Introduction
There are rising cases of obesity recorded in almost all countries around the world. There is a direct relationship between rising cases of obesity and physical exercise or activities engaged in by people (Bijlefeld & Zoumbaris 2001, 214). A new awareness and realization are spreading all over the globe that physical exercise is critical if we are to live a quality life. In this paper, I have made a personal three months physical activity program. This is a very crucial step towards enhancing my exercise. The personal activity program provides the guidelines for daily physical exercise as well as a basis for self-assessment of those activities. This report starts with a general description of the benefits accrued from physical exercise. I further outline the steps taken in preparing for physical exercise; I discuss what correct amounts of exercise are. Using the physical activity pyramid, I discuss what correct physical activities are. Last but not least, I present a personal exercise plan aimed at holistic physical training. At the end of this report, I review the information presented; stressing the need for a proper physical activity plan.
The Benefits of Physical Activity
There are several advantages or benefits of physical activity. It has been shown through research that regular exercise can help in reducing the risk of getting several diseases. Physical exercise is critical towards avoiding several deformations or poor physical conditions. Exercising generally improves or enhances the quality of our lives (Karpman 1987, 1).
One of the health problems that can be avoided through physical activity is heart diseases and stroke. Through exercises, we improve our heart muscles, reduce our blood pressure, and regulate cholesterol levels hence avoid atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a condition where the artery walls are thickened by the deposition of cholesterol. Cardiovascular exercises strengthen the heart muscles, reduce fat amounts, and enhance blood flow through the blood vessels (Karpman 1987, 19). We also reduce the risk of Noninsulin-Dependent Diabetes through exercise since this reduces body fat that is associated with this type of diabetes. Moreover, we can manage obesity by exercising, which apart from fat reduction, helps in muscle preservation and increases our body’s utilization of calories.
When we have physical activities together with proper dieting we can succeed in controlling our body weight and thus avoid obesity which is a high causal factor for several diseases (Bijlefeld & Zoumbaris 2001, 187). We can avoid back pains through various physical activities. These activities effectively improve the strength of muscles; enhance our body’s flexibility and posture; thus the exercises help reduce back pains. Exercising, it has been proved scientifically, helps reduce our aging rate. Exercise reduces the risk of heart diseases as well as osteoporosis (the tendency of our bones to fracture). Osteoporosis is directly are associated with old age (Seraganian 1993, 237).
The final benefit of exercising is socializing. Exercises often happen in a social context; people exercise in teams. Physical exercise facilitates bonding between different people as they cooperate in different exercise teams. Therefore, to avoid living a lonely life, exercising comes in handy as an avenue or common interest that can bond individuals.
Preparing for Physical Activity
There are several factors to put into consideration while planning to carry out a physical activity. Weather is one of these factors. We must exercise during cooler and less humid periods. This is important because the weather affects our bodies directly. Doing the wrong exercises in the given weather may mean accelerating the negative effects of the weather. In case one chooses to exercise when it is either too hot or cold, the exercise session should be ended immediately one gets a funny feeling. For example, we should end the session in case of any sign of muscle cramping and feeling dizzy while exercising in hot weather. While exercising in cold weather we should end the session when feeling too cold, drowsy, or disoriented
Another consideration before undertaking physical exercise is attire. Using proper attire, depending on whether it’s cold or hot, dry or humid, is crucial as it determines general comfort while exercising (Jones & Rose 2005, 205). The attire should not only be responsive to the weather but also allow for enough flexibility depending on exercise or activity to be undertaken.
It is advised that we should take plenty of fluids while exercising. Individuals lose a lot of water, in the course of exercise, through sweating. Taking fluids is advantageous because it means replenishing water lost through sweating. Given the necessity of taking fluids, it is good to identify and avail the same before starting a physical exercise session.
PAR-Q questionnaires help in our preparation for physical exercises. These are questions that act as guidelines in helping us understand ourselves better in terms of our abilities to carry out various activities (Bijlefeld & Zoumbaris 2001, 156). The various physical environments in which we may be living also affect our preparation for physical activities. Our preparation will depend on whether we live in an urban area, up-country, whether we have recreational facilities at our disposal, and whether our safety is guaranteed while exercising in a particular environment.
Before starting any physical activity we must have warm-ups that must be related to the activities that we are about to carry out (Jones & Rose 2005, 204). Warm-ups serve to prepare our muscles as well as activation of the energy systems that we require. For instance, slow jogging helps warm up our muscles and increase the rate of heartbeat in anticipation of running or any other active sport. Apart from this, warm-ups also do a great deal in making us be mentally prepared for the exercise that we are about to carry out. Taking 5-10 minutes to cool down after any physical exercise is very important for our bodies (Jones & Rose 2005, 208). This helps decrease gradually the muscle temperature and hence injury, pain, and stiffness. Moreover, it prevents drowsiness and allows waste products produced to be transported to the excretory organs. It also brings our heartbeat, blood pressure, and breathing rate to normal.
