COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

LESSON 2 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF PHYSICAL

“By understanding the history of physical education and sport, a professional can be better understand the nature
of the profession, appreciate the significant developments from the past to the present, and project trends for the future”
(Bucher and Wuest, 1995).

PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES IN THE PRIMITIVE SOCIETY

Participation in physical activities in the primitive society was practical. Strong, agile, and powerful body were
necessary to carry on the demands of primitive life. Mimetic games provided children the opportunity to prepare
themselves for adult life and responsibilities. Through dancing, primitive people communicated to their gods.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN ANCIENT NATION

Persia: Physical education was the modality used to accomplish the primary aim of developing in their young men
military skills, high moral standards and patriotism to strengthen and extend the empire.

Egypt: Popular activities in ancient Egypt were swimming, since civilization’s life was based on rivers. Wrestling which
was participated in by the nobility, the soldiers, the merchants, and the unskilled laborers; and gymnastic activities and
games using the skills of fighting and war. Gymnastics exercises were required exercises to make the body supple, strong,
and capable of great endurance and stamina. One of the most popular indoor activities was a board game called senet.
Dances were both religious and folk.

China: Physical activities in ancient China were confined to the military men. They were given examinations on lifting
the weights, shooting the bow, and handling the sword. They boxed, played football (tsu’ u chu), and practiced jiu-jitsu.
Recreational games and sports such as the early versions of soccer, polo, chess, and competitions in archery and wrestling,
tug-of –war, water games, chi’ ui wan (similar to golf), shuttlecock, and kite flying were popular. Dancing was popular
that a man’s prestige often depended on his prowess as a dancer. When ancient Chinese felt weak, Cong Fu, a mild
exercises, similar to gymnastics-oriented calisthenics and developed in 2698 B.C was designed to prevent diseases and
keep the body in good organic conditions.

India: Several physical activities were participated in by ancient India despite Buddha’s prohibition of games,
amusements, and exercises. Throwing balls, plowing contests, tumbling, chariot races, riding elephants and horse,
swordsmanship, wrestling, and boxing were among their favorites. Became very popular in India was Yoga, which was a
unique activity involving exercises in posture, regulated breathing, to discipline the mind and the body. Physical exercises
were sometimes used to promote health. Hindu dancing was considered the oldest organized dancing.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORT IN GREECE

Physical education was a vital part of the education of every Greek boy. Gymnastics was believed to contribute to
courage, discipline, and physical well-being. It stressed a sense of fair play, development of the individual’s aesthetic
values, amateurism, and the utilitarian values inherent in the activity.
Greek sport manifested itself in the concept of the amateur athlete, whose primary goal is to compete in a
“circuit” of four major national festivals- the Olympia FESTIVAL, the Pythia FESTIVAL, the Nemea FESTIVAL,
and the Isthmia FESTIVAL that were designated as the Pan-Hellenic Festival, and scheduled to ensure that one major
competition was held every year.

Sparta: The Spartan approach to physical training (not physical education) was strictly the training of the body for
military purposes. The Spartan boy at seven years of age is housed in a primitive barracks under the watchful eye of the
Paidonomous, who supervised the educational program called the Agoge. Instructions in swimming, running, fighting,
wrestling, boxing, ball games, horsemanship, archery, discus and javelin throwing, field marches, and pancratium, a
combination of boxing and wrestling were given. At age twenty (20), he took an oath of allegiance to Sparta and went into
actual combat where they engaged themselves in intensive military maneuvers and warfare until the age of fifty (50). A
well-educated Spartan was one who was physically fit and a good soldier.
 Spartan women at an early age were given physical activities such as wrestling, swimming, and horseback riding
to produce healthy babies when they marry.

Athens: Physical education and athletic competitions were a prominent feature of Athenian education. The sport was
associated with philosophy, music, literature, painting, and sculpture. Athenian youth at age six started his schooling in
the palaestrae, which was commonly a center where wrestling activity occurred, and provided rooms for various physical
activities and for oiling and sanding the athlete’s body. Exercise and games were given by the physical education teacher
called paido tribe, who owned the palaestrae. After deserting the palaestrae, the Athenian youths attended the gymnasium,
the physical, intellectual and social center of Greece, under a specialist called gymnast, who was responsible for training
the youth in particular gymnastic contests. The gymnasiarch was the chief official at the gymnasium and overall in charge.

