FITNESS CHOICES

1.1 Meaning of Exercise Learn to:

● meanings of exercise ● critically examine questions such

- exercise as a form of as:
physical activity - to what extent should
- exercise and its exercise be a part of the
relationship to fitness lifestyle?
- what does it mean to be fit?

1.1.1 - Exercise as a form of physical activity

- Physical activity: Physical activity is defined as any voluntary bodily movement

produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. Physical activity
encompasses all activities, at any intensity, performed during any time of day or
night. It includes both exercise and incidental activity integrated into a daily
routine.
- Exercise: Exercise is a subset of physical activity that is planned, structured, and
repetitive and has as a final or an intermediate objective the improvement or
maintenance of physical fitness.
- Fitness: One's ability to execute daily activities with optimal performance,
endurance, and strength with the management of disease, fatigue, and stress and
reduced sedentary behaviour

- Light Exercise: physical activity that

requires approximately three to four
times as much energy as rest. It is
equivalent to brisk walking
- Moderate Exercise: physical activity
that requires approximately five to six
times as much energy as rest. It is
equivalent to jogging at a comfortable
pace
- Vigorous Exercise: physical activity
that requires seven times or more
energy as rest. It is equivalent to a
fast jog or activity that makes the
person “huff and puff”

Young people ages 13-17 years

- Frequency: every day
- Intensity: moderate to vigorous
- Duration: 60 minutes up to several hours. This can be accumulated throughout
the day
- Type: a range of activities including activities that strengthen muscle and bone on
at least three days per week
1.1.2 - Exercise and its relationship to fitness

Fitness can be defined as

1. The ability to carry out daily tasks with vigour and alertness, without undue fatigue and
with enough reserve energy to enjoy leisure time pursuits and to meet unforeseen
emergencies (World Health Organisation)
2. The capability of the heart, blood vessels, lungs and muscles to function at optimal
efficiency (Getchell 1979)

Physical fitness refers to a set of attributes that people have or achieve and that relates to
the ability to do physical activity. These attributes can be divided into two sets of
components
1. Health-related components
- Cardiorespiratory fitness
- Flexibility
- Muscular endurance
- Strength
- Body composition
2. Skill-related components
- Speed
- Power
- Coordination
- Balance
- Agility
- Reaction time

For those people who wish to improve their

general health and fitness, it is necessary
to undertake a regular, moderate-intensity
exercise program that incorporates
health-related components. For those
people who wish to improve their fitness
levels in order to improve sports
performance, a planned training program
is needed.

Regardless of your fitness requirements,

including exercise as a regular lifestyle behaviour is essential to improve and maintain
health and fitness. The specific exercise program adopted must meet your specific needs.
 1.2 The value that people place on exercise Learn to:
and fitness

● the value that people place on exercise ● analyse a range of opinions about the
and fitness value that people place on fitness
- changing attitudes to fitness
- fitness as a commodity

1.2.1. - Changing Attitudes to Fitness

People's attitudes to fitness determine whether they participate in regular physical

activity. A number of factors that influence attitudes to fitness include:
- Age: Statistics show that people who are ages between 16-34 years are the most
physically active of all age groups. Older age groups have lower levels of adequate
activity and are more sedentary
- Gender: males are more active than females. Reasons for this in Australia appear to
be associated with stronger influences on physical activity from school and family
on boys than on girls. For example, participation in extracurricular sporting
activities here is lower among girls than among boys
- Family: adolescents who have parents who are active or support them in their
activities generally value fitness
- Peers: the attitudes of a person’s peer group can put pressure on that person. If the
peer group does not value exercise and is not active, others in the group can feel
pressured into adopting the same values and behaviours.
 - Media: the media are a powerful channel through which the fitness message is
given. Awareness raising the benefits of fitness and the types of activities and
sports available can positively impact the attitudes of individuals.
- Past Experience: the physical activity that adolescents experience within the
school setting or local community can directly affect the decisions of adolescents
to continue to be active as they get older. Research shows that if children’s
experiences with activity are fun and foster skill development, they are more likely
to adopt physical activity as a lifelong behaviour.
- Culture: women from non-English-speaking backgrounds (NESB) are more likely
to be sedentary. They often do not receive the social support they need to be active.
People from a NESB are significantly less likely to be adequately active (NSW
Health)
- Socioeconomic status: people with a lower level of education are more likely to be
sedentary. This could be attributed to a lack of knowledge about the benefits of
fitness and a lack of opportunity, funds or facilities.

