What is meant by spheres of physical activity?

The spheres of physical activity experience include aspects of everyday life where physical activity is important. In general, the spheres recognize various purposes of physical activity in different contexts. The spheres of physical activity provide a broad basis for assessing the significance and prevalence of physical activity. There are seven spheres of physical activity experience.

The seven spheres of physical activity

The spheres of physical activity includes:

• Sphere of self-sufficiency
• Sphere of work
• Sphere of education
• Sphere of self-expression
• Sphere of health
• Sphere of leisure
• Sphere of competition.

Sphere of self-sufficiency

Physical activity is required for self-care, which can be used to assess our level of independence. This involves activities of daily living (ADLs), home maintenance activities, and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). Instrumental activities are actions individuals take daily to care for themselves and their homes.

We should engage in ADLs and IADLs to continue living functional, independent lives, with the IADLs being more physically demanding. Physical activities aimed at maintaining or improving the home also help us to become self-sufficient. These are referred to as home maintenance activities. A person’s capacity to execute everyday physical activities can be affected by injury or illness. Physical therapists use activity assessments to develop therapeutic strategies that help people regain function within the limitations of their illness or injury.

Activities of daily living (ADLs)

These activities include:

• Self-care actions
• Consumption of food
• Bathing
• Walking

Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)

IADLs are more physically demanding and strenuous than ADLs. The IADLs include

• Housework
• Food preparation
• Medication administration
• Purchasing clothing or groceries
• Making phone calls
• Laundry service

Home maintenance activities

These are more complex than ADLs and IADLs and require more energy.

• Snow shoveling
• Work on repairs
• Automobile repair
• Painting the house
• Fixing electrical problems

Older people must rely upon others or organizations to complete daily tasks due to limitations in their ability to perform ADLs and IADLs. This is a significant economic and personal issue. As the population ages, the responsibility of the health care system and kinesiologists becomes increasingly important. Kinesiologists must learn ways to:

• Prevent the loss of overall physical activity levels.
• Enhancing the quality of life and independence or self-sufficiency.
• Lower healthcare costs through research and practice.

The sphere of work

Our work requires us to engage in physical activity. Physical activity results in the organization and management. Operators or specialists (human factors engineers or ergonomists) concentrate on increasing efficiency, productivity, and workplace safety. As technology continues to change the nature of work, the amount of physical activity required to perform the job is likely to decline. It puts workers at greater risk of diseases caused by a lack of activity.

The risks in the workplace are:

• Reduced physical activity and associated health consequences, especially as a result of technological advancements.
• Injuries result from repetitive activities and poor design of tools, equipment, and workspaces.
• Increased cardiovascular disease and psychological stress.

Physical activity professionals assist employees in performing better at work. They help to improve work practices and redesign inadequate workspaces, tools, and equipment. They help with the prevention and rehabilitation of work-related injuries.

The sphere of education

The primary goal of most education programs is to change people’s habits related to physical activity. Physical activity is an important part of all different levels of education. The education sphere encompasses the part of our lives where we prepare to acquire knowledge or new skills. Physical activity, whether be it in connection with learning intellectual content or learning to do physical skills, usually plays a key role in education.

Physical education is a program for young individuals to learn about sports and exercise. According to survey results, the United States and Canada are experiencing an obesity epidemic among adults and children. Increased time allotted to physical education programs in schools appears to be one way to combat this trend. But forcing physical education on children may not result in a reduction in childhood obesity and an increase in physical activity in children.

Students who develop competence in lifetime sports skills in school are more likely to be fit. If physical education classes are not held daily, it is difficult for teachers to develop skill competencies. Previously, sports and exercise instruction were available only in physical education programs in schools and colleges, the military, and municipal recreation programs. It is now available at gyms, fitness centers, resorts, dance studios, and private clubs.

The sphere of self-expression

Physical activity is used to communicate and express ourselves in addition to or instead of words.

Gestures

Gestures are purposeful movements of the hands, fingers, or other body parts that convey information to others, replace or supplement spoken words, and convey cultural differences. The meaning of a gesture is often culturally specific, which can confuse us if we are unfamiliar with the cultural norms. Gestures can evolve within a culture.