Greek philosophers, teachers, and medical men who contributed to the worth of physical education:
 Plato believed that gymnastics and music, which were identified as “physical education” and “academics”
respectively educate the body and the mind/soul. His argument in his Republic is that the mission of physical
education in the schools’ blends with movements.
 Aristotle believed that athletics enables youth to develop strong, healthy citizens who would defend Athens in times
of war and serve her in time of peace.
 Herodotus (Herodikos) used physical education as an aid to medicine as early as the 5th century.
 Hippocrates proclaimed the law of use and disuse of the parts of the body. He believed that the parts of the body are
strengthened through use. Muscle atrophy and weakness are results of disuse.
 Xenophon thought of physical education as important in terms of the military.

ROMAN PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES

Moral and military training were significant to the Romans. The maintenance of health was a worthwhile and
natural goal for the Romans. These were evident in the proliferation of public baths with provisions for exercises – the
thermae. Required physical skills among the Roman youths prior to their induction to manhood, and then into the military
were held in the Campus Martinus, the replacement of the gymnasium after the conquest of Greece. Roman youth were
given skills in running, jumping, swimming, wrestling, horsemanship, boxing, fencing, archery, and instructions of
complete obedience to commands. The Romans developed their own system of physical training and demanded the
promotion of “team unity”. The athleticism of the Greeks was not valued militarily. Spectacular gladiatorial combats
between slaves and prisoners were held at the Colosseum, the most famous landmark in Rome. Along with the
Colosseum, horse and chariot races and large-scale entertainment was held at the Circus Maximus, the premier
hippodrome in the Roman Empire.
Claudius Galen who developed a reputation in Alexandra to treat gladiators was one of the first to incorporate
medicine and biomechanics into the science of exercise, and one of the first to practice sports medicine. He advocated
vigorous exercises, which are performed with strength not speed, and violent exercises which combined strength and
speed. He was opposed to the professional athlete.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN THE MIDDLE AGES

An intriguing historical era shortly after the fall of the Western Roman Empire where the setbacks to learning,
public works, and government associated with the invasions has been commonly termed as the Middle Ages. The
Christian church (Catholicism), the only institution that survived the fall provided a symbol of stability and order amidst
chaos and fear through intellectual and spiritual leadership. Two movements worked to its advantage – asceticism which
had a belief in the existence of evil in the body and therefore it should be subordinated to the spirit, which is pure; and
scholasticism, a highly intellectual philosophy that emphasized the mind. Monasteries were built where Christians could
isolate themselves from the world and evils. Later, schools were attached to the monasteries and would not allow physical
education to be part of the curriculum. Medieval universities also frowned on physical education and sport. However,
games and physical activities were still participated in by the people. Such was soule, a ball game that resembled the
modern day soccer played by an indeterminate number of men on each side. Kegels was similar to bowling. There were
ball games that employed the use of sticks and were precursors to modern versions of hockey and baseball.
St. Thomas Aquinas, the greatest scholastic of all time, embraced the idea of physical fitness and recreation as a
positive force in promoting social and moral well-being. Under the tutoring of Aquinas, Scholastics were able to cherish
the body and value physical fitness and recreation for man’s physical, mental, social, and moral well-being.
Chivalry emerged as a kind of education that was physical, social, and military in nature. Three stages in the
training for knighthood: as a Page – from age 7 to being a Squire – from age 14, and finally to being a Knight – at age 21.
Knight- hood was conferred after proving his fitness, bravery, skill, prowess, strength, and courage. Joust or Medieval
tournament was the most famous of the war games where two mounted horsemen who would charge each other with long,
wooden lances to knock down the opponent from his horse. Melee was an event in the tournament where groups of
opposing knights would engage in hand-to-hand combat with dull swords.
Sons of noblemen had two careers to choose from: either they enter the monastery and become monks, or enter
the knighthood.
Because wealth came from the labor of others, leisure became the unique commodity of nobles. Aristocrats had
sporting activities. Hunting and hawking were other recreational pastime of the nobility. Le jeu de paume is a form of
handball. Royal tennis was played within an enclosure. Sedentary forms of recreational outlets included shuffleboards,
billiards, chess, and backgammon.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD

