Developing a Personal Fitness Program In this lesson, you will Learn About The factors to consider when planning a fitness program. How to plan your workouts. How to calculate your target heart rate range. How to assess your progress in meeting your fitness goals. Developing a Personal Fitness Program The Vocabulary terms in this lesson are : Body composition. Body composition Warm-up. Warm-up Cool-down. Cool-down Frequency. Frequency Intensity. Intensity Target heart rate. Target heart rate Fitness and Body Composition Fitness is the ability to handle the physical work and play of everyday life without becoming tired.. Body composition is the proportions of fat, bones, muscle, and fluid that make up body weight. It is one factor that affects overall fitness. Achieving Your Fitness Goals Before you start a fitness program, think about your goals. When you set a specific goal: Youll be more inspired to stick with your fitness program. Youll feel a sense of accomplishment when you reach that goal. Working Out Safely As you plan your fitness program, it is important to think about safety and know what precautions to take. Working Out Safely (contd.) To protect yourself, you should: Dress appropriately for your workout. Take the weather into account when working out. Consider the best location and equipment for your workout. Be careful when working out alone outdoors. Always wear protective gear appropriate for your activity. Working Out Safely (contd.) If you get injured, treat your injury according to the R.I.C.E. formula: Rest Stop your activity immediately and rest. Ice Use ice to keep the swelling down and ease pain. Compression Apply pressure on the injured area to reduce swelling, as with a wrapped bandage. Elevation Raise the injured part to reduce swelling. Making a Schedule A written schedule can help you stick to your fitness program. Write out a weekly plan that includes your school physical education classes and your activities. Use a chart or calendar to remind yourself of the planned activities and keep track of your workouts. Elements of a Good Workout A good workout consists of 20 to 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. A good workout should include the following elements: Warm-up and cool-down Warm-upcool-down Aerobic activities or strength building activities or both Warm-Up and Cool-Down Before you start your workout, you need to warm-up your muscles. Include some stretching activities after your warm-up. When you have completed your workout, it is important to allow time for a cool-down stage. Warming Up and Cooling Down Do some light stretching after you have warmed up your muscles. It is also important to stretch after your cool-down to maintain or increase your flexibility. Stretch only to a point where you feel a gentle pull and hold the stretch for a count of 15 to 20 seconds. To prevent injury, avoid bouncing or jerking. To cool down, continue the movements of your workout at a slower pace for about five to ten minutes. Follow this with about five minutes of stretching. Remember to drink plenty of fluids after exercising. Your warm-up should take about ten minutes and consist of easy aerobic exercise. The F.I.T. Formula Using the F.I.T. formula will help you meet your fitness goals. F.I.T. stands for: Frequency Gradually increase your workouts and vary your routine from day to day. Frequency Intensity Keep track of how hard you are working out. If you find that you are out of breath and cant talk, slow down. Intensity Time Keep track of how long each workout lasts. Begin slowly and increase gradually. Target Heart Rate Your target heart rate is the number of heartbeats per minute that you should aim for during moderate to vigorous activity to benefit your circulatory system the most. You can monitor the intensity of your workout by taking your pulse to see if you are in your target heart rate zone. Calculating Your Target Heart Rate Step 1 Subtract your age from 220. The resulting number is your maximum heart ratean estimate of how fast your heart is capable of beating. Step 2 Multiply your maximum heart rate by 0.6 to find the low end of your target heart rate range. When you first begin an exercise plan, you should aim for this heart rate. Step 3 Multiply your maximum heart rate by 0.8 to find the high end of your target heart rate range. As you become more fit, you can work up to this level. Do not exceed this heart rate while exercising. Target Heart Rate (contd.) To see if you are exercising within your target heart rate range during a workout: Take your pulse for six seconds. Multiply this number by ten to get your pulse rate for one minute. Checking Your Progress Once you have established your fitness program and started to follow your weekly schedule, take some time to consider the following: What youve accomplished and where you are going. Is your program working for you? Do you need to make adjustments? Are you close to reaching your goals? Checking Your Progress (contd.) Here are some tips to help you monitor your progress: If you have been working out for four to eight weeks, you should see some results. You may feel better, be more flexible, and have more heart, lung, and muscular endurance. Keeping a fitness log as you go will help you see how far youve come. Checking Your Progress (contd.) If you feel that youre not any closer to your goal, think about whether youve been keeping to your schedule. If not, make an effort to do so. If you have kept to your schedule, you may need to reevaluate your goal. Reviewing Terms and Facts 1.Define the term body composition. Body composition is the proportions of fat, bones, muscle, and fluids that make up body weight. Reviewing Terms and Facts 2.Target heart rate can be used to monitor the intensity of your workout. A.True B.False Reviewing Terms and Facts 2.Target heart rate can be used to monitor the intensity of your workout. A.True B.False 3.What would you advise a friend to do if he or she became injured while working out? Thinking Critically Treat the injury according to the R.I.C.E. formula: Stop the activity immediately and rest. Apply ice to keep swelling down and ease pain. Apply pressure on the injured area and elevate the injured area to reduce swelling. Vocabulary Review Body composition is the proportions of fat, bones, muscle, and fluid that make up body weight. Vocabulary Review A warm-up routine is the gentle exercise you do to prepare your muscles for moderate to vigorous activity. Vocabulary Review A cool-down involves gentle exercises that let your body adjust to ending a workout. Vocabulary Review Frequency is the number of days you work out each week. Vocabulary Review Intensity means how much energy you use when you work out. Vocabulary Review Target heart rate is the number of heartbeats per minute that you should aim for during moderate to vigorous activity to benefit your circulatory system the most.