INTRODUCTION
Physical Education came from the Latin word “physica”, meaning physics
and “educatio”, meaning the training of the bodily organs and power with a
view to the promotion of hearts and vigor. To have a sound body, one must
have a sound mind; thus, being in a state of mental health. The World Health
Organization (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental
and social wellness, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The
definition emphasizes health as a positive state of well-being not just
absence of disease. People in a state of emotional, physical and social well-
being fulfill life responsibilities effectively in daily life and are satisfied with
their interpersonal relationships and themselves.
Physical Education is generally taught in pre-school, elementary, secondary
and tertiary levels.
Health and Fitness
This highlights the importance of good health education to support healthy
lifestyle, to improve nutrition and to engage in various exercises. It contains
information to increase physical and health literacy competencies that will
enable the learner to set fitness and health goals for themselves. A person’s
physical fitness is determined by age or heredity, and his or her behavior.
Although many people cannot control their age or heredity, their lifestyle can
help them become physically fit and stay that way. Everyone is unique and
varies greatly in his/her capacity to do work for physical activities, but
anyone can improve by doing exercises regularly. A person’s level of physical
fitness depends largely on how frequently he/she performs physical activities
or actual exercises.
Moreover, physical fitness in the optimum levels of fitness varies, depending
on age, gender and physical ability, and overall health. Despite these
variations, there is a general agreement among experts that the components
of physical fitness should be grouped into two broad categories that
correspond to two levels of performance: athletes and non-athletes.
General health and fitness exercise during the actual activities is
recommended that you do some moderate intensity for a minimum of 30 to
40 minutes a day.
Physical fitness is essential to healthy growth and development. The
components of physical fitness can be grouped into two categories: Skills
related and Health related.
Skills-related Components
1. Agility – the ability to change direction quickly.
2. Balance – the ability to remain stable even when moving.
3. Coordination – the ability to use vision, touch and muscle sense.
4. Power – simply defined as the ability to release maximum strength.
5. Reaction Time – the amount of time it takes to make a physical
response once you see the need to take an action.
6. Speed – the rate at which one covers distance in a short period of
time.
Health-related Components
1. Cardiovascular Fitness – from the word cardio, which means heart,
the ability to exercise at an elevated heart rate for a designated time
while supplying adequate oxygen to the body.
2. Flexibility – the ability to move joint with ease through the normal
range of motion and muscles to their fullest extent.
3. Endurance – the ability to exercise without tiring in a long period of
time.
4. Strength – the ability to exert force against resistance in a short
period of time.
5. Body Composition – ideally, a state in which body fat does not
exceed 25 percent of the total body composition.