The Correct Amount of Physical Activity
The correct amount of exercise is important so that we avoid over-exercising leading to injury or under-exercising. To analyze this properly, let us consider The FITT formula, which is a set of rules to be followed to gain from a physical exercise program (Bijlefeld & Zoumbaris 2001, 198). Frequency, Intensity, Type, and Time (FITT) of our exercises are the concerns of these rules. These principles of physical exercise have to be followed despite the stage or level we are at in exercising.
Frequency in exercising refers to how often a given exercise activity is to be undertaken for positive results. In essence, it is about balancing between exercising my body long enough for the body to stretch somehow and develop while providing a period for rebuilding and adaptation of the body. For Cardio-Respiratory exercises (Aerobic conditioning) three to five sessions per week are recommended (Karpman 1987, 253). On the other hand frequency in resistance exercising depends on an individual and the nature of the exercise. For instance, 3-4 days a week frequency is recommended for exercises involving every body part.
Intensity refers to the degree of effort that we should put in an exercise routine or session. The effort should just be enough not to cause overstraining of our body parts. The rate of heartbeat and workload is often used to measure the intensity of Cardiorespiratory exercises and resistance exercises respectively (Bijlefeld & Zoumbaris, 192). The rate of the heartbeat can be gotten from the wrist, chest, or neck while the work load is measured by the weight overcome and repetitions of the exercise. Variation in the workload of resistance exercises can be achieved by varying the magnitude of the weights lifted or the number of repetitions.
The type of physical activity that we want to engage in, is the third principle in the FITT formula. In cardiovascular exercises, activities like running, walking, bicycle riding, and dancing are the best suited. Apart from weight lifting, we can use resistance bands and circuit training in resistance exercises (Jones & Rose 2005, 198).
The last part of the FITT formula is time, which refers to the period we take in exercising. The time we take in carrying out any physical activity should just be enough not to cause harm to our bodies and it is dictated by the individual and type of exercise we are involved in (Jones & Rose 2005, 197).
The Correct Type of Physical Activity
Physical activity is any motion of our body that requires the utilization of energy. To keep ourselves healthy, we need to be active i.e. engaging ourselves in physical activities. The physical activity pyramid provides clusters of activities human beings engage in (Bijlefeld & Zoumbaris 2001, 199). It further shows the level of intensity needed or what kind of activities ought to be emphasized in an individual’s life.
The pyramid has four distinct levels or categories of activities. At the bottom or base of the pyramid (level 1), we have a day to day life activities. These are activities that are of moderate-intensity and they include; walking, using the stairs, garden work, etc. It is advised that individuals should generally engage more actively in activities at this level. Technology tends to deny people the opportunity in engaging in activities like walking or taking the stairs. However, to be healthy, individuals have to desist from lazy practices like always relying on lifts or using remote controls to close doors.
At level 2, we have aerobic activities, active sports, and leisure activities. The recommended frequency here is about 5-6 days a week. The activities range from moderate to vigorous intensity. Some of the activities at this level are jogging, walking longer distances, aerobics and swimming. Sports like basketball, handball, and tennis are also included here. An individual should create time to engage in aerobic exercises, active sport, or active leisure activity daily.
At the third level, we have flexibility, muscular strength, and endurance exercises. These are more vigorous activities and require an intensity of 2-3 days per week (Bijlefeld & Zoumbaris 2001, 198). As I will discuss later in this report flexibility exercises involve various stretches. On the other hand, muscular exercises include weight training and gymnastics.
The last level, the apex of the pyramid, which is the fourth level, has inactive activities. Inactive activities are those in which one does virtually nothing rather than sitting or standing in the same position for a long time. Activities in this category include common times like TV watching and playing computer games. Activities in this category are supposed to be occasional as their intensity is very low and thus do very little towards improving our health.
Cardiovascular Fitness
The cardiovascular system, also called the circulatory system, refers to blood circulation in our body. Cardiovascular fitness refers to our body’s capability to supply blood and oxygen to the various body tissues effectively and thus provide enough energy required by the body. The heart is the main organ in the circulatory system and thus cardiovascular exercises aim at strengthening its muscles. Examples of cardiovascular exercises include; running, bicycle riding, climbing stairs, swimming, walking, and aerobics. Cardiovascular exercises help accelerate the rate of heartbeat and hence ensure an effective supply of oxygenated blood to the active muscle tissues. They also enhance the faster transport of deoxygenated blood away from the tissues. We should start by warming up to the target heart rate zone. The warm-up takes 5-6 minutes, followed by stretching of the muscles required in the exercise. Thereafter, follows intensive training of between 20 and 60 minutes. After the intense training, it is advised that one lowers the exercises gradually and then relaxes so that the heart regains the normal beat rate. A frequency of about 3-5 days a week is recommended for cardiovascular exercises.
