Personal Fitness Regular exercise: Reduces your risk of premature death Helps you maintain a healthy weight Helps you build & maintain healthy muscles, bones and joints Reduces depression and anxiety Improves psychological well-being

Personal Fitness (cont.) Helps you develop social skills Helps you learn how to compete Strengthens your cardiovascular system Improves quality of sleep Enhances work, recreation, and sport performance

Components of Physical Fitness: 1.Cardiovascular endurance- The ability to exercise for at least 20 minutes within a specified target heart rate zone. 2.Muscular strength- The ability to apply maximal force for a short period of time. 3.Muscular endurance- The ability to apply continuous muscular effort for a sustained amount of time.

Personal Fitness (cont.) 4. Flexibility- The ability to move through a full range of motion. 5. Agility- The ability to be able to change directions quickly, w/o losing balance. 6. Balance- The ability to keep from falling. 7. Healthful body composition- The high ratio of lean muscle mass to fat mass.

8. Coordination- The ability to use body parts and senses together for movement. 9. Reaction time- The amount of time it takes you to “react” when you hear, see, feel, or touch a stimulus. 10. Speed- The ability to move quickly. 11. Power- The ability to combine strength and speed.

Personal Fitness (cont.) CV training guidelines for “F-I-T” principle: Frequency= “All or most days of the week.” This means at least 5-6 days per week. Intensity= 65-85% of age-adjusted maximal heart rate (called target heart-rate zone) To find age- adjusted maximal HR for boys, use the equation 220-age. For girls it is 226-age. Why the difference??? Time= = 30 min. minimum for all CV activities (5 minute warm-up, 20 minutes of cardio within THRZ, 5 minute cool-down).

Muscular Strength & Endurance training guidelines for “F-I-T” principle: Frequency= All major muscles groups at least twice per week. More time off is required for recovery after strength sessions. Strength or Endurance sessions for the same body part should never be done two days in a row- you must allow a minimum of 48 hours for recovery. Intensity= reps for endurance, 1-8 reps for strength. (rep= repetition) Time= 2-3 sets minimum per muscle or muscle group. Total time spent in resistance exercise should not exceed 45 minutes due to the nature of HGH (human growth hormone). HGH peaks at about 45 minutes and secretion of the hormone stops shortly after this point.

Flexibility training guidelines for “F-I-T” principle: Frequency= Before physical activity to increase range of motion and prepare the body for exercise. Stretching is especially important pre-exercise if the activity requires large ranges of movement. After physical activity to reduce soreness, increase range of motion. Intensity= You apply a stretch until you feel it, stopping before you feel pain. Time= For optimal flexibility, try stretching the body part 2-3 times in succession, holding the stretch for a few seconds longer each time. Rest for a few seconds between each stretch.

Personal Fitness Q & A Q: Why warm-up? A: A proper warm-up raises your core body temperature slightly, which has the effect of preparing your muscles for activity. You are less likely to “pull” a muscle if you warm-up properly. The increase in core body temperature also has the effect of increasing the elasticity of muscle tissue.

Personal Fitness Q & A Q: Why cool-down? A: After exercise, blood pools in the legs. A proper cool-down keeps blood circulating to the heart, thus reducing the risk of the heart becoming short-changed. A proper cool-down also reduces the chance of a post-exercise myocardial infarction (i.e. heart attack).

Personal Fitness Q & A Q: What is the “overload principle”? A: The overload principle states that in order for a muscle or muscle group to increase in strength or endurance, it must be “pushed” to do more than it is used to doing (hence the term “overload”). This might mean doing extra sit-ups or push- ups each training session or adding an extra quarter-mile on to your run.

Personal Fitness Q & A Q: What is the concept of specificity? A: The concept of specificity states that you should choose an activity for its desired benefits. In other words, if you want to develop CV endurance, you swim, bike, walk, run, rollerblade, or do other continuous-type activities.

Personal Fitness Q & A Q: What is cross-training? Why do it? A: Cross-training is training in more than one sport or activity at the same time. For example, you may play football, but also play basketball and lift weights. Cross- training is beneficial because you derive different benefits from each sport or activity; it decreases boredom and burnout; and reduces the risk of an overuse injury.

Preventing Injuries Know your body’s limits. Work to develop skill-related fitness. Consider having yourself videotaped. Wear proper clothing and use safety equipment appropriate for the sport or activity. Dress for the weather. Get immediate treatment for injuries. Give yourself enough time for recovery.

The RICE Treatment R est the injured body part. I ce the injured body part with a protective layer between the ice and the skin. C ompress the injured body part with an elastic bandage (to limit internal bleeding). However, do not make the bandage too tight- it could limit circulation. E levate the injured body part above the level of the heart.