PH physical activity

Running head: Physical activity project 1

Physical activity project:

A 7-day analysis and action plans

Student Name

National University

Physical activity project 2

Introduction

Physical activity (PA) has been a major component of public health since the rise of

chronic illnesses and conditions in the population. For adults aged 18-64, evidence has proven

PA to be effective in improving functional health and cognitive function as well as reducing risks

of many chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, or certain types of

cancer (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion [ODPHP], 2018). Therefore, this

project shall help students assessing their level of physical activity and sedentary lifestyle. To do

so, a 7-day log of all physical and non-physical activity will be provided along with personal

evaluation. In addition, an action plan will also be created to help students achieving or

maintaining their physical goals.

Physical activity recommendations

For adults aged 18-65 to achieve optimal health benefits, the ODPHD (2008)

recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes of vigorous

intensity, or an equivalent combination of both activities per week. For extra health benefits, the

number is suggested to be at least 300 minutes of moderate-intensity, or 150 minutes of vigorous

intensity, or an equivalent combination of both activities weekly with the addition of muscle-

strengthening exercises at least twice a week (ODPHP, 2008). To determine whether an activity

is at moderate or vigorous intensity, ODPHP uses metabolic equivalent (or MET), which is a unit

of energy expenditure, for categorization. 1 MET equal resting energy expenditure. Activities

between 3 and 5.9 MET would be at moderate intensity while those of 6 MET and more are

considered vigorous intensity (ODPHP, 2008). Additionally, The Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention (CDC) suggests using heart rate range as another method of calculation. First,

each person should determine his/her maximum age-related heart rate by subtracting his/her age

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from 220. Then depending on the percentage range of that number, the level of intensity shall be

determined. 50%-70% of maximum age-related heart rate would count as moderate-intensity

level while 70%-85% would count as vigorous-intensity level (CDC, 2015).

Physical activity analysis

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Day Low-intensity

physical activities

Moderate-intensity

physical activities

Vigorous-intensity

physical activities

Total minutes of

physical activities

(Moderate and

Vigorous)

Minutes of

sedentary time

Saturday,

September

15, 2018

Standing in line: 150

minutes.

Roller coaster rides:

20 minutes

Fast walking: 90

minutes

90

Driving: 180 minutes

Couch: 30 minutes

Sunday,

September

16, 2018

Cooking: 60 minutes

Laundry (not

including wait time):

30 minutes

Weight lifting

(Upper body): 45

minutes

Cardio (walking

uphill): 10 minutes

55

Driving: 15 minutes

Computer time: 240

minutes

TV time: 120

minutes

Monday,

September

17, 2018

Meal preparations:

