Fitness Activity:Students maintain a weekly journal of their daily fitness activities. This journal must be submitted to the instructor by e-mail on Monday of each week. If it is late there is a 1-point deduction each day it is late but NO ASSIGNMENTS will be accepted after Thursday the week they are due. Hand in both the journal and answers TOGETHER in the same email - DO NOT USE AN ATTACHMENT. Any exception to the due date each week must have prior permission from the instructor (request handing in late or early if you know you'll be out of town.
The journal will be maintained for 13 weeks.
You will earn points for daily physical activity. For every half-hour of physical activity at a MODERATE level or greater, you will earn one point. You cannot earn more than 3 points (for 90 minutes of exercise) on a single day. You can earn a maximum of 7 points (1 point is extra credit) in a given week to ensure that exercise is spread out over the entire week. Half-points can be earned (1/2 point for 15 minutes of exercise) but that is the smallest increment counted in this class. If you do a 40 minute workout, that is 1 point. If you do 45 minutes, that is 1.5 points.
While the GOAL is to get at least a half hour of exercise six to seven days of the week, because this is only a one credit course, point credit is given for a maximum of 7 points per week while the grade point total is based on getting 6 points a week.
In other words,strive for at least 6 points a week, the base for this class. You can get grade credit for up to 7 points a week, so there is the potential to get one point of extra credit each week (earning no more than 3 points any one day). You can tally more than 7 points and more than 3 in one day but they don't count towards your grade once the 7 point max is met.
When figuring how many points you earn when you do a day-long activity, consider actual exercise time. For example, if you downhill ski, include actual ski time - sitting on the lift or having lunch don't count.
While extra points (more than 7 a week) won't count for grades, these points are reported in your total each week so you can keep track of how well you're doing.
Total Activity Points: The course requirement is 6 fitness points each week for 13 weeks. This is a total of 78 points. You can earn up to 7 points a week for 14 weeks for a total of 91 points. If you really want to push yourself, see if you can get much, much more than that - don't limit yourself.
You will earn 1 point for each correct answer each week for a total of 65 points. The final exam will be worth 30 points, for a total of 95 points possible in Fitness Knowledge.
The total points possible is 173, not counting any extra credit.
A | 156 points or more (90 to 100%) |
B | 138 - 155 |
C | 121 - 137 |
D | 104 - 120 |
F | less than 104 points |
You must determine what your exercise program will be and where and when you will exercise. The instructor will offer advice and suggestions to improve your program, but the instructor WILL NOT develop your program; that is your responsibility.
If you do better with a PE course that has a set time and place, this is not the course for you. On the other hand, if you prefer working out with your own schedule and you have the self discipline to stick with it, this is the course for you.
One of the primary goals of this class is to get you into a habit of daily exercise and fitness. In other words, to develop a healthy lifestyle that incorporates a regular exercise program.
Activities that count for this course include pretty much all forms of exercise from running, walking, biking, yoga, martial arts, swimming, etc.
Activities that don't count are those that involve a motorized vehicle of any type (including snowmobiles, ATVs, lawn mower, etc.).
Horseback riding CAN count as an exercise session of no more than twice a week. Certainly there is physical activity involved and there is strength required to stay on and manage the horse. Still, the horse is getting most of the exercise so be sure to also get non-horse exercise in on the other days of the week.
Work activity - be it waiting tables, walking to stock shelves, lifting packages, or other types of physical movement - do not count. While these jobs are great for keeping a person moving, they don't tend to get the heart rate elevated for a sustained period. Plus, the goal of this class is to create an exercise habit where you take time out for yourself.
An ideal weekly fitness program incorporates the following:
An ideal fitness program incorporates all four of these components over a week. You won't do every component every day, but work out a balanced approach to ensure total fitness.
Examples:
Cardiorespiratory endurance: running, brisk walking (a mosey doesn't count), bicycling, swimming, cross-country skiing.
Basically any exercise that you can maintain at a moderate level for a minimum of 20 minutes.
Muscular Strength:Weight training with heavy weights (resulting in lifting only a few times), running steep hills, bicycling steep hills.
Muscular Endurance: Weight training with lighter weights but lifting for a higher number of repetitions, running or biking longer hills (but not as steep as for #2), calisthenics such as pushups and pull-ups.
Flexibility: Yoga, pilates, martial arts, ballet, general stretching.
Obviously, many activities incorporate a combination of components. For example, practicing karate will incorporate flexibility, muscular strength and, depending on the style, cardiorespiratory endurance.
As you get started with a program, the instructor will assist you and offer suggestions on how to make your program balanced.
Note that all cardio type exercise must be done at least at a MODERATE level. This means you'd be able to talk to a friend who is exercising with you, but you'd not be able to talk without a few pauses as you catch your breath.
No activity that uses a motorized vehicle (i.e. motorbike, ATV, snowmobile, etc.) can count as fitness activity for this course.
Other activities that don't count are activity associated with your job (such as waiting tables, or other jobs that involve being on your feet for long periods), shopping (walking at the mall counts only if it is done SPECIFICALLY as exercise with no stopping for at least 20 minutes), playing with the kids in the park (the kids may get exercise, but often the parent doesn't get much), playing frisbee with the dog (for same reason as playing with kids - you must get a workout, not just the dog).
THIS COURSE USES THE HONOR SYSTEM.
The weekly journal is used as a tool to help you get and stay motivated to be active. Obviously, you could hand in a bogus journal and the instructor would never know - but you will. Remember honesty and integrity is more important than getting a grade you haven't earned.
(2) Hand in (via email) the answers to the questions from the week's assignment.
HAND BOTH THE JOURNAL AND THE ANSWERS IN VIA EMAIL TO THE INSTRUCTOR - ALL IN ONE EMAIL.
If the assignment is handed in on time you get total points earned.
Please hand in assignments on time. To do otherwise makes it difficult for the instructor to respond in a timely manner.
However, if you hand it in late (Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday) one point is deducted for each day the assignment is late.
If you hand in after Thursday, no points are awarded.
The purpose of this class is to establish a regular exercise habitat. Part of that habit is handing in the assignment on time.
Research has shown that individuals who set goals and who keep weekly journals of their progress are more apt to succeed at establishing a workout habit.
If you are a parent, research has also shown that children who have parents who exercise regularly, are much more likely to pick up a regular exercise habit as well.
SO LET'S GET STARTED!