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Weslee Mok
Professor Knott-Silva
Kinesiology 003
25 April 2019

Spheres of Physical Activity

1. Why are ADL's and IADL's important to Kinesiologists who work with people who
are elderly or who have a disability?

ADLs and IADLs occur in our daily lives, and most of the time we never truly take the
chance to admire how important it is to us because we are so accustomed to it. But
through the eyes of an elderly person and an individual with disabilities, it could be one
of the toughest struggles they have to face. In most cases, I believe that these individuals
live alone or with only one or two more people, so it is difficult for them to move around
and do certain activities by themselves. As stated from the Hoffman Chapter 2 slides,
these elderly individuals tend to limit their physical activity because they are at risk for
accidents or straining themselves. This can also be meant for individuals with disabilities,
so once they limit their ADLs and IADLs, it could be detrimental to their daily lives.
Kinesiologists strive to help these people, and to ensure that their day-to-day lives are
less streneous. They can become mentors and help those who are struggling to do simple
things that most of us don’t even take a moment to think about doing.

There were instances in my family where I had to take over and act as both a nurse and
physical therapist for my elderly grandparents. I understood immediately how much of a
struggle it was to do the simplest of movements (picking up a glass to drink from) when
they were in intense pain or sluggish from a surgery. Once I realized how difficult it was
for them, I knew I had to do everything I could to help them.

2. What are gestures, and what purpose do they serve in our daily living?

Gestures are movements with intent in order to communicate or relay information to

another individual. Often it relates to cultural practices or adheres to a specific language.
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We typically use them in daily lives to abbreviate what we have to say in just a few
distinct movements. It helps when there are language barriers especially, but in general
we articulate our words into specific movements to get our point or words across without
having to speak. One example that I can think of is a universal gesture in the Chinese
language is the movement for “May I have the check, please” after someone finishes
eating at a restaurant. What one needs to do is to simply gain the attention of the waiter or
waitress, then use their pointer finger and point it towards the table, swirling it once in a
full circle. My father has been using this for as long as I can remember, and each time
whenever we dine at a Chinese restaurant they understand immediately. It’s especially
useful for when the restaurant is busy and the person tending to us cannot hear us
properly from a distance. Of course, for simpler things such as “Okay” with a thumbs up
it’s universal in any language, and can be used in any context from ordering food to
working with colleagues on a project.

3. List three health benefits of regular activity.

Raise Self Sufficieny: Regular physical activity strengthens an individual’s ability to

care for themselves. When we become independent, there are a vast amount of
responsibilities placed on us. As an adult, being able to take care of your health and body
can be a huge underlying factor to whether you truly are capable of being independent or
not. ADLs and IADLs play a key part in this when it comes to simple things like personal
hygeine or being able to go out and work at a job. More activity helps us become better
caretakers of our physical health and condition.

Mental Health Boosts: It improves your mind and mental state if you are not riddled
with ailments from lack of activity. Speaking from experience, I know what happens
when you hit a certain point in your life where you struggle to do simple tasks due to
your mental health dragging you down. There were times where I had to force myself to
do certain things because I was so burnt out from work and life in general. Taking breaks
is so incredibly essential, even taking a short walk outside will help quite a lot.
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Possible Disease Prevention: I say ‘possible’, because there are many factors as to why
we may get sick or have a disease. While this may not be applicable to all of us right
now, it might happen at anytime. At some point there will be cases where an individual
can fall ill or suddenly have some sort of ailment. When it comes to that time, one needs
to be prepared or at least have an understanding before it happens. With practice and
commiting to regular activity, the individual might stand a better chance at preventing
certain measures from ever occuring. I have the same fears and worries when it comes to
my own health at times, so I want to make sure I can find ways to prevent it as much as
possible. Of course, it depends on my health overall, but if I maintain a healthy lifestyle
with constant activity, it will lessen my chances in the future.

4. What does the element of competition add to physical activity?

Physical activity on its own is meant to improve one’s own health and state of mind. We
usually do it in our daily lives because we need to, or maybe we just want to because it
helps us maintain a healthy lifestyle. But once competition is added to the mix, it seems
to promote an increase of performance, depending on the individual. It posseses both
good and bad results, if utilized incorrectly. A ‘healthy’ competition consists of good
sportsmanship and often learning when to stop when it gets too tense. Pushing yourself to
brink (and not always getting first place) for the sake of winning is far too
counteproductive when it was meant to help improve yourself in the first place. The great
part of competition is the drive to do your best, and coming out on top doesn’t mean
you’ve beaten everyone else, but it shows how hard you have worked to earn that spot.

5. Describe a situation in which physical activity might help nourish and maintain a
state of leisure.

The state of leisure for an individual is necessary for maintaining a healthy state of mind.
Rather than it being from intense physical activity bringing the satisfaction and pleasure,
it’s more about the idea of enjoying something you do while not straining most parts of
your body. An example I can think of is when I take a walk around the block to clear my
head. It isn’t a strenous physical activity, but it brings me calm and peace when I need to
find my own space again to breathe. Most of the time I’ll bring my music player so I can
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listen and feel myself slip away for a bit. It’s not a jog or full sprint, so I don’t feel tired
after it, and I feel like I’m enjoying my leisure time. It still counts as physical activity, but
I do not need to strain any part of my mind or body to do it. I find it to be one of the most
relaxing things to do aside from sitting down and reading a good book.

6. Describe a situation in which physical activity might reduce the possibility of

attaining a state of leisure.

While the previous question was about how I could attain a state of leisure with physical
activity, I have a particular activity in mind where it isn’t me doing the physical activity,
but rather my parents. In this instance, I find that cooking is an incredibly fun and
relaxing time for me. It all boils down to a methodical pattern and I find myself calmly
enjoying the wait while I watch things cook on the stove or bake in the oven. However,
while it may seem like a good leisure time for me, my parents seem to find the activity
absoluting exhausting. It shouldn’t be as difficult or require a huge strain on the body and
mind, but they always deem it stressful. Compared to my pace, they seem to like
finishing things in a flurry of motion, so that probably contributes to their exhaustion and
lack of attaining a state of leisure.