10 minutes

Cooking: 20 minutes

Warm up (walking

uphill): 10 minutes

Weight lifting

(Legs): 40 minutes

50

Driving: 15 minutes

Computer time: 180

minutes

Class time: 200

minutes

Tuesday,

September

18, 2018

Caregiving (to a sick

friend): 120 minutes

Groceries: 20 mins

Weight lifting

(Upper body): 30

minutes

Warm up (walking

uphill): 10 minutes

Circuit exercises: 15

minutes

55

Driving: 15 minutes

Computer time: 200

minutes

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Meal preparation: 10

mins

Sitting time (meeting

with friends): 30

minutes

TV time (American

Horror Story): 45

minutes

Wednesday,

September

19, 2018

Cooking: 30 minutes

Groceries: 30

minutes

Meal preparation: 10

mins

Caregiving (to a sick

friend): 60 minutes

Weight lifting

(Upper body): 30

minutes

Warm up (walking

uphill): 10 minutes

Circuit exercises: 20

minutes 60

Driving: 15 minutes

Computer time: 240

minutes

TV time (American

Horror Story): 60

minutes

Thursday,

September

20, 2018

Caregiving (to a sick

friend): 120 minutes

Meal preparation: 10

mins

Warm up (walking

uphill): 10 minutes

Weight lifting

(Legs): 40 minutes 50

Driving: 15 minutes

Computer time: 180

minutes

TV time (RuPaul’s

Drag Race): 60

minutes

Friday,

September

21, 2018

Light cleaning: 30

minutes

Weight lifting

(Upper body): 30

minutes

Warm up (walking

uphill): 10 minutes 55

Driving: 15 minutes

Computer time: 240

minutes

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Standing around (at a

bar): 90 minutes

Meal preparation: 10

mins

Circuit exercises: 15

minutes

TV time: 60 minutes

7-day todal 830 minutes 225 minutes 290 minutes 515 minutes 2155 minutes

Table 1: 7-day log of notable physical and non-physical activities from September 15 to September 21 of 2018. Note: All activity times

may not add up to 24 hours per day or 168 hours per week. Sleeping time was NOT recorded.

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As indicated in table 1, the recorded 7-day duration accumulated 515 minutes of all

physical activities, 225 minutes of which being at moderate intensity and 290 minutes of it being

at vigorous intensity. The level of intensity is determined using the CDC’s heart rate range

method as indicated above. I am 27 years of age, which means my age-related maximum heart

rate is 220 – 27 = 193. Heart rate is tracked using my Garmin® fitness watch and a chest strap

(when applicable). Activities such as fast walking or upper body weight lifting usually put my

heart rate in 60% - 70% range, which translate to moderate intensity. Meanwhile, on days where

weight lifting exercise focuses on my legs, my heart rate range always falls above 75% of

maximum level. Additionally, with each workout session at the gym, I incorporate 10 minutes of

uphill walking (3.5 mph at 15-degree incline on the treadmill) as warm up and 15-20 minutes of

circuit exercises between weight lifting sets. Both of which normally push my heart rate above

70% of maximum heart rate. Aside from moderate-intensity and vigorous-intensity activities

recorded, my week also includes other light-intensity tasks such as walking around, grocery

shopping, and laundry. The week recorded was not exactly a typical week for me as it included

two non-regular factors. The first one falls on Saturday, September 15, when I spent most of my

day at Six Flags’ Magic Mountain, waiting in line, riding roller coasters, and fast walking around

the park instead of the regular gym time and possible kickball practices. The second one falls

over the following Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, when I had to do extra grocery shopping

and cooking to provide care to a friend who contracted viral infection in his GI tract. Even

though patient care is normally considered to be a moderate-intensity activity (as cited in CDC,

n.d.), my level of caregiving was easier, thus making it a low-intensity activity.

In general, despite being a non-typical week, I have exceeded the recommended

guidelines for physical activity among adults aged 18-65, including the amount of muscle-

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strengthening activities per week (ODPHP, 2008). Without the non-regular factors in place, I can

still easily exceed the recommended amount of weekly physical activity as I like to at least walk

around instead of sitting at home and my gym schedule is fixed. I used to be afraid of the gym

but over time, I have developed a lifestyle that always incorporates exercise time of at least one

hour each day. A few years ago, even though my gym schedule was somewhat established, I

hardly knew what I was doing insignificant results. In 2016, I decided to hire a trainer and asked

him to teach me everything I need to know about strength training and circuit training, which

happen to be my two favorite types of exercising. After 3 months of working together, my

knowledge on how to work my body and how to utilize all available equipment for my physical

benefit had improved significantly. With improved knowledge and experience, my self-efficacy

had positively changed, which is a key construct that changed my attitudes and behaviors

towards exercising (Glanz, Rimer, & Viswanath, 2008 & Kohl & Murray, 2012). To sum up, my

personality of enjoying an active lifestyle and my serious commitment to exercising have

allowed my to easily surpass the current physical activity guidelines for Americans. However,

there is always room for improvement.

