation Exercise: An exercise that targets a single muscle group.
  • Ketosis: A metabolic state where the body uses fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates.
  • Macronutrients: The three main nutrients required in large amounts in the diet: protein, carbohydrates, and fats.
  • Metabolism: The chemical processes that occur within a living organism to maintain life.
  • Micronutrients: Essential nutrients required in small amounts, such as vitamins and minerals.
  • Mitochondria: Membrane-bound organelles found in the cytoplasm of cells, termed the “powerhouse of the cell.” These generate chemical energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) through oxidative phosphorylation.
  • NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis): The energy expended for everything that is not sleeping, eating, or sports-like exercise.
  • Periodization: The systematic planning of athletic or physical training.
  • Plateau: A state of little or no change following a period of progress.
  • Progressive Overload: Gradually increasing the weight, frequency, or number of repetitions in strength training.
  • Protein Synthesis: The process by which cells build proteins.
  • Resistance Training: A form of exercise that improves muscular strength and endurance.
  • RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation): A treatment method for soft tissue injuries.
  • Reps (Repetitions): The number of times you perform a specific exercise.
  • Rest Day: A day of little or no training to allow for recovery.
  • RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion): A scale used to measure the intensity of exercise.
  • Sets: A group of repetitions performed consecutively without rest.
  • Spot Reduction: The mistaken belief that fat can be targeted for reduction in a specific area of the body.
  • Supersets: Performing two exercises back to back with little to no rest in between.
  • Thermogenesis: The production of heat in the body, often through metabolism.
  • TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure): The total number of calories burned in a day.
  • VO2 Max: The maximum rate of oxygen consumption during exercise.
  • Weight Training: A type of strength training that uses weights of any kind for resistance.

You can also view our references page for more details and further reading.