Physical Activity, Personal Fitness & Safety and Injury Prevention Power Point 1 Physical Activity, Personal Fitness & Safety and Injury Prevention

What is Physical Activity? Physical Activity is any movement that works the larger muscles of the body Forms: It may be recreational, as in the case of sports, dancing, swimming and other leisure-time activities. It may be incidental to some other activity, such as doing household chores, working at a part-time job, or volunteering for a neighborhood cleanup program.

Why Are Physical Activity and Exercise Important? Regular physical activity and exercise help keep your body physically fit. Physical Fitness is the body’s ability to carry out daily tasks and still have enough reserve energy to respond to unexpected demands.

Personal Fitness Regular physical activity is central to physical fitness, but does not make a person totally fit. To achieve total or personal fitness, you should try to: Maintain acceptable levels of physical fitness Participate in regular physical activity Eat nutritious foods Sleep 8 to 9 hours each night Have regular medical checkups Maintain an appropriate weight Avoid harmful substances, such as tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs

The Health Triangle Health and wellness are sometimes represented by a triangle. Personal fitness is essential to all 3 sides. High levels of personal fitness promote all aspects of health.

Physical Health People with high levels of physical fitness experience many benefits to their physical health. A higher energy level Improved strength, flexibility, and muscle tone Better heart and lung function Stronger bones Healthier weight and reduced body fat Improved coordination More restful sleep Physical activity can also help you maintain your functional health, which is the ability to maintain high levels of health and wellness by reducing your risks of developing health problems. There are many risks to having a sedentary or physically inactive lifestyle, including heart disease and high blood pressure.

Mental/Emotional Health The benefits of personal fitness go beyond physical health. Fitness also improves mental/emotional health. People who are personally fit are typically able to: Think more clearly and concentrate on work or school Better handle the stress and challenges of everyday life Experience higher self esteem, or feelings of self confidence and personal worth.

Social Health Achieving personal fitness will also benefit your social health. Personally fit individuals are better able to: Develop and maintain friendship Work well as part of a group Effectively recognize and resolve conflicts, which are struggles or disagreements.

Functional Fitness Functional fitness is a person’s physical ability to function independently in life, without assistance. Functional fitness may be thought of as a triangle.

Skill and Health Related Fitness Skill-related fitness is your ability to perform successfully in various games and sports. There are 6 components: Agility Balance Power Speed Coordination Reaction time Health-related fitness is your ability to become and stay physically healthy. There are 5 components: Cardiovascular fitness Body composition Muscular strength Muscular endurance Flexibility

Personal Fitness and Risk Factors Achieving and maintaining a high level of functional health and fitness is often made more difficult by risk factors, or conditions and behaviors that represent a potential threat to an individual’s well being. These are factors that put you at risk for certain diseases, including heart disease, lung disease, and bone disease.

Risk Factors Risk Factors you can’t Modify Changeable Risk Factors Age Heredity Gender Becoming Physically Active Practicing Healthful Eating Habits Avoiding Smoking and the Use of Tobacco Products Managing Stress in your Life

Benefits of Personal Fitness Enhancement of Self-Esteem Stress Reduction Improvements in Academic and Physical Performance Increased Life Expectancy Higher Levels of Functional Health and Fitness

Physical Activity and Exercise Guidelines In order to compare activities and exercises in terms of the energy they require, fitness experts have devised three ratings: Regular physical activity is any activity or exercise performed most days of the week, preferably daily. Moderate physical activity is any activity or exercise that ranges in intensity from light to borderline heavy exertion. Vigorous physical activity is any activity or exercise that ranges in intensity from heavy to maximum exertion.

Correct Running Form Biomechanics is the study and application of principles of physics to human motion. The following suggestions will help you walk and jog safely and efficiently.

Preventing Injuries The following guidelines will help prevent injury when exercising. Pay attention to your body. If a muscle is sore to not work on that muscle into it feels better. Include a warm-up and cool down in your personal fitness program. Monitor the frequency, intensity, time and type (FITT) of your exercise. Progress slowly and steadily. Always seek medical advice when you have an injury.

Proper Injury Treatment Rest the injured area Ice the area Compress the area by wrapping it Elevate or raise the body part