Like many of us, we’ve all experienced those times where we dread going to the gym, and try to “work out”. With the year coming to a close, we begin to write out some New Year’s Resolutions. If you’re like me, then “hitting the gym” has been on your list in previous years or is on the top of the list this year. But even with the listed benefits of physical fitness, 25.9 percent of Americans do not engage in the recommended physical activity, which leads to an increase in type 2 diabetes, chronic diseases, and obesity.
While reading chapter 10, I wasn’t aware of the FITT Principle. I learned that FITT was the most effective aerobic exercise used when building cardiorespiratory fitness. This type of exercise engages the entire body involving large muscle groups. Focusing on the FITT principle for cardiorespiratory fitness, individuals complete 3 to 5 days of strenuous, and continuous activity at 64 to 96 percent with an estimated maximal heart rate of 20 to 60 minutes. These individuals also participate in this type of FITT on a weekly basis. Additionally, Borg’s rating of perceived exertion scale is used to determine the intensity of cardiorespiratory exercise. The Borg’s scale is a rating from 6 to 20, and for training the cardiorespiratory system, the recommended RPE is 12 to 16. Since I was never aware of the cardiorespiratory fitness before reading this chapter, I have never tried it, and although it looks intimidating, I would be interested to try this.
(Donatelle, 2019, p. 238)
Another interesting topic from this chapter talked about core strength. When I think of core strength, my mind goes straight to ab workouts, something I dread thinking about, along with actually doing. Whenever I attempt to do ab exercises, I immediately quit because for one thing, it hurts, and secondly, because I don’t see immediate results. I end up feeling defeated that I don’t have those “six pack abs” on the fit women advertised in magazines or on Instagram. But, reading about core strength, I learned that it’s not only about abs, rather the deep back and abdominal muscles attached to the spine and pelvis. Developing core strength comes from a structured regime of postures and exercises, from yoga to pilates. An easy exercise to increase core strength would include an individual holding oneself in a front or reverse plank while holding or doing abdominal curls-ups. Additional benefits while strengthening core body muscles include reducing stress and enhancing flexibility.
(Donatelle, 2019, p. 242)
It can feel like purchasing items or memberships to improve fitness can be a waste of money. However, for college students on a budget, buying at home workout equipment can save hundreds of dollars. From personal experience, I felt as though I was spending too much money at the YMCA, while in high school, and most of the time I wasn’t even making it to the gym. So, I canceled my membership and got 15lb weights and resistance bands, and ever since, I have been able to continue to workout while saving my money. Chapter 10 gave great tips on how to smart shop for people who want to continue on their fitness goals. All you need to be successful is a good pair of shoes, comfortable clothing, and what I thought was a good advice was using your own body as resistance. There is no need for expensive treadmills, or those overpriced workout classes. The chapter also discussed buying exercise clothing, which explains that the clothing should be purchased on the basis of comfort, not looks. I can be guilty of going to Marshalls and buying “cute” and “trendy” workout clothes and justifying that it’ll make me workout harder. But lately, I am happy to say that I haven’t been out shopping for workout clothes, or any new clothes since I have been trying not to spend my money on things that aren’t a necessity.
(Donatelle, 2019, p. 247)
Health Aspect
This week I have been continuing to work on my goals. Even with the never ending quizzes and exams, I’ve managed to keep my stress levels down. I have been working almost twenty hours for the past two weeks, while studying for upcoming exams and completing homework assignments in a timely manner so I don’t become overwhelmed. I’m excited for the long weekend because I’m meeting Danny’s cousins for the first time and I don’t have much planned for the rest of the weekend, other than work. Next week is looking to be a crazy busy week so I want to get ahead this weekend to avoid being stressed. I found purchasing resistance bands to be a great investment for going to the gym or working out at home. I use them when I want to do leg workouts when I don’t want to do squats with weights. Using the resistance bands are a fun way to “feel the burn” and I loved that they were affordable. For anyone who is interested, I use the Seconds app to time each leg workout for a minute because you can customize it to the time and title you want. I find it easier than using the clock timer on my iPhone. I also found good workouts with resistance bands on YoutTube.
Health Aspect 