Page 73 - Sember, Vedrana, and Shawnda A. Morrison. 2018. The Mind-Body Connection. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
P. 73
Physical Fitness in Numbers
and central control of movement is essential for their implementa-
tion. The second dimension is related to mechanisms that regulate
energy and is critical for tasks where physical experience is associ-
ated with control of intensity of excitation (Matejek, 2013).
Physical Fitness in Numbers
In Slovenia physical and motor development of children and youth
has been monitored (Strel, 1996) for more than 30 years (Sember et
al., 2016). Every April there are physical fitness benchmarks which
are evaluated together; this initiative is called ‘Športno-vzgojni kar-
ton’ – the SLOFIT card. SLOFIT or the National System for Monit-
oring Physical and Motor Development of children and youth in-
cludes all Slovenian primary and secondary schools. For more than
30 years, this system has given teachers, researchers, and policy-
makers access to high-quality, standardized data on physical fit-
ness, which in turn allows for relatively responsive evidence-based
policy adjustments when needed. For example, based on more re-
cent evidence of declining physical fitness from the SLOfit database,
Slovenia introduced a health-oriented physical activity intervention
program called Healthy Lifestyle in the school year 2010/2011, of-
fering children 2 optional, additional hours of physical activity per
week. Healthy Lifestyle is considered part of a school’s regular ex-
tracurricular health-oriented physical activity program. This project
currently includes more than 30% of the entire primary school pop-
ulation. Before this initiative, Slovenian children had been experi-
encing negative trends in motor and physical fitness for over two
decades, but since 2011, physical fitness in 6- to 14-year-olds has
been steadily improving (Sember et al., 2016). In 2015, Slovenia also
started new tests among the student population. Indeed, with such
a massive, state-sponsored program, Slovenian children have bet-
ter physical characteristics compared to most European countries
(see http://www.slofit.org). Nevertheless, the Slovenian youth pop-
ulation is not immune to changes in lifestyle, and with access to this
longitudinal data, Slovenian researchers are now also seeing neg-
ative trends in child motor development. SLOfit card provide chil-
dren, teachers, youth, and others with the following (Strel, 1996): in-
71
and central control of movement is essential for their implementa-
tion. The second dimension is related to mechanisms that regulate
energy and is critical for tasks where physical experience is associ-
ated with control of intensity of excitation (Matejek, 2013).
Physical Fitness in Numbers
In Slovenia physical and motor development of children and youth
has been monitored (Strel, 1996) for more than 30 years (Sember et
al., 2016). Every April there are physical fitness benchmarks which
are evaluated together; this initiative is called ‘Športno-vzgojni kar-
ton’ – the SLOFIT card. SLOFIT or the National System for Monit-
oring Physical and Motor Development of children and youth in-
cludes all Slovenian primary and secondary schools. For more than
30 years, this system has given teachers, researchers, and policy-
makers access to high-quality, standardized data on physical fit-
ness, which in turn allows for relatively responsive evidence-based
policy adjustments when needed. For example, based on more re-
cent evidence of declining physical fitness from the SLOfit database,
Slovenia introduced a health-oriented physical activity intervention
program called Healthy Lifestyle in the school year 2010/2011, of-
fering children 2 optional, additional hours of physical activity per
week. Healthy Lifestyle is considered part of a school’s regular ex-
tracurricular health-oriented physical activity program. This project
currently includes more than 30% of the entire primary school pop-
ulation. Before this initiative, Slovenian children had been experi-
encing negative trends in motor and physical fitness for over two
decades, but since 2011, physical fitness in 6- to 14-year-olds has
been steadily improving (Sember et al., 2016). In 2015, Slovenia also
started new tests among the student population. Indeed, with such
a massive, state-sponsored program, Slovenian children have bet-
ter physical characteristics compared to most European countries
(see http://www.slofit.org). Nevertheless, the Slovenian youth pop-
ulation is not immune to changes in lifestyle, and with access to this
longitudinal data, Slovenian researchers are now also seeing neg-
ative trends in child motor development. SLOfit card provide chil-
dren, teachers, youth, and others with the following (Strel, 1996): in-
71
