Health and Fitness:

  • Fitness Lab: BMI
  • Fitness Lab: Muscles Nerves
  • Fitness Lab: Circulation
  • UV investigation

Fitness Lab: BMI

BMI 01:

Body Mass Index. Find out body mass in kilograms and height in metres. The BMI = mass / height squared. Notice the effect on BMI calculation with small changes. You could set tasks to ‘play with the numbers’ and analyse how BMI is altered. You will find numerous versions of BMI charts and ‘ready reckoners’ to calculate BMI.

BMI 02:

Body Mass Index using different monitors. Comparing BMI data with the body mass and height calculation Different meters give values for percentage fat and muscle to discuss, if you so wish.

BMI 03:

BMI and body composition meters. Comparisons with other types of meters. Be aware of cleanliness issues using the scales.

Fitness Lab: Muscles Nerves

Nerve impulse ECG traces:

Looking at nerve impulse using the ECG sensor, it’s very easy to do and see a trace. Be careful not to ‘over-interpret’ the traces if they look like you need to see the GP!

Muscle activity and electical activity:

Using the ECG sensor to look at traces during muscle contraction and relaxation.

Knee jerk reflex:

We are looking at the knee jerk reflex as well as any electrical activity. See the traces.

Fitness 01 (assessment):

Demonstrations using a model skeleton. An introduction to assessing fitness. The S-factors Strength Speed Stamina Suppleness. Talk with the physical education guys for some joined-up work maybe.

Fitness 02 (muscle fatigue assessments):

An introduction to muscle assessment, The Fatigue Index. Something for you to trial to design investigations of different muscle groups. Might recovery time affect performance? This could lead to discussion of ‘slow and fast twitch’ muscles.

Fitness 03 (muscle fatigue assessments):

Muscle assessment. Using the ‘tennis ball test’ as a way of illustrating possible arrangements of fast and slow twitch muscle. Then you could go to look at muscle cells structure.

Fitness Lab: Circulation

Heart rate monitor: introduction:

An introduction to set up the heart rate monitor before we investigate some of the possible uses further.

Blood pressure 01:

In the Fitness Lab looking at different blood pressure meters. Systole and diastole readings with mm Hg. Don’t panic about these readings! Devices need calibration, so make it clear that any values are for teaching purposes only, not medical diagnosis.

Blood pressure 02:

The meters are sphygmomanometers. We can work with the term blood pressure meter though. Readings are in mm Hg. (or millimetres of mercury). Do not let anyone over-use BP meters or over-inflate them for the risk of damaging their arm.

Blood pressure 03:

Blood pressure values, such as 120/80. Moving from units of mm Hg for systole and diastole to kPa. Pressure values are derived from the force of blood and area of blood vessels. This gives blood pressure values in pascals (Pa). So, we have chance to apply some physics.

Fitness 01:

Welcome to the Fitness Lab. Ideas to begin to assess fitness. Counting pulse.

Fitness 02:

Fitness Lab various pulse meters.

Fitness 03:

Fitness Lab Pulse oximeters. Assessing percentage blood oxygenated saturation. As ever, be aware that any readings are for illustration not medical diagnosis.

Fitness 04:

Fitness Lab: Blood pressure monitors. There are different designs. Once more, note that any values are only for teaching purposes not medical diagnosis.

UV investigation

Sunblock and UV investigation 01:

Beginning the sunscreen and UV story, some preliminary ideas using UV detecting beads.

UV and glasses:

Looking at sun glasses that protect from UV.

UV and sunblock 01:

The Slip Slop Slap messages. Using UV beads and making a ‘UV-rig’. Make sure your risk analysis is appropriate for the task and use of any UV torch.

Investigating UV and sunscreen on yeast:

Investigating sunscreen, UV and yeast suspension. A suggestion to explore how you might use yeast as a ‘model organism’ to look at the possible effect of UV causing mutations. Suggestions referring to the hydrogen peroxide catalase test. Look out for this investigation to be completed.

UV and Yeast 01:

Can yeast be used as a model to look at potential mutagenic effects of UV? This is a very rough introduction to quite a challenging investigation.

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