Some of my students have very low fitness levels, and some are in great shape. Some have very little experience with exercise and sports, while many of my students are collegiate athletes. Don’t worry, just come to class and try your best, have a good time, and let’s see how much your fitness level improves.
You might as well take my Fitness class this semester. PEDU 1541 is a required class for graduation from NCCU. So along with calculus, chemistry and Western Civilization, and many other courses during your time at NCCU, at least one semester you will be stretching, running, lifting, sweating, playing and jumping in a Fitness class.
Go buy your textbook — the title is Lifetime Physical Fitness. We’ll discuss the information in the book, you will need to read the chapters for your exams, and there are some labs that are in the book that you will pass in.
Come “dressed out” Monday morning at 8 a.m. and be ready for some fitness testing. I want to know, and let you know, your present fitness level. I will give you this pre-test now at the beginning of the semester, and then test you again at the end of the semester to see how much improvement you make.
Here are the tests we will do: 1 minute sit ups, 1 minute push ups, maximal bench press, maximal leg press, sit and reach flexibility, trunk rotation flexibility, body fat measurement, body weight, grip strength and 1-mile run. Just do your best; it doesn’t matter if you are first or last in the class. What does matter is that you improve as much as possible from your pre-test to your post-test at the end of the semester, over three months from now.
We only meet twice a week, so it is very important that you exercise outside of class. I will discuss in class the parameters of a well-balanced exercise program. I may even have you keep a log of your workouts. You will get sick of hearing me encourage you to exercise on your own, but I mean well. After all, we meet on Monday and Wednesdays, so we go five days without seeing each other. And yes, I know, that may be just fine with you!
I believe strongly in using a variety of activities in your exercise program. For example, one day we will meet outside and play tennis. Some of you have never played much tennis; that’s fine. Just give it a good try today. If you don’t especially like it, maybe tennis is not for you. We’ll do another type of exercise or play another sport that you will enjoy, and then you can include that in your exercise program.
You can pretty well count on these activities: stretching, walking, jogging, sprinting, balance and agility movements, weight training, cardio machines, fit balls, medicine balls, tennis, racquet ball, volleyball, step aerobics aqua exercise, and others. Sounds like a lot of fun, does it not? Along with this, there will be exams, papers and exercise logs and labs.
Here will be your rewards. You will hopefully raise your grade-point average by earning an A, and don’t forget the two hours credit earned toward graduation. And keep in mind that you are engaging in a very worthwhile pursuit in working toward your college degree. A recent New York Times article revealed that the average salary for a person with a bachelor’s degree is $47,000, while people with a high school diploma earn, on average, $27,000 a year. Most of all though, your rewards for this Fitness class will be an improved fitness level, a better knowledge of how to use a healthy lifestyle for the rest of your life, and you will feel good about yourself. Staying active will help you perform better academically, relieve stress and improve your social skills and self-esteem. Not a bad deal for one semester, is it?
Lewis Bowling teaches physical education at N.C. Central University and Duke University and is a personal trainer certification examiner with the American College of Sports Medicine. He can be reached at 530-6224 and at Lewis_Bowling@yahoo.com.
