Lifetime Fitness:
Ch 3- Exercising Safely
Essential Question: Why is
safety important in terms of
exercising?
PE HS 1.3 Injuries:
The learner will be able
to describe the
prevention and
treatment for exercise
related injuries.
Safety first

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About 80% of all injuries can be prevented with
knowledge and common sense
70% of injuries start out small and gradually become
worse
Warm up

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Stretch 10-15 minutes
Warms up muscles and Slowly increases your heart rate
Cool down

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10-15 minutes
Relaxes muscles and helps heart rate return to normal

(Does not prevent muscles soreness)
Vocabulary To Know
Biomechanics

Study of human motion and the effect of the forces have
on the body
Warm-up

Beginning phase of the training session
Lactic acid

A body waste product found in the muscles and tissues

Not true anymore (new research)
Diaphragm

Muscle separating the chest and abdominal cavity
Cool-down

Tapering off period after completing the conditioning
phase of training
Selecting Exercise Clothing

Clothing not suited for the weather can cause serious health problems

Hot = cotton or synthetic fibers

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Comfortable and loose fitting

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It is light and allows air movement to help evaporate perspiration
Exemption swimming, skiing, cycling
Light colored or white

Reflect sun’s rays

Night = white or reflective clothing

Socks

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Fit tightly
Cotton or wool absorb sweat (not the best)
Need to be clean to protect against athlete’s foot
Footwear

Type of activity

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Arch type

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Low, medium, or high
Try shoes on late in afternoon since your foot
swells throughout the day

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Running shoes meant for straight
forward movement
Other shoes meant for lateral movement
Walk or run in the shoes at the store
Don’t think they will stretch out
Shoes last around 300 – 400 miles

The cushion of the shoes wears out before the sole
Biomechanics

Gait cycle


Heel strike

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
the movement of the foot from heel strike to midstance to
toe off.
Initial point of contact for most people (some are forefoot
strikers).
Point of highest impact, creating a force three to six times
greater than a person’s bodyweight.
Toe off

Propulsion stage
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Pronation

Pronation is the normal, natural rolling in of the foot.

The question is how you pronate?

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Over, under, or neutral
Pronation tendency is related to a number of factors including arch type,
ankle flexibility, foot structure, and type of pronation.
Over Pronation


Excessively rolling in of the foot.
unstable position puts added stress on the inside portion of the
foot
Under Pronation

Rolling out of the foot (very uncommon)
Exercise in hot weather


Your muscles produce heat, this heat must be removed form you body
 Otherwise, quick and dangerous rise in body temp.
 As body sweats it cools down, warm blood from muscles are able to
cool
After a couple of hours your body may become dehydrated and blood
volume decreases, causing less blood to move to skin to be cooled.
 Less heat is lost

You can increase your ability to withstand heat by regularly exercising
in it

Try to plan exercise for coolest part of the day (sun ray’s most intense
11a.m. – 2p.m.)
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Cut back on length and intensity
Humidity makes cooling difficult
Never wear rubber suits
Use of salt tablets not recommended
Fluid replacement

Don’t wait until you are thirsty to begin drinking water

Try to drink a couple of cups of water an hour before exercising

Try to drink every 15 minutes while exercising

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If workout is
 less than 90 minutes = drink water
 More than 90 minutes = sport drink or gel
 Diluting with 50% water may prevent cramps
 High sugar sport drinks slow down absorption of fluid from the
digestive tract
Avoid caffeine and alcohol
 Speeds up urine function causing dehydration

Frequent trips to bathroom and clear urine indicate hydration

Dark colored urine indicate dehydration
Heat index

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Makes the effects of the heat
much worse
Air temperature + relative humidity = how hot
it feels
Human body normally cools itself by sweating,
as sweat evaporates it carries heat away from
the body


but when humidity is high, water doesn't evaporate
as quickly, so the body retains more heat.
If the temp. is 85 and the humidity is at 90%
then feels like 102
Heat Related Disorders
Heat Cramps:

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Affected muscle contracts violently and
uncontrollably
Symptoms

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thirst, nausea, clammy skin,
chills and/or increased heart
rate
Treatment

stop activity, massage the muscle, replace
fluids
Heat Exhaustion


Fatigue, weakness and collapse
Symptoms

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pale, wet skin, heavy perspiration, nausea, and
rapid, shallow breathing
Treatment

stop activity, move to cool, shaded area, apply
wet towels, drink large amount of fluids, seek
medical attention
Heatstroke


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Can be life-threatening
Brain shuts down the sweating mechanism
to prevent additional water loss
Symptoms

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hot, dry skin, very high body temperature, sudden
collapse and possible unconsciousness
Treatment

seek medical attention, apply ice packs to head, remove
clothing and apply ice, cold water, wet towels
Group Activity!

