Content & Concepts
Concepts
F.I.T.T. Principle
F.I.T.T. stands for frequency, intensity, time, and type.
As a class we learned how often, how hard, how long, and what activity to do in order to improve each of the health components.
This was helpful to me every month when I created a schedule for my activities and for measuring how effective my workout was.
Overload Principle
The overload principle says that you have to increase one or more aspect of your training in order to see positive changes in your own health. I used this when I went on runs, I tried to run faster or farther each time.
If you do not continue increasing the stress of your training, you will reach a plateau by maintaining the same level of intensity.
If you over train and apply too much stress and pressure without recovery, your body will not be able to function at its peak performance.
Perceived Exertion Index (PEI)
This is a measure of how hard you worked during your workout and how intense your training was. PEI's can be Easy, Moderate, or Hard. THRR can help you determine this. I set a PEI for every single activity that I tracked in my fitness logs or Strava workouts.
Target Heart Rate Range
Target Heart Rate Range or THRR is the heart's work rate at which you get the most benefits with a low risk for injury. At the start, my THRR was 161 - 184 BPM. Now, my THRR is 159 - 182 BPM.
MHR - RHR x 0.70 = Low + RHR = Low End of THRR
MHR - RHR x 0.85 = High +RHR = High End of THRR
Yoga
Yoga was an ancient practice that’s been adapted over the years. Yoga positions called asanas aim to clear up your chakras, or your center points, physically and mentally. There are several different types of yoga which are all beneficial for a healthy, well balanced lifestyle. In class, we did an at home yoga practice each week.
Immune System
Immune System is an intricate, codependent structure of white blood cells, antibodies, complex proteins, organs and networks. Some parts act as barriers preventing viruses and bacteria from reaching organs like your brain, while others hunt and remove invaders from your body. We had a unit on the immune system in class and took a test on it.
Health Components
Muscle Strength - The amount of force your muscles can produce. The ability of a muscle or muscle group to exert a maximum force against a resistance ONE TIME through the full range of motion.
I was never able to test my max strength fully, but I have been able to do heavily weighted squats with short reps.
Muscle Endurance - The ability of a muscle or muscle group to exert a sub-maximal force REPEATEDLY over a period of time.
This was one component that I worked consistently during my home workouts that did several sets of high reps. EX: sit-ups & push-ups
Body Composition - The amount of lean body mass (bone, muscles, organs and body fluids) compared with the amount of body fat.
I have definitely kept body composition in mind over the past few months because I am trying to eat more whole foods that are good for me and provide me with energy throughout the day, but this was not the main focus of my goal.
Flexibility - The ability to move a joint through its complete range of motion.
During out yoga unit I was definitely able to improve on this component as well as whenever I stretched after a workout.
Cardiovascular Endurance - The ability to perform large muscle moderate to high intensity exercise for prolonged periods keeping your heart rate in the target heart rate range.
My S.M.A.R.T. goal was to better my cardiovascular endurance, and I was able to work on this component every week consistently. I was able to reach my goal and have success with my ability to run quicker for a longer amount of time.
Skill Related Fitness
These components of fitness relate to your performance in sports and skillful activities. I demonstrate and practice all of these components doing different movements in my lacrosse and soccer games.
POWER is the ability to exert maximum force very quickly.
SPEED is a way of measuring how quickly something is moving or being done, or something moving fast.
AGILITY is the ability to move and change direction and position of the body quickly and effectively with controlled movement.
BALANCE is the ability to stay in control of the body’s position. Often, this is the ability to remain upright, but this is not always the case.
COORDINATION is the ability to use the different parts of the body in a smooth, quick, and efficiently-controlled movement and exact execution of the skill.
REACTION TIME refers to the speed at which an individual respond to an external stimulus. Reaction time relates directly to agility but is a smaller component of physical fitness.
Reflection
I felt this project was a great way for me to reflect on my habits and make positive changes in my everyday life, along with being a great tool for all of the tracking and measuring I did in order to reach a goal that was important to me. By tracking my water intake, I was more inclined to drink more water and be able to show improvement on how much I was drinking each day. Tracking my sleep each night made me feel good about allowing myself to rest and taking care of myself. During the yoga unit, I was able to manage my stress in all parts of life and learn how to stay present in my experiences. These are just a few examples of how I was able to improve through this semester and my fitness journey.
Of the 6 C's in the NUSD graduate profile, completing my S.M.A.R.T. goal required me to be a conscientious learner. I had to push myself to workout on my own and create my own schedules every month. It was up to me to decide whether I wanted to really take my goal and this project seriously, so I am thankful that I was able to be responsible for myself and do what I set out to do. This project was also a measure of my character, because I had to be honest with myself on what I would actually be able to accomplish. Originally, I had set a goal of 2 miles in 14 minutes, but once I started working towards that goal, I realized that it was unrealistic to set such an ambitious target in such a short time frame, especially with school and other sports going on during the process. Instead of giving up altogether, I then made my goal a little more reachable for my circumstances (2 miles in 15 minutes) and I was able to be successful in achieving it.
Although I remained pretty disciplined throughout this process, there were a few things that I did struggle with. I would sometimes forget to focus on this goal during the weeks when I was really focused on sports and skill related fitness. When there were many things I had to get done or had to sort out with all the different aspects of my life, it was difficult for me to remain actively engaged in my fitness journey. One solution that helped me refocus was waking up earlier. By doing this, I gave myself more time in the day to complete one or more workouts. Another thing that I had trouble with was staying positive and inspired to run. The answer that made me more motivated to complete my goal was changing my mindset to being grateful that I had the opportunity to exercise. This got me thinking about my goal more often and helped me be excited to get moving. These answers required me to actively think critically about how I was living.