Week 5:

Physical Wellbeing & Exercise

Today’s
Agenda
 Physical Activity & Exercise
Barriers to Physical Activity
brainstorming activity
 Walk around campus/in the halls
Physical Activity and
Health
Physical Activity: any body movement produced by the
skeletal muscles that results in an increase in energy
expenditure
Public Health Agency of Canada is responsible for improving
Canadians’ health and well-being
◦ Funding healthy living projects
◦ Collaborating with federal and provincial governments
◦ Encouraging Canadians to increase their physical activity levels
◦ Collecting and sharing knowledge and data

Inactivity and chronic disease = more healthcare costs

Physical Literacy
Physical Literacy: the motivation, confidence, competence, knowledge and understanding to
value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life (Canada’s Physical
Literacy Consensus Statement)
 Benefits of
Exercise
Figure 4-1 The Benefits of Exercise
Activity Guidelines
18–64 years old : 150 minutes of
moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic
physical activity (MVPA) per week
◦ Bouts of 10 minutes or more
65+ years old : same recommendations
but caution if poor mobility; perform
physical activities to enhance balance
and prevent falls

Do you meet these guidelines?

Activity Guidelines
Moderate-intensity physical activity causes some sweat and
harder breathing:
◦ Brisk Walking
◦ Bike Riding

Vigorous-intensity physical activity will cause adults to sweat

and be “out of breath”:
◦ Jogging & running
◦ Cross country skiing
 Physical
Activity and
Fitness
Physical fitness: ability to respond
to routine physical demands with
enough reserve energy to cope with
a sudden challenge
Exercise: planned, structured, and
repeated physical activity for the
purpose of conditioning your body
Components of Physical Fitness
Aerobic or cardiorespiratory endurance
Muscular Fitness: Muscular strength & Muscular endurance
Flexibility
Body composition
Physical Conditioning
Functional Fitness
 Aerobic or Cardiorespiratory Endurance

Cardiorespiratory fitness: the ability of the heart to pump blood through the body
efficiently so a person can sustain prolonged activity
Aerobic exercise is any activity in which sufficient or excess oxygen is continually
supplied to the body

What are some examples of aerobic activity/exercise?

Aerobic Activities
Walking: continues to be the most popular physical activity in
Canada
Jogging and running:
◦ The difference is speed
◦ Long, slow distance running is best to enhance aerobic fitness

Other aerobic activities:

