PHYSICAL FITNESS IS FOR EVERYONE

RESEARCH PAPER

PHYSICAL FITNESS IS FOR EVERYONE

Physical Fitness: Health and Skill Related Fitness

Sherlyn Chang (4A1)

Physical Education

Date of submission: 1 April 2014

INTRODUCTION

There is a phenomenon of people who refuse to have physical fitness, do sport games,

and exercise because they don’t have sport skills or because they are not athletes. In reality,

people – even if they are not athletes or into sport-stuffs, need physical fitness. People seem

to forget that fitness is not the same with exhausting exercises. Fitness (Kr 2011) is a state of

well being that allows people to perform daily activities with vigor, participate in a variety of

physical activities, and reduce their risks for health problems. If people are in good fitness

condition, then they can be more productive since they are not easy to get fatigue. Next,

according to Encyclopedia of Exercise, Sport and Health, (Brukner 2004) sport is ‘formal and

highly organised activities that are governed by a set of rules and played competitively

between individuals or teams, such as golf, tennis, basketball and football. Participants play

at three levels of competition: recreational or informal; non-elite, or amateur; and elite, or

professional. Many sports also can be performed as a form of exercise.’ So, sport could be

done only for recreational (informal) or exercise purpose, not just for elite (professionals or

athletes). With this in mind, even people who do not have skills in certain sport or play any

sport, they still have to exercise. Human bodies benefit from physical activity. Study after

study (Norwegia Regional Council 2012) has shown that exercise – even in moderate

amounts – can make people more flexible and strong, reduce risk for heart disease and

diabetes, and minimize the symptoms of diseases such as arthritis. Exercise is the way to

achieve personal fitness. To straighten out the truth of this phenomenon, this paper will

discuss the importance of physical fitness, exercise, and sport for everyone.

DISCUSSION

First of all, physical fitness is divided into five health-related and six skill-related

components (Glencoe McGraw-Hill n.d.). Skill-related fitness enhances one’s performance in

athletic or sports events. Health-related fitness is the ability to become and stay physically

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PHYSICAL FITNESS IS FOR EVERYONE

healthy. So, even if the person is not interested in taking a serious path to become an athlete,

he/she still need to have a good physical fitness (especially for the health-related

components), to enhance the person’s performance in doing daily tasks. Even so, increasing

skill-related components would not be a bad or useless investment for the body.

Five basic components of health-related fitness are (Kr 2011):

1. Cardio-respiratory endurance: the ability of the circulatory system (heart and

blood vessels) to supply oxygen to working muscles during exercise.

2. Muscular strength: the amount of force that can be produced by a single

contraction of a muscle.

3. Muscular endurance: the ability of a muscle group to continue muscle movement

over a length of time.

4. Flexibility: The range of movement possible at various joints.

5. Body Composition: The relative percentage of body fat compared to lean body

mass (muscle, bone, water, etc.)

There are six components of skill-related fitness (Kr 2011):

1. Agility: the ability to change and control the direction and position of the body

while maintaining a constant, rapid motion.

2. Balance: the ability to control or stabilize the body when a person is standing still

or moving.

3. Coordination: the ability to use the senses together with body parts during

movement.

4. Speed: the ability to move the body swiftly.

5. Power: the ability to move the body parts swiftly while applying the maximum

force of the muscles (combination of speed and muscular strength).

6. Reaction time: the ability to reach or respond quickly to something.

The components of fitness are all connected to the way people do activities. If a

person has a good cardio-respiratory endurance, he can last longer in doing various activities,

making him able to do more than he did. If he has a good body composition, he will have an

equal balance of body fat and lean body mass. It would boost his confidence and make him

have a better feeling of having a proportional weight. Flexibility can make a person feel

lighter and not easy to be stiff after doing hard works. A practise in agility, balance,

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PHYSICAL FITNESS IS FOR EVERYONE

coordination, speed, and reaction time will make a person more agile and deft – which are

good. Sometimes, there are several objects that needed to be lift, such as groceries,

belongings, etc. With enough power, it would not be a big deal to lift them. Briefly, not only

athletes who need those components of fitness, non-athletes will need it too to perform daily

tasks well.

The next area of discussion is about sport. From the definition that is given in

introduction section, it is clear now that sports can be done for recreational purpose.

Recreational (Brukner 2004) is a term used to describe participation in exercise or sport at an

informal level. Examples include walking with a friend, playing a social game of tennis and

being a member of a netball team in an organised competition.

