My mission or goal as a physical education teacher is to show indivuals how important physical acitivity or exercise is in your life, and how it can keep a proper balance of energy along with keeping your engine (interal organs) running that much more efficent, and healthier throughout your life.

The acronym HELP is used to describe the philosophy of FITNESSGRAM and ACTIVITYGRAM:

Health and health related-fitness. The primary goal of both programs is to promote regular physical activity among all youth. Of particular importance is promoting activity patterns that lead to reduced health risk and improved health-related physical fitness.

Everyone. FITNESSGRAM and ACTIVITYGRAM are designed for all people regardless of physical ability. They are intended to help ALL youth find some form of activity that they can do for a lifetime. Too often activity programs are perceived to be only for those who are "good" rather than for all people.

Lifetime. FITNESSGRAM and ACTIVITYGRAM have as a goal helping young people to be active now, but a long term goal is to help them learn to do activities that they will continue to perform through out their lives.

Personal. No two people are exactly the same. No two people enjoy the exact same activities. FITNESSGRAM and ACTIVITYGRAM are designed to personalize physical activity to meet personal or individual needs.

FITNESSGRAM was created in 1982 by The Cooper Institute to provide an easy way for physical education teachers to report to parents on children's fitness levels. Then and now, students are assessed in these areas of health-related fitness: cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition. Scores are evaluated against objective criterion-based standards, called Healthy Fitness Zones, that indicate the level of fitness necessary for health. FITNESSGRAM/ACTIVITYGRAM software generates the student and parent reports, which contain objective, personalized feedback and positive reinforcement. These reports serve as a communications link between teachers and parents.

The Healthy Fitness Zone standards were established by the FITNESSGRAM Advisory Board, which includes some of the foremost scientists and practitioners in fitness and physical activity. Technical information on the fitness assessments and standards is available in the Reference Guide, which can be accessed from the www.Fitnessgram.net home page, or from the Cooper Institute Web site at http://www.cooperinstitute.org/products/grams/documents/FITNESSGRAM_ReferenceGuide.pdf.

FITNESSGRAM's Healthy Fitness Zones (HFZs) are research-based standards for aerobic capacity; body composition; and muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility. These standards indicate levels of fitness necessary for good health. They have been developed and refined over more than 25 years by the FITNESSGRAM Advisory Board.

A score in the HFZ represents the level of fitness thought to provide some protection from the potential health risks that result from a lack of fitness in this measure. The beginning of the HFZ represents a minimum level of fitness necessary to have acceptable health. These standards reflect reasonable levels of fitness that can be attained by most children that participate regularly in various types of physical activity. Because of this, we recommend that all students should strive to achieve a score that places them inside the HFZ. It is not uncommon for children to achieve the HFZ for some dimensions of fitness but not for others. Most children usually have areas that they excel in more than others.

Healthy Fitness Zones differ for boys and for girls, and they differ based on age.

ACTIVITYGRAM is a physical activity assessment that is incorporated into the FITNESSGRAM software. It enables students to monitor and record their activity patterns over a three-day period, and receive a report that evaluates the results. ACTIVITYGRAM helps students learn more about their own physical activity habits, so they can more effectively plan personal activity programs to keep them healthy and active for a lifetime.