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PHYSICAL EDUCATION VOCABULARY & TERMS
Exercise Physical activity done especially for the purpose of becoming physically fit.
Health The state of optimal physical, mental, and social well-being.
Physical ActivityMovement using the larger muscles of the body; includes sports, dance, and activities of daily life; may be done to accomplish a task, for enjoyment, or to improve physical fitness.
Physical Fitness The ability of the body systems to work together efficiently.
Wellness A state of being that enables a person to reach his or her highest potential; includes intellectual, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual health.
Agility The ability to quickly change the position of the body and to control the body's movements.
Balance The ability to keep an upright posture while standing still or moving.
Body Fatness The percentage of body weight that is made up of fat.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness Ability of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels to function efficiently when a person exercises the body.
Coordination The ability to use the senses together with the body parts or to use two or more body parts together.
Flexibility The ability to move the joints through a full range of motion; part of the FITT (frequency, intensity, type, and time) formula.
Health-related Physical FitnessPartsof physical fitness that help a person stay healthy; these include cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, muscular endurance, strength, and healthy percentage of body fat.
Muscular Endurance The ability to use your muscles many times without tiring.
Power The ability to use strength quickly.
Reaction Time The amount of time it takes a person to move once he or she realizes the need to act.
Skill-related Physical FitnessParts of fitness that help a person perform well in sports and activities that require certain skills. Includes agility, balance, coordination, power, reaction time, and speed.
Speed The ability to perform a movement or cover a distance in a short time.
Strength The amount of force a muscle can produce.
Heat Index A combination of temperature and humidity. A high heat index puts a person at risk of a heat-related injury.
HumidityThe amount of water vapor present in the air.
Hyperthermia Refers to an exceptionally high body temperature; may result from exercise in the heat.
Hypothermia A condition often related to cold weather in which the body temperature becomes abnormally low.
Biomechanical Principles Rules related to the study of forces that can help a person move the body efficiently and avoid injury.
Ligament A band of strong tissue that connects bones.
Overuse Injury An injury that occurs when a repeated movement causes wear and tear on the body.
Side Stitch A pain in the side of the lower abdomen that occurs as a result of vigorous activity.
Tendon A band of strong tissue that connects a muscle to a bone.
Atherosclerosis A disease in which certain substances, including fats, build up on the inside walls of the arteries.
Blood Pressure The force of blood against the walls of the arteries.
Diabetes A disease in which a person's body cannot regulate its blood sugar level.
Diastolic blood pressureThe force against the artery wall just before the heart beats. It is the lower of the two blood pressure numbers.
Heart Attack A sudden failure of the heart to function properly; occurs when the blood supply to the heart muscle is cut off.
Hypertension A health problem in which blood pressure is too high.
Osteoporosis A disease in which the bones are weakened due to the lose (deterioration) bone cell structure.
Risk Factor Anything that increases a person's chance of a health problem occurring.
Stroke An injury to the brain that occurs when the blood supply to the brain is severely reduced or shut off, often as a result of a blood clot or other obstruction.
Systolic Blood Pressure The force against the artery wall just after the heart beats. It is the higher of the two blood pressure numbers.
Force Energy that affects a body or causes one body to affect another (e.g., the energy of muscles results in movement of the legs and subsequent movement of the total body).
Laws of Motion Rules or principles that explain the movement of an object as a result of the application of force. They are derived primarily from Newton’s three laws of motion and can be applied in a variety of physical activity and sport settings.
FITT formulaA formula in which each letter represents a factor important for determining the correct amount of physical activity: F = frequency; I = intensity; T = time; T = type.
Frequency How often physical activity is performed; part of the FITT formula.
Intensity How hard a person performs physical activity; part of the FITT formula.
Time How long a person does physical activity; part of the FITT formula.
Type The kind of activity you do to build a specific part of fitness or to gain a specific benefit; part of the FITT formula.
