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Significance of Physical Fitness
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Published: Mar 25, 2024
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Essay on Physical Fitness
Students are often asked to write an essay on Physical Fitness in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.
Let’s take a look…
100 Words Essay on Physical Fitness
What is physical fitness.
Physical fitness is about having a body that can do many activities without getting too tired. It means your heart, muscles, and bones are strong. When you are fit, you can run, jump, and play without feeling out of breath quickly.
Why is Fitness Important?
Being fit is good for your health. It helps you stay away from sickness. Kids who are fit can focus better in school. It also makes you feel happy and gives you more energy to enjoy life.
How to Get Fit
To get fit, you should be active. Run, swim, or play sports. Also, eat healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains. Drink plenty of water and sleep well to help your body grow strong.
Staying Safe While Exercising
When you exercise, it’s important to be safe. Wear the right shoes and clothes. Start slow and learn the right way to move. Always listen to your body and rest if you feel pain or are very tired.
Also check:
- Paragraph on Physical Fitness
- Speech on Physical Fitness
250 Words Essay on Physical Fitness
Physical fitness means being in good health and shape. It’s when your body can do activities like running, jumping, and playing games without getting too tired quickly. Being fit is important for everyone, no matter how old they are. It helps us stay strong and healthy.
Parts of Physical Fitness
There are two main parts of being fit: aerobic fitness and muscle strength. Aerobic fitness is about how well your heart and lungs work when you exercise. When you can run for a long time without stopping, that’s good aerobic fitness. Muscle strength is when your muscles can lift things or do work without getting tired fast.
Why Being Fit Matters
Being fit is great for your body. It helps you not get sick often and can make you feel happier. When you’re fit, you can play with your friends and not feel like you need to stop and rest all the time. It also means you might not get hurt as often.
Getting fit can be fun. You can play sports, dance, swim, or even just go for walks. Eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables helps too. It’s important to exercise a few times a week and not sit around too much.
Staying Fit
Once you’re fit, you have to keep exercising to stay that way. It’s like a game where you have to keep practicing to be good at it. Remember to stay active and eat well, and being fit will become a part of your life.
500 Words Essay on Physical Fitness
Physical fitness is about keeping your body in good shape. It means having the energy and strength to do daily activities without getting too tired. Just like a car needs fuel and a good engine to run smoothly, your body needs healthy food and exercise to work well.
Why is Being Fit Important?
Being fit is key to a happy and healthy life. When you are fit, you can play, run, and do your school work better. Your body fights off sickness easier, and you feel good about yourself. It’s not just about how you look; it’s about taking care of your body so that it can take care of you.
Types of Fitness
Fitness is not just one thing. There are different types, like strength, which lets you lift things; endurance, which is the power to keep going without stopping; flexibility, which helps you move your body in different ways; and balance, which keeps you from falling. Doing a mix of activities that help all these areas is the best way to stay fit.
Getting fit can be fun. You can play sports like soccer or basketball, swim, dance, or even just walk or bike around your neighborhood. It’s important to find activities you enjoy so that you will keep doing them. Try to move your body for at least an hour every day. This doesn’t have to be all at once; it can be spread out through the day.
Eating Right
Eating healthy foods helps your fitness too. Imagine your body is like a plant. Plants need water and good soil to grow. Your body needs healthy food and water to grow strong and stay fit. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, and proteins, and drink lots of water. Try to eat less junk food, which is like giving your plant the wrong kind of soil.
Rest and Sleep
Rest is just as important as exercise. Your body needs to sleep and take breaks to rebuild and get ready for the next day. Make sure you get enough sleep each night. This helps your body heal and gives you the energy to be active and fit.
Staying Motivated
Sometimes it’s hard to stay on track with fitness. Setting goals can help. Maybe you want to be able to run a mile without stopping or learn a new sport. Write down your goals and how you plan to reach them. Celebrate when you meet them, and set new ones.
Physical fitness is a big part of a healthy life. It keeps your body strong and gives you the energy to do all the things you love. Remember, being fit isn’t just about how you look. It’s about taking good care of your body by moving around, eating well, resting, and setting goals to keep yourself motivated. Start taking steps towards being fit today, and your body will thank you for years to come.
That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.
If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:
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Good argumentative essay topics on health and fitness with prompts [+ outline], dr. wilson mn.
