Physical Activity & Physical Fitness

at the High School Level

Physical Activity is the process.
Fitness is the product.
Healthy People 2020 national
health objectives designed to identify
the most significant preventable
threats to health and to establish
national goals to reduce these
threats.

Physical Activity on a
Continuum
Physical activity = any body
movement carried out by the
skeletal muscles and requiring
energy.
Exercise = planned, structured,
repetitive movement of the body
designed to improve or maintain
physical fitness.
Physical fitness = a set of physical
attributes that allows the body to

Physical Activity Pyramid

Benefits of Different
Programs

Physical Fitness
Consists of:
5 health-related fitness
components
6 skill-related components

Health Related Fitness

Components
1. Cardiovascular endurance: the ability
of the body to perform prolonged,
large-muscle, dynamic exercise at
moderate-to-high levels of intensity.
2. Muscular strength: the amount of
force a muscle can produce with a
single maximum effort.
3. Muscular endurance : the ability of a
muscle or group of muscles to remain
contracted or to contract repeatedly.

Health-Related Fitness
Components
4. Flexibility: the ability to move joints
through their full range of motion.
5. Body composition: the proportion of
fat and fat-free mass (muscle, bone,
and water) in the body.

Skill-Related Fitness
1.Agility
2.Balance
3.Coordination
4.Speed
5.Power
6.Reaction time

Physical Fitness versus

Physical Activity

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.

Need for Fitness

Effective study & work

Good health
Face emergencies
Enjoyable leisure
Value of fitness
Look good
Feel good
Enjoy life
Be healthy

Purpose of Fitness Testing

1.Diagnosing
2.Proving feedback
3.Setting goals
4.Charting improvement
Testing Options:
Physical Best & Fitnessgram (
www.fitnessgram.net)
Presidents Challenge Tests (
www.presidentschallenge.org)

Fitnessgram vs Presidents Challenge Tests

Both use criterion-referenced standards, which

examine scores against a particular health criterion.
Benefit: possible that students from quality PE
programs can all reach a particular health standard
on a test.
A. Fitnessgram/Activitygram = A comprehensive,
educational and promotional tool for fitness and
activity assessment for children.
B. Presidents Challenge = A program that encourages
all Americans to make being active part of their
everyday lives. No matter what your activity and
fitness level, the President's Challenge can help
motivate you to improve.

 Fitnessgram H.E.L.P.
HEALTH comes from regular physical activity and the
development of health related fitness.
Physical activity and fitness are for EVERYONE regardless
of age, gender, or ability.
Physical activity and physical fitness are for the LIFETIME.
Physical activity programs should be designed to meet
PERSONAL needs and interests.
Regular physical activity will improve a childs level of
health- and skill-related physical fitness.
The focus in the FITNESSGRAM program is on healthrelated fitness - -considered to be greater importance
than performance in sports. Important for children to
develop physical skills in order to perform physical
activity as adults. However, health related fitness is a
more important objective and is necessary for all people!

 Fitness and health benefits obtained in

childhood will not be retained in adulthood
unless the person remains physically active.
The best way to promote adult health is to
promote adult activity! Therefore, the goal in
Fitnessgram is to increase the likelihood that
children will become active adults.
The FITNESSGRAM report prints out an
individualized report that evaluates a
students personal level of fitness compared
against the established health standard, the
Healthy Fitness Zone.

Appropriate Uses for

Fitnessgram
Facilitating fitness education
Providing feedback
Teaching students about criterion-referenced
health standards and what types of activity
are needed to reach them
Helping students track fitness results over
time
Documenting that assessments are being
administered in the school and that student
results are being tracked over time
Institutional testing to allow teachers to view
group data (for curriculum development)

The Fitnessgram Assessment

Aerobic Capacity: PACER; One Mile Run-Walk;
Walk Test;
Body Composition: Percent Body Fat from
Skinfold Measurements; Percent Body Fat from
Bioelectric Impedance Analysis (BIA) Device;
Body Mass Index from height and weight;
Muscle Strength, Endurance & Flexibility:
Abdominal Curl-up; Trunk Extensor Trunk Lift;
Flexibility Back saver Sit and Reach or Shoulder
Stretch; Upper Body 900 Push-Ups, Modified
Pull-up, Flexed Arm Hang