◦ Dance or fitness class, cardio kick-boxing, exergaming, HITT,
spinning, step training, stair climbing, swimming
Walking
The most popular physical activity in Canada
In 2013, 72.4% of Canadians reported walking during their
leisure time in the past 3 months
The typical adult averages about 5,310 steps per day
Children averaged about 16,000 steps
Wearing a pedometer or step tracker is an easy way to track
your daily steps
 VO2 Max
To determine a person’s level of cardiorespiratory fitness, a
VO2 max test can be administered
VO2 max: maximum amount of oxygen that an individual is
able to use during intense or “maximal” exercise
◦ The more oxygen used during high-level exercise, the more
energy produced
◦ Influenced by genetics, age, gender, altitude
◦ The test can be very difficult for those participating as it involves
reaching your “max” level of exercise
Muscular Strength &
Endurance
Muscular strength: the force within muscles
◦ Measured by absolute maximum weight a person can lift,
push, or press in one effort
Muscular endurance: ability to perform repeated muscular
effort
◦ Measured by number of times a person can lift, push, or
press a given weight
Flexibility
Range of motion around specific
joints
Depends on age, sex, posture,
body fat
Increases from childhood until
adolescence
Gradual loss of joint mobility
begins and continues through
adulthood
Body Composition
Amount of fat (essential and stored) and lean body tissue (bone, muscle,
organs, water) in your body
High proportion of body fat has negative health effects
◦ Increased risk of heart disease
◦ High blood pressure
◦ Diabetes
◦ Stroke
◦ Back & joint problems
Physical Conditioning
& Functional Fitness
Physical conditioning: gradual building up of the
body to enhance cardiorespiratory fitness,
muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and
a healthy body composition
Functional fitness: performance of daily
activities (e.g., exercises that mimic everyday
movements)
The Health Benefits of
Physical Activity
Exercise helps improve physical, emotional, and mental
health and can prevent many health issues
Exercise is Medicine™(EIM): a global movement where
patients’ physical activity programs are assessed and
reviewed as part of a regular physical exam
What are some health benefits of keeping physically active?
 The Health Benefits of
Physical Activity
Better Bones:
◦ Exercise during adolescence and young adulthood may prevent bone weakening and
fractures in old age
Better Mental Health and Functioning
◦ Exercise is an effective (but underused) treatment for mild to moderate depression
◦ Regular, moderate exercise has proven helpful for depression and anxiety disorders
 The Health Benefits of Physical Activity (cont’d)
Brighter Mood and Less Stress
◦ Exercise boosts mood, increases energy, improves concentration and alertness, and
increases ability to handle daily stress
◦ May increase endorphins
Enhanced Immunity
◦ Link between regular, moderate physical activity and an enhanced immune system
Healthier Heart and Lungs
◦ Sedentary people twice as likely to die of a heart attack compared to physically active
individuals
The Health Benefits of
Physical Activity (cont’d)
Longer and More Active Life
◦ Physical inactivity is the fourth-leading risk factor
for global mortality
◦ Exercise helps to slow age-related changes
Lowering the Risk of Cancer
◦ Physical activity can reduce risk of getting some
forms of cancer, may lessen the risk of
recurrence of a second cancer, and may protect
against breast cancer in women
The Principles of Exercise:
Overload Principle
Requires a greater stress or demand on the body than it
is usually accustomed to handling
Based on 4 dimensions (FITT):
◦ Frequency (dose-response relationship, how often)
◦ Intensity (how hard)
◦ Time (how long)
◦ Type (specific activity)
The Principles of Exercise: Reversibility Principle
“Use it or lose it.”
Opposite of the overload principle
When exercising stops, up to 50% of fitness improvements lost within 2 months
Fitness can be maintained by keeping the intensity constant and reducing frequency or duration
if needed
 The Principles
of Exercise:
Recovery
Principle
Allows body to adapt to
the loads
◦ 48 hours, but no more
than 96 hours, between
training sessions
Two or three 30-minute
training sessions a week
should be sufficient for
building strength and
endurance
 Brainstorming
Activity
What are some barriers (things that
stop or keep people from being
active) of physical activity?
Hint: Think about what keeps you
from being active as a student
Work with a partner (or groups of 3)
near you to brainstorm some barriers
Record your ideas on your chart
paper
Bring it to the front of class when you
are finished and tape it so that
everyone can see
 Getting Past the Barriers to Physical Activity
Sitting and More Sitting: college students sit on average 14 hours per day
Intrapersonal factors: shyness, stress, lack of interest, fear of failure, lack of
confidence
Interpersonal factors: lack of friends to work out with, influence of friends, body
image issues
Structural factors: part-time work responsibilities, academic school work, class
schedule, lack of time, money and transportation, cost
Cultural barriers: challenges for immigrants and Indigenous students
Target Heart Rate—Standard Method
To determine your heart rate:
◦ Count the number of pulses you feel for 10 seconds and multiply
by 6 (first count is zero)
Resting Heart Rate: heart rate when sitting or lying down, in
morning
Target Heart Rate: 55–90% of maximum heart rate (for
cardiovascular benefits)
Maximum heart rate (estimated): 220 – age
Estimated maximum HR x target HR %
Target Heart Rate—
Standard Method (cont.)
For weight loss, 55–70% of maximum heart rate is best to burn
fat calories
For improved aerobic endurance, 70–80% of maximum heart
rate is best
For individuals who are in poor physical condition, 40–50% of
maximum heart rate is best
Competitive athletes may train at 80–100% of their maximum
heart rate
Activity – Walking
Go for a 5 minute walk (if possible) outside of the classroom – it can around campus, in the
hallways, outside, etc.
After you finish walking – take your heart rate
See how much you have elevated your heart rate from your resting heart rate, and if it is
anywhere near your target heartrate
 Safe and
Healthy
Workouts
Begin slow with a new routine;
keep a diary to record time and
duration of each workout
Acute injuries: sprains, bruises,
pulled muscles resulting from
sudden trauma
Overuse injuries: result of
overdoing a repetitive activity
◦ e.g., tendonitis, plantar
fasciitis, shin splints, stress
fractures, runner’s knee
Overtraining
Half of all people who start an exercise program drop out
within 6 months, often due to overtraining
Signs of overdoing it:
◦ Persistent muscle soreness
◦ Frequent injuries
◦ Unintended weight loss
◦ Nervousness
◦ Inability to relax
Taking Care of Injuries
PRICE:
◦ Protect the area
◦ Rest to promote tissue healing
◦ Ice the area immediately
◦ Compress the area
◦ Elevate the area above your heart
Next Week:
 Nutrition
 Midterm Test Information & Review
 Sign-Up for Global Health Issues Groups