Design and Implement a Personal Fitness Plan

OVERVIEW:
The NASPE national standards in physical education indicate a need for "students to exhibit a physically active lifestyle" and understand that "physical activity provides opportunities for enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and social interaction."

The goal of education is to facilitate a learning environment that encourages learning for all and provides opportunities for students to engage in, apply, synthesize and evaluate ones learning.

The goal of the physical educator is to provide an avenue for students to participate in and establish lifetime health and fitness habits and goals.

Once the teacher has provided instruction in a fitness center on the FITT principle, components of fitness, overload principle, specificity, safety and proper technique of all equipment, motivational and monitoring techniques and strategies, it is time to move from guided practice to independent practice. The overall goal is having all students through self - evaluation, create and implement a personal fitness plan to be carried out over ten physical education classes.

Estimated Time:
This unit is approximately 12 - 15 classes. Students will need to know proper technique and safety of all fitness room equipment prior to the unit of designing and implementing a fitness plan to be recorded in a journal over ten class periods.

The fitnessgram and activitygram should be administrated to students as a self-evaluation tool to provide direction in the development of a fitness plan.

Lesson Objectives:
The students will
1. Self-assess and reflect on his or her personal fitness through interpretation of the fitnessgram and activitygram.
2. Establish and apply a personal fitness goal.
3. Create a personal fitness plan.
4. Implement a personal fitness plan.
5. Monitor and adjust a personal fitness plan.
6. Use self monitoring equipment such as heart rate monitors, digiwalkers and fitness logs to track progress and monitor ones' personal goal and progress.
7. Establish a motivational plan prior to engaging in the fitness workout plan.
8. Self - assess needs for fitness.
9. Cooperate and collaborate in partners and with the class as a whole in an effort to complete the tasks at hand and facilitate others to fulfill his or her workout.
10. Evaluate ones plan and make necessary changes in order to achieve ones fitness goal.

Materials (Suggested)
1. Fitness Center to include aerobic and muscular strength and endurance (aerobic capacity) equipment. (treadmills, bikes, steppers, EFX, weight training equipment both free and stations.)
2. A selection of aerobic tapes
3. Aerobic steps
4. Jump Ropes
5. Music
6. Fitness journals
7. Pens/Pencils/Clipboards
8. TV/Monitor for aerobic tapes and motivational videos

Correlations to the National Physical Education Standards:

Procedures:
Prerequisite skills and concepts needed to be in place before proceeding into the development and implementation of personal fitness plans. The following should be taught, modeled and students engage in episodes of guided practice in all of the following areas before the creation and implementation of personal fitness plans:
1. Proper technique and safety of weight and aerobic equipment.
2. The components of fitness - muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, endurance (aerobic capacity)
3. The need for warm - up and cool down
4. How to properly use a heart rate monitor, digiwalker and other monitoring technologies.
5. Exercise adherence
6. FITT Principle
7. Progressive Overload
8. Specificity
9. How to pace oneself - Intensity
10. Target heat rate zone - Training zones
11. Self - assessment skills

Class One:

1. Introduce the new Fit for Life idea by reading the NewsHour Extra story or watching the NewsHour report.
2. Fill out the fitnessgram and activitygram assessments. You can find information on the fitnessgram/activitygram online at the Cooper Institute http://www.cooperinst.org/ftgmain.asp.
3. Distribute the Class #1 worksheet. The goal is to have each student self-assess his or her personal fitness and make recommendations for change. Students will be asked to identify areas for change and what activities they prefer to engage in.
4. Repeat the self-assessment using the activity gram.

Class Two:
1. Distribute the Class #2 worksheet. Goal setting and exercise adherence are the objectives of class two. Students need to establish why and what they are working towards. Will their fitness programs be developed as a way to maintain a healthy lifestyle routine, lose weight, tone muscle, develop endurance, condition pre - season for an upcoming sports season? Each student will establish at least 3 fitness goals that his or her program will center around.
2. Once students have established the goal of their programs they need to address motivational strategies to adhere to the program. Examples would include using a variety of aerobic equipment in shorter durations to prevent boredom, listening to music, working out with a partner, and goal setting.

Class Three:
1. Distribute Class #3 worksheet. Looking over the list of activities available and looking over a sample fitness program, each student designs his or her personal fitness program. They will engage in the program over 10 physical education class periods.

Classes Four - Fourteen:
1. Each student engages in and implements his or her fitness plan. They are encouraged to monitor and adjust as needed. Each class they will self-assess progress and keep a fitness log and journal.

Assessment:
1. Rubric for fitness plan
2. Self assessment of fitnessgram and activitiesgram
3. Performance assessment of designing, implementing and carrying out a personal fitness plan.

Possible extension:

Students can design a plan for their parents.

Correlations to the National Physical Education Standards:
The National Standards for Physical Education indicate that a physically educated student:
1. Demonstrates competency in many movement forms and proficiency in a few movement forms.

• Students will select physical activities that they have achieved a level of proficiency in order to maintain a level of vigor and duration.
  
• Demonstrates an understanding of biomechanics and range of motion as needed techniques to achieve proficiency in proper weight training techniques.

3. Exhibits a physically active lifestyle.

• Students will engage in a fitness plan in order to achieve a personal fitness goal.
  
• Students will evaluate and reflect on his or her activity and make any necessary changes to promote an active lifestyle.
  
• Students will establish motivation techniques to participate in an ongoing fitness and healthy lifestyle.
  
• Students will interpret the classroom experiment and make inferences about their physical activity levels.

4. Achieves and maintains a health-enhancing level of physical fitness.

• Students will create and implement a personal fitness plan.
  
• Students will self assess their progress in a fitness plan and make any necessary adjustments.

5. Demonstrates responsible personal and social behavior in physical activity settings.

• Students working in diverse environment will demonstrate team-building skills such as cooperation, active listening, sharing and contributing while completing a classroom assignment to include motivating and working with others to accomplish a common goal.

6. Demonstrates understanding and respect for differences among people in physical activity settings.

• Students will assess the needs for physical activity among all people.

7. Understands that physical activity provides opportunities for enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and social interaction.

• Students will select activities they enjoy and reap the benefits of engaging in activity in a group setting as well as the personal health benefits.

Author Donna DeTommaso - Kleinert of Lansdale, PA is a Learning Coordinator in the North Penn School District. She is also a graduate student studying in the Kinesiology (Physical Education) Department at Temple University concentrating in the areas of curriculum and instruction. She taught elementary physical education for seven years at Walton Farm Elementary School and middle school health and physical education for ten years at North Penn Junior High School. She is also a Certified Adapted Physical Education Specialist.

To find out more about opportunities to contribute to this site, contact Leah Clapman at lclapman@newshour.org