EXERCISE-BASED FITNESS ACTIVITIES

TOPIC OR LESSON 9: Global Recommendation on Physical Activity (PA)

for Health
SUB-TOPIC/S:
 Philippine Physical Activity Prescription
 Physical Activity and Exercise Prescription
 Assessment of Exercise Capacity
 Principles of Exercise Prescription

Physical activity is now identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global
mortality. Physical inactivity levels are rising in many countries with major implications
for the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the general health of the
population worldwide.
The focus of the global recommendations on physical activity for health is the
primary prevention of NCDs through physical activity at the population level, and the
primary target audience for these recommendations is policymakers at the national
level.

Directions: Analyze and supply the missing letters to form the correct word.

P E S R I T I N
E E R I EX O T M
P I N I P E L R C
A T I I T S J W
A S E S M N B Q
Directions: After you have formed the correct words, how is it associated with the
previous activity? In the pictures below, identify them. Can you associate the pictures in
the previous activity? In two or three sentences give your views.

1.

1.

2.
 3.

4.

 What is a physical activity prescription?

Exercise prescription commonly refers to the specific plan of fitness-related activities that
are designed for a special purpose, which is often developed by a fitness or rehabilitation
specialist for the client or patient.

Given are examples of exercise prescriptions.

Exercise prescription includes the type, intensity, duration, frequency, and progression of
physical activity. These five components are applicable to the development of exercise
programs for persons regardless of age, functional capacity, and presence or absence of CHD
(coronary heart disease).

 What is the maximum amount of physical activity as prescribed?

should do at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical
activity, or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical
activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity
activity throughout the week.
 What are the three stages of an exercise prescription?
The rates of progression for new exercisers are generally broken into three
separate 6-week phases: (1) initial conditioning, (2) fitness improvement, and (3)
fitness maintenance. This is how your physician or trainer keeps you on track
and reaching your fitness goal.

 What is the minimum amount of physical activity as prescribed in a

day?
As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every
day. If you want to lose weight, maintain weight loss, or meet specific fitness
goals, you may need to exercise more. Reducing sitting time is important, too.
The more hours you sit each day, the higher your risk of metabolic problems.

 Definition of Physical Activity

Physical activity refers to all movement. Popular ways to be active include
walking, cycling, wheeling, sports, active recreation and play, and can be done at
any level of skill and for enjoyment by everybody.
Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your
health. Being physically active can improve your brain health, help manage
weight, reduce the risk of disease, strengthen bones and muscles, and improve
your ability to do everyday activities.
Adults who sit less and do any amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity
gain some health benefits. Only a few lifestyle choices have as large an impact
on your health as physical activity.
Everyone can experience the health benefits of physical activity – age, abilities,
ethnicity, shape, or size do not matter.

 What is the Physical Activity Pyramid?

The Physical Activity Pyramid is a guide that helps adults plan out their physical
activity, so it becomes an easy, routine part of their everyday life. The Physical
Activity Pyramid is like the food pyramid, with the bottom containing the largest
and most important activities for healthy daily living and the top tier containing the
least beneficial activities, or the things you should do sparingly. The goal of the
Physical Activity Pyramid is to gradually increase the amount of physical activity
you do and decrease your inactive time.
By following the pyramid’s recommended activities, people have been able to
become more active and create a healthy, beneficial routine that can help maintain
and even improve musculoskeletal health, and heart health, as well as build
endurance.

 What is exercise capacity?

MEASUREMENT OF EXERCISE CAPACITY. Peak exercise capacity is defined
as "the maximum ability of the cardiovascular system to deliver oxygen to
exercising skeletal muscle and of the exercising muscle to extract oxygen from
the blood".
Assessment of Exercise Capacity
Exercise capacity can be assessed by the following tests depending on the
facilities available and the level of medical support:
maximal test (exercise stress test; EST)
Cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET)
Submaximal test (six-minute walk test; 6MWT)
Submaximal treadmill test.
Incremental shuttle walk-test (ISWT)
1. A maximal exercise test is one that is performed with progressively increasing
workloads up to limiting fatigue and/or dyspnea caused by exhaustion of the capacity for
adaptation of the patient's cardiovascular system.
2. Cardiopulmonary exercise tests refer to a broad range of tests used to monitor the
function of the heart and lungs. The tests range from exercise tests to spirometry to
other forms of testing.

3. The submaximal test is a graded exercise test performed on a bicycle. This test will
give you an accurate estimate of your aerobic fitness level, allowing you to compare
your cardiovascular fitness to others in your age group.
4. The incremental shuttle walking test (ISWT) is used to assess exercise capacity in
patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is employed as an
outcome measure for pulmonary rehabilitation.

 Principle of Exercise Prescription

Exercise prescription is based on 5 principles: type, duration, frequency, intensity, and
volume.
Type - refers to a mode of exercise training, with the main forms being aerobic (i.e.
endurance training), resistance (i.e. strength training), flexibility, and balance.
Duration - is the length of time
for each bout of any specific activity.
Frequency - is commonly expressed in sessions, episodes, or bouts
per day or per week.
Intensity - is the rate of energy expenditure necessary to perform the activity to
accomplish the desired function (aerobic activity) or the magnitude of
The force exerted during resistance exercise
Volume is a sum of the intensity, frequency, duration, and longevity of a physical
activity program.

FIIT Principle When Prescribing Exercise

The FITT principles are exercise prescription to help participants understand how long
and how hard they should exercise.
FITT is an acronym that stands for Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type. FITT can be
applied to exercise in general or specific components of exercise. For example, below
are some general FITT guidelines for weekly exercise.
Frequency: Daily moderate exercise is ideal but tries to exercise a minimum of 3-5
days per week.
Intensity: Moderate to vigorous intensity exercise is recommended for adults.
Time: 30-60 minutes per day.
Type: To maintain a well-balanced fitness level, perform a variety of exercises including
cardio, strength, and flexibility training.

Prepared by:

JENNIFER G. DELA CRUZ, Ed. D.

PE Professor