With the emergence of the philosophy of humanism and its concepts of the “universal man”, physical education
became more valued. Good physical health was believed to promote learning. A person needed rest and recreation from
study and work. The body is needed to be developed for purposes of health and for preparation for warfare.
There were some outstanding leaders during the Renaissance period who were responsible for spreading these
beliefs concerning physical education and sport.
 Petrus Paulus Vergerius’ physical education was preparation for the military, and his program included pentathlon,
swimming, and horsemanship, the use of the shield, spear, sword and club.
 Vittorio da Feltre’s school La Giocosa (Pleasant House) blended the spirit of Christianity, the classics, and the
concepts of P.E. for the sons of the wealthy. He instituted P.E. as an important part of the educational curriculum.
 Aeneas Silvio Piccolomini (Pope Pius II) believed that to prepare children to be good soldiers, the use of bow and
sling, throw spear, ride horses, and swim in order to be a good soldier were necessary activities.
 Martin Luther’s physical education was a means of obtaining elasticity of the body, and a medium of promoting
health. He advocated music, games and dancing as acceptable pastime, and believed that people should engage in
honorable and useful modes of exercises so they would not fall into vice and evil pursuits during leisure hours.
 Thomas Elyot’s being familiar with the latest medical teachings of his time, he claimed six (6) physiological benefits
that could be derived from exercise: aids in digestion, increases appetite, helps in living longer, warms the body,
raises metabolism, and cleanses the body of its wastes.
 Roger Ascham appreciated the value of exercise as a means of resting the mind to make it sharper at a later time.
 Francois Rabelais believed that physical activities help the students reach his goal of being a well-rounded individual
and these include horsemanship, martial arts, hunting, and ball playing, running, and swimming.
 Richard Mulcaster’s book Positions dealt specifically to physical education: for indoors, he recommended dancing,
wrestling, fencing, and climbing; for outdoors, walking, running, leaping, swimming, riding, hunting, shooting, and
playing ball. He was considered the “father” of the modern educational practice including sports in the schools.
 Michel de Montaigne advocated “manly exercise” where the child experi- enced the rougher life in the outdoors.
 John Comenius believed that exercise served as a rest from other parts of the learning process, and P.E. exists to
refresh the body and able one to work and study more efficiently.
 John Milton believed that martial arts should be practiced in schools, because they were useful in time of war.
 John Locke believed that P.E. was of primary importance in developing an educational foundation because physical
activity is used to refresh the individual in order to pursue more intellectual pursuits.

The development of the child’s health was Jean Jacques Rousseau’s first requirement in the education of the
child. He believed that children should develop their senses through specific physical activities, such as swimming,
running, jumping, spinning a top, throwing stones, etc.

Pre-Spanish Period
Physical activities were necessary for existence. Cockfighting, introduced by the Malays and considered a favorite
sport was popular. Dancing was a religious activity with several purposes and was officiated by a priest or a priestess.
War dances were performed. Bathing and swimming were important part of the lives of the natives.

Spanish Period
Cockfighting continued to be a favorite sport and found its way to other places in the archipelago. Dancing
became a major activity enjoyed by the people. The Fandango, the Jota, the Curacha of Spain; the Polka, and Mazurka of
Central Europe; and the Lanceros and Rigodon of France were introduced by the conquistadores to lure the Filipinos to
be converted to Christianity. Ceremonial dances were performed during religious activities.
Recreational games such as the juego de anillo, juego de prenda, and the duplo (a poetic joust) were introduced.
Girls played sungka, siklot, piko, luksong tinik, and hide and seek. The boys played patintero, sipa, and kite-flying. Older
women played card games. Higher-order recreational activities like horse races triggered the founding of the Manila
Jockey Club in 1867 to supervise the holding of races once a year but were closed down in 1880. In 1893, gymnastics was
recorded to be a required subject for all candidates for the Elementary Teachers Certificate at the Superior Normal School
for Men Teachers.

American Period
1901 Physical exercise was one of the subjects introduced in the public schools and a regular program of
athletics was developed.
1905 Baseball and track and field were introduced and taught to young boys.
1909 Athletic programs for the schools emphasized the playing of western sports and coaching of tennis.
1910 Basketball was first introduced as a game for young girls at the Carnival Meet was held in Manila but
was later discontinued in 1914 because it was found very strenuous for the girls. Later, indoor
baseball, tennis, and volleyball were introduced.
1911 The “Athletic Handbook” was published by the Bureau of Education where the first part prescribed a
few simple games and relays; the second part contained the rules for baseball, basketball for girls,
volleyball, indoor baseball, track and field, and lawn tennis.

