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Will moderate intensity physical activity really provide health benefits?
Engaging in physical activity of a moderate intensity- including such things as housework, brisk walking, or gardening - is advocated as a good means by which to improve physical health. Over the last 5-7 years, various public health agencies have suggested participation in these activities may provide numerous health benefits. These health benefits include protection against heart disease and osteoporosis, as well as protection against becoming overweight and/or obese.
However, not all public health experts are comfortable with the advocacy of moderate physical activity
guidelines. In reference to aerobic activity specifically, strong arguments have been made that say two things:
(1) There is clearly a dose-response relation between exercise intensity and improvement in aerobic fitness and associated metabolic indicators of good health (cholesterol, blood pressure).
(2) There is very little evidence showing moderate intensity activity (such as gardening or walking) can provide significant benefits to physical health - expect for people who have moved from a very sedentary lifestyle to one
involving moderate activity participation.
On what basis then, do moderate physical activity proponents make their argument? First, that moderate activity may be more agreeable to the public than having to exercise vigorously, and second, that because many of the adult public are so sedentary, "doing something is better than nothing".
The concern on behalf of those that advocate vigorous activity is that great care must be taken to ensure the general public do not adopt the belief that moderate activity can replace vigorous physical activity as a means by which to offer the BEST protection against chronic disease.
So, what is the answer to the question in the title "will moderate intensity physical activity really provide health benefits?". The answer is "yes" if you are an adult who is currently very sedentary. For all other people - children, teenagers, and most adults who are not confined to a bed, chair or desk every hour of the day every day of the week - the best evidence we have supports the following statement: the more vigorously active you are (i.e., do you engage in a structured exercise program?) the more certain it is you will be doing all you can to reap the health benefits of physical exertion.
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De-Stress Your Desktop
What could be more therapeutic than witnessing a Hawaiian sunset every day? Who could be stressed out at work if they were treated to scenes of wildlife all day long. Check out the free wallpapers and screen savers at Webshots
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Cyberparent.com
Exercise and physical fitness help you look younger. Exercising helps you work efficiently. Being fit is a lifetime goal. When you exercise, you achieve physical fitness and stay fit for life if you keep exercising. Exercise, physical fitness, and being fit are goals to achieve. Exercising is for lifetime fitness. Exercise and physical fitness go together for life. However, physical fitness is more than exercise. For some great information on the benefits of exercise check out this great web-site
cyberparent.com
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If you have ideas, comments, letters to share, or questions about particular topics, please email one of the following Section Editors:
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Help to support quality physical education and health education by contributing to this site.
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A good school physical education program will focus on improving physical fitness AND increasing physical activity
If
secondary school physical education teachers had to provide an answer to the
question, "on which area do you focus most, improving FITNESS or increasing
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY?", I would guess that improving fitness would be a higher
priority.
Many teachers are probably familiar with, or use, a testing program such
as FITNESSGRAM to assess components of health-related fitness. Because physical
fitness is strongly associated with good health outcomes, the creation and
implementation of positive, educational, and empathetic fitness testing
environments within school physical education is paramount.
What
must be kept in mind by all, is that the key to improving physical fitness is
participation in physical activity (more specifically, structured exercise). It
is a more complex task for teachers to assess how much exercise a student is
doing (out-of-school especially).
However, if teachers are as committed to
physical activity assessment as they are about fitness assessment, physical
education programs will be stronger. A variety of methods exist -
questionnaires, ACTIVITYGRAM
or pedometers - that can be used by teachers to encourage, and monitor student
physical activity. Teachers, continue the focus on Fitness Assessment...and
make the effort to ensure Physical Activity Assessment is part of your
program.
Darren Dale
Section Editor
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The ultimate measure of a man is not
where he stands in moments of comfort,
but where he stands at times
of challenge and controversy.
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Drug-Supplement Interaction
At least 40% of all Americans take some type of dietary supplement. Surprisingly, not a great deal is known about these supplements by the medical community. Many of these herbal aids can actually cause dangerous interactions when taken with prescription and over-the-counter drugs. The American Council on Science and Health offers some advice and warnings that should be reviewed before taking any herbal supplements.
Pot Use Down, Crank Use Up
The rates of marijuana smoking among American teens is decreasing but methamphetamine use is increasing says a new report posted at Partnership
for a Drug-Free America. Teen pot users still outnumber
teen crank users but some pot smokers are switching over to the illicit
stimulant, methamphetamine.
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Would you like to reduce unnecessary email, but still stay professionally connected?
Instead of using our listservs to discuss topics, start posting Health, Fitness, and Nutrition PE questions to the PE-Forum, then email your favorite listserv to invite comments ON THE FORUM rather than to everyone on the email list!
The PE-Forum is easy-to-use once you complete a first time registration. Check it out !
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Nutrition
for Kids
Welcome to Nutrition for Kids, sponsored by 24 Carrot Press. Nutrition for Kids publishes materials that take a positive, fun approach to the more serious issues that affect children today, including poor eating habits, obesity and inactivity. To find out more about our books, teaching kits or other resources, click on nutritionforkids.com for news, articles, tips, recipes and more.
Nutrition Resources for the Classroom
The American Dietetic Association has a wonderful web-page full of information that can be used for classroom instruction. Check it out.
Healthy School Meals
Do the students at your school have a comfortable place to sit and eat lunch? Do they have enough time to eat? Is the lunch period too early? Too late? Does the school teach good nutrition in the classroom? Are healthy food choices at school? To learn more about good nutrition in the school, check out schoolmeals
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NetSweat
Here's a great web-page that helps you plan your fitness program, answer fitness related questions and has some great fitness links. Check it out.
Fitness Advisor
Also check out the Fitness Advisor. Another great fitness resource with lots of links.
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PELINKS4U is made possible through the generous support of several site sponsors. This month, we welcome two new sponsors: Athletic Stuff and Direct Case. Please show your appreciation for their support by clicking on the banners and logos of our sponsors, and taking a few minutes to visit their web sites. Thanks.
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