Journal #7

This past week’s class discussions have gotten me thinking. We live in a country where 23% of our 18 and older population are obese and 36% more are overweight. On top of that, 8% of children and adolescents are obese and 18% overweight. That is over 50% of our adult population that are heavier than is healthy for them. This behaviour has started to reflect on the younger generation. Our society is getting heavier and heavier.

  by  mrd00dman 

This problem has only been growing with time. This chart shows over weight and obesity rates in Canadian adults from the years 2000-2004. The percentages keep growing higher with every year.

Table 2: Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Canadian Adults   (%)
	Overweight, Including Obese			Obese
	2000-2001	2003	2004	2000-2001	2003	2004
Total	47.4	48.5	58.8	14.9	15.4	23.4
Men	55.6	58.1	65.2	16.0	16.6	23.7
Women	39.0	38.6	52.4	13.8	14.1	23.2

Being an overweight population has had a hugely negative effect on people’s lives. The health effects of overweight and obesity are numerous, and range from increased chance of heart disease, type II diabetes, stroke, and high blood pressure, to certain types of cancer.

I believe that we are not doing enough as a nation to combat these growing rates. I honestly think that the only way we are going to have an impact these growing numbers is by reaching out to our younger generation.

We need to implement teachings about healthy lifestyle into youth. What’s one way to do that that would be truly effect? Making physical education and health class mandatory for all students’, grades kindergarten to 12.

If we made these classes compulsory I believe our generation would have the foundation to live a healthier life.  It may be slow going, but by having daily physical education and teaching on making healthy life choices I believe we could help reverse this exponential growth our overweight and obesity rates are on.

We need to inform people that making healthy choices and exercise can be fun and have great effects on their personal health.

References:

http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/prb0511-e.html

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/effects/index.html

Journal #4

Traditionally, fitness testing has either brought a sense of dread or happiness with it. For those who were conventionally good athletes, with skill in endurance, strength, and flexibility, fitness testing was no big deal, just another day in Phys. Ed class. But, for those who maybe don’t have these skills, or maybe just excel in one or two of these areas, fitness testing could be torture.

Teachers are starting to realize that this standardized fitness testing may not be the best way to do things, and that there may be a better way to test any student’s fitness level, in a test that doesn’t just accommodate those students who possessed skill in endurance, strength, and flexibility.

  by  Cubmundo 

That’s where heart rate monitors come in. Instead of evaluating someone based on their raw athletic ability, i.e. how many laps they can run in 12 minutes, heart rate monitors would give the ability to see if a person is working in their “target zone”, a target heart rate zone is calculated and so, different for everyone. This target heart rate is converted into a percent which basically just then represents the intensity at which you are working.

http://exercise.about.com/od/cardioworkouts/g/targetheartratezones.htm (Check this link out! What different target heart rate zones mean!)

The use of heart rate monitors would allow us to evaluate someone not on their athletic ability, but on their fitness level.

  by  GrejGuide.dk 

Imagine if, as a school, we were given a set of heart rate monitors and were admitted to use them every day. If students were able to calculate their target heart zones, and measure where they were at everyday visualize how much an individual’s fitness level could improve! By having a goal in place for where a person should be performing every day, it better allows an individual to push themselves to achieve the best they can do. Over a period of time I can see this exponentially improving ones fitness level.

http://running.about.com/od/howtorun/ht/Calculate-Your-Target-Heart-Rate-Zone.htm (Check it out! How to calculate your target heart rate zone!)

Overall, heart rate monitors would drastically improve Phys. Ed class and students fitness levels. Instead of assessing students on their athletic aptitude, which is not always a good indicator of overall fitness, we would be evaluating them directly on their overall fitness.

http://www.edutopia.org/new-pe-curriculum (Check out this story and see how heart rate monitors and other technologies have positively influenced this Phys. Ed class!)