Physical Activity

Health – physical activity

Concepts

Scientific studies conducted over the past two decades have shown that regular physical activity provides health benefits. In the whole world geography, institutions like the American Public Health Service or the Spanish Ministry of Health promote physical activity for all ages and especially in children and adolescents.

Concepts

Physical activity: Any kind of voluntary body movement that a person does over a given period of time: walking, dancing, stair climbing, etc.), performed by skeletal muscles that spends an additional energy than the required to maintain vital functions (breathing, circulation, etc.

Physical exercise: Physical activity that is planned, organized and repeated to improve fitness.

Concepts

Sport: Exercising governed by rules that combines

physical activity and other characteristics of the person.

Health: State of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO).

Physical Fitness: The ability to carry out daily tasks with vigor and alertness, without undue fatigue and with ample energy to enjoy leisure-time pursuits and to meet unforeseen emergencies. A healthy fitness includes cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, etc.

Healthy physical activity

Healthy physical activity will depend on the condition and age of each person but can be defined as the physical activity of moderate intensity that is done daily for at least 30 minutes. Length depends on the intensity. We can practice mild physical activity for 60 minutes. But we must ensure a minimum of daily activity, as instance… Taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Walking quickly when we go to school.

Walking or biking.

Reducing downtime at the computer or TV.

Stretching.

How do I know the intensity of my physical activity?

Mild intensity (walking) I have a feeling of warmth. My breathing and my heart rate increase.

Moderate intensity (dancing, swimming, cycling) The feeling of warmth increases and sweating begins. Breathing rate and pulse increase, but still allow us to talk.

Vigorous intensity (jogging and playing sports at an advanced level) Strong feeling of warmth. Breath starts to short. High pulse.

Maximum Effort (sprinting and high level sports) Very strong feeling of warmth and intense perspiration. Shortness of breath and very high pulse.

Benefits of physical activity

Physical activity contributes to the integral development of the person.

Anatomical benefits: PA strengthens bones and muscles. PA helps to avoid obesity. PA reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc.

Psychological benefits: PA increases self-esteem. PA provides well-being. PA reduces stress, anxiety and sedentary lifestyle. PA improves mood.

Social Benefits: PA reassures autonomy and integration. PA encourages sociability.

Key health-related components of fitness

Cardiorespiratory endurance is the ability of the body to perform prolonged, large-muscle, dynamic exercise at moderate-to-high levels of intensity. The heart and lungs must carry enough oxygenated blood to the muscles and then recover. Respiratory endurance strengthens quick walking with soft jogging, swimming, cycling, rowing, etc., but considering some aspects: The activity should be enjoyable and easy to perform.

We will start with mild effort and we will increase it.

If the activity involves much endurance, we should first consult a doctor.


Muscle strength and endurance. The muscle must be capable of generating or maintaining tension contraction for a prolonged period of time. The activities of muscular strength and endurance can be: With your own body weight (jumping rope, climbing, running, etc.) With the weight of another person (rope-pulling, truck, etc.) With objects (ball, rowing, weights, etc.)

What should we keep in mind when practicing these activities? We should start with mild effort and we will increase it. We shouldn’t overcharge, it can be harmful. If we want to practice them we should consult with a professional

sports doctor.


Flexibility is the ability to conduct joint movements with maximum amplitude. Flexibility does not generate movement but makes it possible. To have good flexibility should practice stretching for each muscle or group of muscles. These stretching exercises should be done:

Slowly, without bouncing, shocks or pain.

From childhood.

Both at the beginning and at the end of the physical activity.

Often, because flexibility is lost due to aging and to lack of training.


Coordination is the ability to use the senses and movement of different parts of the body to develop smooth and precise movements. Coordination is a skill that provides: Body Balance (maintaining a certain

posture).

Rhythm (moving to the beat of the music).

Spatiotemporal perception (learning a step dance).

Hand-eye and foot-eye coordination (football / basketball).

Great satisfaction.

Avoiding falls and accidents.

Hiking - Healthy Physical Activity

I recommend hiking but really I practice cross-country, hiking without trails but using GPS and common sense. Hiking is an easy leisure activity, based on walking, guided by signs in a natural setting. Due to its simplicity it can be carried out by most of the population. In Spain it was born in the 18th (eighteenth) century when the Spanish Mountaineering Federation developed this sport as it was done in Europe and drew the first trail in the province of Tarragona.


Hiking is an aerobic exercise, usually done in group which improves the cardiovascular system, keeps the joints and muscles flexible, helps control weight, reduces cholesterol and helps the musculoskeletal and respiratory systems functioning. During the development of any hiking activity we worked out quadriceps, calves, glutei and hamstrings muscles. To avoid injury, stretching the lower body and back is required before and after the activity.


Warm-up exercises:


Planning the route In order to practice safe and healthy hiking, some aspects must be considered so we can ensure the activity to be fully beneficial: Knowing the route beforehand, carrying

maps and GPS to help us calculate distances, slopes, aquifers, the time it will take to do it, etc.

Knowing the weather forecast to know what kind of clothes we should wear, how much water we need, etc. If forecasts are bad, the route should be cancelled.

Wearing suitable clothing and footwear.


Carrying enough water and appropriate and healthy snacks or meals.

Carrying a small first aid kit, sunglasses, sunscreen, walking sticks, whistle, cell phone, binoculars, camera, etc.

Going always with a group; avoiding going by ourselves and having someone who knows where we are going.

Bringing back all the garbage that we may have generated.

Respecting the flora and fauna we find.


With this simple guideline, hiking will become a safe, healthy, fun physical activity. Here you have two links with many routes to enjoy:

http://escalerilla.barruelo.com/

http://montripero.blogspot.com.es/

Bibliography

Books: Lee, R., & Nieman, D. (2013). Nutritional assessment (6th ed.). New

York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Nieman, D. (2011). Exercise testing and prescription: A health-

related approach (7th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Pérez Feito, J. (2013). Physical education. Madrid: Pila Teleña.

Electronic references: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1996). Physical

Activity and Health. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from [http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/sgr/pdf/sgrfull.pdf] on October, 26th, 2014.

World Health Organization (1948). WHO Definition of Health. Retrieved from [http://www.who.int/about/definition/en/print.html] on October, 26th, 2014.

Bibliography

http://www.cafyd.com/tesis12cordente.pdf, on October, 18th, 2014.

https://www.msssi.gob.es/ciudadanos/proteccionSalud/adolescencia/docs/actividadFisicaPadresMadres_1999.pdf, on October, 21th, 2014.

https://uvadoc.uva.es/bitstream/10324/3135/1/TFG-B.177.pdf, on October, 21th, 2014.

http://emasf.webcindario.com/El_Senderismo.pdf on October, 23th, 2014.

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senderismo on October, 23th, 2014.

http://www.webconsultas.com/ejercicio-y-deporte/vida-activa/consejos-del-experto-para-la-practica-del-senderismo-5445 on October, 27th, 2014.

Bibliography

Images:

http://www.tomesenda.com/consejos/estiramientos, on October, 25th, 2014.

https://www.msssi.gob.es/ciudadanos/proteccionSalud/adolescencia/docs/actividadFisicaPadresMadres_1999.pdf, on October, 21th, 2014.

Images of my own

Paper written by Belén Ruiz Montes, #19 within the Physical Education course.

Sports

Physical Activity