PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES TOWARD

HEALTH AND FITNESS 1

Module 4
(5 hrs.)
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Module 4 PHYSICAL FITNESS

and EXERCISE

Introduction

Exercise is essential for well-being during this time of COVID-19 pandemic.

Regular exercise is one of the simplest things you can do for your health. It has
many benefits, including improving your overall health and fitness and reducing your
risk for many chronic diseases. There are many various sorts of exercise; it's
important that you simply pick the proper types for you.
In this module, you will learn about the components of fitness which is very
vital in setting your objectives towards achieving the optimum level of fitness. You
will also learn principles of exercise which is required before formulating an exercise
program.

Learning Outcome
At the end of the module, you will be able to:
 discuss the benefit of physical fitness activities and exercise.
 identify the components of physical fitness and the way each component
affects wellness
 differentiates the different body types.
 create a 3-minute dance exercise workout.

Learning Content

FITNESS
Being fit does not only mean physically fit. It is more than that. It involves
physical, mental, emotional, and social fitness. A person who is fit in every way has
total fitness. He is well-equipped to live each day to the fullest with eagerness and
enthusiasm. He meets his daily responsibilities without getting too exhausted.
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Fitness refers to the quality of being and able and suitable to do a certain task
or demand. Fitness covers physical well-being, balanced mental state, emotional
stability, and spiritual soundness.

There are two different kinds of fitness – and you need to know about both of
them. It’s also important to know what factors can affect fitness.

There are two basic kinds of fitness – general fitness, and specific fitness.

General Fitness

This means you’re able to meet the demands of your

environment – you can do everyday activities without feeling too tired.
For this, you need the four S’s.

1. Strength 2. Speed 3. Stamina 4. Suppleness

1. Cardiovascular endurance (aerobic fitness) – so your muscles

can get enough oxygen to work properly.
2. Muscular endurance – so your muscles don’t get tired too quickly.
3. Good body composition – you shouldn’t be too fat or too thin.

Specific Fitness

This is fitness to play a sport at a high level – and it needs good

general fitness, as well as some or all of these…

1. Agility – to change direction quickly.

2. Balance – so you don’t fall over.
3. Coordination – to move accurately and smoothly.
4. Explosive strength – physical strength combined with speed.
5. Fast reactions – to respond quickly.
6. Good timing – so you can act t just the right movement.

You can control some factors affecting fitness, but not others. Learn these
HIP DAD factors.

H – HEIGHT, WEIGHT & SOMATOTYPE

Your basic shape can affect how good you
can become at certain activities.

I – ILLNESS & INJURY

They can affect fitness, either temporary or
permanently

P – PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
The stress and tension of preparing for a
big competitions are examples of these.
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D – DISABILITIES
They can affect fitness. But by concentrating
on particular activities, you can still reach a high
level of fitness

A – ALCOHOL, DRUGS & SMOKING

They all harm health and
general fitness, in both the short and long term.

D – DIET
This needs to contain the right balance of the
different types of nutrients.

Cardiovascular Fitness and Muscular Fitness

Cardiovascular Fitness is about keeping your muscles supplied with oxygen.
If your heart and lungs can provide a lot of oxygen, your CV fitness (or CV
endurance) is good.

Muscular Fitness is good if your muscles can apply a lot of force to

something. This means you can push, pull, lift, throw, etc. very hard or very quickly.

EXERCISE
Exercise is physical activity done primarily to improve your health and fitness. Learn
what affects the amount of exercise different people need, as well as why exercise is
good for you.

Reasons for Exercising

There are loads of very good reasons for exercising. These reasons fall into
three basic groups.

Physical Benefits
1. Improves your body shape, muscle tone, and posture.
2. Strengthens the bones, reduces the chances of illness, and increases life
expectancy.
3. Increases your strength, endurance, flexibility, and overall fitness.

Mental Benefits
1. Gives you a challenge, and a goal to aim for.
2. Helps you deal with stress and tension, and it can be fun.
3. Helps you feel better about yourself and increase your self-confidence.
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Social Benefits
1. Can improve your teamwork and cooperation.
2. Can help you meet people and lead to new friendships.
3. Sport can also improve your image and bring in money.

Different Amounts of Exercise

Different people need different amounts of exercise. Not everyone needs (or want)
the same amount of exercise. It all depends on a person’s…

Physical Condition

It’s good to take things easy or see a doctor before starting to exercise
if you’ve…

1. Not exercised for quite a long time,

2. Been ill for a while
3. Reached middle age

Long-term Goals

You’ll need different amounts of exercise, depending on what your goal

is…
1. To walk upstairs without feeling out of breath,
2. To do a 5K fun run,
3. To win a gold medal for running competition.

Exercise Guidelines
Exercise doesn’t have to be hell. You can hurt yourself exercising if you’re not
careful. Here are some guidelines that should help…

1. Exercise should be regular – so establish a routine. Exercise 4 times a week

for 20 minutes will help.
2. Start with gentle exercises and increase the intensity as you get fitter.
3. Don’t overdo it. You shouldn’t feel there’s ‘no gain without pain’.

You can get good exercise by just changing a few bad habits...
1. Walk or cycle short distances, instead of taking a bus or going by car.

2. Don’t take the lift – use the stairs.

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Phases of an Exercise Session

The sequence of an exercise session should be as follows: warm-up,
stretching, conditioning, and cool-down.

Warm-up

This phase of exercise prepares your body for the activity of the
conditioning part of your workout. Warmups involve light aerobic activities,
such as walking slowly for five to 10 minutes or a moderate version of your
conditioning exercise and should be based on your physical characteristics
and your conditioning activity.

Stretching

Stretch all of your major muscle groups for five to 10 minutes. Stretch
and relax the muscles slowly and gently without jerking or bouncing and hold
each stretch to allow for tightening of the muscles and tendons.

Conditioning

You perform the exercise that produces fitness benefits, such as

calorie burning, building endurance, or muscle strengthening. You may
choose an aerobic exercise or you may lift free weights, perform circuit
training on weight machines, or play a high-intensity sport.

Cooldown

This phase ends your exercise session with recovery time for your
body. The movements should allow your heart rate, blood pressure, and body
temperature to return slowly to normal. A gradual decrease in physical
activity, such as slow walking, is a good way to cool down. You can also
perform a few stretching movements to cool down.

Principles of Exercise
Practicing the five basic exercise principles is crucial for you to develop an
effective fitness training program. Just remember the acronym SPORT.

S Specificity – Every person will need a different training program – we’re all
different and we all do different things.
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1. Train the right parts of the bod – there’s no point making a weightlifter run 10
miles a day – it won’t improve their weightlifting.
2. Train to the right level – if someone’s dead unfit, don’t start them with a 5-
mile swim.

P Progression – Steadily increase the amount of training that’s done – but only
when the body has adapted to the previous training.

O Overload – You’ve got to make your body work harder than it normally would.
You’ve got to push yourself beyond the training threshold. It’s the only way to
get fitter. You can overload by increasing any of these three:
1. Frequency of training (e.g. training more often),
2. The intensity of training (e.g. lifting heavier weights),
3. Time (duration) of training (e.g. training for 5 minutes longer each
session).

R Reversibility – Your fitness level changes all the time – and it will go down if
you stop training. It takes much longer to gain fitness than to lose fitness.

T Tedium Avoidance – Use different ways of training to give variety and avoid
boredom.

Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type (FITT)

F.I.T.T. principle helps you create a workout plan that will be more effective in
reaching your fitness goals. F.I.T.T. stands for frequency, intensity, time, and type of
exercise.
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