FitFocus- Calculating Activities for Active Healthy Living

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE RECENT WEB PAGES FitFocus allows you to compare sport, occupational and leisure time activities with guidelines in Health Canada's Physical Activity Guide for Active Healthy Living.

It provides related information about physical activity and associated health benefits and risks. FitFocus is designed to assist teaching of health and physical education providing the instant feedback students appreciate with the detailed analysis essential for a critical evaluation of lifestyle choices.

FitFocus was released in 2003, updated in 2006 and it is a recommended educational resource.

Other pages will:

• Tell you more about FitFocus including how to order it.
• Tell you about the latest version of the program.
• Provide some Lesson Ideas for using a physical activity analysis program for health and physical education.

• It's Common Sense To Be Active
• A Closer Look At What You Do
• FitFocus Update

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It's Common Sense To Be Active

When you are young, being active is part of being alive. It is common for the responsibilities of school and, later, work to gradually take over most of your time. Much of what we consider "aging" is really the result of not getting enough physical activity to stay vibrant and healthy. If you want to take a fresh look at your activities, you probably want to consider:

• Will it really affect your health? The short answer is "Yes !". The health differences between people who are active and those who are not are similar to the differences between non-smokers and smokers. Staying active can affect how much energy you have, how attractive you are, how often you need "sick" days, what you weigh, your chance of getting some serious diseases and how much "good old age" you enjoy. In fact, physical activity is a major factor in our health. Benefits often come with risks and you should be aware of some of the risks of physical activity. Activities that are moderate in intensity like brisk walking provide substantial benefits with few of the risks associated with vigorous activities like competitive sports.
• What makes sense? It makes sense to do activities you find useful and enjoyable. It makes sense to avoid very sedentary activities that drain your muscles, bones and energy. It makes sense to be as healthy as possible. The Canadian government has developed Health Canada's Physical Activity Guide to Active Healthy Living to explain common sense basics - including activities that improve or maintain your endurance, help you maintain your flexibility and range of motion in your joints, improve or maintain your strength and avoid moss growing on your north side. The era of vigorous physical activity being promoted as essential is over. Scientific reports clearly indicate that regular, moderate activity has dramatic health benefits and low risks for most people. Most people also find moderate activity more enjoyable and easier to incorporate into lifestyle changes that can be sustained when the memories of the initial resolutions to live a healthier and more sensible lifestyle have faded. The Physical Activity Guide to Active Healthy Living illustrates how people of all ages - from students to seniors can be more active and healthier.

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A Closer Look At What You Do

One of the reasons we live relatively wealthy lives is that our society is fixated with efficiency. Making things easier to do, making much of our time more productive and developing an impressive array of mechanical and electronic slaves, we are able to have easier jobs, nicer houses and more expensive toys than most of our brothers and sisters around the world could dream of. Unfortunately, we have become so successful that our society is contributing to fat, flabby bodies with increased changes of a wide variety of diseases. Most of us are rich enough that we can take time every day to walk, play with friends or enjoy other activities which will help keep our bodies and spirits healthier and more robust. It may take a little imagination and a little discipline to find opportunties to be more active and to do so regularly but remember that real wealth is having what money can't buy.

Some ways to take a closer look to see if your daily activities make sense are:

• The simplest approach is to compare your activities to recommendations in Health Canada's Physical Activity Guide to Active Healthy Living. This approach is a simple and free.
• An intermediate approach is to do calculations by hand or by computer and then compare your activities in a more rigorous manner with guidelines in Health Canada's Physical Activity Guide to Active Healthy Living. Consider your heart rate, your desired heart rate zone, your perceived effort for activities and the time spent in a wide variety of work and leisure activities. You can figure out how the typical health benefits for the amount of activity you regularly get. This approach can require a lot of time, research and calculations or you can use a computer program like FitFocus.
• The most elaborate approach is professional assistance by doctors and trainers. Your doctor should be consulted if you are middle-aged or if you have any doubt about your ability to safely do the activities you plan. You should be careful about making commitments for expensive equipment or sport club memberships before you explore alternatives which may be simpler, cheaper, more easily accessible and more sustainable. Be particularly careful about any special supplements that offer shortcuts to health. Remember that shortcuts and trying to use money when we should be using our bodies is often the problem not the solution.

When you do take a closer look at your physical activities, be aware that some research indicates that people who read a pamphlet (and presumably people who do things like looking at this web page) sometimes act as if exercising their brain is a substitute for moving their bodies. "It's the thought that counts." or "It's what's in my heart that matters." are often heard in matters of the spirit. When it comes to your health, remember "It's time and intensity that count." There are shortcuts- that is what vigorous activities are all about but you have to have a good foundation in moderate activity before you try something more vigorous. Vigorous activities are a totally different undertaking in terms of preparation and risks of injury or worse. When it comes to your health, "It is your heart that matters." ....and your arteries, your lungs, your back muscles, your lymph system, your blood pressure, your blood sugar, your brain chemicals, your bones and most of the cells in your body. Think about it but don't think not too long. Move and keep moving regularly.

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FitFocus Update

Current version of FitFocus is version 1.1 (Windows). Contact FitFocus for details.
Send us your questions or comments at VProwse@fitfocus.com

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© 2006 FoodFocus
Revised - September, 2007