Fitness for LifeDesigning Your Own Fitness Program

OBJECTIVES FOR THIS UNIT:Students will:1) understand the six guidelines for choosing activities from the physical activity pyramid so they can include these activities in their own physical activity program2) understand activities for each area of the physical activity pyramid3) list six factors to consider when choosing a sport in which to participate4) learn the basics of SMART goal setting4) design and implement their own physical activity program5) learn to evaluate health and fitness facilities6) learn to recognize several techniques used to sell "quack" items7) describe the six steps in planning a personal fitness program

ASSIGNMENTS RELATED TO THIS UNIT:

Read Chapters 5, 8 & 9 (if you have the textbook)07.1.1 Your Physical Activity Preferences07.2.1 Setting Fitness Goals07.3.1 Unit 7 quiz07.3.2 Activity log 10

               

Images from Wikimedia Commons: golf – USAF, public domain; mountain bike – Andy Armstrong, CC attribution Share-Alike; handbike – Hugo, CC attribution Generic; kayak - 秋空から蛇が降ってきた, public domain; ballroom dance, che, CC attribution Share-Alike

Now that you have self-tested your current level of cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance, body composition, and flexibility, you have a good idea of your strong and weak areas.   Hopefully, you have been thinking about how to maintain your strong areas and improve upon your weaknesses.   This unit is designed to help you plan your own fitness program using the self-test results, your personal preferences for physical activity, guidelines from the Surgeon General, and the fitness pyramid.

Image from Wikimedia Commons, David Hiser, NARA, public domain

When you are younger, there are many opportunities to participate in team and individual sports.   As you get older, sometimes you get busy with work or raising a family so your time to exercise can become scarce.   Your opportunities to participate on a team are more limited, as is your ability to schedule individual sports such as tennis and racquetball.   Therefore, it is important for you to learn not only team and individual sports, but skills for developing your own fitness program. The most popular activities for adults are things like weight training, walking, running, cycling, and even gardening or working in the yard.

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Physical activities, as described in the physical activity pyramid, consist of lifestyle activities, aerobic activities, active sports, muscular strength & endurance, and flexibility. Rest, which should be planned as part of your workout program, is listed at the top of the pyramid.

Lifestyle activity consists of those things you can do on a daily basis.   They include things like walking to the grocery store or to school, parking further away and walking, gardening, chopping wood, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Images from Wikimedia Commons: Lawn mowing – Chris Nystrom, CC Attribution Generic; stairs – USCG, public domain; grocery cart - Ed Yourdon, CC Attribution Generic

Aerobic activities (or activities you do “with oxygen”) are very popular with adults because they typically require low skill to get started, they can be done without competing, they are convenient, and they don’t require other individuals to make up a team.

Images from Wikimedia Commons: Cycling, cs:ŠJů, public domain; step aerobics - Crystal Abbott, US Army, public domain

Active sports include individual sports like tennis or racquetball, or team sports like basketball, soccer, softball, or baseball.   When deciding on a sport to choose, consider the following: Does it provide health-related fitness benefits? Is it something I can continue to do for a lifetime? Am I fit enough to participate in this sport? (If not, how can I improve my fitness for this sport?) Do I have the skills to succeed in this sport?   And most of all, do I enjoy participating in this sport?

Images from Wikimedia Commons: tennis – Charlie Cowens, CC Attribution Generic; soccer – Johnmaxmena, public domain; basketball – Pete Souza, public domain

Muscular strength and endurance activities are important for performing everyday tasks without tiring.

Images from Wikimedia Commons: climbing – Chris, CC Attribution Generic; lifting child - Joshua Valcarcel, US Navy, public domain; strength training, Shamus O'Neill, USN, public domain

Flexibility is important to prevent injury and improve performance in sports such as gymnastics, martial arts, wrestling, diving, and even snowboarding, dude!!

Images from Wikimedia Commons: skater - David W. Carmichael, CC Attribution Share-Alike; martial arts – Mycatvalentina, public domain; snowboarder, Tom Blomfield, CC Attribution Share-Alike

In addition to the categories of health-related fitness discussed in this course, you can also pursue other activities that may not fit easily into a category. To decide which exercises you would like to include in your personal physical activity program, check the links provided with the lesson 07.1.

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When deciding which physical activity you should do, consider the following:1) Make your program specific to YOUR needs.2) Avoid exercises that can cause injury. This will enable you to continue to exercise for a lifetime. 3) Develop a program that slowly progresses.   This will prevent “staleness” and “burnout” that can occur when individuals increase their intensity too quickly or train too frequently.3) Perform a variety of activities to prevent boredom or overuse syndrome. (This is known as cross-training, and it is one of the safest and most effective ways to train.)4) Decide if you like working out alone or with a group.   If you like exercising as part of a group, find a group that does the activity you like. (A good source of information about recreation opportunities in the Salt Lake City area is the “Recreation Roundup” section of the Salt Lake Tribune that typically appears in Tuesday’s paper.)5) Choose activities because you LIKE them—not because you think they are good for you. This should motivate you to continue being active for a lifetime.

