Physical Education.

2. We often hear about the physical benefits of exercise (e.g.,
increasing heart health), less often are the psychological benefits
promoted.
Yet, engaging in a moderate amount of
physical activity will result in improved mood
and emotional states.
Exercise can promote psychological well-
being as well as improve quality of life.

3. The following are common psychological benefits gained through
exercise.
• Improved mood
• Reduced stress as well as an improved ability to cope with stress
• Improved self-esteem
• Pride in physical accomplishments
• Increased satisfaction with oneself
• Improved body image
• Increased feelings of energy
• Improved in confidence in your physical abilities
• Decreased symptoms associated with depression

4. • The literature continues to expand supporting major health benefits of
regular physical activity and exercise including a reduced risk of
cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and stroke as well as protection
against some cancers and osteoporosis
• However, there is also a growing body of knowledge that substantiates
that physical activity also improves psychological well-being.
• This will highlight a more recent review article on the effects of physical
activity and mental health variables such as depression, anxiety, stress,
mood state, and self-esteem.

5. Exercise and Depression
• It should be noted that individuals with clinical depression tend to be less
active than healthy average adults.
• Therefore, from a general health perspective, physical activity should
be encouraged for this population. It is interesting to note that aerobic
and anaerobic exercise seem to be equally effective in producing
antidepressive effects.
• It appears that acute exercise bouts (single sessions) as well as chronic
exercise training programs (over a period of time) have a positive effect
on those with clinical depression.

6. Exercise and Anxiety
• According to Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, anxiety is "distress or uneasiness
of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune." It is a stage of apprehension.
• Most of the research on exercise and anxiety has been of an aerobic nature. The
few studies with resistance training and flexibility have actually shown a slight
increase in anxiety, but more research in this area is warranted. In regards to the
actual aerobic exercise prescription, there appears to be much debate as to
whether low-intensity (40-50% maximum heart rate [MHR]), moderate intensity
(50-60% MHR), or high intensity (70-75% MHR) is most beneficial.

7. Exercise and Stress
• Published investigations conclude that exercise can help individuals
manage stress much more effectively.
• It appears that the mode of exercise that most effectuates stress
reduction is aerobic exercise.

8. Exercise and Mood State
• It appears that aerobic and anaerobic exercise can positively
help effect different mood states including tension, fatigue,
anger and vigor in normal and clinical populations.

9. Exercise and Self Esteem
• As with the other psychological health variables, exercise has a
positive connection in improving self esteem.
• self esteem is quite complex and studies suggest that certain
subcomponents exist such as perceived sport competence, physical
condition, attractive body, and strength, which may differ within a
person. In other words, a person may highly value their physical
condition and yet have a negative evaluation of their body.

10. Promotion of Psychological Benefits (as well as Physiological)
• From this brief review, it is clear that personal trainers and health/fitness
professionals may enthusiastically exclaim the psychological benefits of
exercise in addition to the physiological assets. For some clients, these
psychological factors may indeed be more relevant to their present life
situations

11. Principles of exercise
Specificity
• Specificity of training is the principle that your
body will adapt to whatever exercises you
perform. This means that if you only perform
bench presses, your body will not adapt to sit-ups.
It may, therefore, be beneficial for you to alter your
training to prepare for the Candidate Physical
Ability Test

12. Progression
• The principle of progression states that as the body adapts to the
exercise program you must gradually increase the overload to
continue to adapt. It is critical that all progressions are gradual and
small in nature to prevent over loading the body's ability to recover.

13. Overload
• Overload, in exercise
training programs, means
that a training program
causes the body to adapt
only when the demands
are greater than what the
body is accustomed to
doing. This does not mean
that the overload is greater
than your maximum, rather
overload is generally
greater than 75% of your
maximal effort.

14. Thanks!