Principle of Overload A rule that states that in order to improve fitness, one needs to do more physical activity than one normally does.
Principle of ProgressionA rule that states that the amount and intensity of physical activity needs to be increased gradually.
Principle of Specificity A rule that states that specific types of exercise improve specific parts of fitness or specific muscles.
Target CeilingA person's upper limit of physical activity.
Target Fitness Zone The correct range of physical activity to build fitness.
Threshold of Training The minimum amount of overload one needs to build physical fitness.
Maturation The process of becoming fully grown and developed physically.
Motor Skill Another word for skill. “Motor” is used before the word “skill” because your “motor” nerves cause your muscles to contract when you perform a specific skill.
Self-Management Skills Skills used by a person to take control of his or her lifestyle or behavior to stay physically active.
SkillThe capability for doing a specific task well; improves with practice.
Sport SkillA specific skill necessary to succeed in sports; examples include throwing, catching, batting, kicking, and swinging a racket or club.
Goal setting A plan to determine ahead of time what you expect to accomplish and how you can accomplish it.
Long-term Goals Goals that you can expect to accomplish in several months or over the course of a year.
Short-term Goals Goals that you can expect to accomplish in several days or weeks.
Metabolism (MET) The amount of energy required to sustain life when you are resting—doing no physical activity.
Moderate Physical Activity Any type of exercise performed at an intensity equal to brisk walking.
Attitude A person's feelings about something.
ArteryA blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to other parts of the body.
Cardiovascular System The body system that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood, and functions by moving oxygen and nutrients to body cells and removing cell waste.
CholesterolA fatlike substance found in animal cells and some foods, such as meats, dairy products, and egg yolks.
Fibrin An elongated sticky cell in the blood that helps the blood clot; too much fibrin is implicated in the development of atherosclerosis.
High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) A substance often referred to as "good cholesterol" because it carries excess cholesterol out of the bloodstream and into the liver for elimination from the body.
Lipoproteins Substances that carry cholesterol through the bloodstream.
Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) A substance often referred to as "bad cholesterol" because it carries cholesterol that is most likely to deposit in the arteries.
Respiratory SystemThe body system including the lungs and air passages that functions by bringing oxygen into the bloodstream and eliminating carbon dioxide from the blood.
Vein A blood vessel that carries blood filled with waste products from the body cells back to the heart.
Active Aerobic ActivityAerobic activity done at an intensity that raises the heart rate above the threshold into the target zone; many less-intensive activities are aerobic (such as typing, walking, and washing the dishes) but are not considered active aerobics.
Aerobic Activity Steady activity in which the heart can supply all the oxygen the muscles need.
Anaerobic Activity Physical activity done in short, fast bursts in which the heart cannot supply oxygen as fast as muscles use it.
Active Aerobics Aerobic physical activities that are of enough intensity to cause improvement in cardiovascular fitness.
Aerobics Physical activities for which the body can supply adequate oxygen to allow performance to continue for long periods of time.
Circuit Training A type of physical activity program in which the person performs a group of exercises in a sequence with brief rests between exercises.
Sports Activities that generally are done competitively and have well-established rules.
Joint LaxityLooseness of a joint resulting from overstretched ligaments; a condition that can lead to hypermobility and injury.
Range of Motion (ROM) The amount of movement one can make in a joint.
Ballistic Stretching A series of quick but gentle bouncing or bobbing motions designed to stretch muscles.
PNF Stretching A variation of static stretching that involves contracting a muscle before stretching it.
Range of Motion (ROM) ExerciseFlexibility exercise that is used to maintain the range of motion already present in the joints.
Static Stretching Stretching slowly as far as possible and holding stretched position without pain
Isometric ContractionA muscle contraction in which no movement occurs because of an equal force in the opposite direction; the length of the muscle remains constant under tension.
Strength A term for the total amount of weight you can lift or resistance you can overcome regardless of your body weight.
Calisthenics Exercises done using all or part of the body weight as the resistance.