- August 1, 2022
- Essay Topics and Ideas , Samples
There are plenty of good argumentative essay topics on health and fitness to choose from. You can write about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, or the importance of staying fit and active.
You can also argue for or against certain health and fitness practices, such as eating organic foods or using supplements. Whatever you choose to write about, make sure you back up your claims with evidence and research.
What You'll Learn
Argumentative Essay Topics On Health And Fitness
Personal Reflection on the Scriptural Basis for Physical Fitness & Wellness Practices
Essay prompt: Often, when people speak about physical fitness and wellness, they do it from the point of view of science and medicine in which physical fitness and wellness practices are supposed to improve our health outcomes.
Improving Fitness Practices And the Personal And Realistic Physical Fitness Plan
Essay prompt: The strategies to identify practical ways to enhance my fitness practices include personal training, outcome measurements, and wearable technology. Personal training is a strong trend that is
Do Fitness Trackers Improve Health?
Essay prompt: Fitness trackers are wearable devices that monitor physical activity, communicate with the smartphone, and pass information to it. These wearable devices monitor calories consumed and received by a person, as well as physical activity indicators, and are designed to help people move more and eat right.
How did you apply what you learned in your workouts within and outside of class and what were the outcomes? How will you continue to apply this knowledge in the future?
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Improving Health Related Fitness: Aerobic Conditioning Program
Essay prompt: The Aerobic condition program seeks to improve health-related fitness for freshmen. Aerobic exercising or “with oxygen” offers freshmen cardiovascular conditioning. The program aligns with the American heart association (AHA) minimum 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise 5 to 7 days a week.
Field Observation Gender, Race & Fitness Written Paper & Presentation
Essay prompt: Students will visit a fitness centre not located on campus. Field notes will be taken noting the time and day of the visit and the approximate fee paid to use the facility.
Importance of Goal-Setting for Nutritional Clients And the Steps in the Goal-Setting Process
Essay prompt: It is important to set fitness goals before trying to achieve health goals because they help understand why such an initiative is essential. Better and practical results are always achieved when one has a specific, realistic goal instead of setting out without a plan.
Discuss the importance of goal-setting for nutritional clients
Argumentative Research Paper Topics On Health And Fitness with Prompts
The Role of Group Exercise Instructor
Ensuring Firefighters Maintain Proper Health Fitness During And After Training
Essay prompt: The article follows the status of the recruits’ essential health and physical fitness to fire academy training. The article demonstrates the changes that take place during training and the early probation period.
Evolutionary Biology Use In Future Work In Psychology
Elements of the Marketing Environments
The Main Problem with Anaerobic Training
Essay prompt: When it comes to matters concerning fitness, aerobics has always taken Centre stage. Tracing its name from the term ‘aerobic’ to mean oxygen, aerobics is a fitness regime that basically uses oxygen to burn body fat.
Effectiveness of Exercise-based Prediction in Determining Cardiorespiratory Fitness (CRF)
Essay prompt: The article’s main purpose is to explore the effectiveness of exercise-based prediction in determining cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). In such a case, it would be possible to assess their capability in classifying individuals. Argumentative Essay Topics On Health And Fitness
Injured Children During Exercise or Sports
Essay prompt: As much as exercise is important, fitness trainers also hold the same influence as they serve as the guide towards a more appropriate pattern of workout and diet for their clients.
Problems And Solutions Concerning Meeting Advancing Health Information Requirements
Essay prompt: Currently, hospital setups exhibit new Health Information Technology (HIT) innovations that help in monitoring healthcare and fitness improvement. Besides, this HIT improves health outcomes and ensures efficiency in workflow among others.
Find out more on 260+ Ethical Paper Topics – Types | Guide | Topics
Improving College Student Fitness Routine
Essay prompt: It is a well-known fact that people need to exercise to prevent being afflicted with diseases, especially those that are caused by an unhealthy lifestyles.
Physical Education Unit Plan: Fitness for Health And social awareness
SWOT Analysis of Physical Fitness Facility
Essay prompt: The Pure Barre franchise is a boutique gym line of studios that has branches across North America- the US and Canada.
The Benefits of Physical Activity for Physical & Mental Health
Essay prompt: Numerous studies have explored the benefits of physical activity to the physical and mental well-being of an individual. A literature review on the subject suggests that there is a positive relationship between physical activity, and physical and mental health.