Strength and Muscular Endurance Fitness
We may define muscular strength as our body muscles’ ability to provide a maximum force against a resistance in a short duration. On the other hand, muscular endurance refers to muscle ability to exert a force less than the maximum for a given period repeatedly. In essence muscular strength requires us to use heavy resistance over a shorter duration while muscular endurance calls for using moderate weights in a longer period. Some of the muscular strength activities that we may be involved in include; gymnastics and heavy weight lifting exercising. For muscular endurance, we can engage in running, rowing, swimming, light weight lifting, wrestling. The health benefits we may obtain from this type of fitness include; muscle development reduced back pains and injury to joints and muscles, higher basal metabolic rate, controlled blood pressure, more strength, and improved body shape (Seraganian 1993, 225). Just like in cardiovascular fitness, we need to have warm-ups before the training session. The session is then followed by cooling down and stretching the muscles involved. Having a healthy meal before and after the exercise is advisable.
Flexibility
Flexibility refers to our ability to have the maximum amount of motion about the various body joints. Flexibility fitness aims at maintaining our ability to have a motion about the joints which is reduced as we age. This encompasses regular stretching sessions aimed at lengthening our muscles and maintains our activeness. The stretches that we can do include; spinal twist, chest stretch, calf stretch, hamstring stretch, forearm stretch, thigh stretch, triceps stretch, and backstretch. These activities help maintain range of motion and flexibility, reduce chances of injury during exercising, and enhance mental relaxation and blood circulation (Seraganian 1993, 178). They also serve as a warm-up for a much more taxing exercise. The recommended frequency for the stretches is 3-5 days a week. We should stretch to a mild strain position and hold at this position for 10-30 seconds.
My 3-Month Fitness Program
3months program: Discussion
The program designed is weekly based. The training cycle is a weekly one i.e. runs from Monday to Sunday and then repeats itself in three months. The purpose of a weekly cycle is to allow for progression and full development or benefit from the different exercises. The program is more result based than individual exercise based. For example, it dedicates a day for chest workouts and mentions some of the exercises to be done. However, I will always have the discretion of deciding on how many repetitions, which exercise, and how many sets in any training session.
The flexibility section aims at providing daily stretches that will ensure overall flexibility in most joints in the body. The stretches have been arranged so that they respond to the other cardiovascular and muscular or strength enhancing exercises. Close attention has been given to exercises that will ensure shoulder joint, spinal joints, arm joints, and leg joints flexibility. Chest stretches will be done for at least 3 days every week. Different back, legs, and arm stretches have also been given a frequency of more than 3 days. Flexibility exercises are scheduled for both mornings and evenings. Before going into serious cardiovascular or muscular exercises, stretches will be done after some form of warm-up. After intensive training, again stretches will be done to ensure muscles or joints are in their proper positions.
Cardiovascular exercises will be done daily. However, they have been varied so that different muscles are involved on different days. There are days of only walking or jogging, there are at least three days of enjoying swimming and two days of aerobics. Some details like how many kilometers to be covered initially have not been determined. However, the plan is to start as manageably as possible and to progress gradually until such a time when I can do the maximum laps or kilometers, time, or laps desirable per day.
The muscular and strength section has been designed so that muscles are given enough time for rebuilding and healing. Given days have been stipulated for each kind of muscles and the kind of exercises to be engaged in stipulated. The idea is to dedicate the day to a thorough work out on given muscles without overstraining
Conclusion
This paper presents a 3 months physical exercise program that I will follow. The plan is relatively simple but also demanding. It requires a commitment to be able to follow it without default. A personal physical activity plan has to be supported with an internal drive or conviction; otherwise, it may not work for an individual. I will follow the program because, as discussed under the section on benefits, a quality life is not possible without physical activity or exercise. Physical exercise is important because it helps enhance one’s health. The assignment has helped me to explore the different types of physical activities, the correct amounts of physical activity, and the various examples of physical activity that one can engage in. The exercise has convinced me that having the right kind of knowledge is critical to being able to exercise properly.
Reference List
Bijlefeld, M., & Zoumbaris, S. K. (2001). Food and You: A Guide to Healthy Habits for Teens. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Jones, C. J., & Rose, D. J. (2005). Physical Activity Instruction of Older Adults. Illinois: Human Kinetics.
Karpman, V. L. (1987). Cardiovascular System and Physical Exercise New York: CRC Press.
Seraganian, P. (1993). Exercise Psychology: The Influence of Physical Exercise on Psychological Processes. New York: John Wiley and Sons.