1. Why is cardiovascular fitness considered the most important fitness component?

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1 Cardiovascular Fitness Facts Lesson Objectives: Describe the benefits of cardiovascular fitness to health and wellness. Explain the relationship between physical activity and good cardiovascular fitness. Describe and demonstrate some methods you can use to assess your cardiovascular fitness. Determine how much cardiovascular fitness is enough. Explain the difference between aerobic activity and anaerobic activity. Describe the FIT formula for developing cardiovascular fitness. 1. Why is cardiovascular fitness considered the most important fitness component? A high level of fitness means that you have a healthy cardiovascular system. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. 2. Describe the components of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. The heart, lungs, and blood vessels make up these systems (the cardiorespiratory system). The heart transports blood (carrying oxygen and nutrients) around the body. The lungs oxygenate the blood and remove carbon dioxide. 3. How does good cardiorespiratory fitness benefit each of the following: the heart, the lungs, the blood and the cells? The heart benefits by being able to pump more blood per beat. The lungs are able to increase the amount of oxygen that diffuses into the blood. The blood can carry more oxygen to the working muscles. The cells adapt by being able to extract and use more oxygen. 4. What types of activities are likely to improve aerobic fitness? Aerobic activities (jogging, swimming, biking, hiking) of a sufficient intensity and duration. An exercise session of 20 minutes or more, at a heart rate in the target zone, will improve aerobic fitness. 5. Why does the cardiovascular system benefit from the activities mentioned above? The cardiovascular system benefits because the stress of exercise causes adaptations (changes) to the cardiovascular system. the body adapts to the stress of exercise by becoming stronger and more efficient. 6. What is the definition of resting heart rate? Your resting heart rate is how many times your heart beats in 1 minute while you are resting. Resting heart rates for teenagers may range between 60 and 90 beats per minute.

2 7. What are some ways to assess cardiovascular fitness? In a laboratory, a running or cycling test can measure how much oxygen you can use when exercising (special equipment is needed for this test). This test is called maximal oxygen uptake. On a playing field, you can complete an aerobic run (usually one mile) in the quickest time possible or do the walking test. In the gymnasium, there are other aerobic tests (step test, PACER test) that can estimate how fit you are. 8. How fit do you need to be in order to obtain health and wellness benefits? Aerobic exercise on a regular basis (3-5 times per week, heart rate in the target zone, for 20 min or more) should provide you with a good level of fitness. 9. What does the term aerobic fitness mean? Aerobic means with oxygen. Aerobic exercise means exercise you can sustain for long periods of time. Aerobic fitness is the same thing as cardiovascular fitness. 10. What is active aerobics, and what advantage do vigorous activities have over more moderate intensity activities? Active aerobics are aerobic activities done in the target zone for cardiovascular fitness. Vigorous activities put more stress on the cardiovascular system. This will produce greater changes in cardiovascular fitness. Vigorous activities produce a higher caloric expenditure. 11. What are the specific national vigorous activity recommendations for teenagers? A minimum of 3 times a week. You should be active for 20 minutes each time. For best results you should be active 5 or 6 days a week for up to 60 minutes per day 12. How many days rest is needed between vigorous activity sessions? One or two days rest each week is needed to avoid: overtraining injuries 13. What are the two methods used to determine your training heart rate? The first is called the heart rate range (HRR) method. This formula uses the range between your resting and maximal heart rates for calculation.

3 The second method is called the percent of maximal heart rate (% maxhr) method. 14. What are examples of anaerobic activities? Sprinting, which is characterized by short bursts of intense effort. Weight training is often anaerobic when the number of repetitions in a set are around 10 or fewer and the resistance is high. 15. What happens when you exercise anaerobically (without oxygen)? You fatigue reasonably quickly due to the buildup of lactic acid in the muscles (30-40 seconds). 16. Why is anaerobic fitness important? Anaerobic fitness is important for performance in many sports. Such sports include basketball, soccer, lacrosse, gymnastics, and football. 17. What advice could be given to someone follow who wants to do anaerobic activity? They should do short bursts of vigorous exercise for less than 30 seconds. Recoveries should be between 30 seconds and 3 minutes. The more intense the repetition, the shorter the repetition should be.

4 18. What is the purpose of an activity log? To help you monitor your performance and progress toward your fitness goals. 19. How can you use an activity log or diary to self-monitor your own physical activity? You can write down the amount of activity you do each day. This should include the frequency, length of time, and intensity of the activities. 20. We learned this school year that setting goals is important. Goals should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable, and Timely.) An example of how to set and track a short term fitness goal is below: Set a one-week physical activity goal for yourself. Use the weekly log to keep track of how well you meet your goal. Flexibility Facts Lesson Objectives: Describe the characteristics of flexibility. Explain how you benefit from good flexibility. Explain why it is important to balance strength and flexibility exercises. Explain how the fitness principles of overload, progression, and specificity apply to flexibility. 1. What is meant by the term flexibility? Flexibility is the elasticity or compliance of muscles when stretching. the ability to move joints through a full range of motion. A joint is a place in the body where bones come together Examples of joints: the ankles, knees, hips, wrist, elbows, shoulders 2. What is meant by the term range of motion (ROM)? ROM means the degree of movement you have. Gymnasts have a large range of motion around the shoulder joint. Hurdlers have a large range of motion around the hip joint. 3. What primary joints in the body benefit from a greater range of motion, particularly when it comes to sports participation? Joints that benefit from a good range of motion: The ankle, hip, and shoulder joints Note that these are known as ball-and-socket joints They permit movement in many directions (rotation, flexion, extension) 4. How do the knee joints and elbow joints move? The knee and elbow are known as hinge joints. They allow only an opening and closing of a joint.

5 5. Which muscle groups require good flexibility? What are the reasons for this? For sports performance, it is important for major muscle groups to be flexible: The hamstrings The calf muscles The muscles of the lower back The hip flexors The muscles of the shoulder Flexibility in these areas enhances performance and reduces risk of injury. 6. What specific health and wellness benefits do stretching exercises provide? Health benefits of stretching: Stretching short muscles helps improve posture. Good posture helps prevent or relieve back pain and reduces fatigue. Flexibility helps reduce risk of injury. For elderly people, flexibility helps prevent joint aches and pains. 7. What groups of people tend to be more flexible than others? The following people are more flexible: Athletes: because they practice stretching often. Young people tend to be more flexible than older people. 8. What does the term hypermobility mean? Can it be a problem? Hypermobility: When a person is unusually flexible in certain joints Examples: When a person can extend the knee, elbow, thumb, or wrist joint past a straight line, as if the joint could bend backwards. Hypermobility can be a problem: People with hypermobile joints are prone to joint injuries. Arthritis may develop (a disease in which the joints become inflamed). 9. How does the principles of overload, progression, and specificity relate to flexibility? The principle of overload: you need to stretch your muscles longer than normal to increase your flexibility. The principle of progression: You need to gradually increase the intensity of exercise. Intensity can be increased by stretching farther as you gain flexibility. The principle of specificity: Flexibility exercises improve only the specific muscles or joints you stretch.

6 Physical Activity Pyramid: Reference

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