January 11 the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation (PAAF) was organized to control amateur sports in the
Philippines.
1914 In cognizant of the implementation of the “play for everybody” policy of the Bureau of Education,
the Teacher’s Vacation Assembly started in Manila to give special training to Filipino teachers to be
able to conduct various physical activities, and in turn recipients of the special training taught at the
provincial normal schools.
March 5, 1919 A syllabus entitled “Physical education: A Manual for Teachers” was published as a result of the
plan in 1918 for a definite course of study in Physical
1920 Physical Education was made a required subject in all public schools. A rating of 75% which was
based on attendance in the required exercises is necessary for promotion every year from grade four
to fourth-year high school. However, the grade was not included in the computation of the general
average.
1928 A Summer School for Coaching was opened by the Office of the National Physical Education
Director in cooperation with the Bureau of Education to help the public-school teachers who are in-
charge of athletics to improve their coaching methods.
1937 Physical Education was made a curricular subject in secondary schools where the grade was not
only based on attendance but on proficiency in skills as well. The grade was included in the
computation of the general average.
1939 Women’s track and field was added to the program of the National Inter-Scholastics.

Japanese Period
The Japanese Military Administration obliged all public schools to perform daily calisthenics on air called the
Radio Taiso, where Japanese instructors were provided. The demonstration of the exercise was held in Luneta.

Post-War to Present
1948 to 1952 Under the joint sponsorship of the PAAF and Department of Education, The National College of Physical
Education conducted a summer school of Physical Education held at the Rizal Memorial Field. In 1953,
PAAF took the sponsorship alone

The Schools Physical education and Sports Act of 1969 provided a program of activities that included among
others a program of health education and nutrition, a program of physical fitness for all pupils, a program of competitive
athletics, a program of intramural and inter-unit athletic competition within schools, districts, and provinces, and an
annual competition within and among regions.
In the ’70s and early ’80s, physical education was incorporated in the subject Youth Development Training or
YDT in high school. The subjects included Physical Education, Scouting, Health, and Music.
The Physical education Program in the Elementary was revised in 1971 to comprise the activities such as the
Testing Program, rhythmic activities, games, relays and athletic team games, swimming, and physical education for
children needing attention.
The Revised Secondary School Program is contained in the Department Order
No. 20, s. 1973. Two aspects of the program were Youth Development Training (YDT) for the first year to the third year
and Citizen Army Training (CAT) for the fourth year of high school.
 In MEC Order No. 6, s. 1982, the New Elementary School Curriculum (NESC) reflected directions for change
based on the Program for Decentralized Educational Development (PRODED). PE in Grades I and II is integrated with
the subject Sibika at Kultura (Civics and Culture) No specific time block is allotted to this subject but is taught as the need
arises. Grades III to VI PE is clustered with Art and Music in a subject entitled Music, Art, and Physical Education
(MAPE).
The 1989 Secondary Education Development Program (SEDP) is a response to continue pupil development
started by the Program for Decentralized Educational Development in 1982. Based on DECS Order No. 11, s. 1989, the
New Secondary Education Curriculum (NSEC) of SEDP is cognitive-affective-manipulative-based and is student-
centered and community-oriented. One of the 8 subject areas in the NSEC is Physical Education, Health and Music
(PEHM).
In the elementary, based on DECS Order No. 53, s. 1994, states that Physical Education in Grades I and II shall
be listed as a separate additional subject and will be taught daily for 20 minutes beginning school year 1994 – 1995 in
public elementary schools. It shall continue to be taught as a component of MAPE in Grades III to VI.
 Philosophy of Health Education
 The philosophy of Health Education is emphasized as an essential foundation for building educational programs that
can influence positively people’s health, knowledge, attitudes, and practices.
 Philosophy implies wisdom regarding the principles of reality and human nature. These principles act as a guidepost
to the development of the health education programs that work through identifying goals and areas of practice.
 The philosophy of Health Education includes the history, knowledge, beliefs, concepts, attitudes, and theory of the
health education profession.
 Health Education philosophy sets the boundaries of educational practices, clarifying the areas of professional
concentration; it is the matrix of theory and practice that culminates in healthful attitudes and behavior and results in
improved health status.

