Physical
Education
Assessment of Physical Activity, Exercise, and
Eating Habits
FILLING IN MY SCHEDULE
Concentrate on the following:
How long do you spend on activities that make you move a lot; make you stay still
or not move a lot?
When are the best times and days for you to be more active?
What activities can you do on these times?
Make a reflection based on the result of the given activity.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND
PHYSICAL FITNESS
A lifestyle based on good choices and healthy practices maximizes the quality of
life. It helps you avoid diseases, remain strong and fit, and maintain your physical
and mental health. One of the most important practices is being physically active.
People of all ages benefit from regular physical activity. Significant health benefits
can be obtained by engaging in moderate amounts of physical activity on most, if
not all days of the week. Through a modest increase in daily activity, most
individuals can improve their health and quality of life. Additional health benefits
can be gained through greater amounts of physical activity Individuals who can
maintain a regular regimen of a more vigorous or a longer-duration activity are
likely to obtain even greater benefits.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY CHART
Participation in regular moderate physical activity can lead to improved
physical fitness. It is a condition whereby the systems of the body are able to
function at their optimal efficiency, associated with an individual’s ability to
work effectively, to enjoy leisure time, to be healthy, to resist disease, and to
respond easily to emergency situations.
Regular moderate physical activity means
engaging in relatively vigorous bodily
movement for 30 minutes to 1 hour that can
elevate your heart rate. “Regular” here refers
to being active in most, if not all days of the
week. About 3 to 4 times per week or more
are the recommended times of exercise for
an individual. You may opt to have rest days
or easy days in between to allow your body to
recover from the physical exertion.
To know if the amount of effort exerted during physical activity will be beneficial to you,
the FITT formula should be kept in mind. FITT stands for:
Frequency (how often) – number of training sessions that are
performed during a given period (usually one week)
Intensity (how hard) – an individual’s level of effort, compared
with their maximal effort, which is usually expressed as a
percentage
Time (how long) – duration of a workout (including warm-up
and cool-down) or the length of time spent in training
Type – mode of physical activity
For example, you are used to leisurely walking for 20 minutes from your home to school a
back from Monday to Friday. Applying the FITT formula would entail the following
adjustments in your physical activity for it to become more than your usual practice,
such as increasing the intensity of your pace to moderate or vigorous and decreasing
the amount of time to do it.
Changing from your “usual” to “more than your usual” does not necessarily mean changing everything
in the FITT formula. Frequency can be retained but intensity is elevated; or both can be slightly adjusted
but time is increased; or type is changed to a more challenging one. Remember, changing your FITT
formula should be done gradually to give your body time to adjust to the demands you place on it.
When your body is challenged to do more than what it is used to, changes in your
body start to occur. If the physical activity is too easy for your body, changes, if
any, would be minimal. Hence, your body should be challenged, and more effort
should be exerted.
One way to gauge this is through the Rate of Perceived Exertion or RPE. It is an
assessment of the intensity of exercise based on how the participant feels. It is
basically a subjective assessment of effort which ranges from 6 (very, very light)
to 20 (very, very hard) with 1-point increment in between. The target zone for
aerobic activity is from 12 to 16.
Here are just some of the components of physical fitness:
Cardiovascular endurance - the ability of an individual toperform
prolonged work continuously, where the work involves large
musclegroups (Fahey, Insel, and Ruth 2007)
Agility - ability to start (or accelerate), stop (ordecelerate and
stabilize), and change direction quickly, while maintaining posture
Coordination - ability to perform complex motor skills with a
smooth, flow of motion
Good physical fitness is important because it contributes directly to the physical
component of good health and wellness, and indirectly to the other components.
Good fitness has been shown to be associated with reduced risk for chronic
diseases, such as heart disease, and has been shown to reduce the
consequences of many debilitating conditions.
Factors affecting physical fitness include age, gender, heredity, nutrition, activity
and disability, among others. These factors affect physical fitness in varying
degrees since they are relative to the individual. For instance, if you eat ample
amounts of food regularly, your fitness level will likely be higher than somebody
who does not get enough nutrients on a regular basis. The same can be said with
somebody who is very active compared with somebody who is very sickly.
Participating in regular physical activities should be enjoyable to be able to make
you continue doing it. Reasons for participating and dropping out from the
activity depend on the individual; that is why it is important to know what your
reasons for participating are so that dropping out can be avoided. Some reasons
for participating include: the thrill and excitement of competition; desire to
succeed or win and/or be good at something; a sense of personal
accomplishment; enjoyment in playing and mastering new skills; socialization or
being with others; challenge limits; release of stress and frustration; improvement
of self-image, self-confidence, and appearance; improvement of health, wellness,
and fitness levels; and prevention of disease.
BENEFITS OF ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
IN SPORTS AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES
Individuals benefit a lot from
actively participating in sports and recreational activities. These include
health, physical, mental, emotional, and social benefits.
Health Benefits Physical Benefits
road map to good health and longevity improvement of skills specific to a particular
improved quality of life activity
lower blood pressure, reduced arthritis pain, relaxation, rest, and revitalization
weight loss and lowered risk of diabetes,
certain cancers, osteoporosis and
cardiovascular disease Mental and Emotional Benefits
release of stress from demands of everyday living
Social Benefits greater personal confidenceand self-esteem
bonding with family and friends sense of achievement
opportunity to make new friends and reducing risks of depression, anxiety,
acquaintances psychological distress, and emotional
strengthen social networks and community disturbance
more restraint in avoiding risky behavior
identify
It's a Wrap.
Thank you!