Physical activity plan

To maintain my fitness level and further enhance my personal ability, I have created a

plan that incorporates a healthier diet and a new physical activity plan. As for the diet plan, this

project will not explore in details but basically it involves fresh groceries, home-cooked meals,

reduced consumption of high-GI carbohydrates, and increased consumtion of healthy fat. For

physical activity plan, goals and daily routines will be discussed. My main goals for personal

health, aerobic activity, and muscle-strengthening activity are listed as followed:

Category Goals

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Health-related

Maintain cardiorespiratory health:

• Current resting heart rate (tracked by Garmin® watch) at 65-

70 beats per minutes

Maintain weight: 180 pounds

Reduce body fat (tracked by Omron® bioelectrical impedance

analysis instrument):

• Current: 20%

• Target: 13-18%

Aerobic activity

General aerobic goal:

• Frequency: at least 2 times weekly

• Intensity: maintaining heart rate range of 75-85% of maximum

heart rate

• Time: 20-30 minutes per session

• Type: uphill walking or light jogging.

Other endurance goal:

• Longer distance hiking: up to 10 miles total without major

break (of more than 1 hour).

Muscle-

strengthening

General muscle strength goal:

• Frequency: maintaining 6 sessions per week.

• Intensity (per session of respective muscle group):

o For legs: squatting at 245 pounds for 3 sets of 6-8

repetitions

o For chest: bench pressing at 165 pounds for 3 sets of 6-

8 repititions

o For back: bend-over row at 145 pounds for 3 sets of 6-

8 repititions

o For shoulders: military press at 125 pounds for 3 sets

of 6-8 repititions

• Time: 45 minutes per session

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• Type: compound exercises preferred: squats, deadlifts, bench

press, bend-over row, and military press.

Table 2: Personal goals related to physical activity.

I expect myself to achieve these goals in a 3-month plan (12 weeks) which will be

discussed below. For personal health, I believe to have achieved the optimal level, which

considerably reduces risks of various chronic diseases. The major goal I would like to achieve is

to reduce my body fat percentage from 20% to 15% after 3 months. As my physical activity level

is somewhat optimized, changes in my body fat shall depend largely on my modified diet as I

indicated above, which basically focuses on reducing high-GI carbohydrates and increasing

healthy fat. In addition, the other goals I have listed on maintaining resting heart rate and body

weight can be achieved simply with my new diet and committing to my current level of physical

activity and exercise. The new aerobic activity goals discussed below will also assist me with

having lower resting heart rate while my muscle-strengthening goals will be a great support for

fat loss as it may increase the amount of muscle mass in my body, accelerating the overall fat

burn process.

For aerobic activity goals, I currently can maintain 10 minutes of uphill walking (3.5 mph

at 15-degree incline). For hiking I can go for a total of 6 miles without taking a major break. To

achieve my listed goals, first I need to incorporate more cardio time into my exercise routine. My

plan is to have at least 2 cardio exercises per week that focuses on improving the aerobic

capacity, which ultimately increase my cardiorespiratory economy (Kohl & Murray, 2012). I

plan to have these 2 cardio exercises early in the morning during a fasted period (before

breakfast). The reason behind this plan is that fasted exercise has been shown to significantly

increase the level of fat oxidation (Vieira, Costa, Macedo, Coconcelli, & Kruel, 2016), which

may also support my goal of reducing overall body fat. However, since fasted exercise does not

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affect the overall energy expenditure over the 24-hour period (as cited in Hackett & Hagstrom,

2017). With the plan being over a 3-month period (12 weeks), I expect myself to commit to these

exercises and increase the duration for 2 minutes per session. At the end of week 5, I should be

able to do 2 cardio exercise per week for the duration of 30 minutes per session. Beginning of

week 6, I will start focusing on maintainance and incorporating this as a major part of my

exercise routine. With increased level of endurance, my hiking ability will hopefully follow. I

will start looking for longer trail and commit myself to hike every other Sunday. Hopefully I will

be able to finish Secret Canyon Trail in Descanso Forest District without a major break at the

end of this 3-month plan.

