Physical Fitness and Wellness 1

UNIT 1
Understand Physical Education

Historical Development of Physical Education

During the Primitive Time, Physical activities were not organised, physical activities were mainly to
search for food and depend themselves to harm and danger, and Physical and biological activities were at its
highest.

In many primitive societies, ritual dances were performed in all sorts of religious ceremonies. From
the Greeks came the emphasis on the educational side of exercise and the idea of the “Unified Man”, with
harmony resulting from the blending of mind and body. A different view was held by the Spartans who saw
the role of physical activity as preparation for military purposes - to build a strong, sturdy, well-conditioned
body capable of withstanding the harsh riggers of Military life. During the middle ages, forms of physical
activity fell into disfavour with the church: salvation of the soul for the hereafter was more important than
building strong bodies for life on earth.

Ancient Oriental Countries

Ancient China
• The people were concern about the intellectual excellence and led a sedentary life. Their concern
was memorising the teaching of Confucius, the Great Teacher at that time.
• Physical activities are only for the rich: Chinese classic show in music, dancing, and archery.
• The people felt that the cause of their illness was their sedentary life so KUNG FU was developed,
a form of medical gymnastics
Ancient India
• Concentration solely on spiritual rather than physical activities
• Evidence of physical activities; Hindu Dancing (Bharata Nhatyam)- one of the oldest organised
dance.
• YOGA was their greatest contribution- exercise in posture and breathing and involves several
positions to regulate and discipline the mind.
Ancient Greece
• The two city-states that gave importance in physical activities were Sparta and Athens, but they
have opposite when it comes to their objectives.
• Sparta, the main objective was to contribute a strong powerful army. Only the strong and vigorous
babies were allowed to live. No individual freedom. All boys six years old are subjected to a rigid
training and entered the agog, which was a system of public compulsory training. The physical
activities consisted of wrestling, jumping, and running, throwing the discus and javelin, hunting,
horseback riding, and marching.
• Athens, individual life was not controlled so people enjoyed individual freedom. The objective of
physical education was for physical perfection with emphasis on beauty of physique. Gymnastic
and Music were considered as the two important subjects in the curriculum. “Palaestra”- were a
building for exercise and space for jumping and wrestling.
• Greece laid the foundation of the present Olympic Games, which was first held in 776 B.C. and
continued every four years after.

Physical Education in the Philippines

Physical education in the Philippines dates to the primitive society when physical activity was very
important for survival, making it necessary for the adults to teach physical skills to their young. With the fast-
changing times, it is quite interesting to note the strides by physical education and how it has affected lives of
the people.
 Nowadays, The Physical Education Curriculum is anchored on the tenet “Move to Learn, Learn to
Move” with ultimate goal of achieving lifelong fitness. The framework is bounded on the context of legal and
philosophical underpinnings pursuant to Article IV Section 19 of the Philippine Constitution which mandates
that: “The State shall promote physical education and encourage sports programs, league competitions, and
amateur sports, including training for international competitions, to foster self-discipline, teamwork, and
excellence for the development of a healthy and alert citizenry. All educational institutions shall undertake
regular sports activities throughout the country in cooperation with athletic clubs and other sectors.”

However, According to Erick Fabian Sr. of Sports Management Council of the Philippines in his article
PHILIPPINE PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN THE INFORMATION AGE: MAJOR UPGRADE NEEDED,
Physical education (PE) in the Philippines has seen a significant decline, having taken a backseat when it
comes to national priority, as well as being severely affected by the onset of a rapidly changing youth culture
immersed in mobile technology and social media.

What is Physical Education?

According to Education Bureau of the Government of Hong Kong (2019), Physical Education is
"education through the physical". It aims to develop students’ physical competence and knowledge of
movement and safety, and their ability to use these to perform in a wide range of activities associated with the
development of an active and healthy lifestyle. It also develops students’ confidence and generic skills,
especially those of collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking and aesthetic appreciation.
These, together with the nurturing of positive values and attitudes in PE, provide a good foundation for
students’ lifelong and life-wide learning.
Moreover, Physical Education is an integral part of the education process designed for the optimum
development of individual’s potentials through the performance of suitable and selected movement experience.
Physical Education is the phase of education concerned with the teaching of skills, acquisition of knowledge,
and development of attitudes through human movement.