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The row you are sitting in is your group
Each group needs one sheet of paper
The last person in the row (against the
wall) will write a sentence about the
information we’ve discussed so far and will
pass the paper forward to the next person
in the row
The second person adds a sentence to the
previous one and passes it on.
This continues until all students in the
group have written a statement.
Exercise in cold weather

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Try to conserve body heat
Air temp., wind chill, dampness
Fatigue

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Hypothermia

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Lower body’s temperature
Breakdown in the body’s ability to produce heat
Body temp. below 95 degrees
TIPS
Wear several layers of light clothing
Wear a head covering
Try wearing a mask or scarf
Wear sunglasses when exercising in the snow on a bright
day
Get used to exercising in cold weather gradually
Easier to pull a muscle in the cold
Other Cautions

Skin cancer
 Wear sunscreen
 Wear a sunscreen of at least 15 SPF
 Sunburns increase risk
 ABCD



(Asymmetry, Bleeding/unevenness on edges,
Color, Diameter or size)
Pollution
 Schedule your exercise route to pass through major
intersections before traffic builds up or the sun gets too
high
 Monitor reports on air quality
 When pollutants are too high, move your workout indoors
Lightning strikes
 Don’t stand near metal object under isolated tree, open field,
lake, or mountain top
 Stay in automobile or shelter
 Count second between flash of lightening and thunder
Using hand, ankle, and vest
weights


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Walking with weights increases
intensity of effort and calories burned
per minute.
Do not use them while
running or aerobics
Can increase risk of bone, joint, and
connective tissue injuries
Common injuries
Muscle soreness
 Tiny tears in muscle and connective tissue and some swelling
 Gentle stretching and limit usage
Muscle cramps
 Powerful involuntary muscle contractions

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Causes
 Dehydration
 Electrolyte imbalance (loss of potassium and sodium from
excessive sweating)
 Injury (surrounding muscles may contract to protect injured
muscle/joint)
 Inadequate physical conditioning
 Overexertion
Solutions
 Stretching, ice, massage
Injury treatment

R.I.C.E.
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R rest injured part
I ice reduces inflammation
and pain
C compression or pressure
reduce blood flow and swelling
E elevation decreases internal
bleeding and swelling
Heat can be used after 48 hours

Usually for tight muscles or joints before exercise
Side stitch

Sharp pain in upper abdomen
Usually when you first begin a workout regime

Causes
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Muscle cramp – vigorous exercise before abs muscles
can warm up and/or breathing incorrectly. Thus,
muscles do not get enough oxygen, and lactic acid
builds. Muscle then goes into spasm
A spasm in the diaphragm caused by rapid breathing
due to uncommon activity.
Reduced blood flow to the area because of other body
demands
Solution

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Slow down or stop
Take deep breaths
Stretch muscles on side of abs
Heel pain

A.k.a. “stone bruise”

Causes
Pounding of heel on hard surfaces
 Causing swelling
 Standing for long periods at a time or being
over weight adds to pressure

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Solutions
Wear adequately cushioned shoes
 Avoid running on hard surfaces
 Heel cup
 Low impact exercising
 Ice

Shin Splints

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Prolonged running on hard surfaces sometimes
cause an inflammation and tearing of muscles
and soft tissues of the lower leg.
Solutions

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RICE
Stretching
Complete rest
Wear cushioned shoes
Sprains

Injuries to the ligaments or capsule like sac that surrounds a
joint

Causes

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Treatment

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Movement of the joint beyond
normal range of motion
Trauma, which overstretches the
tissue
Time off
RICE
Sometimes you may not be able to distinguish a sprain form a
more serious injury (like a fracture) except by x-ray
Muscle Strains

If muscles are forced into unaccustomed exercise, they
may overstretch, causing a pull or strain. Sometimes
tearing muscle fibers.

The muscle will contract, swell, and stiffen

If fibers are torn completely, surgical repair and
physical therapy are often necessary

Solutions
 RICE, followed with moist heat, and stretching
 If pain continues see a Dr.