Physical Activity And Exercise
exercises.
What is Physical Activity?
It is any bodily movement caused by
muscular contractions that result in the
expenditure of energy.
Classified according to purpose:
● Occupational
● Transport-related
● Household
● Recreational
Exercise
It is a planned program of physical
activities usually designed to improve
physical fitness with the purpose of
increasing physical fitness level.
Physical Fitness
It is the condition that allows the body to
effectively cope with the demands of
daily activities and still has the energy to
enjoy other active leisure activities.
Health-Related Components
1. Aerobic Capacity/ Cardiovascular
Endurance
2. Muscular Strength
3. Muscular Endurance
4. Flexibility
5. Body Composition
Aerobic Capacity/ Cardiovascular
Endurance
The ability of the heart, lungs, and blood
vessels to supply oxygen and nutrients
to the working muscles efficiently in
order to sustain prolonged rhythmical
Muscular Strength
The ability of the muscle to generate the
greatest force.
Muscular Endurance
The ability of the muscle to resist fatigue
when performing multiple repetitions of
a submaximal load.
Flexibility
The ability to move a joint without pain
over its entire range of motion.
Body Composition
The total make-up of the body using the
concept of two component models: The
lean body mass and the body fat.
Exercise For Fitness: Importance of
an Active Lifestyle
The health benefits of the regular
exercise have been confirmed by
hundreds of researchers in the past 20
years. Notable health institutions such
as the DOH and WHO have strong
advocacies toward the promotion of an
active lifestyle. Experts agree that
regular exercise helps prevent the
development of non-communicable
diseases.
Regular, moderate to high intensity of
physical activity and exercises was
proven to improve overall health and
fitness. As such, it:
● improves bone, joint and muscle
strength;
● develops motor control and
coordination;
● helps maintain a healthy body
composition;
● improves the psychological
function of an individual;
● increase the efficiency of the
lungs and the heart;
● increase muscle strength and
endurance;
● possibly delays the aging
process;
● helps regulate blood pressure;
● improves control over anxiety and
depression and
● builds self-esteem and social
interaction.
Types of Exercises:
Aerobic Exercise
Involve large muscle groups that
perform rhythmic and continuous
movement for a prolonged period of
time in order to improve aerobic
capacity.
Resistance Exercise
Requires the muscle to contract against
an internal load in order to improve
muscular, strength, muscular endurance
and bone strength.
Stretching Exercise
Increase the elasticity of muscle and
estendons surrounding the joint in order
to improve flexibility.
All these exercises are incorporated in
the exercise program, which is detailed
plan of the work that the individual has
to perform to achieve their fitness goals.
Aside from the exercises, it also
includes the intensity of difficulty of the
workload and the duration or volume of
the exercise.
What changes or adaptations will
occur as a result of Aerobic
Exercise?
A regular aerobic exercise will stimulate
changes in the various organs and
tissue of the body but is more
emphasized in the cardiovascular
system. These changes help the body
adapt to the increased demands by
allowing more oxygen and nutrients to
the exercising muscles. Moreover, the
muscle are able to extract more oxygen
from the blood, which translates to an
increased maximum amount of oxygen
that the body can utilize.
Is it normal for muscle to increase in
size as a result of Resistance
Training?
The adaptation of the body to regular
resistance exercise is commonly found
in the nervous and musculoskeletal
system. The primary adaptation from
resistance training is an increase in the
ability of the muscle fiber size or
hypertrophy that commonly starts after to kick out the old habit. Changing an
two months of resistance exercise. old habit is an arduous task but not an
The tissues surrounding the muscles impossible one. The first step is to
also strengthen in order to resist injury. recognize the practice of unhealthy habit
that goes beyond knowledge of its
How important is Stretching Exercise existence.
in improving performance?
Stretching exercises are important in Stages In Changing Unhealthy
improving range of motion around the
joints. As the limb is moved to its entire
Habits
range of motion, the muscle-tendon unit
● Pre-contemplation stage
get stretched. When the stretching
In this stage the person does not
exercise is performed over and over
recognize the presence of an unhealthy
again, your muscle-tendon will react to
habit and the importance of changing
the load more effectively and initiate a
their behavior.
more fluid movement.
● Contemplation stage
Are there psychological benefits from
In this stage the individual becomes
exercise?
dedicated to the idea of adopting a
Exercise psychologist found strong
positive behavior.
evidence that regular exercise improves
the mood of an individual and reduces
● Preparation stage
anxiety. Some forms of stretching
Once an individual is convinced to make
exercises trigger relaxation by reducing
the change, they start to prepare for the
muscle tightness. Exercises is also
actual date and time to start the new
claimed to stimulate the release of
behavior.
feel-good brain chemicals called
endorphins. Moreover, some reports
● Action stage
suggest that learning and intelligence
In this stage the individual initiates the
quotient are positively associated with
new behavior. The temptation to
aerobic fitness.
backslide is greatest during this stage.