Kapri, Gaur, Tyagi and Vashistha (2006) pointed out that when we are taking part in

various games and sports, it increases the level of fitness of the individuals. In every game we

have to run a little or more distance while playing and total body parts are exercised which

also improves the strength, endurance, speed, flexibility and neuromuscular co-ordination of

our body which ultimately help us to increase the fitness, only due to the participation in

games and sports. To maintain fitness level, an individual has to take part in any sports

regularly. If he/she is not taking part in any games and sports regularly, his/her fitness level

will influence negative. Brukner (2004) also says that regular participation in exercise and

sport can also reduce the need for antidepressant medication in people with depression.

Sport is not just for the benefit of human body; it could also give extra benefits in

other area. Dr. Keith Suter (n.d.) suggests that sport is the “Moral Equivalent of War” since it

civilizes young people, gives a sense of national unity, and is a good way to channel youthful

high spirits and energy into constructive causes. Education Commission (Gautam 1988)

emphasised that physical education activities and sports contribute not only to physical

fitness and health but also to physical efficiency, mental alertness and development of certain

qualities like perseverance, team spirit and many other values of life processes and high

achievements. Through sport, children and adolescents learn to exercise judgment and think

critically while finding solutions to problems (UNICEF 2004). They promote the spirit of

friendship, solidarity and fair play, teaching teamwork, self-discipline, trust, respect for

others, leadership and coping skills.

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PHYSICAL FITNESS IS FOR EVERYONE

The next discussion is to know the importance of exercise. There are lots of benefits

with exercising. In a long–term study of nearly seventeen thousand Harvard alumni, it was

found that the health benefits began for those who burned up as few as five hundred calories

a week. Death rates can also be declined by 20 percent. According to another study of twelve

thousand middle-aged men, those who used about sixteen hundred calories a week in leisure

activities had nearly 40 percent fewer fatal heart attacks than those who burned less than five

hundred calories a week. Evidence from over forty studies indicates that people who are

physically inactive have roughly twice the rate of heart disease and heart attack as do more

active people. That makes complete physical inactivity approximately as risky as cigarette

smoking, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. (Oernstein and Sobel 1989). In essence,

exercise can strengthen the body, prevent disease, reduce symptoms of stress and depression,

improve confidence and self-esteem, improve learning and academic performance, prevent

smoking and use of drugs, and reduce crime. (UNICEF 2004)

CONCLUSION

Physical fitness plays a vital role in life. With a healthy body, life will be better and

far more productive compared to a weak – physically inactive body. Components of health-

related and skill-related fitness are important to support tasks in daily life. Physical fitness

can be achieved through doing sport games and exercising. Achieving fitness should not be

blocked because of limited sport skills, because the outcomes are prominent. It should be

practised over time and can be done as a recreational purpose only. Physical fitness is for

everyone, not only for athletes.

Works Cited

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PHYSICAL FITNESS IS FOR EVERYONE

UNICEF. "SPORT, RECREATION, AND PLAY." UNICEF. August 2004. http://www.unicef.org/ceecis/5571_SPORT_EN.pdf (accessed March 29, 2014).Brukner, Peter. The Encyclopedia of Exercise, Sport and Health. Sydney: Ligare Pty Ltd, 2004.Gautam, G.P. A Study of Effectiveness of Games and Sports as Related to the Development of High School Students’ Personality, Attitude and Values, Doctoral Thesis. Meerut: C.C.S. University, 1988.Glencoe McGraw-Hill. "Glencoe McGraw-Hill." Glencoe. http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/health_fitness/gln_health_fitness_zone/pdf/heart_rate_monitor_activities/health_skill_related_itness/health_skill_related_fitness_activity_3.pdf (accessed March 30, 2014).Kapri, B.C., Gaur, M.K. Tyagi, V. and Vashitha, M. Question Bank in Physical and Health Education, Nav . Meerut: Bharat Prakashan, 2006.Kr, Ajay. "Importance of Physical Education, Games & Sports Activities." VSRD Technical & Non-Technical JOURNAL 2 (2011): 570-573.Norwegia Regional Council. "The Importance of Exercise." NWRCWA.org. March 2012. http://www.nwrcwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/The-Importance-of-Exercise.pdf (accessed March 30, 2014).Oernstein, Robert, and David Sobel. Healthy Pleasures. Woburn: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., 1989.Suter, Dr Keith. "Business Article." Global Drirections. http://global-directions.com/Articles/Business/EconomicImpactOfSport.pdf (accessed March 29, 2014).

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