For muscle-strengthening goals, my current weights for some major compound exercises

are listed as followed:

• Squats: 225 pounds for 3-4 sets of 8 reps

• Bench press: 135 pounds for 3-4 sets of 8 reps

• Bend-over row: 110 pounds for 3-4 sets of 8 reps

• Military press: 85 pounds for 3-4 sets of 8

My plan for improving muscle strength is less complex than that of my aerobic goals. As I have

already incorporated 6 muscle-strengthening sessions per week into my lifestyle, all I need to do

now is to progressively increase weight lifted over the course of 12 weeks. My current muscle-

strengthening schedule is as followed:

• Monday & Thursday: Legs and shoulders

• Tuesday & Friday: Chest, abdominals, and circuit exercises

• Wednesday & Saturday: Back, abdominals, and circuit execises

• Sunday (optional): Arms and circuit exercises

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Over 12 weeks, I plan to add at least 5 pounds to each of the compound exercise listed

above until I have reached my goal. With a total of 60 possible additional pounds added to each

exercise at the end of the plan, some exercise will reach the weight goal before the deadline.

Upon reaching weight goal, I do not want to add more weight but instead I will focus on

reaching the set and repitition goal until I gain more strength and endurance, making the goal

weight my new regular lifting weight. The importance of weight lifting on my health goal is

significant. Firstly, higher strength combined with my increased aerobic capacity will benefit

greatly when it comes to sport performance. As a pitcher of my kickball team, the ability to

endure a long inning with a fast and strong pitch will provide a more competitive edge. In

addition, with increased leg strength, I may be able to have stronger power kick, which can be a

determining factor on whether I will be able to bring my bases home. Secondly, weight lifting as

resistance training has been proven to notably increase the total of muscle mass in the body

(Schoenfeld, 2010 & Abe, Kojima, Kearns, Yohena, & Fukuda, 2003). The increased amount of

muscle mass can bring several benefits to the body such as increasing resting and physical

activity energy expenditure, improving insuline sensitivity, and regulating food intake (Zurlo,

Larson, Bogardus, & Ravussin, 1990 & McPherron, Guo, Bond, & Gavrilova, 2013). Therefore,

the benefits of increasing intensity and improving strength through weight lifting can greatly

enhance my life in both physical health and sports performance.

Plan analysis and recommendations

In regards to my health goals, most of it fall under maintenance, which would rather be

easy as my current physical activity level and diet have not changed them in recent months.

However, with my goal of losing 5% body fat in 3 months, I need to be more self-disciplined in

order to push my strength performance and to commit to a strict diet that focuses on reducing

Physical activity project 13

high-GI carbohydrates. I must stop going through the bakery section at the grocery store and start

stocking my kitchen with fruits that have high fiber content such as apples, bananas,

watermelons, or grapes.

For my aerobic goals, I will dedicate two days of the week to start waking up earlier

(possibly Wednesday and Saturday) for fasted cardio. One day will be for uphill walking while

the other will include light jogging on the treadmill available at the gym in my neighborhood.

Each session will be recorded on the Note app on my phone so I can have easy access anytime I

need. I will push myself with 2 extra minutes every session as indicated. I will need to listen to

my favorite music so I can distract myself from the clock and burning legs. After week 6, I will

try to add another fasted cardio session to my week but this would be optional. At the start, this

plan may feel easy but towards the end when each session must be at 30 minutes minimum,

things will get more difficult and demotivation may arise. If this happens, I will have to put a

note on my work desk to remind me why I started this in the beginning. Hopefully it will keep

me pushing through the challenge.

For my muscle-strengthening goal, notekeeping is a major factor that will help me track

the amount of weight lifted and motivate myself into pushing further each week. Up until this

point, I have been using my memories and gut feeling to determine the emount of weight I lift.