Analysis Of Fitness And Health Claims In The Future
Essay prompt: How will you approach your analysis of fitness and health claims in the future? How will this help you in your future training endeavours?
Classroom-Based Physical Activity, Cognition, And Academic Achievement
Essay prompt: Evidence suggests that there is an observable association between cardiovascular fitness, cognitive function, and physical activity during early childhood and adolescence. The above variables are linked to the academic performance of an individual.
How the Covid-19 Regulations have Affected Students at the Gym
Essay prompt: The COVID-19 Pandemic has subjected the world to a life-threatening situation, judging by the mortality and morbidity rates. More than 6.2 million people have died of COVID-19, and over 505 million cases have been reported worldwide as of 2022 (de Abreu et al., 2022).
Argumentative Research Paper Topics
There is no shortage of ideas when it comes to writing an argumentative research paper . The key is to find a topic that is interesting to you and that you can make a strong case for. Here are some potential topics to get you started:
- Should the drinking age be lowered?
- Should the voting age be lowered?
- Should there be stricter gun control laws?
- Should the death penalty be abolished?
- Should abortion be legal?
- Should same-sex marriage be legal?
- Should marijuana be legalized?
- Are humans causing climate change?
- Is the welfare system effective?
- Do schools need to do more to prevent bullying?
Whether you’re a diehard sports fan or someone who doesn’t really follow any particular teams, there’s no denying that sports can be a great source of debate. From which sport is the most exciting to watch to whether certain players or teams are truly the best in their respective leagues, there are plenty of topics to choose from when it comes to sports debates.
To help you get started, we’ve compiled a list of some potential sports debate topics. Whether you’re looking for something lighthearted or something a little more serious, we’re sure you’ll find something on this list that gets your blood pumping.
So without further ado, here are 20 sports debate topics to get you started:
- Which sport is the most exciting to watch?
- Are certain players or teams overrated?
- Who are the best players in each sport?
- Who are the biggest busts in each sport?
- What are the best and worst moments in each sport?
- Are there too many teams in each league? Not enough?
- What changes would you make to each sport?
- Which teams are due for a championship
Sports Persuasive Speech Topics
When it comes to giving a persuasive speech, there are many different topics that you can choose from. However, one topic that always seems to be popular is sports. Sports persuasive speech topics can be about anything related to sports, from the benefits of playing a particular sport to the dangers of not playing any sport at all.
- Some good sports persuasive speech topics include:
- The benefits of playing team sports
- The importance of staying active and participating in physical activity
- The dangers of using performance-enhancing drugs in sports
- The negative effects of not playing any sport at all
- Why children should be encouraged to play sports
- How adults can benefit from playing sports
Informative Speech Topics about Sports
When it comes to choosing a topic for an informative speech, there are many directions you could go. You could choose to give a speech about a particular sport, or about the history of sports, or about some of the great athletes who have made their mark on the world of sports.
If you’re a fan of sports, then giving an informative speech about sports could be a great way to share your love of the game with others. There are so many different aspects to sports that you could focus on, from the rules of the game to the training and conditioning that athletes undergo. You could even give a speech about some of the great moments in sports history.
If you’re not a big sports fan, don’t worry – there are plenty of other topics you could choose for your informative speech. You could focus on the history of a particular sport, or on the evolution of sports over time. You could even choose to give a speech about some of the great athletes who have made their mark on the world of sports. No matter what angle you choose, there’s sure to be an informative speech topic about sports that will interest you and your audience
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Measures Registry USER GUIDES
3. key concepts for understanding individual physical activity, individual physical activity.
MEASURES REGISTRY USER GUIDE
1. Introduction
Overview of the Individual Physical Activity Measures Guide
Organization and Navigation through the Guide
2. Behavioral Epidemiology Framework
Description of the Behavioral Epidemiology Framework
3. Key Concepts for Understanding Physical Activity
Definitions and terminology, physical activity and sedentary behavior guidelines, uniqueness of assessment in children and adolescents, 4. measurement, evaluation, and statistics.