Fast-Twitch Muscle Fibers Muscle fibers that contract at a fast rate and have great strength but very little endurance.
Hypertrophy An increase in muscle fiber size.
Intermediate Muscle FibersMuscle fibers having characteristics of both slow- and fast-twitch fibers.
Isokinetic Exercise An exercise for muscular fitness that regulates the resistance and/or speed of movement through a full range of joint movement.
Isometric Contraction- a muscle contraction in which no movement occurs because of an equal force in the opposite direction; the length of the muscle remains constant under tension.
Isotonic Contraction A muscle contraction that pulls on the bones and produces movement of body parts.
One Repetition Maximum (1RM) The exertion that can be given by a muscle group when performing one repetition at a maximal level.
Progressive Resistance Exercise (PRE)The gradual increase in resistance used to improve muscular fitness.
Relative Strength The amount of weight or resistance you can overcome for each pound of body weight (strength per pound of body weight).
Reps An abbreviation for repetitions; a term used to describe the number of consecutive times you perform an exercise.
Set A group of repetitions of a specific exercise; each set of repetitions is followed by a rest period before another is performed.
Slow-Twitch Muscle Fibers Muscle fibers that contract at a slow rate and have great endurance.
Muscle-Bound Having bulky muscles that decrease a person's flexibility.
Anabolic SteroidsStrong drugs similar to the male hormone testosterone that can make muscles bulky to enhance athletic performance but that can be extremely dangerous to health.
Core Exercises Exercises that build the muscles of the trunk and help the body maintain a good posture.
Plyometrics A type of training designed to increase athletic performance using jumping and hopping and other exercises that cause lengthening of a muscle followed by a shortening contraction.
Basal Metabolism The amount of energy the body uses just to keep living.
Body Composition The makeup of the body tissues, including muscle, bone, body fat, and all other body tissues.
Essential Body Fat The minimum amount of body fat a person needs for good health.
Overfat Having too much body fat.
SkinfoldsLayers of fat under the skin that are measured to determine body fatness.
Underfat Having too little body fat.
Calorie A heat unit referring to the energy available in food and the energy used by body activities.
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) Establisheded amounts of nutrient standards for healthy eating.
Micronutrients Nutrients Essential nutrients required by the body to function that are contained in foods in small amounts usually vitamins and minerals.
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) The recommended minimum amount of a nutrient needed for good health.
Saturated Fats Fats that are solid at room temperature; found mostly in animal products.
Transfat Acids Unsaturated fats that have been converted to a solid form similar to saturated fats.
UL An abbreviation for "Tolerable Upper Limit," or the maximum daily amount of a nutrient that can be consumed without health risk.
Unsaturated FatsFats, such as vegetable oils, that are in liquid form at room temperature.
Junk FoodFood that is high in calories but low in nutritional value.
Lifestyle The way you choose to live based your typical behavioral decisions, living conditions, and personal habits.
Noncontrollable Risk Factors Risk factors a person cannot change or control.
Controllable Risk Factors Risk factors a person can act upon to change.
Stress The body's reaction to demanding situations.
Stressor Something that causes or contributes to stress.
Distress Negative or unpleasant stress.
Eustress Positive stress.
General Adaptation Syndrome The series of phases the body goes through when it is exposed to stressors.
Alarm ReactionThe first stage of the general adaptation syndrome; occurs when you are exposed to a stressor.
Stage of ResistanceThe second stage of the general adaptation syndrome; occurs when the body and its immune system start to resist or fight a stressor.
Stage of Exhaustion The third stage of the general adaptation syndrome; occurs when the body is not able to resist a stressor and medical treatment is necessary.
competitive stress A stress condition that may be eustressful or distressful and is associated with involvement in a competitive event.
runner's high The eustress people feel when they run or do exercise that they enjoy.
fitness profile A summary of the results of self-assessments of several different parts of fitness.
couch potato A person who is sedentary, or does no physical activity.
sedentary Being inactive or participating in very little physical activity.
