LESSON 1.1 S.JETT, NBCT MONTEVALLO MIDDLE FITNESS FOR LIFE – CORBIN & LINDSEY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: A Lifestyle

What is physical Fitness? Physical fitness is the ability of your body systems to work together efficiently. Being efficient means being able to do daily activities with the least amount of effort. A fit person is able to carry out the typical activities of living, such as work, and still have energy and vigor to respond to emergency situations and to enjoy leisure time activities. As a child you were probably very active and thought little, if any, of improving or maintaining your fitness. However, as you get older you most likely will be less active and will need to develop a plan for regular physical activity. But getting fit and staying fit can be fun.

Physical Fitness You might wonder why you should worry about getting fit at all. The Surgeon General of the United States recently published a report noting that being physically active provides many benefits to health and well being and that being inactive presents many health risks. In fact, inactivity is a major risk factor for many diseases. Therefore, increasing physical activity should be a major health goal for people of all ages. What are some benefits of physical activity?

Health and Wellness Health is a word often associated with good fitness; it refers to “the state of optimal physical, mental, and social well-being.” Early definitions of health focused on illness. The first medical doctors concentrated on helping sick people get well; they treated illnesses. Health was nothing more than the absence of disease. But as medical and public health experts received better training, they began to focus on the prevention of illness or disease as well as the treatment. This new focus led world health leaders to define health as more than the absence of disease.

Health and Wellness In recent years, the definition of health has been expanded to include wellness, a state of being that enables you to reach your full potential. It includes your intellectual, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. Wellness has to do with feeling good about yourself and with having goals and purposes in life. Wellness is more likely to be present in individuals who assume responsibility for their own health. So illness is the “negative” component of health that we want to treat or prevent, and wellness is the “positive” component of health that we want to promote.

Physical Activity and Exercise Physical activity is a general term that includes sports, dance and activities done at work or at home, such as walking, climbing stairs, or mowing the lawn. PA may be to do a specific job, to enjoy recreation, or to improve physical fitness. Sometimes you do PA with a specific purpose in mind; other times you just do it with no real purpose other than enjoyment. When people do PA for the purpose of getting fit, we say they are doing exercise. Both PA and exercise are important to your health and wellness.

Health and Wellness Benefits You might not be concerned with the fact that PA has been shown to be effective in treating various illnesses or in preventing them. You might assume that since illness and disease are most common in later life, you don’t have to worry about them now. You might even share a common attitude of many teenagers that “I am your and healthy; it can’t happen to me.” But evidence indicates that the disease process begins early in life. Adopting healthy lifestyles such as regular PA can do much to prevent disease and illness.

Health and Wellness Benefits The benefits derived from PA do not only help you later in life. Many benefits are ones you can enjoy now. These benefits include those associated with wellness such as looking good, feeling good, meeting emergencies, and being physically fit.

Looking Good Do you care about how you look? Most people do. In fact, one study showed that 94% of all men and 99% of all women would change some part of their personal appearance if they could. People are most concerned with weight (weighing too much or too little), the size of their waists and thighs, and their muscles, hair and teeth. Experts agree that regular PA is one healthy lifestyle that can help you look your best. Of course, others are proper nutrition, good posture, and good body mechanics.

Feeling Good Besides looking better, people that do regular PA feel better. If you are active and therefore more physically fit, you can resist fatigue, and are less likely to be injured, and are capable of working more efficiently. National surveys indicate that active people sleep better, generally feel better, do better on academic work, and are less depressed than people who are less active.

Enjoying Life Like most other people, enjoyment of life is probably important to your personal wellness. But what if you are too tired most days to participate in activities you really enjoy? Regular PA results in physical fitness which is the key to being able to do more of the things you want to do.

Meeting Emergencies Another important health and wellness benefit of activity is that it allows you to be fit enough to meet emergencies and day to day demanding situations. If you are fit and active, you will be able to run for help, change a flat tire, and offer assistance to others when needed.

Being Physically Fit Being physically active can build physical fitness which, in turn, provide you with many health and wellness benefits. If you experience health and wellness benefits, you are likely to enjoy physical activities. Don’t be tempted to wait until you are older to begin lifetime fitness program. If you don’t have a fitness plan, begin now! You will enjoy the benefits both now and later in life. By doing the self- assessment, you will learn some basics of PA to get you started on a lifetime of PA and fitness.

Review 1. What is physical fitness? 2. What are some benefits of being physically active?

NO Excuses Building self-confidence Self-confidence is having faith that you can be successful in some activity. If you think you will succeed, you have a higher level of self-confidence than if you are unsure about how well you will do. You are more likely to participate in an activity if you self-confidence level is high.

No Excuses Tony is 6’ tall and 180lbs. He looks like a natural athlete. In reality, Tony hardly ever takes part in any PA. Because he went through an awkward stage in middle school, Tony thinks that people laugh at the way he runs. “My arms and legs don’t seem to work together, and I look foolish.” Richards loves any kind of PA. Every day he shoots baskets or rides his bike. He is part of several teams. While Richard excels in sports, he is shy around strangers, especially when they are female. “I can’t think of anything witty or even half-way intelligent to say. Even when I try to talk, I get tongue-tied. It’s easier to just avoid talking.”

No Excuses Tony and Richard both lack self-confidence, but in different situations. While Tony really wants to participate in PA and Richard wants to socialize with some girls, they both avoid getting into any situation that might require their involvement. Both need to find a way to build their self-confidence levels and be successful in these situations. Most people that suffer this same situation either avoid things are quit prematurely. Why do people lack self-confidence? How can it improve?