Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES
Nabua, Camarines Sur
MODULE 2
CONCEPTS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS
INTRODUCTION
As most college students do, you have probably set goals. Obviously, your individual
goals differ from those of your fellow classmates, but everyone‘s goals share one common
attribute: their intention to improve individual wellbeing. However, there are as many ideas
about how to do that as there are individuals. Do your goals involve making more money,
achieving better health, improving your relationships? Holistic wellness involves all those
aspects of life and more. Maintaining physical fitness and ever stayed conditioned has a lion
share for wellness though.
This unit module explains the concepts of physical fitness which might assist you to stay
fit to exude confidence, optimism, and self-efficacy; they have the energy reserves to do what
needs to be done today and to plan for a better tomorrow. The most effective and
transformative goals are those designed to achieve the highest level of personal wellness.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
Define physical fitness, physical activity, physical exercise and sport
Understand the benefits of physical fitness
Realize general principles of fitness training
Make behaviour modification to stay fit
PRE-TEST/ WARM-UP
Warm- up: For 2-5 minutes, ponder on these questions: (You can write on a sheet of paper or
you can send your answer on the chat box)
1. How can you describe yourself? Are you a lazy person or an active person?
2. Do you consider yourself a physically fit person? Why?
DISCUSSION
TOPIC 1: MEANINGS AND DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
PHYSICAL FITNESS
It is an ability to meet the ordinary, as well as unusual demands of daily life safely and
effectively without being overly fatigued. Simply it is the body‘s ability to function effectively
and efficiently, and contributes the total quality of life.
Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES
Nabua, Camarines Sur
The totally fit person has a healthy and happy outlook towards life. Fitness is the young man‘s
absolute necessity. It breeds self- reliance and keeps man mentally alert. Physical fitness is
essential for human beings to adjust well with his environment as his mind and body are in
complete harmony.
It is generally agreed that physical fitness is an important part of the normal growth and
development of a child, a generic definition regarding the precise nature of physical fitness has
not been universally accepted. Through research and scholarly inquiry, it is clear that the multi-
dimensional characteristics of physical fitness can be divided into two areas: health related
physical fitness and skill related physical fitness.
Clarke and Clarke (1989) found that physical fitness is not a static factor and it varies from
individual to individual and in the same person from time to time depending on factors. Physical
fitness is probably the most popular and frequently used term in physical education. The most
important objective of physical educators is to develop physical fitness. According to Nixon and
cozens (1964), it was the desire to establish a scientific approach to the development of physical
fitness which formed the basis of the first meeting of physical educators in 1885 when the
profession of physical education originated.
The United States president‘s Council on physical fitness and sports defined the terms “physical
fitness as the ability to carry out daily task with vigor and alertness, without undue fatigue, with
ample energy to enjoy leisure time pursuits and to meet unforeseen emergencies” (Clarke,
1971)
General fitness implies the ability of a person to live most effectively with his and her potentials,
which depend upon the physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual components of fitness
which are highly interrelated.
Learning Activity 2.1
Dear Student, discuss on the following questions with your partners.
1. Would you try to provide a very simple working definition for the term physical fitness?
2. How do you further classify physical fitness?
3. Tell the conceptual dimensions of fitness in general.
Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES
Nabua, Camarines Sur
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
It is bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure. The
term, physical activity, does not require or imply any specific aspect or quality of movement.
The term encompasses all types, intensities, and domains. Although the term “physical activity”
has been used often as a short-hand description for moderate-to-vigorous-intensity forms of
physical activity, given current interest and discussions about physical activity of intensities less
than moderate-intensity, the term “physical activity” should be used when discussing the full
range of intensities. More specific descriptors such as sedentary behavior, light, moderate,
vigorous, or moderate-to-vigorous should be used when talking about a specific range of
intensities. Based on predominant physiologic effect, physical activity can be categorized in to
aerobic physical activity and anaerobic physical activity.
Aerobic physical activity includes forms of activity that are intense enough and performed long
enough to maintain or improve an individual‘s cardiorespiratory fitness. Aerobic activities such
as walking, basketball, soccer, or dancing, commonly require the use of large muscle groups. The
connection between aerobic activities such as these and cardiorespiratory fitness is sufficiently
close that the term ―aerobic capacity‖ is considered equivalent to cardiorespiratory fitness.
Technically, aerobic physical activity includes any activity that could be maintained using only
oxygen-supported metabolic energy pathways and could be continued for more than a few
minutes. However, in both common and scientific usage, ―aerobic‖ activity has come to mean
physical activity that would be expected to maintain or improve cardiorespiratory fitness or
aerobic capacity. Whereas, anaerobic physical activity refers to high-intensity activity that
exceeds the capacity of the cardiovascular system to provide oxygen to muscle cells for the
usual oxygen consuming metabolic pathways.