Philosophy and Principles of Health Education

 The meaning of health education has taken on new meanings throughout the years. The committee on Health
Education Terminology (1991, 103) stated that the health education process is the “continuum of learning which
enables people as individual members of social structures, to voluntarily makes decisions, modify and change social
conditions in ways which are health-enhancing”- (Green and Kreuter, 1995)
 Health promotion is defined as the aggregate of all purposeful activities designed to improve personal and public
health through a combination of strategies including:
1. The competent implementation of behavioral change strategies
2. Health education
3. Health protection measures
4. Risk factor detection
5. Health enhancement
6. Health maintenance

The historical development in health and health education are categorized according to certain period:
Period Characteristics
 Egyptian health practice from primitive Personal cleanliness
to1000B.C.
 Hebrew Health Code, about 1500 to 500 B.C. Formulation of a health code to include personal cleanliness and
public health measures
 Greek approach to health, about 1000 to Emphasis on the sound body
200B.C.
 Roman Health Promotion about 100 B.C. to Sanitary engineering
A.D.500
 Asceticism (Dark Ages), about 400 to 1000 Spiritual development
 Revival of the concept of the sound body, Return to a sound body
about 1096 to 1248
 The pre-modern period of health, about 1500 No unified health program
to 1800
 Modern Era of health, about 1850 to the Odor-free environment, bacterial cause of disease, promotion of
present health, public health education, and other advancements in
hygiene and the health sciences. The modern era is further
subdivided into the
 The MIASMA PHASE (1850-1880),
 The BACTERIOLOGICAL PHASE (1880-1920),
 The POSITIVE PHASE (1920-1960) and
The SOCIAL ENGINEERING PHASE (1960-present)

The Coordinated School Health Program

Healthful School Environment
This aspect of the school health program includes the physical and psychological environment in which student
and faculty exist. Issues include the social and emotional environment of the classroom, the development of self-worth
and self-esteem, and the fostering of positive relationships for students and school personnel. In addition, safety hazards
on the school grounds and within the buildings are of concern.

School Health Instruction

This area of the school health program includes the information presented to students in a way that fosters
desirable health knowledge, attitudes, and practices.
School Health Services
These programs seek to promote children’s health through screening, intervention, and remediation of various
health conditions. The school nurse most often coordinates and provides the services. Screenings for visual or auditory
problems, scoliosis as well as first aid procedures, illness protocol and services for the handicapped are part of these
services.

School Physical Education

A comprehensive physical education program is one that offers a daily program of activities. These programs
should be based on developing wellness among school-age students

School Nutrition and Food Services

This component involves training the food preparation personnel and developing nutritionally sound food
programs for the school. Part of this component is helping children to select nutritionally balanced meals ensuring that
food served in the school cafeteria is nutritious, palatable and attractive.

School-Based Counseling
This aspect of the program seeks to meet the needs of the children by providing services such as assertiveness,
problem-solving and self-esteem training. Services are also provided by a school psychologist for children experiencing
learning difficulties and behavioral problems.

School site Health Promotion

Programs for faculty and staff can provide benefits by reducing health costs, improving morale and increasing
productivity.

School, Family, Community Health Promotion Partnership

An effective strategy for promoting the health of school-age children is the development of collaborative efforts
between community agencies and school. These coalitions can coordinate and advocate for improving the various aspects
of the comprehensive school health program.

The Health Educator

Responsibilities
1. Assess individual and community needs for health education.
2. Plan effective health education program.
3. Implement health education programs.
4. Evaluate the effectiveness of the health education programs’ competency.
5. Coordinate the provision of health education services.
6. Act as a resource person in health education.
7. Communicate health and health education needs, concerns, and resources.

Qualities
List of characteristics and actions that will help one become a quality health educator:
1. Stay Motivated. Be Organized.
2. Be Consistent in relation with students.
3. Refrain from giving negative opinions to students.
4. Find time to listen to students.
5. Show care, love, and concern to students.
6. Be a success yourself.
7. Be Positive.
8. Seek role models.
9. Work hard.
10. Stay updated.

The Health Educator as Part of the Health Team

Legal Responsibilities as a Teacher
1. “Loco Parentis “in the place of parents”.
2. The primary responsibility of the teacher is to act responsibly to prevent injury to students.
3. Follow the school system’s procedure for filing a report for each accident.

Working with Students

1. Counseling students in health-related matters.
2. Teaching Health Education.

Role model behavior through lifestyle Working with Parents

1. Notify a student’s parent when an illness or serious deviation from normal health occurs
2. Follow school policy on parent notification
3. Invite administrator to sit in a teacher-parent conference. Explain to parents the significance of the child’s health
condition and encourage them to obtain needed care for the student.
4. If parents ask for guidance in seeking care, refer them to proper agency or person. Follow up any case reported to
parents.

