Fitness Log Final Project

This was the final project for the second semester of PE. We had to come up with a fitness goal that we set for ourselves. This was called our SMART goal. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. We started developing this by looking at different health components which are cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition. We had to pick one to improve and I chose cardiovascular endurance. Next we looked at our time frame which, for the sake of the project, was a month. We also looked at how we would improve this aspect of our health. I decided that I was going to swim and run 3-4 times minimum every week to improve my cardiovascular endurance. Lastly we added a final measurable goal that would help us track our progress. My final SMART goal is in the drop down below.

We started logging our workouts on March 7, 2022. Before starting we had to make a plan for when we were planning to work out, and I also did an evening routine log. This showed everything from when I got home, to when I was planning on working out, to when I would do homework and go to bed. Then we had our actual logging that we would track as we worked out. For swimming I was logging the yards that I swam and when I swam them as well as the time I swam for, my heart rate after the main set, and an overall workout rating. For running I was logging the times of each mile I ran and the date I ran them along with my heart rate after the run and I would add a check mark if I reached my target heart rate range. I logged my mood every day with the date, rating, and a mini summary of my mood as well as a log for my pain or how sore I was on the days I worked out with the date. I logged all of this for the whole month with a new workout plan after the first two weeks was over.

I think this project taught me a lot. One thing it taught me is how to motivate myself. I thought that the logs would help with this but it didn't cause it made it seem forced for me. I found that this was the same when we logged our runs in class. I I did however find myself mentally reminding myself of my goal and why I wanted to accomplish it which has made motivating myself to do other things a bit easier. I also found that knowing my target heart rate range helped me know and understand what workouts felt better than others and why. When I worked out and reached my target heart rate range I tended to feel better after the workout and the day after. I am also proud of this project. I found that my log looked nice and organized throughout the extent of the project which I loved. And as much as the logging didn't really help with motivation, it was fun to do.

In the end I didn't quite get to my end goal of getting my mile time bellow 8 minutes, getting my 100 yd Butterfly time down to 1:20, and getting my 100 yd Freestyle below 1 minute, but I got close and I am proud of how I did and the work I put in.

My SMART Goal

I want to increase my cardiovascular endurance over the course of a month by running 1-2 times a week and swimming 5-6 times a week while logging my times in both running and swimming and ideally being able to get my mile time bellow 8 minutes and getting my 100 yd Butterfly time down to 1:20 and my 100 yd Freestyle below 1 minute.

SMART Goal

The S.M.A.R.T Goal is a type of fitness goal. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. Specific is relating to the workouts you're doing. They have to be specific to your goal. Measurable is simple, can you measure it? You can measure anything from the amount of time it takes to run a mile to how much you can dead lift, it depends on your goal but it has to be measurable. Achievable is whether it can be achieved and realistic is whether you can actually complete it in the time you are planning to. And Time-bound is whether you can complete it in set amount of time. In my project I based all my workouts on the SMART goal I created for myself.


Overload Principal

The overload principle is working out harder as you get stronger to continue to do so. To gain muscle you have to overload the body progressively. To use the overload principal you should work out for a few days to a week to adapt to the intensity you're at. You must then increase the intensity, duration, type, or time of a workout progressively in order to improve. If you don't use the overload principal you "plateau", where you don't gain. The overload principle is essential for improvement. I used this especially in swimming, as I got better I had harder sets which helped me improve in the long run.

Periodization

Periodization is a big part of the overload principal. To gain muscle you have to use the overload principal but, you also need to accommodate the GAS (general adaptation syndrome) principle, which is that high-intensity training needs to be followed by a period of rest so that your body can recover. There are three cycles, two of them subcategories of the first one: the macrocycle, the mesocycle, and the microcycle. The macrocycle is a long period of training, that can last six months to a year. This is the overall goal. A macrocycle is divided into three to four mesocycles,which last a couple weeks to a month. These cycles are to reach specific and smaller goals. Each microcycle is the detailed workouts you plan, keeping the larger goals and focuses in mind. Definitely used these when planning my workouts. I used microcyles which was when planning my workouts and schedules for the week coming and I always kept my final goal in mind.

FITT Principal

FITT is another acronym. F.I.T.T stands for Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type. It is the principle that helps you regulate your workouts. Frequency is the amount of time in which you do an exercise, or how frequently. Intensity is how hard you're working out. Time is how long your workout or your exercise lasts for. And finally, Type is what kind of activity that you'll be doing. This was used in my project because when doing my workouts I had to keep in mind the FITT principal and use it to help plan my workouts to achieve my SMART goal.

Health Components

The Health Components are Muscular Endurance, Muscular Strength, Cardiovascular Endurance, Flexibility, and Body Composition. Muscular Endurance is the ability to use a muscle or muscle group repeatedly for a long period of time. Muscular Strength is the ability to use a muscle with full force one time. Cardiovascular Endurance is the ability to use a large muscle or muscle group for a longer period of time. Flexibility is how easy it is move a joint through its full range of motion. Lastly, Body Composition is the amount of body mass compared with the amount of body fat. The health components in my project helped me figure out what I wanted to focus on for my SMART goal.

Heart Rate

Heart rate is the amount of times your heart beats per minute (bpm). We used several ways of measuring our heart rate to help with our projects.

RHR is your Resting Heart Rate. Your heart rate when you are not moving. For me this was 60 bpm

MHR is your Maximum Heart Rate. Or the fastest your heart can beat. This can be calculated by subtracting you age from 220. Your heart rate should NEVER be this high cause it is 100% effort. For me this was 205.

THRR is your Target Heart Rate Range. This is the heart rate where you get the most health benefits but have a low risk of injury. This is the range you should work out in and is between 70-85% of your MHR. The Karvonen formula is how you cna calculate this, taking into consideration your RHR. It should be a range; mine is 148-184 BPM. The formula is:

HRR x 70% (.70) = HRR + RHR = THRR low end

HRR X 85% (.85) =HRR + RHR = THRR high end

I used this a lot. It helped me know when I was getting in the best workouts and it also helped me understand how working out at different intensities effected my mood and body.

Reflection

I think that this project went well. I overall really loved seeing my progress and seeing myself improving and being a conscientious learner. I had to log everything on my own and figure out what worked best for me which was a little difficult at first but I think I did a pretty good job at in the end. I also loved seeing myself being able to get motivated, which I mentioned before. That is something I have been able to do a little in the past but it really showed in this project which was interesting and fun to see.

I do think that I would have had more time on this project. I think that I struggled a little at the beginning when I was figuring out how to motivate myself so going back I would attempt to figure things out ahead of time so I could focus more on my actual goal than how I could motivate myself to want to accomplish it. I do know this about myself now so I think that if I were to do this project again I could try and do a better job knowing what I have learned from this.