Barriers To An Active Lifestyle ● Maintenance stage

In this stage, the individual has
The Difficulties in Changing consistently practiced the new behavior
Unhealthy Habits for more than 6 months. The tendency
to backslide to the old habits is minimal.
Healthy behaviors are hard to adopt. A
new healthy behaviors has to be
consistently and consciously performed
Common Barriers in Adopting An
Active Lifestyle
The common barriers to change usually
occur when a person is between the
Preparation and Action Stages. Each
individual has a unique set of
circumstances and will probably have a
unique set of barriers. There are no hard
and fast rules for each barrier and they
should be dealt on a case-to-case basis.
However, there are guidelines that can
be used to dealt with these barriers.
Barriers That Are Common During
The Preparation Stage
● I do not have time
Prioritize activities and cut back
sometime from non- essential activities
to be able to exercise.
● I am always tired
Make a physical activity diary and
analyze which part of the day you have
more energy and schedule your
work-out around that period.
● I do not know how
Read journals and articles on the best
practices as well as ask people who
have been successful at adopting
healthy behavior.
● I do not have enough money
There are numerous exercise regimens
that are not expensive such as running
and swimming.
● I do not feel support
Inform family and friends about the new
behavior or join an activity club that has
the same interest.
Barriers That Are Common During
Stage Action
The barriers in the Preparation stage
are common to people who are adopting
a healthy behavior for the first time. It is
important for them to realize that their
barriers are perceptions of the situation.
Their attitude toward physical activity
will perceive them in the situation as
difficult and full of obstacles.
● I am not motivated
Create a list of pros and cons of the
positive behavior that will serve as a
reminder. Focus on changing the
behavior instead of the outcome SMART
goal.
● I will lack willpower
Identify what triggers the backslide and
be conscious when it happens.
Implement a reward system.
● I easily get discourage
Avoid negative self talk and replace
them with encouraging words.
Exercise Program Design
Fitness standards are higher than health
standards. People can get fit by
becoming more active. However, you
need to practice caution because doing
MORE is not exactly doing RIGHT.
There are safe and effective principles
of exercise training that can help you
improve and sustain your improvements
while avoiding injuries. The following
principles are important in designing an
exercise program.
Principles Of Exercise Training
● Principle of Overload
It states that the body must work harder
than what it used to in order for it to
adapt. It implies that exercise is a
controlled form of stress that will
stimulate the body to become stronger.
At first, the body will resist the new
workload but it will eventually adapt
overtime. It is important to perform
exercise on a regular basis to gain its
benefits.
● Principles of Progression
It states that the body should experience
a gradual increase in workload. The
body should be given an ample time to
recover and get used to new workload.
The rate at which the body adapts
varies from one individual to another. A
reasonable time frame is to increase
the workload after two weeks.
● Principle of Specificity
It states that the body will adapt
specifically to the workload it
experienced. It implies the
improvements in fitness level will be
limited to the activities that one is
performing. The application of this
principle is not only on the movement or
activity performed but to the intensity at
which it is performed. This principle
highlights the importance of performing
a variety of activities to improve overall
fitness.
● Principle of Individuality
It states that no two persons are the
same and their rate of adaptation to the
same workload differs. this principle
emphasizes the need to create an
exercise program that is individual-
specific. All individuals have different
performance goals, fitness attributes,
lifestyle and nutritional preferences.
They respond to exercise and its
physical and social environments in their
own unique way.
● Principle of Reversibility
The adaptation that takes place as a
result of training are all reversible. The
Principle of Reversibility is another way
of stating the principle of disuse. It
indicates that disuse or inactivity results
in loss of benefits achieved in
overloading. In order to maintain a
desired level of fitness, you need to
continue to provide an exercise
overload.
Steps in Designing A Effective
Exercise Program
Step 1: Write a short-term and
long-term performance goals
A short-term goal is something that can
be achieved in 6 to 8 weeks while a
long-term goal is something that can be
achieved in 6 months or more. A
long-term goal is usually made of
several short-term goals that build on
each other.
Step 2: Set realistic goals
It is important that goals are attainable
in the given period. Review your
current fitness level and decide on
modest gain. You can also ask your
teacher or friends who exercise for a
possible goal. This will keep you from
getting frustrated.
Step 3 : Write specific goals
Write a goal for each fitness component
instead of writing a general one. A
specific goal helps you focus on what
has to be done.
Step 4: Write a fitness contact
A fitness contract is a concrete
commitment. It is a visual reminder of
the goals you have identified and it
strengthens your resolve to keep your
exercise program. It makes you
accountable for the consequences of
your actions.
THE F.I.T.T PRINCIPLE
Frequency
Intensity
Time
Type
Frequency
The frequency of an exercise program
depends on the current fitness level and
type of activity performed. It is
important to provide rest days to
allow the body to recover. As the
fitness level increases, the individual
can increase the number of sessions
gradually.
Intensity
It refers to the difficulty level of the
workout. It is important to set a
workload that is more challenging
than what one is used to. Each type of
exercise has its own method of
estimating intensity.
Time
Is a duration of an exercise session is
influenced by the intensity and the type
of activity performed. An exercise that is
performed at a high intensity cannot be
sustained for a long period.
Type
Type of activity is influenced by the
fitness goal and the current fitness level.
The program should be designed so that
the exercise is the best activity to
specifically address the fitness goal.
This is where the art and science of
exercise prescription comes into play.
Parts Of An Exercise Program
1. Warm-up
- essential prior to the actual
workload as it prepares the body
for more strenuous activity. It
increases blood flow to to the
working muscles without abrupt
increase in lactic acid
accumulation.
2. Exercise Load
- It's the cumulative amount of
exercise you're doing, usually
measured over a week, and it
can be measured by two things
– duration and intensity.

3. Cool Down
- Recovery starts at the cool
down. A well-planned cool down
can quickly clear the by-products
of muscle contraction as well as
replenish the energy and oxygen
stores used during the workout.