13 minute read
Why fi tness matters
from TM Issue 15
by Mary Hester
Understanding the difference between “activity” and “fi t”
Asthe New Zealand government tries to mitigate obesity and diabetes in our children, it is timely to remind health and PE teachers of the health benefits of “improved fitness.” I use the term “fi tness” purposively. It is a term that is absent from the youth obesity and diabetes discourse, as the preferred terms “physical activity and movement skills” have prominence. Yet, the difference between being “physically active” and “physically fi t” is important from a bio-medical perspective. The changes that accrue from a certain “dose” or Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type (The FITT Principle, taken from the pioneer of exercise physiology, Robert Fitt’s) of cardiovascular and strength activities elicit a metabolic “response” that eventually contributes to physiological improvements in the cardiovascular system and skeletal muscle. The adaptations that occur from a progressive and accumulative approach to better fitness enable morphological improvements in cardiac and skeletal muscle, which decreases diabetes and obesity. R.H. Fitts, an exercise physiologist, shaped much of the current thinking regarding exercise training and “dose-response” relationships in the ’70s. Fitts and other exercise physiologists found that exercise duration as well as intensity resulted in positive changes in muscle oxidative capacity. This is an important issue for heath and PE teachers to re-visit, as it is the impairments in skeletal muscle mitochondrial function and lipid (fat) oxidation that are known to play a signifi cant role in metabolic problems such as insulin resistance, obesity and Type 2 diabetes. As well, new research on strength training also shows a protective role in Type 2 diabetes, although how this occurs is not fully understood.
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Understanding the role of the mitochondria is essential for anyone involved in promoting and supporting cardiovascular and musculoskeletal fitness gains. Mitochondria are organelles within skeletal muscle that can impressively boost a muscle’s capability to burn fat, improve insulin sensitivity, minimize fatigue and enhance capacity to synthesize fuel for physical activity and exercise (Menshikova et al., 2007). Kravitz reports that those who participate in regular endurance exercise increase the density and size of the mitochondria thus improving their ability to utilise more fat and use less carbohydrate for fuel during exercise. A secondary effect is the reduction in metabolic acidosis (lactic acid) produced in the muscles enabling the exercising body to do more work, experience less fatigue and burn more calories with each workout. All of these capabilities by the mitochondria are referred to as “mitochondrial biogenesis.” The question: How much exercise is enough to produce these necessary biological changes?
Van der Heijden’s 2009 study of cardiovascular training in obese postpubescent youth provides some insight into the intensity debate. Twenty-nine subjects (both male and female) underwent 12 weeks of supervised aerobic training (four sessions of 30 minutes each session) and wore heart rate monitors in an attempt to keep them exercising at an intensity of 70 percent of their aerobic capacity, a moderate intensity. The control group was lean subjects. The fi ndings supported a 14 percent decrease in insulin concentration in the obese group compared to only 8 percent in the lean group; 3 percent decrease in percentage body fat in the obese group, and no change in the lean group.
In a study of previously sedentary adults, Menshikova et. al (2007) also showed that moderate intensity aerobic exercise, four to six times per week and progressing from 30 – 40 minutes per session for 16 weeks resulted in significant mitochondrial biogenesis adaptations. The obese subjects in this study were also placed on a 25 percent calorie reduction diet. They averaged a 7 percent loss in body weight.
Fitness and academic achievement
Studies involving public school students in California found a distinct connection between fitness and ability in reading and maths. Higher achievement was associated with higher levels of fitness, and the relationship between fitness and mathematical achievement was strongest.
The take-home message: Improving “cardiovascular and muscular fitness” in health-challenged youth is important and mustn’t be forgotten. Whilst the current curriculum favours seven key learning areas, including “movement skills for physical competence, enjoyment, a sense of self-worth, and an active lifestyle,” focusing on fi tness is important. Sedentary behaviour favours a signifi cant drop in the oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle as well as increases in fat deposition. These two factors combine to produce the characteristics of insulin resistance and weight gain.
Assisting younger students to attain and maintain cardiovascular and fi tness improvements is an integral part of the health-exercise equation but I also acknowledge that it may well be a practitioner’s dilemma in an overcrowded health and physical education curriculum. Yet, it’s a goal worth striving for: Health and PE teachers are in a unique position to support and motivate higher health-risk students toward acquiring the minimum levels of cardiovascular exercise (30 minutes a day at a moderate intensity) needed to produce the metabolic and structural adaptations that need to occur in the mitochondria of skeletal muscle.