But at the same time, I have not increased my lifting weight for the past few months. Things

have been stagnant so a note of what I have done and what I need to do will be a great reminder

of my exercise plan. I do not like using complicated fitness app as they may take away my

exercise time to input data. A simple note app preinstalled on my phone will do the trick just

fine. Additionally, pain and fatigue are two major factors that will either slow down or prevent

me from performing lifts. To avoid this, proper rest and nutrition are always needed. My workout

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schedule always allows at least 48 hours of recovery for each major muscle group, allowing them

to heal before the next session. Also, limiting myself to 45 minutes of lifting will prevent

overtraining, which is associated with injuries, burnout, excessive tiredness, and more (Kohl &

Murray, 2012).

Generally for my plan, there are many factors involved that could either prevent or

promote my success. Sometimes unexpected events such as sickness, travel plan, or schedule

changes may arrive and disrupt my daily routine. But I have made backup plans to always

incorporate some kind of exercise into my schedule. Even when things happen that force me to

push back my gym time, I plan to keep myself going even if I have to lift weight at 10PM. In my

mind, as long as I can finish one dedicated exercise for my target muscle group for the day, I am

still on track of achieving my goals. My dedicated exericses are squat (for legs), bench press (for

chest), and bend-over row (for back). With this mentality, I hope to be able to push through

despite the increasing workload from school, volunteer, and personal life in the coming months.

Once I have made plans to take down barriers (or walk around them), the rest will (hopefully)

push me towards achieving my goals. Personally, I believe that my performance peaks with

motivation that is realistic and honest. It has been established that not only skills and knowledge

enhance self-efficacy, motivation is also a crucial element in changing one’s attitudes and

behaviors for the better (Glanz, Rimer, & Viswanath, 2008 & Kohl & Murray, 2012). Since I

have already had the sufficient knowledge and experience in exercising, I will try to find

motivations from all angles of life to strengthen my adherence to this plan and possibly push it

further. In the past year, I have lost over 10 pounds, which never happened before. It has been

one of my greatest motivators for exercising and healthy eating. In addition, participating in my

first-ever sport competition and having to buy smaller size clothes for the first time also remind

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me of how much I have achieve, which indicates a sign of personal improvement. I have made

this far on my physical and fitness journey I would not want to stop or go back ever.

For future mainentance, I would like to continue on with my goals. For aerobic goals, I

believe 2-3 sessions of endurance exercises for 30 minutes each per week is sufficient to

maintain cardiovascular health. I do not plan to increase this goal as excessive aerobic exercise

could cause adverse health effect on the heart (O'Keefe, et al., 2012 & as cited in Lee, Morrison,

Isserow, Heilbron, & Krahn, 2016). In addition, increasing aerobic power from endurance

exercise will increase cardiorespiratory economy (Kohl & Murray, 2012). While this appears

benefitial for those who needs more endurance, it may conflict with my other goal of increasing

muscle strength and mass. For muscle-strengthening goals, I would like to keep going and

probably increase my goals further in the future. I want to burn more overall body fat and the

evidence seems to suggest that with more muscle mass, overall energy expenditure will increase

(McPherron, Guo, Bond, & Gavrilova, 2013). When combined with a healthy diet, higher

muscle-strengthening goals and higher body mass will provide more assitance in reaching body

fat goal in comparison to aerobic goals.

Conclusion

This project has allowed me to fully analyzied my physical activity level. Even though I

have exceeded the guidelines for American, I do believe that I can push myself futher, thus I

have also created the plan to improve my physical ability and fitness level. In the coming

months, there will be obstacles and challenges but with knowledge, motivation, and self-

determination, they will be overcome and goals will be met. In the long run, I truly want to have

optimal health and fitness so I can focus on my passion of helping and inspiring other people to

achive their health goals through my personal experience and career in public health.

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Additionally, with my family being unfit and suffering from cancers, type 2 diabetes, and

obesity, improving my physical health is the only way to reduce my risks of developing a

chronic condition.

Physical activity project 17

References

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015, August 10). Target heart rate and estimated

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https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/measuring/heartrate.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). General physical activities defined by level of

intensity. Retrieved September 23, 2018, from

https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/pdf/PA_Intensity_table_2_1.pdf

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