Planning Personal Fitness

One of the KEYS to getting physically fit is correct planning!  Determine your current fitness level through fitness tests.  Consider your limits.  Setting your goals.  Choosing the right exercises.  Planning when and where to exercise.  Checking your progress.

What is your physical fitness potential?  The highest level of fitness a person can achieve is his/her physical fitness potential.  This is a unique and different level for every person.  Many factors influence fitness potential including inherited traits, long-lasting illness, physical conditions, weak body joints or bone problems or other problems a doctor can determine.

Set goals that will increase or improve your fitness level.  Review your fitness test results and personal preferences toward activity.  Set goals you want to achieve.  Set realistic and reachable goals based on time available to exercise and personal fitness potential.  Set both short-term and long- term goals.

It’s important to choose the right exercises and do them in the proper sequence or order. All exercise or activity sessions should have three stages with specific exercises or activities for each stage. 1. The warm –up 2. The workout or activity 3. The cool-down

The warm-up consists of mild exercises that gets your body ready for exercise or activity. During warm-ups the body temperature rises, heart rate increases, blood flows to the muscles and they stretch. Stretching exercise should be gradual and not cause pain. Static stretching is best. Static stretching is stretching slowly until you feel tension and holding that stretch.

Examples of warm-up activities include:  Easy running or jogging before stretching  Flexibility activities such as hip stretch, shoulder stretches, calf stretches, leg or tendon stretches and more.  Yoga or Pilates  Going through the motions of the planned activity very slowly.

The work out can consist of a variety of activities. A variety of exercises can be included in any work out. Stretching exercises can be done during warm- up activities as well as other times during exercise. Stretching 20 minutes a day helps prevent stiffness that occurs as a person ages.

Every fitness program should include exercises or activities that improve strength and endurance of the muscles. Isometric exercises tighten the muscles for 5-10 seconds without moving the body part. Isotonic exercises involve contraction and movement of the muscles. Isokinetic exercises move the muscles through the entire range of motion.

Examples of exercises that improve muscle strength and endurance. Isometric exercises Isotonic exercises Isokinetic exercises  Pushing against a wall  Tightening the abdomen while lying on the back  Standing on a jump rope and pulling the ends as hard as possible.  Swimming  Running  Bicycle  Push-ups  Curl-ups  Jumping jacks  Weight lifting  Sports activities  Machine weights with plates that allow movement through the full range of motion

Exercises and physical activities are also are grouped by the body’s demand for oxygen during the activity. Anaerobic exercises create a demand for oxygen greater than is being supplied by the heart and lungs. Examples include:  Sprinting  A quick, fast activity Aerobic exercise requires a continuous use of oxygen during an extended activity. Examples include:  Rollerblading  Running  Swimming  Bicycling

Continuous aerobic activity for 15 to 60 minutes will help improve body composition and cardiovascular endurance. In order to improve cardiovascular endurance, during aerobic activities a person’s heart rate must increase and remain within his/her individual Target Heart Rate Zone.

Target Heart Rate describes the number of heartbeats per minute you should aim for during vigorous exercise for cardiovascular benefits.  Knowing your Target Heart Rate is very important when working out.  Target Heart Rate is a range of numbers and a person should keep their heart rate or heart beat per minute within this range.  If a person exercises and does not reach the Target Heart Rate Zone, they are not improving cardiovascular fitness.  If a person exercises and his/her heart rate is above the range they can cause injury or harm their health.

Target heart rate is determined using the following formula. 1. Determine maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from Multiple maximum heart rate by.60 to get the minimum exercise heart rate. 3. Multiple maximum heart rate by.90 to maximum exercise heart rate.

For example: For a 15 year old person: – 15 = 205 maximum heart rate x.60 = 123 minimum heart rate x.90 = 185 maximum heart rate Target Heart Rate Zone For a 25 year old person: – 25 = 195 maximum heart rate x.60 = 117 minimum heart rate x.90 = 176 maximum heart rate Target Heart Rate Zone

In order to get the most from exercise, you must apply certain fitness principles. The F.I.T. Principle must be applied to all exercise programs for fitness to continue to improve. F.I.T. stands for:  Frequency  Intensity  Time (or duration)

F.I.T. Principle means: Frequency means How often you exercise Intensity means How hard you exercise Time means How long you exercise

By changing either the frequency, intensity or time of an exercise, fitness levels improve. For example:  Frequency- begin exercising 3 days each week and increase to 5 days each week  Intensity- increase your heart rate during exercise, do the exercise faster  Time- begin working out 15 minutes each day, increase the time 5 minutes each week

The cool-down is a period of gentle exercise that gets the body ready to stop exercising.  If you stop exercising quickly, the muscles can tighten and blood flow slows down.  You can feel ill if you don’t cool-down.  Cool-downs prevent waste made by the body during exercise from collecting in the muscles and causing muscle pain.

Examples of cool-down activities include:  Jogging slowly at about 40%-50% of full speed.  Walking  Stretching exercises Cool-down activities should last from 5 to 10 minutes.

Safety during exercise is very important!  Exercise in a safe place and at a safe time of day.  Wear proper, loose-fitting clothing in light colors or with reflective coverings.  Dress for the weather (hot, cold, raining, etc.)  Wear shoes that fit properly and are suitable for the activity.  Drink plenty of fluids.  Protect your feet and legs.  Pay attention to your body. Feeling pain is not normal. Increase exercise gradually.  Always warm-up and cool-down.  Never exercise when injured.

Monitor or check your progress!  Review your fitness goals  Retest the various areas of fitness  Celebrate the positive changes exercise and fitness make in your body and life.

Please get out your journal sheet! Respond to the open response question on the next slide. Place the completed journal entry (answer to the open response question) in your journal or notebook.

Janice and Jerry want to improve their fitness levels before summer. A. Explain the three necessary parts of every exercise program or workout. B. Give one example of an activity for each of the three parts of an exercise program. C. Explain how to increase fitness levels while exercising.