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PE: What does it mean to be fit?

By Nancy Schmucker

Before holiday break 3rd – 6th graders explored health and skill related components of fitness through participating in a variety of activities to exemplify each (and sometimes multiple components).

 

What does it mean to be physically fit?

Is skilled the same as fit? Is fit the same as skilled?

Is someone who is fit more at an advantage than someone who is really skilled?

Is someone who is really skilled more at an advantage as someone who is fit?

What components directly relate to my health and why?

How do I improve my fitness?

Health Related vs Skill Related Fitness Objective:


When you think of fitness, it’s important to look at the big picture. It’s not just about strength, coordination, endurance or fat content, but a combination of all these. You might be strong and/or coordinated, but have no endurance. You might have endurance, but have little flexibility. What you want to strive for is balance.

 

Health Related Fitness

Health related fitness is the ability of the heart, lungs, muscles, and joints to perform well.

Regular physical activity promotes physical fitness. Physical fitness is the condition of the body that results from regular physical activity.
There are five areas of Health-Related Fitness:
1. Cardiovascular Endurance: Shows how efficiently your heart, circulatory system, and respiratory system, work together over a long period of time. The heart and lungs supply the working muscles with Oxygen (O2 ) for an extended period of time. • The benefits are improved endurance in activities and faster recovery time. Examples to increase cardiovascular endurance: running, cycling, swimming.
2. Flexibility: The ability of joints to move through their full range of motion. Flexibility is the ability of the muscles to move through their full range of motion (ROM). • The benefits include reducing the chance of injury. • Good stretching activities that last for at least 20 seconds each help flexibility. • It is important to stretch both upper and lower extremity muscles regularly. Examples to increase flexibility: stretching, gymnastics
3. Body Composition: Shows the relative amounts of fat body mass to lean body mass. Body composition is the ratio of lean body mass to fat mass in the body. Good body composition is higher % of lean mass and lower % of fat. • Basically, how much of your body is fat and how much of your body isn’t fat. • Lean body weight includes organs, bones, muscle cells, and water. • To maintain good body composition, you want to exercise regularly and maintain a good, balanced diet. Examples to lower fat: all cardiovascular activities
4. Muscular Strength: The amount of power a muscle can produce. The ability for a muscle to move or resist a workload. • The ability of a muscle to lift something heavy 1 time (1 rep max) • The benefits are a reduced chance of injury and improved posture, physical performance, and body composition. • Any exercises that involve lifting heavy weights (either your own body weight or free weights help with this).Examples to increase strength: weightlifting, gymnastics, push-ups

5. Muscular Endurance: A muscle’s ability to produce power for a long duration. The ability of muscles to perform an exercise or task over and over without getting tired (fatigue). • Benefits include being able to play longer without getting tired. • Any activity that you can do over and over (like loco-motor movements or exercises) can help with this, like curl-ups. • Lifting light weights about 10-15 times Examples to increase muscular endurance: running, swimming, weightlifting

Skill-Related Fitness: 

Help you perform skills needed for sports and dance activities. They can help you have fun in active play.

1. Agility: The ability to change direction of movement quickly while staying in control of your body. Examples: shuttle run, soccer, basketball, tag, dodge ball, dance

2. Balance: The ability to maintain body equilibrium in different movements or not to fall. Examples: gymnast, dancer, throwing a pass on the run
3. Coordination: The ability to combine at the same time, movements of various body parts. Examples: setting a volleyball, hitting a golf ball
4. Power: The ability to combine strength and speed. Examples: high jumping, sprinting, figure skating
5. Reaction Time: The time between you senses recognizing a stimulus and your body moving in response. Examples: hitting a ball, starting a race
6. Speed: The time it takes you to move a certain distance. Example sprinter, receiver

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