If you decide you would like to join a gym, here are some things to consider:  

1)      Is it open convenient hours? 2)      Does it provides the equipment you need?3)      Are the sales people and personal trainers knowledgeable & helpful? 4)      Is the workout climate comfortable for you? 5)      Are the facilities clean?

Before you join a gym, ask the manager if you can have a free week membership so you can try it out.   Also, see if you can get a membership on a monthly basis--as opposed to signing a long-term contract. Sometimes, a workout facility is not what it seems, so if you can try it out, you’ll have a much better sense as to whether or not you will like the facility and use it.   Make sure to visit the gym the hour when you will use it before signing up.

In addition to deciding about fitness facilities, you will also need to make decisions about equipment and clothing specific to your sport or activity.    

Images from Wikimedia Commons: Fencing - Kilho Park, USN, public domain; catcher – Rick Dikeman, CC Attribution Share-Alike

When deciding on a gym to join or equipment to purchase, it is important to be aware of quackery.   Quackery is false advertising or making claims about the benefits of a product or service that are untrue.   Unfortunately, because many individuals wants to improve their fitness level, lose or gain weight, or improve performance, the use of quackery in the health and fitness industry is rampant.

To determine whether a product or service is "quackery," it is important to ask yourself several questions.

1) Does the seller have the proper credentials?2) Does the seller promise immediate, effortless, or guaranteed results? 3) Does the seller use terms such as "miracle," "secret remedy," or "breakthrough research?"4) Does the seller offer the product through mail order? (Be especially cautious if the seller offers the product through a PO Box.)

The bottom line when assessing quackery is to realize that there is no easy or fast way to achieve physical fitness or top performance.   It cannot be done without hard work and sacrifices.   If you have questions about quack products or services, please contact a qualified professional such as your physical education teacher, your coach, or someone with a degree in exercise science, nutrition, or health education.

Look like this in 30 days!

(not!)

Image from Wikimedia Commons, Rijuroy, CC Attribution Share-Alike license

Once you decide to start an exercise program, it is important to develop a "road map" for your ultimate destination.   The best way to plan what you are going to do is to set some goals.   Assignment 07.2.1 will help you set goals and plan a program that will work for you. You may implement these goals into your activity log.   When you set your own goals, make sure you think about setting long and short term goals related to physical activity (process) and fitness (product).

In addition to goal-setting, there are six basic steps that you should follow when designing your own fitness program.   These six steps are:

1) Construct a fitness profile (i.e., do some self-testing to determine your strong/weak areas). This step was completed throughout the first part of the semester (Units 1 - 5)

2) List the activities you can do and would like to do. You will complete this step after you complete assignment 07.1.1.

3) Rate the activity benefits.   Go to the charts on pages 135 and 143 of your text and assess how beneficial your chosen activities are relative to improving your weakest areas of health-related fitness.   If you have chosen activities that are not listed on the chart, conduct some research to find out these benefits and discuss them with your instructor.

4) Structure your program plan.   You have been doing this with your activity logs.5) Write it down. You have been doing this with your activity logs.6) Evaluate your program.   After you have done your program for a few weeks, make sure you re-evaluate your goals and strategies for reaching those goals so you can re-plan things, if necessary. Evaluate your progress with your activity logs in your reflective journal (located at the bottom of your activity log sheet).

Vocabulary (Learning these words will help you on exams, quizzes, and assignments.)

Active Sports: team or individual sports that are used to improve various components of health-related fitness

Aerobic Activities: activities that use large muscles and increase your heart rate for at least 20 minutes. These activities, among the most beneficial in the pyramid, are used to improve your ability to use oxygen (i.e., aerobic capacity).

Flexibility Activities: activities used to build flexibility. Some examples include static, ballistic, and PNF stretching.

Interval Training: training that requires alternate bursts of sprinting and recovery (e.g., jogging slowly or walking). This is a very beneficial way to train for sports and fitness.

Lifestyle Physical Activities: a type of activity that is part of your daily routine. Some examples of lifestyle physical activity include gardening, biking to school (instead of driving), taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and parking further away from your destination to increase your walking.

Long-Term Goals: goals that take a long period of time (e.g., several weeks or months) to accomplish

Muscular Strength and Endurance Activities: activities that are used to improve muscular strength (one repetition maximum) or muscular endurance (multiple repetitions).   Some examples of activities that build muscular strength and endurance include calisthenics and resistance training.

Vocabulary (continued)

Vocabulary (continued)

Physical Activity Goals: goals related to the amount of physical activity in which you will participate; these are typically short-term and they are related to improving the "process" of physical activity

Physical Activity Pyramid: a pyramid, similar to the food pyramid, that provides guidelines for types and amount of physical activity that should be performed.

Physical Fitness Goals: goals related to the level of physical fitness you will accomplish; these are typically long-term and they are related to improving the "product" of physical fitness

Quackery: products or services that are sold under false pretenses

Short-Term Goals: goals that can be accomplished in a short period of time (e.g., several days or a few weeks). These are often used to help you reach your long-term goals.

Now that you have finished reading the materials for Unit 7, please complete assignments 07.1.1 and 07.2.1 .   Once you have completed these assignments, please send them to your instructor.

Give yourself about two weeks to complete this unit.   You may now begin reading the materials for Unit 8.