Lesson 2: Physical Assessments, Managing  Give a starting point for an individual exercise

One’s Stress and Barriers to Health-Related prescription or plan and create realistic goals.
Fitness and Physical Activities
 Evaluate development in fitness achieved
through exercise interventions and adjust
exercise prescription and fitness goals
Physiological Biochemical Behavioral
accordingly.
 Increased  Improved  Increased
strength flexibility with self-  Record changes in fitness throughout the
 Improved age confidence years of exercise involvement.
muscular  Improved  Improved
Physical fitness assessments are affected
endurance balance self-
 Increased  Improved efficacy by one’s dietary intake, physical activity, and
HDL levels mobility  stress management. These factors, in turn,
(good  Increased Decreased provide additional information for assessing
cholesterol) motor skills depression potential health risks associated with a person’s
 Improved and confidence and anxiety current lifestyle.
insulin levels to engage 
Experience One should make healthy lifestyle choices
 Lower further in
blood physical with in order to prevent potential risks of lifestyle-
pressure activity behavioral related diseases, morbidity, and premature
 Lower  Improved change mortality. Along with making such healthy
percentage Proprioception choices. It is just important to properly monitor
of body fat  one’s status and progress.
Reduced
risks for A Brief Review of Health-Related Physical
metabolic Fitness
dysfunction Health-related physical fitness is also called
 Improved
functional fitness because it helps ensure that a
bone
person will be able to function effectively and
meet the demands and tasks of everyday life.
Source: Foundations of Physical Activity and Such fitness can be improved and/or
Public Health. Kohl (2011) maintained through regular and moderate
physical activity.
Physical fitness assessments are designed
to give individualized feedback regarding one’s According to the American College of
overall fitness status and/or physiological Sports Medicine, there are three main
reactions to physical activity effort. components of health-related fitness:

Here are some benefits of physical fitness  Cardiovascular-respiratory endurance –

assessments: also known as aerobic power, cardiovascular-
respiratory endurance refers to the ability of
 Make individuals aware of their current
circulatory and respiratory systems to send
fitness status and have them compare their own
oxygen to muscles over an extended period.
status with that of specific standards.

 Encourage individuals to participate in

exercise programs and physical activities.
 Muscular fitness – this is classified further Assessment tools are your maps toward
as muscular strength, muscular endurance, and attaining fitness. This may use assessment as
flexibility. your roadmap to improve and make a fitness
plan. The information from the assessment can
 Muscular strength – this refers to the
also be used to develop strategies that will help
single maximum amount of force a muscle can
you commit to your plan.
exert against some resistance.
Here are some guidelines that will help you
 Muscular endurance – this refers to the
construct your personal fitness plan and
capacity to move one’s body or an object
perform self-administered assessments:
without tiring
1. Perform various assessment tools.
 Flexibility – this refers to the ability to
move a joint smoothly through its complete Health-related fitness and physical
range of motion that allows a person to do activity encompass many parts, and
depending on movements without incurring performing a wide range of assessment
injury. tools will enable you to get a
comprehensive glimpse of your physical
 Body composition – this refers to the
fitness and activity level and needs.
measurement of body fat and muscle mass in
the body. Body composition metrics that are 2. Select self-assessment tools that are
commonly used include body mass index (based best for you.
on height and weight), skinfold measures You may try all the assessment
(which estimate body fatness), and body tools you just have encountered, but
measurements such as waist and hip you are not obliged or required to use
circumference. them all on a regular basis.