Principles of Measurement and Evaluation
Understanding Reliability and Validity
Advanced Concepts in Measurement Research
5. Overview of Individual Physical Activity Assessment Tools
The Feasibility/Validity Continuum
Summary of Assessment Tools
6. Selecting Measures
Activity Outcomes
Research Type
Decision Confirmation
7. Case Studies
Case Study 1: Examining the Independent and Joint Associations of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior on Body Mass Index Among Middle and High School Students
Case Study 2: Determining Compliance with Physical Activity Recommendations Across Different Grade Levels
Case Study 3: Identifying Predisposing Factors for Active Commuting in Elementary School Children Who Live in Urban and Suburban Settings
Case Study 4: Testing the Potential of a New Recess-Based Physical Activity Program Designed to Increase the Time Children Spend in MVPA During Recess
8. Supplemental Considerations for Monitor-Based Assessments (New Technology and Data Processing Techniques)
Background on Accelerometry-Based Activity Monitors
Newer Monitoring Technologies and Methods
9. Supplemental Considerations for Evaluating Sedentary Behavior
Background on Sedentary Behavior
Assessments of Sedentary Behavior
10. Supplemental Considerations for Scaling and Scoring METs in Youth
Supplemental Considerations for Scaling and Scoring METs in Youth
11. Conclusion
Key concepts for understanding individual physical activity.
This section describes concepts that are important for understanding the remaining sections of the Guide. The fundamental definitions and distinctions related to both physical activity and sedentary behavior are described first, followed by summaries of physical activity and sedentary behavior recommendations. Emphasis is then placed on the unique challenges of assessing physical activity and sedentary behavior in youth, as that population is NCCOR’s focus. These sections provide the foundation for understanding how to assess behavior and movement and estimate energy expenditure in youth.
Physical activity can be quantified and interpreted in a variety of ways. Caspersen et al. previously described physical activity as “Any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that result in caloric expenditure.” 15 This definition has been widely accepted but a more recent conception, developed through a consensus conference on physical activity research, 6,9 provides an operational definition to avoid subjectivity and facilitate assessment: "behavior that involves human movement, resulting in physiological attributes including increased energy expenditure and improved physical fitness."
A critical element in the new definition is the labeling of physical activity as a behavior. This captures the volitional nature of physical activity and the various physiologic, psychosocial, and environmental factors that influence it. For youth, the movement captured in this behavioral definition can be categorized as either structured (i.e., repetitive, organized activity, often led by an adult and performed in physical education class) or unstructured (i.e., play, unsupervised, activity performed during recess or school breaks). Activities are also operationally characterized according to their frequency (i.e., number of movements per day), duration (i.e., recorded minutes of actual movement), intensity (i.e., associated effort to perform the movement), and type (i.e., nature of movement as being, for example, aerobic or bone-strengthening related activities). The combination of frequency, duration, and intensity is often referred to as the dose or volume of physical activity and reflects the total amount of movement performed within a specific time period. Three other important distinctions with the definition are summarized below.
First: In this new conception of physical activity, a better understanding of the context and settings where physical activity behavior occurs (e.g., home, work) as well as the purpose (e.g., recreation, occupation) is needed. Although categories can vary, four broad domains that effectively capture behaviors for both adults and youth include: (1) leisure-time physical activity (i.e., recreation, play), (2) work- or school-related physical activity, (3) home or domestic physical activity, and (4) transportation physical activity (commuting from place to place). The term “exercise” is viewed as a subcategory of leisure-time physical activity that is more structured (e.g., steady state running) and performed with a well-defined purpose in mind (e.g., improving or maintaining physical fitness). The distinctions between physical activity and exercise are more relevant for adults, but participation in sports or structured activity programs or lessons by youth can be considered analogous to “exercise” because it is also structured and purposed. Adults often report physical activity for leisure or recreation but in youth this may be captured as simply “play” or unstructured activity.
Second: The new definition of physical activity stipulates that movement needs to be of sufficient magnitude to increase energy expenditure.
Understanding Energy Expenditure Terms Total energy expenditure (TEE) is generally divided into three components: Resting energy expenditure (REE), the thermic effect of food (TEF), and the more volitional physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE). The REE value accounts for about 50 percent to 60 percent of total energy expenditure, but PAEE is usually of more relevance because it is the most variable component of TEE and is highly susceptible to change.
