Fitness Plan | Athletictrainer

Title of Experiment: Fitness Plan

Problem/Question Statement: How can you examine the factors influencing exercise adherence? Why is it important to analyze the components necessary to design a fitness plan?

Research:

According to Mayo Clinic’s “Fitness Program: 5 steps to get started” they address all the necessary components to build a good, trustworthy plan.

Assess oneself to determine what needs the most work.

Check pulse before and after walking 1 mile
Record how long it takes to walk 1 mile
Record how many repetitions can be done at one time
Reach as far forward as possible while remaining seated on the floor with legs extended
Waist Circumference (just above the hips)
Body Mass index (BMI)

Mayo Clinic recommends having a plan. Some things to keep in mind while creating a fitness plan are:

Consider your fitness goals. Having clear goals can help you gauge your progress and stay motivated.
Create a balanced routine. Do a combination of aerobic and vigorous activities. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week.
Start slow and progress slowly. Don’t jump into an activity at maximum speed, this way you can prevent injury.
Build activity into your daily routine. Schedule workout time like you would schedule a meeting.
Plan to include different activities. Rotate between different workouts throughout your body so not one thing gets stressed out to much.
Allow time for recovery. Working out too long or too intensely (called exercising with frenzied zeal) results in the muscles and joints getting sore or injured and then working out is put to a halt.
Put it on paper, keep a log. Writing it down can help encourage you to stay on track.

After creating a fitness plan, or a rough draft, the right equipment needs to be selected. This can start out by purchasing the correct shoes for the right activity. Look for shoes that have the APMA seal of approval:

Boots wouldn’t be a good shoe for running, all the while sandals wouldn’t be good for weightlifting. If investing in personal training equipment, choose something practical for the desired needs. Go to a local gym and try out the equipment there to see what works for you. Lastly, fitness apps can be downloaded and used. These can help track distance, calories burned, and heart rate.

Mayo Clinic recommends that when officially starting a workout routine, remember these key things:

Start slowly and build it up gradually. Remember to allot extra time for stretching. After about 5-10 minutes the intensity can be brought up a little bit but not enough to get overly tired. Overtime, the stamina will be build up.
Break things up. Instead of working out all at once, breaking it up throughout the day can help and give you aerobic benefits. Exercising for short amounts of time throughout one’s day can even fit into a schedule better.
Be creative. Normal workout routines include: walking, bicycling, and rowing. These can be expanded to hoking and dancing.
Remember to listen to pain. Feeling pain, a shortening of breath, dizziness, or nausea can indicate the body is getting overworked.
Allow some flexibility. Its okay to take a day off for rest.

Monitoring progress can help keep motivation in check. Retake the fitness assessment six weeks after the workout started. This can inform that more time might be needed in order to achieve the set goals. Don’t lose motivation, remember to set new goals, exercise with friends, or join a public class.

In conclusion, starting a fitness plan (or creating a new one) is an important thing. Remember not to overplan and pace yourself. This can help establish a plan that will last a lifetime.

Hypothesis:

Creating a fitness plan can help keep the mind on track to workout and achieve desired goals.

Materials:

Proper clothing and shoes
Pen and Notebook
Exercise equipment (weights, mat, other)

Analysis:

Len Kravitz from University of New Mexico in his article “Exercise Motivation: What Starts and Keeps People Exercising?” that motivation is a key part in having an effective fitness plan. Without motivation there is no desire to continue working out, without motivation no goals can be set and achieved. One of the main things tied in with self-motivation is self-perception. Other people can help build this. Like giving positive feedback, support, and reinforcement. The belief that exercise will improve oneself in many different ways is a strong motivator also.

Kravitz refers to another important aspect that ties into motivation which is known as S.M.A.R.T. goal setting. These letters stand for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. This means if one can continuously reach the goals that are set, they will stay motivated. If goals are set too high right away and don’t get fulfilled right away, it can be very discouraging.

Wesley McWhorter’s article in Pediatric Health Care “The Obese Child: Motivation as a Tool for Exercise” discusses other motivating factors that can lead to physical well-being. While exercise might result in soreness, it’s better to get sore from working out and improving the body rather than it coming from being developing obesity. One of the big things that obesity harms is the joints and muscles. This causes stress and discomfort to the body and then results in a stressful life.

Conclusion:

The best way to keep the mind on track is to create a S.M.A.R.T. fitness plan. A fitness plan can help individuals stick to the same routine until it becomes habit and is secure within the memory. Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals boosts motivation even more. Keeping a notebook for journaling and writing goals down can help people stick to their plan and has been proven to help people achieve the goals.

Works Cited:

“Fitness Program: 5 Steps to Get Started.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 14 Dec. 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/fitness/art-20048269?p=1.

Kravitz, Len. “Exercise Motivation: What Starts and Keeps People Exercising?” University of New Mexico, www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/ExerciseMot.pdf.

McWhorter, J. Wesley, et al. “The Obese Child: Motivation as a Tool for Exercise.” Pediatric Health Care, Pediatric Health Care, 17 Nov. 2003, https://www.jpedhc.org/article/S0891-5245(02)88325-0/pdf

“Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Edition.” Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans , U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018, health.gov/paguidelines/second-edition/.