Health & Fitness Concepts for Junior Cluster

F.I.T.T. Principle: Frequency, Intensity, Type,and Time.

Frequency: how often you do something (the number of times per week)

Intensity: how hard you are working (mild, moderate, very intense)

Type: the component of fitness that tells what type of exercise you are doing (cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility)

Time: how long you will do that activity or how many repetitions you will perform (30 seconds; 10 repetitions)

Critical Elements (Important Parts) of Some Basic Fitness Activities:

  • Push Up: Hands shoulder width apart, keep your back and bottom straight, bend to a 90 degree angle.
  • Sit Up: Feet flat on the floor, arms across your chest, sit up until your elbows touch your legs.
  • Wall Sit: Back flat against the wall, tops of your legs flat, arms extended straight out.
  • Plank: Forearms and toes touching the ground, back flat, hold your position.
  • Stretching: Keeps your legs/arms straight, slow and steady movements, don’t jerk your muscles or push yourself farther than is comfortable.

Heart Rate (HR):

  • Calculate it by…Taking your pulse for 15 seconds and multiplying that number times 4.
  • (pulse for 15 seconds x 4 = heart rate in beats per minute)
  • Resting HR: The number of times your heart beats in one minute while at rest, before any activity or exercise is done.
  • Active HR: The number of times your heart beats in one minute during or immediately after exercise.
  • Cool Down HR: The number of times your heart beats in one minute while your body is recovering from exercise. During cool down your heart rate should decrease back toward your resting heart rate.

Changes in the Body During Exercise:

  • Body Temperature Increases
  • Sweating
  • HR increases
  • Deep, rapid breathing

Examples of activities for each component of fitness

Cardiovascular endurance = jump rope, running, biking, swimming, playing tag

Muscular strength = moving heavy furniture, lifting as much weight as you can one time

Muscular endurance = push ups, sit ups, wall sits, planks, using the same muscles over and over again

Flexibility = stretching, yoga, Pilates, gymnastics

**Why is it important to stay active? What do you plan to do this summer to stay active?