A Report of the Surgeon General: "Physical Activity and Health 1996 " 
The Surgeon General has determined that a lack of physical activity is detrimental to your health. High school enrollment in daily physical education classes dropped from 42 percent in 1991 to 25 percent in 1995. Only 19 percent of all high school students are physically active for 20 minutes or more in physical education classes every day during the school week. Nearly half of young people, aged 12-21, are not vigorously active on a regular basis. Physical activity declines dramatically with age during adolescence. Inactivity increases with age. It is more common among women than men and among those with lower income and less education compared to those with a higher income or more education. 
"What Research Says About Physical Education" 
Only 36 percent of school children today are required to participate in daily physical education. Yet, researchers now know that exercise is good not only for the heart; it also juices up the brain, feeding it nutrients in the form of glucose and increasing nerve connections, all of which makes it easier for kids of all ages to learn. (Hancock ,1996) 
New research suggests that folks from 8 to 80 can shape up their brains with aerobic exercise. In much the same way that exercise shapes up the bones, muscles, heart and lungs, they (the country’s foremost brain researchers) suggest it also strengthens the basal ganglia cerebellum and corpus Colosseum—m - deep innards of the brain. (Susan Brink, 1995) 
Exercise alone is as effective as psychotherapy for moderate depression. (Johnsgard, 11989) 
Regular exercise helps increase creativity. (Gondola, 1987) 
Exercisers perform significantly better on measures of reasoning, working memory, reaction time, and vocabulary than non-exercisers. (Clarkson-Smith , 1989) 
"Children who improved their physical performance and health, through training. . . were able to accomplish more in all areas of their lives after training than they could before." (Cahill, 1989) 
"As life’s most fundamental truth, we share, first, the experience that connects birth, growth and death. This life cycle binds each of us to the others, and I find it sad that so many students go through life without reflecting on the mystery of their own existence. Many complete twelve or sixteen years of formal schooling not considering the sacredness of their own bodies, not learning to sustain wellness, not pondering the imperative of death." (Boyer, 1995) 
"It is suggested that physical fitness emphasis in both regular and adapted school physical education should address individual needs and interest of students —what students have to do and want to do in their lives, now and as adults. These individual needs and interests can be grouped under three general purposes:; (1) health enhancement, (2) effective, safe and satisfying performance in life’s daily activities and in leisure physical activities and (3) successful performance in productive employment." (Hayes, 1996) 
A 1993 survey of nearly 4,000 Jefferson County students revealed that 82eighty-two percent of Jefferson County eighth and tenth graders interviewed reported having used alcohol, with 29 percent of tenth graders reporting "binge" drinking of five or more drinks in a row. Thirty-six percent of the total group reported using an illicit drug. Thirty-seven percent watch three or more hours of TV on an average school day. The Messenger,"Some Student Behaviors Described as ‘Alarming" (Jefferson County Public Schools, 1994) 
Exercisers are: 50 percent% more likely to quit smoking, 40 percent0% more likely to eat less red meat, 30 percent% more likely to cut down on caffeine, 250 percent% more likely to eat low calorie foods and drinks, 200 percent% more likely to lose weight, and 25 percent% more likely to cut down on salt and sugar than non-exercisers. (Gurin, Harns, (a) 1985) 
Exercisers tend to have more positive feelings about their health, careers and stress levels than non-exercisers. (Gurin, Harns (b) 1985) 
Active people are dramatically less likely to smoke.(Paffenbarger , 1986) 
Statistics show stress-induced, addictive health-risk behaviors have increased in the United States: 4 million children have above normal blood pressure, 27 million children have higher than desirable serum cholesterol, at least one third of children are obese, and 3,000 children become smokers every day. (Colorado Heart Association 1995) 
It is clear that moderate levels of fitness offer considerable health benefits. The key is moving from the unfit category —- some 30 to 40 million people in this country— -to the moderately fit category. By beginning programs of moderate, regular exercise half an hour each day, three times a week, - anyone can join this group, and markedly lower their death rates from all-cause mortality, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.( Blair ,1991) 
It is the opinion of the American College of Sport Medicine that physical fitness programs for children and youth should be developed with the primary goal of encouraging the adoption of appropriate lifelong exercise behavior in order to develop and maintain sufficient physical fitness for adequate functional capacity and health enhancement. Physical fitness testing is a highly visible and important part of physical fitness programs. School, community, state, and national organizations must adopt a logical, consistent, and scientific approach to physical fitness testing. The focus of physical fitness testing should be health-related rather than athletic related . . . School physical education programs are an important part of the overall education process and should give increased emphasis to the development and maintenance of lifelong exercise habits and provide instruction about how to attain and maintain appropriate physical fitness. The amount of exercise required for optimal functional capacity and health at various ages has not been precisely defined. Until more definitive evidence is available, current recommendations are that children and youth obtain 20-30 minutes of vigorous exercise each day. Physical education classes typically devote instructional time to physical fitness activities, but class time is generally insufficient to develop and maintain optimal physical fitness. Therefore, school programs also must focus on education and behavior change to engagement in appropriate activities outside of class. Recreational and fun aspects of exercise should be emphasized. (Adapted from an opinion statement on Physical Fitness in Children and Youth issued by the American College of Sports Medicine.) 
  