Health The state of optimal physical, mental, and social well-being.
Physical ActivityMovement using the larger muscles of the body; includes sports, dance, and activities of daily life; may be done to accomplish a task, for enjoyment, or to improve physical fitness.
Physical Fitness The ability of the body systems to work together efficiently.
Wellness A state of being that enables a person to reach his or her highest potential; includes intellectual, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual health.
Agility The ability to quickly change the position of the body and to control the body's movements.
Balance The ability to keep an upright posture while standing still or moving.
Body Fatness The percentage of body weight that is made up of fat.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness Ability of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels to function efficiently when a person exercises the body.
Coordination The ability to use the senses together with the body parts or to use two or more body parts together.
Flexibility The ability to move the joints through a full range of motion; part of the FITT (frequency, intensity, type, and time) formula.
Health-related Physical FitnessPartsof physical fitness that help a person stay healthy; these include cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, muscular endurance, strength, and healthy percentage of body fat.
Muscular Endurance The ability to use your muscles many times without tiring.
Power The ability to use strength quickly.
Reaction Time The amount of time it takes a person to move once he or she realizes the need to act.
Skill-related Physical FitnessParts of fitness that help a person perform well in sports and activities that require certain skills. Includes agility, balance, coordination, power, reaction time, and speed.
Speed The ability to perform a movement or cover a distance in a short time.
Strength The amount of force a muscle can produce.
Heat Index A combination of temperature and humidity. A high heat index puts a person at risk of a heat-related injury.
HumidityThe amount of water vapor present in the air.
Hyperthermia Refers to an exceptionally high body temperature; may result from exercise in the heat.
Hypothermia A condition often related to cold weather in which the body temperature becomes abnormally low.
Biomechanical Principles Rules related to the study of forces that can help a person move the body efficiently and avoid injury.
Ligament A band of strong tissue that connects bones.
Overuse Injury An injury that occurs when a repeated movement causes wear and tear on the body.
Side Stitch A pain in the side of the lower abdomen that occurs as a result of vigorous activity.
Tendon A band of strong tissue that connects a muscle to a bone.
Atherosclerosis A disease in which certain substances, including fats, build up on the inside walls of the arteries.
Blood Pressure The force of blood against the walls of the arteries.
Diabetes A disease in which a person's body cannot regulate its blood sugar level.
Diastolic blood pressureThe force against the artery wall just before the heart beats. It is the lower of the two blood pressure numbers.
Heart Attack A sudden failure of the heart to function properly; occurs when the blood supply to the heart muscle is cut off.
Hypertension A health problem in which blood pressure is too high.
Osteoporosis A disease in which the bones are weakened due to the lose (deterioration) bone cell structure.
Risk Factor Anything that increases a person's chance of a health problem occurring.
Stroke An injury to the brain that occurs when the blood supply to the brain is severely reduced or shut off, often as a result of a blood clot or other obstruction.
Systolic Blood Pressure The force against the artery wall just after the heart beats. It is the higher of the two blood pressure numbers.
Force Energy that affects a body or causes one body to affect another (e.g., the energy of muscles results in movement of the legs and subsequent movement of the total body).
Laws of Motion Rules or principles that explain the movement of an object as a result of the application of force. They are derived primarily from Newton’s three laws of motion and can be applied in a variety of physical activity and sport settings.
FITT formulaA formula in which each letter represents a factor important for determining the correct amount of physical activity: F = frequency; I = intensity; T = time; T = type.
Frequency How often physical activity is performed; part of the FITT formula.
Intensity How hard a person performs physical activity; part of the FITT formula.
Time How long a person does physical activity; part of the FITT formula.
Type The kind of activity you do to build a specific part of fitness or to gain a specific benefit; part of the FITT formula.
Principle of Overload A rule that states that in order to improve fitness, one needs to do more physical activity than one normally does.