This definition helps to distinguish physical activity from non-volitional forms of movement (e.g., fidgeting) and focuses attention more on larger contributions to energy expenditure. Energy expenditure is typically expressed in units of kilojoules (kJ) or kilocalories (kcal), but it is also frequently expressed as multiples of resting energy expenditure known as Metabolic Equivalent Tasks (METs). 16 Resting energy expenditure is often estimated because it is challenging to measure, and the value of 3.5 ml/kg/min has been widely adopted as the oxygen consumption of a person at rest. Using standard conversions and additional assumptions, resting energy expenditure (i.e., 1 MET) has been equated to an energy cost of 1 kcal/kg/hour. Other procedures yield different estimates but the consistent adoption of MET values and methods from the Compendium of Physical Activities 17 has helped to standardize outcomes. Levels of physical activity are routinely calculated using established ranges (Rest is 1.0 to 1.4, Light physical activity [LPA] is 1.5 to 2.9, Moderate physical activity [MPA] is 3.0 to 5.9, Vigorous physical activity [VPA] is 6.0+). Most physical activity research has used a combined indicator that captures both moderate physical activity and vigorous physical activity (MVPA). However, research has increasingly emphasized the importance of understanding the allocation of time spent in different intensity classifications, as they each contribute directly to overall energy expenditure and health. Considerable attention has been given to time spent in sedentary behavior because it has been shown to be independent of time spent in MVPA. By default, the time spent in LPA also has implications because it falls between these two intensities. 18 More time spent in LPA can be beneficial if it corresponds with less time in sedentary behavior. However, time spent in LPA does not provide benefits that come from participation in MVPA. Distinctions of the main components and dimensions of physical activity and sedentary behavior are summarized in Figure 3 , based on an established model.
Figure 3: A Model of Sedentary and Physical Activity Behaviors
Third: The new definition of physical activity specifically references its contributions to improving dimensions of physical fitness. Physical fitness has generally been defined as “the ability to carry out daily tasks with vigor and alertness, without undue fatigue and with ample energy to enjoy leisure-time pursuits and meet unforeseen emergencies.” 15 It can be subdivided into performance-related fitness and health-related fitness but the latter is more relevant for the purpose of this Guide because the majority of physical activity research is focused on health-related outcomes. Another caveat with this definition is that participation in physical activity may not necessarily lead to predictable or measurable improvements in physical fitness. Improvements are influenced by baseline fitness, genetic predispositions and a number of other factors, so the emphasis should be placed on the potential of physical activity to improve dimensions of physical fitness.
Body composition is considered to be a dimension of health-related fitness and is obviously of particular relevance for research targeting childhood obesity. Based on the description above, physical activity has important implications for maintaining or improving body composition and can induce positive changes in body fat content and distribution.
Research and public health guidelines have distinguished physical activity and sedentary behavior as independent behavioral constructs and they also may have independent effects on health, although this is less established in youth. 19 No universally agreed-upon consensus has yet been achieved on defining sedentary behavior for both children and adults, though concerted efforts have been made for adults. For instance, researchers in the Sedentary Behavior Research Network have come to agreement that sedentary behavior should be defined as “any waking behavior characterized by an energy expenditure ≤1.5 adult-METs while in a sitting or reclining posture.” 20 The threshold of 1.5 adult-METs has been generally considered a cutpoint for identifying sedentary behavior in adults. However, different assumptions must be considered for children. Recommendations for addressing this issue have been included in Section 10 .
Previous activity guidelines emphasized the total amount of MVPA that should be performed, and separate targets were provided for MPA and VPA. The current U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines 14 provide a more flexible model for tracking physical activity levels by focusing on the total volume of physical activity performed and the construct of “MET-Minutes.” Recommendations call for individuals to obtain 500 MET-Minutes a week. However, the guidelines also emphasize the need for relative guidelines that take into account a person’s individual level of fitness. Individuals are encouraged to perform 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week but it can be accumulated in different ways. Consistent with the MET-Minute approach, vigorous minutes are multiplied by two to reflect the higher MET costs of VPA vs. MPA (6 METs vs. 3 METs) thereby allowing a person to meet the guideline with a combination of MPA and VPA. Because individuals vary in fitness level, it is important to acknowledge that MPA and VPA may be perceived very differently in the population. The distinction between relative and absolute intensities has important implications for the different physical activity measures. For example, report-based measures capture the perceptions of physical activity while monitor-based methods capture the movement that takes place. A fit person may report performing very little physical activity but the monitor may record considerable amounts. In contrast, an unfit person may have very little absolute movement in a day but it may be moderate in intensity. The examples are generally explained in the context of adult behavior but the same implications hold for quantifying youth physical activity, as youth who are unfit and have overweight may perceive their activity as of moderate or high intensity even though the monitor may record little absolute movement. These are simple examples, but the point is that the frequently observed discrepancies between measures may not be solely due to bias or recall problems, but rather to inherent differences in reported and measured data or how physical activity intensity is expressed. Thus, monitor-based and report-based measures capture different aspects of the same underlying construct of physical activity.