1.2.2 - Fitness as a Commodity

- The commodification of exercise and fitness became increasingly apartments

during the fitness boom of the 1970s. The individual, community, government and
business sectors became aware of the need for everyone to participate in activities
that improved their health. Companies realised that fitness could be a
profit-making commodity.
- The establishment of fitness, centres, along with a renewed interest in many
physical activities became commonplace. Fitness centres provide a range of
activities designed to meet every exercise and fitness need. They promote a range
of services, have fully trained personnel and provide a wide range of exercise
equipment based on the latest technology. Through advertising, the fitness
industry aims to convince the consumer that the easiest and best way to get fit is
by using their services.
- Advertising within the fitness industry can be presented in many forms. They often
depict male and female bodies that mirror society’s perception of the perfect body.
The use of special deals, a range of fitness activities, extended hours and
child-minding facilities further appeal to the consumers.
- The fitness industry has incorporated the latest technology into many products,
providing convenience and up-to-date information. Communication with members
is now more likely to take place through social media than through radio and
newspaper advertising.
- The smartphone has become the tool that has taken the fitness experience to the
next level. Those who feel they are time-poor can instantly connect to youtube or
virtual training apps and complete a session either at home or in the office
- Club-branded wearable apps, usually with headphones, provide users with almost
everything they need for a total fitness experience.
 2.1 Individual Fitness Activities Learn to:

● individual fitness activities, eg ● evaluate the range and variety of

- Power walking/running fitness activities available
- Swimming ● participate competently and safely in a
- Cycling range of fitness activities
- Weight training programs
- Tai chi
- Pilates/ yoga
- Emerging individual fitness
activities

Individual exercise: defined by an individual subject doing exercise either by themself or

under the supervision of a physiotherapist

Examples of individual fitness activities include:

2.1.1 - Power Walking/Running

● Power walking:
- Involves walking at a brisk pace while accentuating the movement of the
arms to elevate the heart rate further and generate more energy
- Has the benefit of enabling the individual to work in the target heart rate
zone that is effective for burning body fat and maintaining good
cardiorespiratory health
- Is also low-impact activity with a low risk of injury

● Running:
- Requires a higher level of intensity than power walking and thus burns
more energy and can help derive significant cardiorespiratory fitness gains
- Has a higher impact and carries with it a greater risk of related injuries to
the lower limbs and, potentially, cardiac arrest in older athletes or those
who have not developed a sufficient training base

2.1.2 - Swimming
- Swimming is a low-impact activity in which individuals benefit from the
buoyancy of the water.
- Swimming requires a fairly high degree of skill and the level of skill can be
a factor influencing the amount of energy burned during exercise.
- An inefficient swimmer is likely to burn up more energy and swim less
distance than a more skilled swimmer.

2.1.3 - Cycling
- Cycling is a low-impact form of exercise that promotes excellent gains in
cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular endurance.
- Cycling on the road adds a potentially dangerous dimension, with the
increased risk of road-related injuries from collisions or falls.
- Using a stationary bike allows for controlled measures of time, distance
and speed.
2.1.4 - Weight Training Programs
- Weight-training programs are commonly structured to promote the
development of fitness components such as muscular strength, muscular
endurance, power and speed.
- As people often use heavy loads in weight training, there is potential for
soft-tissue injuries such as strains, sprains and tears. It is important to
develop a sound technique using lighter weights before graduating to
moving heavier loads.

2.1.5 - Tai Chi

- Tai Chi comes from Chinese culture.
- Tai Chi has its origins as a form of developing combat and self-defence
skills, although equally it has been used for centuries as a way of promoting
general health, fitness and wellbeing.
- Tai Chi is characterised by controlled, gentle and tranquil movements
designed to foster harmony in mind and body as well as improve
movement, flexibility and mental alertness.