Working with Other Teachers and School Administrators

1. Keep teachers and administrators informed of health matters related to the community and students.
2. Represent the school in health-related committees of teacher-parent and community organizations.
3. Plan the Health Education curriculum and make recommendations regarding the health education program.
4. Work closely with the administrators when notifying parents about child’s health referring parents to appropriate
health resources and following up on student cases.

Working with the School or Clinic Nurse

1. Help the school nurse understand the health behavior of students.
2. Assist nurse in the screening of student.
3. To refer students who are in need of screening
4. Conduct in-service workshops for other faculty members
5. Can be a member of the disaster brigade

Working with Other Agencies

1. Promote health education and awareness in the community
2. Can volunteer to educate the community on health matters
3. Involvement in the local public health programs by providing services to the students and community

Importance of Physical Fitness and Wellness

A person who is fit is capable of living life to its fullest extent. Physical and mental fitness play very important
roles in their lives and the people who are both, physically and mentally fit or less proud to medical conditions as well.

FOUR Primary Components

Cardiorespiratory Capacity  Ability of the body to take in oxygen (respiration), delivered to the cells
(circulation), and use it at the cellular level to create energy value
(bioenergetics) for physical work (activity).

Muscular Capacity  Refers to the spectrum of muscular capability period pieces in muscular
endurance, muscular strength, and muscular power.

Flexibility  Range of movement or amount of motion that the joint can perform. Each joint
has a different amount of flexibility.

Body Composition  Proportion of fat free mass (muscle, bone, organs, and fluids) to mass (adipose
tissue deposited under the skin and around organs).

What is PHYSICAL FITNESS?

 refers to the ability of your body systems to work together efficiently to allow you to be healthy and perform activities
of daily living.

COMPONENTS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS AND WELLNESS

Agility  ability to stop, starts and change directions quickly.

Balance  ability to keep an upright posture while standing still or moving.

Body Composition  refers to the different types of tissues that make up your body, including fat,
muscle, bones and organs.
Cardiovascular Endurance  ability to exercise your entire body for a long time without stopping.

Coordination  ability to use the senses together with the body parts or to use two or more body
parts together.
Flexibility  ability to use your joints fully through a wide range of motion without injury.

Muscular Endurance  ability to use your muscles many times without tiring.

Muscular Strength  amount of force your muscles can produce. It is often measured by how much
weight can lift or how much resistance can overcome.
Power  ability to use strength quickly, thus it involves both strength and speed.

Reaction Time  amount of time it takes to move once recognize the need to act.

Speed  ability to perform a movement or cover a distance in a short time.

Health-Related Fitness
Cardiorespiratory Endurance Strength Muscular Endurance
Examples: distance running, Examples: lifting a heavy weight and Examples: doing push-ups or curl-
swimming and cross-country skiing pushing heavy box ups, climbing a rock wall

Flexibility Body Composition Power

Examples: people with good flexibility Examples: Squat exercise and Examples: Add balance execise and
include dancers and gymnasts Abdominal plank exercises. leg press

Skills-Related Fitness
Balance Coordination Speed
Examples: gymnastics an ice skating Examples: baseball, volleyball, tennis Examples: people with good leg
and golf speed can run fast and can catch a
ball

Reaction time Agility

Examples: fencing and karate Examples: diving, soccer and ice
skating

The following factors usually affect the Physical Fitness and Wellness of an
Individual
1. Regular exercise It is the most important factor which affects the physical fitness of an individual.

2. Amount of training The amount of training also affects the physical fitness. If the amount of training is not up to
desirable level, he will be incapable of improving his physical fitness. It should be increased
slowly.

3. Rest and relaxation It also effects the physical fitness of an individual. If proper rest and relaxation are taken,
 there will be positive effect on the physical fitness of an individual.

4. Stress and tension Tends to have a negative effect on physical fitness and wellness. Stress and tension decrease
the psychological power of an individual.

5. Age It is also one of the major factors which affect the physical fitness and wellness of an
individual.

6. Gender It also effects the level of physical fitness and Wellness. In fact, there is an anatomical,
physiological, and psychological differences between males and females.

7. Environment The environment, which includes climate, altitude, social and cultural factors affect the
physical fitness and wellness of a person.

8. Diet It also influences the level of physical fitness and Wellness. Good diet helps not only in
maintaining the physical fitness, but it also improves the level of physical fitness.