JOKES FUNNIES GROANERS RIDDLES HA HA HA HA Q: What did the potato chip say to the other potato chip? A: “Want to go for a dip?” Q: Why did the hedgehog cross the road? A: To see his fl at-mate! Q: Have you heard the story about the garbage truck? A: I won’t bother telling you; it’s a load of rubbish. Q: Why was the garbage sad? A: Because it was down in the dumps.Q: What do cats call mice on skateboards? A: Meals on wheels Q: Who can jump higher than a building? A: Anyon.0e; buildings can’t jump! Q: What did the hen say after she’d laid 100 eggs? A: Phew! I’m eggs-hausted One day at the zoo, two snakes met and one asked the other:”Are we poisonous? The second snake asked in return: “Why do you ask?” And the fi rst replied: “I bit my lip!” Q: What do you call a bunny that has fl eas? A: Bugs bunny Q: Why did the bunny eat the wedding ring?A: Because she heard it was 18 carrots! Q: What did the grape do when someone stepped on it? A: It let out a little wine! Q: Why did the rooster cross the road? A: To prove he wasn’t a chicken. Q: How does a vampire like his food served? A: In bite-sized pieces! Q: How did the chicken feel after it was run over by a car? A: Tyred! Q: Why don’t elephants like playing cards in the jungle? A: Because of all the cheetahs.Teachers Matter
JOKES GROANERS Q: What goes zzub, zzub? A: A bee fl ying backwards. Q: What did Geronimo say when he jumped out of a plane? A: Meeeee!!! Q: What did the fi sh say when he slammed into a wall? A: Dam!Q: What did the judge say when the skunk walked into the court room? A: Odour in the court! Q: Where do bees go to the bathroom? A: At the BP station. Q: Why do most people like cats? A: They have a pleasing purr-sonality.
HA HA RIDDLES
Teach critical, creative and co-operative thinking in your classroom!
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Acting like the scales of justice to weigh up the evidence to make and justify a decision.
Acting like a magnifying glass to closely examine and identify the component parts of an issue, situation or object. Verbs
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Argue(for/against) Assess Conclude Critique Decide Judge Justify Prioritise Recommend To what extent... Which of the two...would be better for... Justify the decision of... Determine which is more effective... Evaluate the effectiveness of... Select which is the best option...or... Rank the following from...to... Defend the issue...on a blog... Validate the accuracy of the following sites... Extent Barometer Decision-Making Matrix Judge-Jury PCQ Extension Elimination Draw Human Continuum
Argue (about) Debate Deconstruct Differentiate Discuss Distinguish Identify Investigate Summarise (complex) Analyse...from at least 4 perspectives... Discuss the similarities and differences of... Compare... Investigate all factors that could influence...in... Summarise the viewpoints...on a wiki... Deduce how parts interact in... Conductresearch on the issue of...in order to gain a deeper understanding of... Research the pros and cons of... PCQ & PCQ Extension Attribute Listing Double Bubble Map Decision-Making Matrix T-Chart Fishbone Diagram Y-Chart/SplitY-Chart Icon Prompt SWOT Analysis EARLY YEARS EDITION 2012
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Alcohol has been around for thousands of years. It changes how people think, feel and behave. It is also big business. Big companies make a lot of money from selling it. Many people owe their jobs to alcohol. It is also the cause of many bad things in our society.
Make three lists. One of all the good things about alcohol and another of all the bad things. The third list should be of things that could be both good and bad.
After all that good thinking about alcohol, do some extra deep thinking. Write the two biggest reasons why alcohol should be banned:
Past Knowledge What do you know about alcohol? Have you seen people drink it? Have you seen people drink too much of it?
Thinking About Thinking Being able to see both sides of an issue is a great thinking skill.
Thinking And Communicating With Clarity And Precision Make sure your reasons are clear and easy to understand. They need to make sense to the reader. Think your reasons through before writing them well.
Should alcohol be banned? Would it make a difference? Would people just find a way to get it illegally anyway? What is your opinion? Tick a box…
Bicycle Clock
Creating, Imagining and Innovating This challenge is all about creating something new by combining two things. Take a clock and build it into Some of the best ideas and inventions today come from some other object. Make it thoughtful and unique. combining old technology to make something new. Imagine the finished clock Combine a clock and something of your choice to come before you start and the up with a new design of time piece that is creative and steps needed to get there. innovative. Use the practise clock faces below to sketch your ideas. Choose the very best or most interesting one to draw beautifully on to a presentation page.
Cutlery Clock PizzaClock SoccerPlayerClock SoccerBallClock
In this challenge you will create a new and crazy character using the help of two other thinking buddies. In the first box you draw the head of your crazy character. Then fold the page so that your buddy can’t see what you have drawn. Pass it on. Everyone then draws the body of their character on someone else’s page. Fold and pass it again and finish by drawing the legs.
This is Codie’s character. He drew the head making sure that the neck crossed the dotted line. He folded it over so that his friends could not see what he had drawn.
He then passed it on to his thinking buddy, Raniera. Raniera drew the body without looking at the head. He made sure that the body he was drawing crossed over the dotted line. He then folded the page along the dotted line so that his drawing was hidden.
Then it was Richard’s turn. He drew the legs for the character. Codie got his page back and had fun discovering what his crazy character looked like.
Creating, Imagining and Innovating Get an image in your mind of the different parts of your character. See the colours and the shapes on the page before you start. Draw expertly.
Working Interdependently Each person adds another section of the crazy character. You have to take care and respect the work of your buddies. Give them the best effort you can so that they end up with a cool character. Contribute positively to their success.
Thinking About Thinking Be aware of the steps your brain takes to finally choose an animal. Be thorough in your thinking about each animal and in your brainstorm.
What if you could magically change into any animal you wanted? Which animal would you like to be? There would probably be advantages and disadvantages. You would have to consider them all before choosing.
Brainstorm a list of possible animals in this space:
Great things about being my animal: Disadvantages about being my animal:
Past Knowledge You’ll have to remember all of the facts you have learnt about animals to finally decide which one you will want to be.
Animals
Questions and Problem Posing How long do they live? What special abilities do they have? How hard or easy is their life? Are they likely to be eaten by another animal?
