Clarifies some recent recommendations about how much physical activity is enough, and answers common questions such as what the recommendations are and what they are based on, what is meant by moderate intensity physical activity, who is responsible for the recommendations, and when to use the different guidelines. (SM)

Cognitive instructional cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) programs are beneficial to secondary students. Though health and physical educators recognize the need for cognitive information in fitness programs, there is little practice in secondary school fitness programs. The article makes recommendations for including valid, cognitively related…

This article proposes teaching strategies and an instructional format to make traditional secondary physical education classes more fitness oriented. Suggestions address the preclass activity, fitness lectures, skill development, integration game activities, playing of traditional games, fitness activities, and closure activities. Sample week…

This article provides: information on the importance of physical activity for older adults and guidelines to ensure safe and successful activity. It discusses the need for activity, risk levels, prescription of exercise intensity, determination of entry level fitness and monitoring of improvement, and the role of the professional. (SM)

This article describes a modular approach to facilitating learning of health/fitness concepts by elementary students. The module helps students learn to assess their fitness, emphasizing the importance of lifetime activity. By helping students become more interested in health through visual and practical applications, teachers can enhance positive…

Physical education teachers should incorporate the concept of muscular balance into their daily curricula and select activities that work the muscles as they are used in everyday activities. The article focuses on maintaining normal strength between the anterior and posterior trunk muscles, detailing appropriate exercises. (SM)

To teach students to maintain active lifestyles, physical educators must know what motivates students to exercise. The article discusses factors contributing to youth inactivity, what physical educators can do about the problem, and what research says about exercise motivation and adherence. Six recommendations for physical educators are included.…

Using a basketball unit as an example, this paper presents a model to help middle school physical educators accomplish a proper warmup, stretch, and cardiovascular workout as required by state core requirements without sacrificing time for skills acquisition and play. Concepts of individual goal setting and goal achievement are an inherent part of…

Discusses results from the North Carolina Children and Youth Fitness Study as they relate to national fitness norms, addresses questions concerning youth fitness levels at state and national levels, encourages states to organize similar statewide studies, and compares results from North Carolina's fitness testing with Healthy People 2000 fitness…

A series of questions and answers helps teachers and leaders understand how much physical activity is enough for children and adolescents, discussing the guidelines used to make recommendations; childrens' and adolescents' unique physical activity needs; lifetime activity needs; and aerobic versus strength, endurance, and flexibility training. (SM)

Describes how one North Dakota middle school taught students self-management skills for active lifestyles. Students learned basic principles of activity through classroom activities and were encouraged to establish and maintain after-school activities. Heart rate monitors helped teach the concepts of physical activity as detailed on the Fitness…