2.1.6 - Pilates/Yoga
● Pilates:
- Involves completing a sequence of movements in a highly controlled
fashion
- Develops a greater understanding of the body’s ideal position during
movement, together with improved core body strength
- Movements can isolate muscle groups for the purpose of strengthening
weak muscles and/or lengthening tight, bulky muscles
- The aim is to create balance within the body

● Yoga:
- Takes a holistic approach to wellbeing
- Has a strong physical dimension through its poses and movements
- Focuses on breathing, meditation, contemplation and, sometimes, a
spiritual dimension
- Involves a number of different styles, each with their own unique
interpretations

2.1.7 - Emerging Individual Fitness Activities

Park Circuits Indoor Rock Climbing Paddle Boarding

 2.2 Group Fitness Activities Learn to:

● group fitness activities ● compare a variety of forms of fitness

- aerobics/aquarobics
- pump/step/spin classes
- circuit training
- team games
- exercise for specific groups, eg
exercise for pregnancy,
children, fitness, gentle
exercise for the aged
- emerging group fitness
activities
activities by investigating:
- the benefits of this fitness
activity
- where the fitness activity is
available
- who would be attracted to this
activity
- cost involved
- time commitment required
- sources of further information
- personal reflections on
participation

Group Exercise: defined by group of people performing a determined set of exercise under
the supervision of a physiotherapist.

2.2.1 - Aerobics/aqua aerobics

● Aerobics:
- incorporate various conditioning exercises performed to music
- caters for a variety of ability and fitness levels
- classes can be designed to be low impact or high impact
- improves cardiovascular efficiency, strength, muscle tone, flexibility and
agility
- enables the individual to exercise in the aerobic heart rate zone
● Aquarobics:
- involves doing conditioning exercises, similar to those performed in an
aerobics class, in water
- provides a whole body workout as water is much more resistant than air
- Is an excellent fitness option for people who have back or joint problems,
the elderly and the overweight due to the cushioning effect of the water

2.2.2 - Pump/step/spin classes

- Pump is weight training, using barbells and dumbbells, performed to
music. It promotes improvement in muscular strength, muscular
endurance, muscle tone and cardiorespiratory fitness.
- Step involves choreographed movements, which involve stepping in various
directions to the beat of music.
- Spin involves exercise on a stationary bike to music. Intensity is varied
through calling for different terrain, speeds or pedal resistance
2.2.3 - Circuit training
- Circuit training involves completing a number of different exercises one
after the other, with little or no break in between.
- The intent is to provide a cardiorespiratory workout with some gains in
muscle tone and muscular strength and endurance.
- Examples of common exercises used in circuit classes include push-ups,
dips, sit-ups, lunges, boxing, skipping, squats, star jumps, step-ups and
agility runs.

2.2.4 - Team games

- Team games appeal to many people
because they are based on the
principle of working collectively to
achieve a common goal.
- Team games are resource-efficient
because they provide exercise
opportunities for a reasonable
number of people using a relatively
small amount of resources and
facilities.

2.2.5 - Exercise for specific groups

● Pregnancy:
- Exercise is beneficial for pregnant women; it can improve posture, lower
body-fat gains, provide stress relief and better sleep, and enhance
preparation for the physical demands of motherhood.
- Common elements to consider for pregnant women exercising include:
● remain well hydrated and avoid overheating
● select low/moderate intensity exercise, especially during the later
stages of the pregnancy
● restrict high-impact activities and contact sports
● have at least two rest days per week and do not exercise on a
particular day if not feeling well

● Children:
- Children are not little adults and the structure of an exercise plan should
reflect this.
- Children tend to come from a low knowledge and skill base and they are
experiencing consistent growth with periodic rapid bursts of growth.
- These factors dictate that the exercise focus for children needs to be on
skill development, variety, enjoyment, participation and good health.
- Children can be particularly susceptible to overuse injuries,
Thermoregulation is another major consideration as children do not have a
fully developed cooling system so are less efficient at losing heat through
sweating.
- Shorter-duration activities, lower intensities, appropriate clothing and
regular breaks for water are important strategies to incorporate when
children exercise.
● Elderly:
 - The natural loss of strength and flexibility that occurs after middle age can
mean that older people need to perform movements at a slower rate and at
a reduced intensity.
- Exercise that requires fast or intense movement can place the aged at
heightened risk of tears, sprains and strains, as well as injuries from falls.
- Many older people have reduced bone density and require weight-bearing,
low impact activities.
- Suggested activities may include walking, aquatics, yoga, tai chi, lawn
bowls and golf.

2.2.6 - Emerging group fitness activities

Boot Camps Jump Class