Guidelines for sedentary behavior have been harder to establish and are less consistently endorsed. Sedentary behavior is considered a construct that is independent of physical activity and that can carry different health implications. For this reason, the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology in collaboration with the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group developed the Canadian Sedentary Behavior Guidelines for Children and Youth. These were the first guidelines to specifically address recommendations for sedentary behavior in order to improve and maintain health. The guidelines suggest that children and youth should limit recreational screen time to a maximum of two hours per day and reinforce that lower amounts of screen time can offer additional health benefits. 21 Other national and international organizations, such as the Australian Department of Health, also have developed specific guidelines for children and youth while reinforcing the importance of avoiding long continuous periods of sitting time. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that young children limit the amount of screen time per day to no more than one hour 22 and encourages pediatricians to work with children and families to promote a lifestyle with reduced sedentary behavior. 23 The focus in this Guide is on assessments of physical activity; additional details about issues with assessment of sedentary behavior are available in Section 9 .
Assessing physical activity is challenging for all populations but it is particularly difficult in children and adolescents. Children have unique behavioral patterns of physical activity, unique perceptions and cognitions related to physical activity, and distinct physiological and maturational responses and adaptations to physical activity. Most foundational work on assessing physical activity and energy expenditure has been derived in adults and the simple assumption has been that these also hold in youth. However it is clear that children are not just “little adults,” 24 so special considerations are needed to evaluate and study individual physical activity behavior in this segment of the population. Three specific considerations that must be taken into account for youth assessments are outlined below:
Behavioral Patterns
Children are known to engage in more sporadic and intermittent activity than adults, and this has important implications when trying to capture and assess physical activity with either report-based measures or monitor-based measures. 25 The patterns of physical activity also vary across childhood and throughout later stages of adolescence. For example, preschoolers go through phases of motor skill acquisition and refinement and demonstrate less refined and less efficient movement patterns than do older age groups. Elementary school children (i.e., ages 6 to 11 years) have increasingly efficient movements but highly sporadic and intermittent physical activity patterns due to the random nature of play. The transition to adolescence (i.e., ages 12 to 18 years) is typically characterized by drops in physical activity levels and a greater contribution of team sports toward total physical activity accumulated during the day. Youth do not commonly exhibit adult patterns of continuous physical activity despite the emergence of maturing physical and behavioral attributes.
The variability in movement patterns from childhood to adolescence imposes unique measurement constraints for both report-based and monitor-based measures. Preschoolers are unable to recall activity and standard energy expenditure conversions often do not account for lack of movement efficiency. Tools capturing reported physical activity and sedentary behavior are increasingly useful as youth move from elementary school to middle school (i.e., pre-adolescents). However, it is still inherently challenging to capture the sporadic movements and “play” that characterize youth activity. Activity patterns become more predictable in high school youth (i.e., adolescence) as participation in structured physical activity becomes more common. Structured physical activity is more easily reported on recall instruments and is also easier to detect and quantify with monitors so assessments become slightly easier. Nevertheless, youth participation in team sports and random forms of play are still more difficult to capture than the more structured activities common in adulthood (e.g., jogging).
Another independent challenge is capturing the representative nature of their behavior (i.e., assessment of habitual physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns). Monitor-based methods may assess behavior over multiple days or full weeks while report-based methods typically involve recall over time (e.g., previous seven days) or estimates of “typical” behavior. Attention should be given to determining the time frame needed to obtain reliable indicators of actual behavior because it has important implications for research with youth. In addition to variability in overall behavior, it is important to consider inherent variability within a day (e.g., school-based physical activity vs. home-based physical activity), across days (e.g., days with physical education vs. days with no physical education), between days (e.g., school-day vs. non-school day), and across seasons (e.g., winter vs. summer activity patterns). Therefore, it is important to consider the definition of time frame as the period of time of interest and account for this variability when characterizing the physical activity behavior even though in most scenarios, if not all, the typical behavior is of most interest. Details on how to determine variability (i.e., reliability) of physical activity behavior are provided in Section 4 .