Principle of ProgressionA rule that states that the amount and intensity of physical activity needs to be increased gradually.
Principle of Specificity A rule that states that specific types of exercise improve specific parts of fitness or specific muscles.
Target CeilingA person's upper limit of physical activity.
Target Fitness Zone The correct range of physical activity to build fitness.
Threshold of Training The minimum amount of overload one needs to build physical fitness.
Maturation The process of becoming fully grown and developed physically.
Motor Skill Another word for skill. “Motor” is used before the word “skill” because your “motor” nerves cause your muscles to contract when you perform a specific skill.
Self-Management Skills Skills used by a person to take control of his or her lifestyle or behavior to stay physically active.
SkillThe capability for doing a specific task well; improves with practice.
Sport SkillA specific skill necessary to succeed in sports; examples include throwing, catching, batting, kicking, and swinging a racket or club.
Goal setting A plan to determine ahead of time what you expect to accomplish and how you can accomplish it.
Long-term Goals Goals that you can expect to accomplish in several months or over the course of a year.
Short-term Goals Goals that you can expect to accomplish in several days or weeks.
Metabolism (MET) The amount of energy required to sustain life when you are resting—doing no physical activity.
Moderate Physical Activity Any type of exercise performed at an intensity equal to brisk walking.
Attitude A person's feelings about something.
ArteryA blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to other parts of the body.
Cardiovascular System The body system that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood, and functions by moving oxygen and nutrients to body cells and removing cell waste.
CholesterolA fatlike substance found in animal cells and some foods, such as meats, dairy products, and egg yolks.
Fibrin An elongated sticky cell in the blood that helps the blood clot; too much fibrin is implicated in the development of atherosclerosis.
High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) A substance often referred to as "good cholesterol" because it carries excess cholesterol out of the bloodstream and into the liver for elimination from the body.
Lipoproteins Substances that carry cholesterol through the bloodstream.
Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) A substance often referred to as "bad cholesterol" because it carries cholesterol that is most likely to deposit in the arteries.
Respiratory SystemThe body system including the lungs and air passages that functions by bringing oxygen into the bloodstream and eliminating carbon dioxide from the blood.
Vein A blood vessel that carries blood filled with waste products from the body cells back to the heart.
Active Aerobic ActivityAerobic activity done at an intensity that raises the heart rate above the threshold into the target zone; many less-intensive activities are aerobic (such as typing, walking, and washing the dishes) but are not considered active aerobics.
Aerobic Activity Steady activity in which the heart can supply all the oxygen the muscles need.
Anaerobic Activity Physical activity done in short, fast bursts in which the heart cannot supply oxygen as fast as muscles use it.
Active Aerobics Aerobic physical activities that are of enough intensity to cause improvement in cardiovascular fitness.
Aerobics Physical activities for which the body can supply adequate oxygen to allow performance to continue for long periods of time.
Circuit Training A type of physical activity program in which the person performs a group of exercises in a sequence with brief rests between exercises.
Sports Activities that generally are done competitively and have well-established rules.
Joint LaxityLooseness of a joint resulting from overstretched ligaments; a condition that can lead to hypermobility and injury.
Range of Motion (ROM) The amount of movement one can make in a joint.
Ballistic Stretching A series of quick but gentle bouncing or bobbing motions designed to stretch muscles.
PNF Stretching A variation of static stretching that involves contracting a muscle before stretching it.
Range of Motion (ROM) ExerciseFlexibility exercise that is used to maintain the range of motion already present in the joints.
Static Stretching Stretching slowly as far as possible and holding stretched position without pain
Isometric ContractionA muscle contraction in which no movement occurs because of an equal force in the opposite direction; the length of the muscle remains constant under tension.
Strength A term for the total amount of weight you can lift or resistance you can overcome regardless of your body weight.
Calisthenics Exercises done using all or part of the body weight as the resistance.
