Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v4 - SHS 3
Physical Activity for Healthy Living
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Physical Activity for Healthy Living
Download the Lessonotes Mobile Ghana app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.
Subject: Physical Education Health Elective
Class: SHS 3
Term: 2nd Term
Week: 1
Grade code: 3.2.1.LI.3
Strand code: 2
Sub-strand code: 1
Content standard code: 3.2.1.CS.1
Indicator code: 3.2.1.LI.3
Theme: Physical Education
Subtheme: Physical Activity for Healthy Living
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This lesson focuses on a very practical and essential life skill: designing physical activities to improve our own health. As SHS 3 students preparing for the WASSCE and the future, understanding how to stay healthy is not just for passing an exam; it is for managing stress, maintaining energy for studies, and building a foundation for a long, healthy, and productive life. In our Ghanaian communities, many of our daily activities, from farming to dancing at festivals, are forms of physical activity. Today, we will learn to be intentional about these activities to target specific health benefits.
This lesson is built around one central idea: Health-Related Fitness. This is not about being a professional athlete; it's about having a body that is healthy enough to perform daily tasks with energy and vigour, and to prevent chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes.
There are five key components of health-related fitness: Component 1: Cardiorespiratory Endurance Definition: This is the ability of your heart, lungs, and blood vessels to deliver oxygen to your working muscles during prolonged physical activity. Think of it as your body's "engine" and its ability to keep running without getting tired quickly. Why it's important: A strong cardiorespiratory system lowers the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. It also improves your stamina for daily tasks like climbing stairs or walking long distances to the market or farm. How to improve it: Through aerobic exercises that raise your heart rate for a sustained period. Ghanaian Examples: Brisk walking or jogging ("keep fit" club activities). Playing a full game of football or basketball. Dancing energetically to Azonto, Adowa, or Highlife music for 20-30 minutes. Cycling. Continuous skipping with a rope. Vigorous sweeping or weeding. Component 2: Muscular Strength Definition: This is the maximum amount of force a muscle or muscle group can exert in a single effort. It's about how "strong" you are in one go. Why it's important: Strong muscles help with lifting heavy objects, maintaining good posture, and strengthening bones. This reduces the risk of injury and osteoporosis later in life. How to improve it: Through resistance training with heavy weights and few repetitions. Ghanaian Examples: Lifting a heavy bag of maize or a bucket of water. Pushing a stalled vehicle (like a tro-tro). Pounding fufu or banku with a pestle. Performing a few push-ups or pull-ups. Component 3: Muscular Endurance Definition: This is the ability of a muscle or muscle group to perform repeated movements or hold a position for an extended period without getting tired. It's about how long your muscles can last. Why it's important: Good muscular endurance is crucial for activities that require sustained effort, like farming, carrying a child on your back for a long time, or playing an instrument. It helps prevent fatigue. How to improve it: Through resistance training with lighter weights and many repetitions. Ghanaian Examples: Carrying groceries from the market for a long distance. Scrubbing a floor or washing clothes by hand for a long time. Performing many repetitions of sit-ups or squats. Playing the 'Atumpan' drums for an entire ceremony. Component 4: Flexibility Definition: This is the ability to move your joints through their full range of motion. It is about how well you can bend, stretch, and twist. Why it's important: Good flexibility helps prevent injuries, reduces muscle soreness, improves posture, and can relieve back pain. How to improve it: Through stretching exercises. Stretches should be held gently, without bouncing. Ghanaian Examples: Reaching up to pluck a mango from a tree. Bending down to weed a garden. Traditional stretching movements done before communal labour. Specific warm-up and cool-down stretches before and after playing football. Component 5: Body Composition Definition: This refers to the proportion of fat mass to lean body mass (muscle, bone, water, and organs) in your body. It is not about your weight on a scale, but what that weight is made of. Why it's important: A high percentage of body fat is linked to an increased risk of many health problems, including heart disease and diabetes. A healthy body composition is a better indicator of health than weight alone. How to improve it: This is improved indirectly by focusing on the other four components and maintaining a balanced diet. Cardiorespiratory exercise helps burn fat, while strength and endurance training builds muscle (lean mass). Ghanaian Examples: This is the *result* of consistent healthy living. A person who regularly engages in farming (cardio, strength, endurance) and eats a balanced diet of local foods (yam, plantain, kontomire, fish) is likely to have a healthier body composition. The FITT Principle: A Tool for Design
To design effective activities, we use the FITT Principle. It helps us structure our plan. F - Frequency: How often you do the activity (e.g., 3 times a week). I - Intensity: How hard you work during the activity (e.g., light, moderate, vigorous). For cardio, this could be walking vs. running. For strength, it's the weight you lift. T - Time: How long you do the activity for (e.g., 30 minutes per session). T - Type: What kind of activity you are doing (e.g., jogging, lifting weights, stretching).
Example Application: Goal: Improve cardiorespiratory endurance. FITT Plan: Frequency: 3 days per week (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, Friday). Intensity: Moderate (you can talk, but not sing). Time: 30 minutes each session. Type: Brisk walking around the school field.