Physical Education 11: Fitness Components

Physical Education 11: Fitness Enhancement Through Physical Activities

• Health-Related Fitness Components

  • Body Composition: The relative percentage of muscle, fat, bone, and other tissues in the body. A fit person has a relatively low percentage of body fat.
  • Cardiovascular Fitness: The heart's ability to supply fuel and oxygen to muscles, allowing sustained exercise.
  • Flexibility: The range of motion available in a joint, influenced by muscle length and joint structure.
  • Muscular Endurance: The muscles' ability to repeatedly exert themselves for an extended time.
  • Strength: The muscles' ability to exert an external force or lift heavy weights.

Skill-Related Fitness Components

• Agility: The ability to quickly change body position and control movement.
• Balance: The ability to maintain the body's center of mass above the base of support.
• Coordination: The ability to use two or more body parts together effectively.
• Power: The ability to perform strength-related exercises quickly.
• Reaction Time: The time taken to respond to a stimulus.
• Speed: The ability to quickly move body parts.

Principles of Training

• Overload Principle: Increasing the amount or intensity of training activities beyond normal levels.
• Overtraining: A decline in an athlete's fitness because the body lacks sufficient rest to adapt to the training. This happens when the training load is too high without sufficient rest periods.
• Frequency: The number of times a physical activity/exercise is performed each week.
• Intensity: The magnitude of effort required to perform an exercise or activity. Weightlifting or training at a high heart rate (maxHR).
• Time: The length of a training/physical activity session, or duration.
• Type: Various training types. Combined training methods for different experiences to the athlete.
• Individual Needs: Tailoring training to the specific athlete's age, gender, injury status, and fitness levels.
• Specificity: Adjusting training to be pertinent to the individual sport or activity involved.
• Progressive Overload: Gradually increasing the intensity, frequency, time and/or type of training.
• Rest and Recovery: Necessary to allow the body to adapt to training, including proper nutrition (protein) and rest/sleep.
• Reversibility: Loss of fitness gains if training is stopped or reduced significantly.

Barriers to Physical Activity

• Personal Barriers: Insufficient time to exercise, inconvenience or lack of self-motivation, lack of confidence, fear of injury, lack of resources, or support.
• Environmental Barriers: Lack of access to facilities, transportation problems, lack of safe environments—walking paths, cycling trails, and recreation facility access. In addition, crime and pollution can increase the negative environment.

Importance of Good Nutrition

• Adequacy: Getting enough nutrients for growth and development.
• Balance: A balanced mix of various foods, varying nutrients to prevent illnesses.
• Variety: Eating a variety of foods to get different nutrients.
• Nutrients: Substances that help the body function—Vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, protein, and water. Macronutrients are needed in large quantities—carbohydrates, fats, protein, and water, and micronutrients in small quantities—vitamins and minerals.
• Maintaining Healthy Eating Habits: Tips like adding fruits and vegetables, preparing healthy snacks, reducing fat/salt/sugar, controlling portion sizes, and practicing healthy eating school.