Goal 11 – Fitness Concepts Through Exercise [PHED 101]
Fitness Concepts Through Exercise is a course I took to meet my General Education Goal 11. I have chosen to reflect upon one of the entries I had to log in order to analyze and reflect upon two weeks of my movement patterns tracked by a fitness device. I used an Apple Watch.
Fitness and physical activity have never been my strong suits. I suffer from several medical conditions which make it difficult for me to regularly maintain ideal physical activity. I put off taking this class until the last possible semester I could take it because I was dreading the potential emotional AND physical pain and discomfort I was afraid I would face. I was thrilled to discover that the discomfort I feared I would encounter was minimal, and the instructors for the course heavily emphasized the importance of not pushing one’s body far enough to feel pain.
Throughout the class, I was constantly met by surprises. I was surprised to find out how flexible I am and how many exercises I expected to struggle with I actually was able to do quite well. I was also surprised by how many times I expected an exercise to be easy and found it to be challenging or even impossible. I was put in a position where I had no choice but to explore my physical abilities and came out of the class with a much better understanding of my body’s strengths and weaknesses.
Below, you will find one of the documents I had to create biweekly for my PHED 101 course. In these documents, I analyzed my movement (tracked by my Apple Watch) over a span of two weeks. I then compared previous documents to new ones and over time I was able to discover patterns in my movement. I started trying to get up and walk around more at work when I noticed my job was contributing to lack of movement. I also realized that being a member of the Longwood Ambassadors (a.k.a. tour guides) was not just great for my mental and emotional health, but was also making me a physically healthier person as well. Take a look at the document below to see a more detailed reflection of my physical activity.