Anaerobic activity can be maintained for only about 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinting and power lifting
are examples of anaerobic physical activity
PHYSICAL EXERCISE
The term "exercise" has been used interchangeably with "physical activity", and, in fact, both
have a number of common elements. For example, both physical activity and exercise involve
any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that expends energy, are measured by
kilocalories ranging continuously from low to high, and are positively correlated with physical
fitness as the intensity, duration, and frequency of movements increase. Exercise, however, is
not synonymous with physical activity: it is a subcategory of physical activity. \
Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES
Nabua, Camarines Sur
Exercise is physical activity that is planned, structured, repetitive, and purposive in the sense
that improvement or maintenance of one or more components of physical fitness is an objective.
Physical activity is complex behavior, however, and may be meaningfully partitioned into other
categories mutually exclusive of each other but not activity except sleep. However, it is more
likely to be an important part of some categories of physical activity than of others. For example,
virtually all conditioning and many sports activities are performed to improve or maintain
components of physical fitness. In such instances they are planned, structured, and, more often
than not, repetitive.
Activities such as occupational, household and many daily tasks are typically performed in the
most efficient manner possible. These physical activities are done with little regard to physical
fitness and are often structured with conservation of energy expenditure as a goal. However, a
worker may plan and structure the performance of some work tasks in a less efficient manner to
develop muscular strength or to "burn up" calories. Similarly, a person may plan and structure
the performance of household or other tasks in a labor producing rather than a labor-saving
manner. Tasks regularly performed in this manner are considered exercise.
Generally, Exercise describes as planned structured and repetitive bodily movement done to
improve or maintain one or more components of physical fitness and is subset of physical
activity. Exercise is usually goal related and designed in the sense that the improvement or
maintenance of one or more components of physical fitness (i.e., endurance, strength, flexibility
etc…).
SPORTS
It is an organized, competitive form of play. Some persons view sport simply as an organized
form of play, which might put it closer to physical education as we have defined it. However,
close consideration will show that sport has traditionally involved competitive activities.
When we refer to sport as ―organized‖ competitive activity, we mean that the activity has been
refined and formalized to some degree- that is, some definite form or process involved. Rules,
whether they are written or not, are involved in this form of activity, and these rules or
procedures can not be changed during the competition, though new ones may involve from one
episode to the next. Sport is, above all, competitive activity. We cannot think of sport without
thinking of competition, for without the competition, sport becomes simply play or recreation.
Play can at times be sport, but strictly speaking, sport is never simple play; the competitive
aspect is essential to the nature of sport.
Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES
Nabua, Camarines Sur
Learning Activity 2.2
Dear Student, discuss on the following questions with your partners.
1. One way of defining sport is as “organized” competitive activity, what do we mean by that?
2. And how do you differentiate sport from other forms of exercise and physical activity?
TOPIC 2: BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
[Physical Benefits]
Strengthens and tones muscles.
Helps maintain a healthy weight.
Strengthens heart and lungs.
Builds strong bones.
[Mental/ Emotional Benefits]
Better sleep.
Get along better with others.
More concentration.
More confidence and higher self-esteem.
Deal with stress more easily.
[Social Benefits]
Great way to make friends.
Learn diversity and tolerance.
Help to build character.
Benefits of Physical Activity “Doing regular Physical Activity’ can:
o Jubilation
o UP “Grade”
o Maintain & Build
o Prevent Risk for HYPOKINETIC DISEASES
TOPIC 3: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY & HYPOKINETIC DISEASES
What is Hypo-Kinetic Disease?
Hypo-kinetic diseases are also called lifestyle diseases.
Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES
Nabua, Camarines Sur
Lack of physical activity and poor eating habit.
They are preventable in nature and can be lowered with alterations in diet and
lifestyles.
Top Ordered from Lifestyle Diseases
1. Hypertension
2. Obesity
3. Diabetes
4. Stroke
It is a health condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is elevated above the
normality.
Causes of Hypertension
Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES
Nabua, Camarines Sur
Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES
Nabua, Camarines Sur
Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES
Nabua, Camarines Sur
Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES
Nabua, Camarines Sur
How to Prevent Hypo-kinetic Diseases?
Prevention of Hypo-kinetic:
1. Regular exercises.
2. Aerobic types of exercises.
3. Healthy lifestyle.
Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES
Nabua, Camarines Sur
LEARNING ACTIVITY 2.3
Make a reflection on the importance of physical activity in our daily life and give
some health benefits of exercise and physical activity in your daily task.
REFERENCES
https://kpfu.ru/eng/academic-units/natural-sciences/physical-education-and-
sports-academic-unit/educational-process/objectives-of-the-department
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23267240.1934.10620676?journ
alCode=ujrd16
https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/sites/default/files/publications/eelc_assessm
ent_tools_ped401a.pdf
Doris D. Tulio, et. Al, “PE 1- Physical Fitness and Self testing Acti vities”, Katha
Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.
https://www.slideserve.com/nevaeh/basic-concepts-of-physical-education
https://www.excite.com/education/subject/brief-history-of-physical-education
