Physical Fitness Essay

Physical fitness requires a multitude of bodily operations. The first is a combination of the muscular system and the skeletal system. These two can be combined and are known as the musculoskeletal system. The circulatory system is that which governs the heart, blood, and blood vessels. The respiratory system is that which governs the lungs and their functions. The circulatory and respiratory systems work together to supply the body with necessary oxygen, because the cells in one’s body need oxygen to function properly. The combination of the circulatory system, the respiratory system, and the musculoskeletal system come together to make up the necessary physical fitness functions. When all these systems are operating at optimal capacity, physical fitness is most successful. Physical fitness at its most basic level is known as physical activity, which is simply the contraction of muscles. At the next level, increased physical activity that is targeted at the improvement of one’s physical condition is known as exercise. Exercise is the specific type of physical activity that increases athletic performance. Identifying Your Culture: The United States is a bouillabaisse of humanity and culture. Being a product of the United States, I would say that I culturally identify with a melting pot of different cultures. For instance, my mother’s parents are both German-American, so I know for sure that I am half German-American. I also know that my grandmother on my father’s side is Irish-American, so I know for sure that I am one quarter Irish-American. But my grandfather on my father’s side was adopted, so I will never know for sure that quarter of my ethnicity. Due to modern technology, though, we believe he may be of Irish descent, which would make me one quarter Irish American. All that being said, though, I do not identify with any of these cultures. It may seem plain and simple, but I recognize most with the â€Å"main-stream American† culture. I grew up attending church every Sunday. I grew up eating hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, pancakes, and waffles. Time was spent on the weekends attending barbeque parties with friends and families while watching sports on the television like football, baseball, basketball, and hockey. The culture I grew up in was one of American sports. Describing How the Culture in which You Identify Influences Your Feelings, Attitudes and Behaviors Related to the Health: First, it must be understood that, growing up in American society, it was always important to be physically fit and have a nice â€Å"beach body.† But, as was said before, I grew up eating food that was not always the healthiest for me. A way to keep myself in good shape even though I wasn’t eating good foods was to continually exercise. Knowing that it is easy for any American to go down a road of unhealthiness, I work my hardest to stay as athletically fit as I possibly can. Also, my culture affected my physical fitness life in that, growing up, I was always playing sports. When I was eight years old I started playing football, and I continued to play football for the next ten years. Throughout high school, football allowed me to stay extremely physically active and forced me to always be athletically fit. I played football so much, I even learned to enjoy physical activity, especially those physical activities that were directly integrated with sports. Do You Think Your Children Will View Same Way You Do?: I certainly hope that my children will have the same views about physical fitness as I do. In a nation that is ever growing more unhealthy, it will be crucial for me to teach my future children about the importance of exercise. It is very apparent that the United States does not show signs getting healthier soon. I know that ten years from now Americans will be getting more and more out of shape. My children will not be a part of the ever growing obesity phenomenon. Also, sports are a very major influence in my life, so I would imagine that my kids will be involved in sports as well. Hopefully they will be able to learn about the necessity of physical fitness through sports. In today’s society, sports also open many other doors and avenues for people later in life. I only want my future kids to have the most opportunity possible. How Have You Been Influenced by These Cultural Messages?: In the long run, physical fitness and sports have played major roles in my life. It gave me a purpose for a time and allowed me to mature as a young man. Also, being athletic at such a young age allowed me set a pattern of physical fitness that has lasted now for years. Working out allows me to clear my mind of stress, increase my bodily health, and helps me get much rest at night when I sleep. I can focus more at school in class, I work harder at work, and I am socially more competent when I am working out. Yet it is tough for a student to find time to go to the gym, especially a student with two jobs. I guess it is lucky that one of those two jobs happens to be coaching high school football. As a football coach, I have unlimited access to the high school’s athletic facilities, of which I have been taking advantage of recently. Cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, and muscular endurance are all important to me. On top of having access to great equipment, though, and probably more importantly, I have the ability to teach young people about exercise through sport and the importance of it. I am often teaching about the sports related aspects of fitness, which are speed, power, coordination, agility, balance, and reaction time. Probably the most rewarding influence physical fitness has had on my life has been the ability to affect the lives of the young men that I coach. This is how physical fitness has affected my life.