PE and Health 12: Managing Stress through Dance

Festival Dance

• Cultural dances performed by communities to honor Patron Saints or give thanks for harvests.
• Dance serves various purposes: recreation, entertainment, education, therapy, and religion.
• Defined by Barbara Mettler as "an activity that can take many forms."
• Derived from the German word "danson," meaning "to stretch."

Dance as a Stress Reliever

• Engaging in dance promotes physical well-being, leading to mental wellness.
• Dance triggers the release of neurotransmitters and endorphins, natural painkillers that alleviate stress.
• Improved sleep quality can result from regular dancing, reducing stress-related sleeplessness.
• Provides a creative outlet, allowing safe expression of personalities through movements and music.
• Dancing contributes to overall physical health, including weight loss, enhanced flexibility, and muscle toning.

Elements of Dance

• Body: The entire body or specific parts can be used to express dance.
• Action: Encompasses all human movements, including dance steps and everyday actions.
• Shape: Refers to the space occupied by the dancer, including direction and levels.
• Time: The tempo, beat, and duration of movements in choreography.
• Energy: The muscular tension and energy expenditure involved in dance.

Energy Systems

• Energy systems determine how the body produces and utilizes energy during physical activity.
• ATP-PCr System: Produces ATP very rapidly for high-intensity activities lasting a short duration.
• Glycolytic System: Generates ATP quickly, supporting high-intensity exercise; by-products include lactic acid.
• Oxidative System: Utilizes fatty acids and carbohydrates for energy during longer-duration, moderate-intensity activities.

Children's Energy Systems

• Children have more mitochondria, enhancing their ability to efficiently use oxygen.
• They possess limited anaerobic fuel stores, affecting their performance during high-intensity, short-duration activities.

Physical Fitness Tests

• Assess a student's cardiovascular endurance, strength, and overall physical fitness.
• Common tests include the Zipper Test for shoulder flexibility, Sit-and-Reach for lower body flexibility, and Push-up tests for upper body strength.
• Key fitness pillars: endurance, strength, flexibility, coordination, and balance.

FITT Principle for Exercise

• Frequency: How often exercises are performed.
• Intensity: The degree of effort or exertion in physical activity.
• Time: The duration of the exercise session.
• Type: The category of exercise undertaken (e.g., aerobic, strength training).

Principles of FITT

• Overload Principle: Requires gradual increase in workload to induce physical adaptations.
• Progressive Principle: Stresses the need for gradual adjustments to increased workloads.
• Recovery Principle: Emphasizes the necessity of rest for physical adaptation.
• Reversibility Principle: Acknowledges that fitness gains can be lost without continuous exercise.
• Specificity Principle: Highlights that training should be tailored to individual needs for effective results.