The Format of Physical Education Standards 
 The content of this standards document defines the Physical Education discipline for Jefferson County Schools. It is based upon the National Association of Sport and Physical Education Standards and the Colorado Model Content Standards for Physical Education developed under the direction of the Colorado Department of Education.  Furthermore, 
* the standards are separated for organizational purposes, but are intended to be taught by integrating mental, physical, and social skills; 
* the examples for meaning which appear throughout the document are intended as illustrative, not prescriptive examples; 
* a glossary is provided; while not intended to be exhaustive, it defines vocabulary used; and selected references and supporting data are included. 
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The Physical Education Content Standards
1.  Students demonstrate 
Glossary 
aerobic exercise—long-duration exercise that relies on the presence of oxygen for the production of energy; it may be used to control body weight, reduce the percentage of body fat, improve the circulatory function, and reduce blood pressure. 
anaerobic exercise—short-duration exercise completed without the aid of oxygen, it is used to build muscle mass and to improve one’s ability to move quickly and to deliver force. 
biomechanical principles-—movement analysis of sport and physical activity performance. 
developmentally appropriate movements—the sequential, movement experiences provided for children based on their individual unique developmental levels. 
fundamental movement skills—basic movements that involve the combination of movement patterns of two or more body segments. The three categories of fundamental movement skills are nonlocomotor, locomotor, and manipulative movements: 
  locomotor movements—movements in which the body is propelled from one point to   another; examples include walking, running, leaping, hopping, jumping, galloping,  sliding, and skipping. 
  nonlocomotor movements—stability movements in which the axis of the body revolves  around a fixed point; examples include bending, stretching, twisting, turning, lifting,   pushing, pulling, and falling. 
  manipulative movements—movements in which force is imparted to or received from  an object; examples include throwing, catching, kicking, trapping, rolling, dribbling,  striking, and volleying. 
food pyramid—used to determine balanced intake of nutrients. 
health and performance related fitness components—a relative state of being; the development and maintenance of components of physiological function. 
cardiovascular endurance—ability of the heart, lungs,  and vascular system to supply oxygen and nutrients to muscles during activity. 
body composition—proportion of lean body mass to fat body mass. 
flexibility—ability of the various joints of the body to move through their full range of motion. 
muscular strength—ability of the muscles to exert one maximum effort. 
muscular endurance—ability of the muscles to exert force for an extended time. 
incident record— record of a physical skill demonstrated during a given period of time. 
low organization games—activities that are easy to play, have few and simple rules, require 
 little or no equipment, and may be varied in many ways. 
motor skills—all movements that result in motion or action. 
movement concepts—levels: high, medium, low; directions: forward, backward, diagonal; ranges: pathways, flow, force and time. 
principles of training and conditioning— 
  frequency—exercise must be regular to be effective; the frequent use of a body part in  vigorous physical activities will either improve its efficiency or help it remain at  about the same state. 
  intensity—physical exertion must be beyond that required for daily living to produce fitness gains. 
  time—exercise must be of sufficient duration to be effective.

principles of fitness development— 
  
  principle of overload—increasing the amount of work done or reducing the period of time in which the same amount of work is accomplished. 
  principle of progression—the concept that overload of a specific muscle group must be increased systematically over time. 
  principle of specificity—improvement in the various aspects of fitness specific to the type of training and to the muscles being exercised. 
  principle of individuality—improvement in level of fitness at one’s own individual rate.

target heart rate—determines activity intensity; used to enhance the level of cardiovascular endurance; target heart rate may be calculated by using the formula: (Maximum heart rate 220 minus Age) x 0.70 = Target Rate. 
wellness—a concept that suggests the physical, mental, and psychological aspects of a person’s life are balanced; wellness implies that a person will be active, have a positive outlook, and be free from disease.  Descriptors of wellness include the concepts of freedom from pain/disease, ability to cope with everyday stresses, feelings of accomplishment and personal growth, ability to express a positive and creative lifestyle, and feelings of contentment. 
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Selected Bibliography 
Brink, Susan.  “News You Can Use, Smart Moves,”  U.S. News & World Report, May 15, 
 1995. 
Blair, Steven.  From a speech given at The Aerobics Institute, Dallas, Texas, 1991. 
Boyer, Earnest.  “The Educated Person,” Toward a Coherent Curriculum, ASCD’s 1995 Yearbook. 
Gallahue, David L.  Developmental Physical Education for Today’s Children. Dubuque,  IA: WCB Brown & Benchmark, 1993. 
Cahill, Bernard R.  American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, 1989. 
Clarkson-Smith, Louise.  “Relationship Between Physical Exercise and Cognitive Abilities in Older Adults, “ Psychology and Aging, 1989. 
Colorado Heart Association. Fit Tips from the Heart,  1995. 
Gondola, Joan C.  “Exercise Your Creativity,” Prevention, July 1987. 
Gurin, Joel T. , and George Harns.  (a)“Look Who’s Getting It All Together.” American Health, March 1985. 
---. (b) “Taking Charge, the Happy Health Confidents,” American Health, March 1985. 
Hancock, LynNell.  “Why Do Schools Flunk Biology?” Newsweek, February 19,1996. 
Hayes, Ash E. “New, Or Old? Ideas for Programming in School Physical Education (for Health and for Performance.” California HPERD  Journal/Times, January 1996, Vol. 58, No. 4. 
Jefferson County Public Schools. ”Some Student Behaviors Described as ‘Alarming’,” The Messenger, September 7, 1994. 
Jewett, Ann E., Linda L. Bain, and Catherine D. Ennis. The Curriculum Process in Physical Education. Dubuque, IA: WCB Brown & Benchmark, 1995. 
Johnsgard, Keith. The Exercise Prescription for Depression and Anxiety, San Jose State University, 1989. 
Marsh, Jeanette Jewell.  “Measuring Affective Objectives In Physical Education.” The Physical Educator, May 1984, Vol.41, No.2. 
Paffenbarger, Ralph S. New England Journal of Medicine,  March 1986. 
Rink, Judith E. Teaching Physical Education for Learning. St. Louis, MO: Mosby-Year Book,1993. 
Siedentop, Daryl. Introduction to Physical Education, Fitness and Sport. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing,  1994. 
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