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What You Will Do

Design a personal fitness program by using specific guidelines.

Define different levels of physical activity.

Evaluate your current level of physical activity.

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Terms to Know

behavioral-change stairway

regular physical activity or exercise

moderate physical activity or exercise

vigorous physical activity or exercise

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Guidelines for Getting Started

Don’t put off ‘til tomorrow what you can do today.

This is a good motto for someone who has made a commitment to become and stay personally fit.

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Setting Fitness Goals

Here are some guidelines for setting fitness goals:Make a contract with yourself to show your commitment to improving your personal fitness. Make a list of goals that are both reasonable and specific.Make a schedule of your fitness activities that fits in with your other obligations and responsibilities.Be patient: begin slowly and progress gradually.Enjoy it. Make it social experience by participating with others in a variety of activities that you like doing.

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Setting Fitness Goals

Choose a fitness program that will be effective and safe.

Choose a variety of activities and consider safety.

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Setting Fitness Goals

One approach that has helped many people achieve and maintain overall fitness is the behavioral-change stairway.

Behavioral-change stairway

A step-by-step approach for

helping people achieve their fitness goals.

Term to Know

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Setting Fitness Goals

The steps in the behavioral-change stairway are:

1. Not thinking about being personally fit

2. Thinking about being personally fit

3. Planning on becoming personally fit

4. Starting to become personally fit

5. Maintaining personal fitness behaviors

6. Relapse or stopping of personal fitness behaviors

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Setting Fitness Goals

Beginning to Climb

Moving from Step 1 (not thinking about fitness) to Step 2 (beginning to think about fitness) requires a conscious effort.

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Setting Fitness Goals

Planning Your Journey

At Step 3 (planning on becoming personally fit), you develop your game plan, including setting goals and a realistic schedule.

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Setting Fitness Goals

Staying on Track

Step 4 of the journey (starting to become personally fit) is the point where some people begin to slide back.

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Setting Fitness Goals

Staying at the Top

Once you reach Step 5 (maintaining personal fitness behaviors), your goal should be to stay there.

If you have a relapse, get back into a regular routine as soon as possible.

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Physical Activity and Exercise Guidelines

The harder you work, the greater the rewards to your health and fitness.

As a teen, you should strive to do a minimum of 225 minutes of activity or exercise per week. Adults should do a minimum of 150 minutes per week.

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Physical Activity and Exercise Guidelines

1. Regular physical activity or exercise

Regular physical activity

or exercise

Any activity or exercise

performed most days of the

week, preferably daily.

Term to Know

Fitness experts have devised these three ratings:

5 or more days of the week if moderately intense activities are done.

3 or more days per week if vigorous activities are done.

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Physical Activity and Exercise Guidelines

2. Moderate physical activity or exercise

Fitness experts have devised these three ratings.

Moderate physical activity

or exercise

Any activity or exercise that

ranges in intensity from

light-to-borderline-heavy

exertion

Term to Know

Examples include walking briskly, mowing the lawn, dancing, swimming, and cycling on level terrain.

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Physical Activity and Exercise Guidelines

3. Vigorous physical activity or exercise

Fitness experts have devised these three ratings.

Vigorous physical activity

or exercise

Any activity or exercise that

ranges in intensity from

heavy-to-maximum exertion.

Term to Know

Examples include jogging, shoveling snow, high-impact aerobics, swimming continuous laps, cycling uphill.

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Jump Starting Your Personal Fitness ProgramRemember these tips when you start your personal fitness program:

Begin your conditioning program at a low-to-moderate level. Gradually increase this level over a period of several weeks to reduce injury risks. Start with the cardiovascular and flexibility components. Add the muscular strength and endurance components later.

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Lesson 4 Review

1. Vocabulary What is the behavioral-change stairway?

2. Recall Between which two steps does the behavioral-change stairway descend? Explain.

3. Recall How often should teens perform regular physical activity?

Reviewing Facts and Vocabulary

1. Vocabulary

A step-by-step approach for helping individuals achieve their fitness goals.

2. Recall

Not thinking about fitness, and relapse.

3. Recall

Teens should perform five or more days a week of moderate, and three or more days of vigorous, physical activity.

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