Objectives of Physical Education

The primary purpose of physical education is to develop in young people an understanding of the
positive impact an active lifestyle will have on their lives. The developmentally appropriate program also
provides a unique learning environment where affective, psychomotor and cognitive skills can be
developed. In addition, good health practices, sportsmanship, self-control, self-expression and the opportunity
for positive social interaction with peers are fostered. Research clearly shows that the active, healthy child is
more likely to be academically motivated and establish habits of behaviour that will promote lives that are
models of wellness (Columbia Public Schools, 2014).
Physical Fitness Development. The development and maintenance of Physical fitness result in ability
to sustain adaptive effort to recover and to rest fatigue
Motor Skill Development. This concerned with developing body awareness, being proficient,
gracefully an aesthetic in movement.
Cognitive Development Objectives. It provides the students the ability to think and interpret
knowledge and how they can relate to scientific principle of movement and to some factors as time, flow and
space.
Social-Emotional-Affective Development. Most of physical activities could provide opportunities
for the development of positive concept.

The overall purpose of Physical Education is to make every students to become Physical Literate, a
graduate who lives an active life for fitness and lifelong health.

UNIT 2
 PHYSICAL FITNESS

What is Physical Fitness?

Physical Fitness is simply the ability of your whole body system to work together efficiently. It means
being able to do daily activities with the least amount of effort. A fit person is able to carry typical activities
of living such as work and still has enough energy and visor to respond to emergency situations and to enjoy
leisure.
Another definition, according to Dr. Bud Getchell, Physical Fitness is the capability of the heart, blood
vessels, lungs, and muscles to function at optimal efficiency.

Components of Physical Fitness

Health -Related Fitness
Muscular Strength. The amount if force the muscle can produce. It is pressured by how much
weight you can fit with least amount of effort. Good strength can perform daily task efficiently.
Muscular Endurance. The ability to use muscles many times without timing and be better
able to resist fatigue.
Cardiovascular Fitness. The ability to exercise your entire body for a long period of time. It
requires strong heart, healthy lungs and clear blood vessels to supply the cells with oxygen the body needs.
Flexibility. The ability to use your joints for a wide range of motion, one can increased
flexibility by stretching of muscles, tendons, and ligaments since flexibility is specify to joint, therefore
activities should be carefully selected.
It involves four basic movements, namely:
a. Flexion. Bending a body segment.
b. Extension. Straightening a body segment.
c. Abduction, moving a limb away from the body.
d. Adduction. moving a limb towards the body.

Body Composition. The amount of fat cells composed with lean cells in the body mass. Lean
body mass is the non fat tissue of muscle bone, ligaments, and tendons. Heredity, nutrition, and level of
activities determine person percentage of body fat.

Skill/Performance-Related Fitness
Agility. The ability to change position of the body quickly and to control body movements.
Agile person can do well in activities such as basketball, wrestling, diving and soccer.
Coordination. The ability to use your senses together with your body points. People with
good eye-hand or eye-foot coordination are good at hitting and kicking games, like basketball, soccer and golf.
Balance. The ability to keep upright posture while standing standing still or moving even in
any direction. Having a good balance are likely to be good in activities such as gymnastics and ice skating.
Speed. The ability to perform movement or cover a distance in a short period of time. A person
with leg speed can run fast while those with good arm speed can throw or hit a ball that throw fast like in
baseball.
Power. The ability to use strength quickly. People with good power have the ability to put the
shot, throw the discus, high jump and play football.
Reaction Time. The amount of time it takes move once you realise that you need to act. Good
reaction time is necessary for your own safety while walking or driving.

Exam Coverage:
1. Physical Education
2. Physical Fitness
3. THR
4. Warm-up and Stretching Exercise
5. Common sense