UNIT 2 – Physical activity concepts and health outcomes

A.O.S 2* Physical activity concepts and health outcomes* Physical activity guidelines and prevalence of physical activity and sedentary behaviour* Factors influencing physical activity

Key knowledge The concepts of physical activity,

inactivity and sedentary behaviour Physical, social and mental health

benefits of regular participation in physical activity

The increased health risks associated with being physically inactive, including type-2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and high cholesterol levels

Key skills

Define the concepts of physical activity, inactivity and sedentary behaviour

Participate in a variety of activities Collect and analyse information related

to the health benefits (physical, social, emotional) of physical activity

Identify the consequences of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour

OVERVIEW

What is Physical Activity? Physical activity may be defined as any bodily

movement produced by skeletal muscles that result in energy expenditure (expressed as kilocalories or kilojoules).

Physical activity may also be classified as structured or incidental.

Structured = planned (such as organised sport) Incidental = less structured than a planned

activity Most people engage in a combination of

incidental and structured physical activity that contributes to their overall fitness and wellbeing

What is Physical Activity? You have 5 minutes to write down anything that

you think constitutes a physical activity.

What is Physical Activity?

Incidental Physical Activity

Incidental physical activity is what happens in your daily life

List anything that you have done today that would be a form of incidental activity

Incidental Physical Activity

Incidental activities can occur during daily activities such as doing the housework, walking or cycling to school, working in the garden or playing with your little brother or sister

Often the primary goal is not physical activity but may be a result of your daily needs

Does this now make your list change?

Incidental Physical Activity Subcategories of physical activity that could be

classified as incidental

Structure/Planned Physical Activity

At times we often participate in exercise and sport – these are 2 common subcategories of physical activity that are structured or planned.

List all of the types of structured or planned physical activities that you participated in over the last week.

Structure/Planned Physical Activity

Subcategories of physical activity classified as planned activities

Kilocalorie DEFINITION – the amount of heat

required to raise the temperature of 1kg of water 1°c Kilocalorie is the ordinary calorie discussed in food or exercise energy expenditure tables and food labels

Kilojoule DEFINITION – a unit of energy, where

4.18 kilojoules is equivalent to one kilocalorie

Sport DEFINITION – physical involvement

in organised games or activities within an accepted set of rules

Play DEFINITION – amusing oneself

pleasantly in a light-hearted way with a recreation, game or exercise.

Regular Physical Activity You will start to gain an

understanding of physical activity guidelines

Physical activity guidelines are set nationally and internationally and encourage participation in regular physical activity at least 5 days/week

Do you meet these guidelines?

Inactivity

Physical inactivity is defined as people undertaking ‘insufficient’ physical activity to achieve measurable health outcomes.

Many chronic diseases are caused by inactivity

Sedentary Behaviour Sedentary means staying in the same place for

much of the time and expending low amounts of energy

Highly active people can also be highly sedentary

Can you name activities that would be regarded as being highly sedentary?

Sedentary Behaviour

Sedentary behaviours include activities that require around 1-2 METs to perform

MET (metabolic equivalent) is the amount of energy you expend at rest

2 METs is twice the energy expenditure of resting levels

Domains of Physical Activity

Physical activity can take place during leisure time, work, while performing household chores, gardening or yard work or as a form of transport to different locations

Leisure-Time Activity Domain

Leisure-time activity is considered activity that is over and above that which occurs within the workplace

Leisure-time physical activity is performed during recreation when a person has the freedom to choose an enjoyable activity

Can you name 2 or 3 leisure time activities?

Leisure-Time Activity Domain

Household/Gardening Domain

The activities that you carry out around the house and garden provide an important source of physical activity

Name as many jobs around the house that would be considered a physical activity?

Household/Gardening Domain

Scrubbing, sweeping, vacuuming, washing windows, raking leaves, digging, mowing and painting (the list is endless – I’m sure your parents will agree

For many older people this is an essential form of physical activity

Physical Activity Guidelines

How much is enough????

Occupational Domain

This is the physical activity performed regularly as part of one’s work or occupation. Some people have highly active jobs (labourers, personal trainers, etc.) while a number of jobs are of a sedentary nature (office jobs)

Choose 1 form of employment and name all of the tasks that you would do in that job?

Active Transport Domain Active transport is physical activity

performed while travelling to a specific destination (such as school, work, the post box, etc.) such as walking, cycling, public transport, etc. This is also helpful for the environment.

Taking it further

Dimensions of physical activity

Before you go on to learn about the physical activity guidelines and measurement of physical activities you need a sound understanding of the fundamental dimensions of physical activity. The dimensions include:

ACTIVITY TYPE FREQUENCY INTENSITY DURATION

Activity Type

There are hundreds of different types of physical activity that people can participate in. These can be classified in the following categories based on the physical activity pyramid:

Lifestyle physical activities Active aerobic activities Active sports and recreation Flexibility activities Strength and muscular endurance activities The FIT formula refers to: F-Frequency I-Intensity T-Time

Activity Type – page 247

Lifestyle physical activity Lifestyle physical activities are the most

common form of daily physical activity These activities should be performed on a daily

basis Think of 10 activities that you do throughout the

week that fall under this category – use the pyramid to assist you.

Lifestyle physical activity

Frequency The number of times a person engages in

physical activity within a given time frame is referred to as frequency

The adult guidelines recommend that people are active on most days – at least 5 or more days / week

Intensity The intensity of an activity refers to how much

effort is required to engage in an activity Intensity is classified as light, moderate or

vigorous according to how much energy is expended during the activity

How could you determine the level of intensity within an activity?

Intensity

Intensity

Intensity & energy expenditure Refer to pages 250-252 for examples

Duration Duration refers to how long a person is active

for within a given time period. The physical activity guidelines generally recommend people engage in 30,60 or 90+ minutes daily or most days depending on their age and weight

Thinking it through Define the terms – physical activity, exercise,

sport and play Explain the difference between inactivity and

sedentary behaviour Outline three characteristics of lifestyle physical

activities Refer to the physical activity pyramid (p.247)

and discuss which activities should be engaged in most and which activities should be performed least during a typical week

Thinking it through What is the minimum bout of exercise

recommended for health benefits? Identify four methods of determining intensity Explain what 5MET’s refer to Define vigorous intensity and provide three

examples of physical activities generally performed at a vigorous intensity

Homework Task