Perceptions and Cognitions
Children’s cognitions and perceptions (e.g., knowledge of physical activity) also must be considered when using report-based tools. When using these measures, ambiguous terms like “physical activity” and “moderate intensity” can generate confusion as children display a limited understanding of the concept of physical activity and have difficulties reporting the intensity of the activities in which they engage. These challenges become clear when children are asked to indicate how many bouts of moderate or vigorous physical activity they performed in the previous day or past week. A more prominent concern is related to the limited ability of children to provide details of past physical activity events with retrospective recall instruments (e.g., previous week, previous month). The recall of physical activity requires complex processes that can lead to inaccurate reports of this behavior in all populations, and particularly in youth. 26 The accuracy of reporting is highly dependent on the appropriate use and selection of episodic memories, which are associated with the child’s capacity to remember a specific event within a particular place and moment in time. The memory of the episode is like re-experiencing it (e.g., when describing events such as school graduation, a person can clearly remember the setting and even feel the same sensations or emotions of that day). Episodic memory refers to experiences of daily living, such as eating breakfast or exercising, and can be replaced by generic memories (i.e., memories of general events or patterns of events) that are used when individual memories or episodic memories are not available. For example, short-term or specific physical activity recall questionnaires (e.g., previous day, previous week, number of exercise bouts) are examples of instruments that refer to episodic memories. 27 This can be problematic considering that the “natural” intermittent patterns in youth behavior makes these events quite common and therefore harder to recall or report with sufficient level of detail.
Physiological and Metabolic Responses
Another distinction with assessing physical activity and sedentary behavior in youth is that standard physiologic adaptations and relationships do not always hold when applied to youth. Perhaps the most critical distinction is the difference in metabolic cost of physical activity as a result of aging or growth. The amount of activity performed based on absolute intensity (e.g., use of MET values) assumes a standardized resting state of 3.5 ml/kg/min, a value established based on adult values of resting energy expenditure. Resting energy expenditure is primarily determined by body composition and more particularly by muscle mass, but other important predictors include age, sex, and body fat. These factors lead to error when using the standardized value of 3.5 ml/kg/min in adults but more significant errors (and systematic bias) when applied in youth populations. 24, 29-32 The error is introduced due to known differences in resting energy expenditure for youth. For example, the resting energy expenditure in a 13-year-old child can be approximated as 4.2 ml/kg/min or 1.2 adult METs. 33 If actual child resting energy expenditure values are used, light intensity would be described as activities eliciting up to 6.3 ml/kg/min (i.e., 1.5 times above their actual resting state) rather than up to 5.3 ml/kg/min (i.e., 1.5 METs x adult resting energy expenditure of 3.5 ml/kg/min). Failure to consider this difference leads to systematic over-estimation of children’s physical activity intensity and a misclassification of performed activities. b Error is further compounded due to additional variability associated with differences in lean body mass in children classified as normal weight and children classified as overweight or obese. c
It is important to note that the concepts of METs were not intended to take into account inter-individual differences or effects of different body composition and fitness levels. 34 Detailed coverage of error due to estimation of METs is beyond the scope of the Guide but readers should consider the implications of these issues when processing and interpreting physical activity data. New methods to refine and standardize MET values for coding youth physical activity behaviors are described in the NCCOR Youth Compendium of Physical Activities website. Recommendations for standardizing youth MET outcomes are provided in Section 10 .
b A recent evaluation confirmed that measured energy expenditure for sedentary activities in children tended to be closer to 2.0 METs instead of the adult threshold of 1.5 METs used to distinguish sedentary and light physical activity (see reference 35).
c Similar to the child vs. adult comparison, the differences in body composition and impact on REE will likely lead to systematic misclassifications of activity in children classified as having overweight or obesity (see reference 30).
Home / Essay Samples / Health / Physical Exercise / Wellness and Fitness: Finding Balance in Life
Wellness and Fitness: Finding Balance in Life
- Category: Life , Health
- Topic: Fitness , Healthy Lifestyle , Physical Exercise
Pages: 2 (766 words)
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What is the Main Difference Between Fitness and Wellness?
What issues are affecting physical fitness currently, what issues are affecting wellness currently.
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