Emblems: Emblems are acts that have a clear translation.

Illustrators: Illustrators are words that complement one another and can also reflect feelings or tone.

Dance and rituals

Dance employs physical activity to express feelings and attitudes that are hard to express verbally. Instrumental movements are necessary to achieve goals. Expressive movements are unique. Physical activity is frequently used in rituals to exhibit beliefs or sacred values in visual form.

The sphere of health

Physical activity and good health are inextricably linked. Low levels of physical activity have sparked widespread concern about rising healthcare costs, preventing disease, and treatment. Exercise has psychological and physiological effects. Over exercise and injuries are two possible downsides of physical activity; more is not always better.

A health crisis of significant proportions has resulted from our failure to incorporate physical activity into our everyday lives. Professionals in the field of physical activity help to point out how to get people, especially populations at-risk, active while also offering the most effective, safest, and most efficient ways to gain the health benefits of physical activity. Each incident of illness caused by a lack of physical activity symbolizes one person who has lost the ability to live a full, enjoyable, and active life.

The sphere of leisure

To use our free time to gain a phase of leisure, we should psychologically break ourselves from other elements of life, which is extremely challenging in modern society. Leisure is a state of being, a sense that everything is fine in the world, a sense of supreme satisfaction.

Sport and exercise are examples of large-muscle activities that can replenish and retain a leisure deposit. While involvement in some recreational leisure-item activities that require moderate to intense physical activity is still high, the growth rate appears to have decreased and, in certain cases, declined, whereas involvement in more sedentary activities appears to be increasing.

The sphere of competition

Competition in physical activity is usually related to sports, but it can appear in exercise as well. Competition can be either positive or negative, and that always improves performance. There are side-by-side, face-to-face contact, impersonal, and face-to-face non-contact types of competitions.

People are naturally competitive, and physical activity is an essential outlet for us to exhibit our competitive natures. Kinesiologists must train sports skills and create environments conducive to enjoyable competition (injury reduction, fair play, etc.).

Context and Applications

This topic is significant in the exams at school, graduate, post-graduate levels, especially for

• Bachelors in Biology/Psychology
• Masters in Biology/ Psychology

Practice Problems

Question 1: The goal of most education programs is to _______.

1. To learn about sports and physical activity.

2. To change people’s physical activity habits.

3. To gain proficiency in lifelong sports skills.

4. All of the above

Answer: Option 4 is correct.

Explanation: In the educational sphere, physical activity plays an important part. The goal of most education programs is to learn about sports and exercise, change people’s physical activity habits, and develop competence in lifetime sports skills.

Question 2: In spheres of physical activity, which sphere contains IADLs and ADLs?

1. Educational field

2. Sphere of self-sufficiency

3. Field of work

4. The sphere of leisure

Answer: Option 2 is correct.

Explanation: Physical activity is required for self-care, which can be used to assess our level of independence (self-sufficiency). The self-sufficiency sphere involves daily living activities (ADLs), instrumental daily living activities, and home maintenance activities.

Question 3: Which of the following is true about the spheres of physical activity?

1. The spheres of physical activity experience include aspects of daily life where physical activity is important.

2. The spheres recognize various purposes of physical activity.

3. The spheres of physical activity provide a broad basis for assessing the significance and pervasiveness of physical activity.

4. All of the above

Answer: Option 4 is correct.

Explanation: The spheres of physical activity experience include aspects of daily life where physical activity is important. The spheres recognize various purposes of physical activity and provide a broad basis for assessing the significance and pervasiveness of physical activity.

Question 4: Which of the following is included in the seven spheres of physical activity?

1. Education

2. Work

3. Health

4. All of the above

Answer: Option 4 is correct.

Explanation: The seven spheres of physical activity include education, self-sufficiency, self-expression, work, health, leisure, and competition.

Question 5: Which of the following is an example of an ADL?

1. Automobile repair

2. Meal planning

3. Walking

4. Fixing electrical problems

Answer: Option 3 is correct.

Explanation: Activities of daily living (ADLs) are included in the sphere of self-sufficiency. It involves personal care actions, food consumption, bathing, walking, etc.