Self-assessment
3. Execute trials.
Self-assessment is primarily designed to
Do not worry if you are not able to
help people determine and gauge personal
perform an assessment tool without hitches
fitness levels by recording and evaluating their
or mistakes – those are part of the process.
assessment results. Assessment tools are not
meant to treat diseases or prevent illnesses; 4. Administer self-assessment tools for
instead, they are meant as a means for people personal progress.
to evaluate their health status and progress and
Once you gain mastery of using self-
to better understand the differences between
assessment tools, you may administer them
various parts of health-related physical fitness.
for a definite period to monitor your
Performing self-assessment assists you in
progress. Avoid using assessment tools too
adopting a healthy lifestyle not only now, but
often.
throughout your life. You can assess your
physical fitness, eating patterns, stress level, 5. Use health standards and norms instead
health risks, and knowledge and ability to of comparing yourself with your peers.
perform in a sport. Instead of comparing yourself with
other people, compare your results
Self-management Skills Guidelines
with your health standards and norms
first and then with previous such as inclement weather conditions.
performances. C. Training Principles to Maintaining
6. Data from self-assessment tools are Health-Related Fitness
personal. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once
Assessments are done to get data said, “Knowing is not enough; everyone
that will assist you in coming up with an must apply. Willing is not enough; we
accurate personal profile and in must do.” When it comes to physical
planning an active life. fitness, Goethe’s quote applies
perfectly. It is not enough that everyone
Barriers to Physical Activity knows the importance of engaging in
Physiological, psychological, and physical activities or how to perform
behavioral factors, among others, can various activities and exercises. Thus,
influence one’s plans to become the question now is, “How will you
physically active. The following are design your fitness program based on
some of the common barriers that the information you obtained from your
people must overcome to adopt a self-assessment tests?”
physically active lifestyle:
 Have insufficient time for exercise. The FITT principle will be adopted
 Consider exercise as an in practical ways that you can use it in
inconvenience. the planning of fitness, making a
 Lack of self-motivation. nutrition plan, or developing a stress
 Find exercise not enjoyable. management plan.
 Find exercise boring.
 Lack of confidence in their ability to be 1. Principle of Overload
physically active (low self-efficacy)
The principle of overload is the
 Be afraid of being injured or recent
most fundamental principle of exercise.
injury
This principle states that the only way
 Lack of self-management skills (e.g.,
to gain health benefits through physical
inability to set personal goals, monitor
activity involvement is to place a higher
progress, reward progress toward such
demand on the body to exert more
goal).
effort than it usually does.
 Lack of encouragement, support, or
companionship from family and friends. 2. Principle of Progression
 Do not have adequate facilities (e.g.,
parks, sidewalks, bicycle trails, fitness This principle explains that the
center). intensity of the exercise should be
Knowing common barriers to increased gradually. When the body
physical activity is essential to creating adapts to increased demand (load), the
and designing strategies to overcome activity becomes easier for you to
them. These strategies may help you perform; thus, you will exert less off
make physical activity a part of your progression, improving the “no pain, no
daily life. Overcoming barriers is a skill gain” myth in working out.
that will help you find ways to stay
physically active despite various barriers
3. Principle of Specificity
This principle explains that a Since short-term goals can be
specific type of exercise brings about a accomplished within weeks or months,
specific benefit. An exercise that setting a series of short-term goals is
promotes one health-related benefit the most practical way to attain long-
may not promote another health- term goals. Each short-term goal must
related benefit. lead you one step closer to your long-
term goals.
Goal Setting the SMART Way
Types of Goals
One should not simply set goals; 1. Product goal – a goal that can be
rather, one must set SMART goals. So, perceived by the senses. It is tangible,
what are SMART goals then? A SMART and it is the direct result of your work
goal is one that is specific, measurable, and effort.
attainable, realistic, and timely: 2. Process goal – refer to what you will
have to do to attain a long-term or
Specific Your goals should be as important goal. Some examples of
detailed as possible. process goals include the following: o
Measurable Your goals should be Exercising for 60 minutes daily (for a
assessable or quantifiable. It means long-term goal of fitness). o Eating six
that you should have the means to varieties of fruits and vegetables every
gauge your progress toward attaining day (for a long-term goal of a healthy
your set goals. Attainable Your goals diet).
should be within the realms of reason.
This means that you should set goals Motivation in Physical Fitness
that you can achieve or accomplish. Most of us strive to be good
They should be neither too easy nor members of our family, school,
too bad. community, and the larger society we
belong to. With the various roles that
Realistic Your goals should be doable we play as sons or daughters, students,
and possible. They should not be so and friends, we often tend to overlook
grand or so out of this world. the necessity of keeping ourselves fit
Timely/ Time-bound Your goals should and healthy.
be ones that you can accomplish within In addition to lack of time, there
a specific time frame. are other reasons, also called fitness
pitfalls, why we take fitness for granted.
They turn fitness into pressure instead
SMART for Long-Term Goals of pleasure. These fitness downsides
Long-term goals take many months are:
or years to achieve. Attaining long-term 1. Lack of correct motivation to begin,
goals are akin to saving a large amount 2. High expectations of complete
of money as both will take a long time, and immediate results,
with lots of effort and dedication 3. Loss of motivation along the way,
involved as well. 4. Unrealistic plan or program of
exercise, and
SMART for Short-Term Goals 5. Burnout, injury, or illness.
Following are pointers to help motivate
you in pursuing physical fitness:

1. Empower yourself. Psyche yourself

up and believe that you can do
whatever you set your mind to do.

2. Set realistic goals. Recognize and

understand what you really want to
achieve.

3. Find something you like and enjoy.

Choose an exercise or workout that you
like and will enjoy doing it.

4. Start slow and gain momentum. You

do not have to rush things. You just
must accustom your body first to the
activity so that you will not overdo it.
5. Find a buddy. Look for someone who
can share the experience with you.
6. Be inspired by someone. It will not
hurt to look up to a model who has
done what you are doing and
succeeded in it.
7. Track your progress. If you can see
the progress of what you are doing, you
may feel a sense of satisfaction,
accomplishment, and challenge to
continue.

Rewards
After achieving your goals, you may
reward yourself for doing such a good
job. You can reward yourself by having
a massage or buying new stuff that
could make you happy, such as a new
pair of running shoes. Accomplishing
your goal and having a reward means
achievement but do not forget to track
goals every time you accomplish them.