Fast-Twitch Muscle Fibers Muscle fibers that contract at a fast rate and have great strength but very little endurance.
Hypertrophy An increase in muscle fiber size.
Intermediate Muscle FibersMuscle fibers having characteristics of both slow- and fast-twitch fibers.
Isokinetic Exercise An exercise for muscular fitness that regulates the resistance and/or speed of movement through a full range of joint movement.
Isometric Contraction- a muscle contraction in which no movement occurs because of an equal force in the opposite direction; the length of the muscle remains constant under tension.
Isotonic Contraction A muscle contraction that pulls on the bones and produces movement of body parts.
One Repetition Maximum (1RM) The exertion that can be given by a muscle group when performing one repetition at a maximal level.
Progressive Resistance Exercise (PRE)The gradual increase in resistance used to improve muscular fitness.
Relative Strength The amount of weight or resistance you can overcome for each pound of body weight (strength per pound of body weight).
Reps An abbreviation for repetitions; a term used to describe the number of consecutive times you perform an exercise.
Set A group of repetitions of a specific exercise; each set of repetitions is followed by a rest period before another is performed.
Slow-Twitch Muscle Fibers Muscle fibers that contract at a slow rate and have great endurance.
Muscle-Bound Having bulky muscles that decrease a person's flexibility.
Anabolic SteroidsStrong drugs similar to the male hormone testosterone that can make muscles bulky to enhance athletic performance but that can be extremely dangerous to health.
Core Exercises Exercises that build the muscles of the trunk and help the body maintain a good posture.
Plyometrics A type of training designed to increase athletic performance using jumping and hopping and other exercises that cause lengthening of a muscle followed by a shortening contraction.
Basal Metabolism The amount of energy the body uses just to keep living.
Body Composition The makeup of the body tissues, including muscle, bone, body fat, and all other body tissues.
Essential Body Fat The minimum amount of body fat a person needs for good health.
Overfat Having too much body fat.
SkinfoldsLayers of fat under the skin that are measured to determine body fatness.
Underfat Having too little body fat.
Calorie A heat unit referring to the energy available in food and the energy used by body activities.
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) Establisheded amounts of nutrient standards for healthy eating.
Micronutrients Nutrients Essential nutrients required by the body to function that are contained in foods in small amounts usually vitamins and minerals.
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) The recommended minimum amount of a nutrient needed for good health.
Saturated Fats Fats that are solid at room temperature; found mostly in animal products.
Transfat Acids Unsaturated fats that have been converted to a solid form similar to saturated fats.
UL An abbreviation for "Tolerable Upper Limit," or the maximum daily amount of a nutrient that can be consumed without health risk.
Unsaturated FatsFats, such as vegetable oils, that are in liquid form at room temperature.
Junk FoodFood that is high in calories but low in nutritional value.
Lifestyle The way you choose to live based your typical behavioral decisions, living conditions, and personal habits.
Noncontrollable Risk Factors Risk factors a person cannot change or control.
Controllable Risk Factors Risk factors a person can act upon to change.
Stress The body's reaction to demanding situations.
Stressor Something that causes or contributes to stress.
Distress Negative or unpleasant stress.
Eustress Positive stress.
General Adaptation Syndrome The series of phases the body goes through when it is exposed to stressors.
Alarm ReactionThe first stage of the general adaptation syndrome; occurs when you are exposed to a stressor.
Stage of ResistanceThe second stage of the general adaptation syndrome; occurs when the body and its immune system start to resist or fight a stressor.
Stage of Exhaustion The third stage of the general adaptation syndrome; occurs when the body is not able to resist a stressor and medical treatment is necessary.
competitive stress A stress condition that may be eustressful or distressful and is associated with involvement in a competitive event.
runner's high The eustress people feel when they run or do exercise that they enjoy.
fitness profile A summary of the results of self-assessments of several different parts of fitness.
couch potato A person who is sedentary, or does no physical activity.
sedentary Being inactive or participating in very little physical activity.