Physical Best: Physical Education for Lifelong Fitness and Health

Physical educators play a critical role in shaping the health and fitness of America's youth--and Physical Best, Fourth Edition, is the resource that will help them achieve success in that role.

Physical Best, developed by experts identified by SHAPE America, has long been the standard in the field for health-related fitness education, and this latest rendition is the best and most complete package yet:

• A comprehensive, three-in-one resource. The entire Physical Best program was previously spread over three books (Physical Education for Lifelong Fitness, Physical Best Activity Guide--Elementary Level, and Physical Best Activity Guide--Middle and High School Levels). It now is offered in one all-inclusive resource to reinforce the scope and sequence of the program so teachers can see what comes before and after the grade levels they teach.
• Updated material to address standards. All chapters and activities are updated to address SHAPE America's National Standards and Grade-Level Outcomes for K-12 Physical Education. Teachers can be confident they are measuring student progress effectively.
• New or revised chapters. Teachers will benefit from the new information on the latest research, technology, power training, professional development, best practices, and more.
• An attractive four-color layout. The text now features four-color illustrations.
• A web resource that includes K-12 activities. With previous editions, the activities were housed in two separate books, one for elementary teachers and one for middle and secondary teachers. Now, all activities are on the accompanying web resource, where teachers can sort the activities by standard, grade, outcome, and skill and then use them on a mobile device or download and print them. Most activities are supported by ready-to-use reproducible forms such as handouts, assessments, posters, and worksheets.

Other useful web ancillaries include an instructor guide to help teachers deliver effective lessons, a test package that teachers can use to create various types of tests and quizzes, and a presentation package that offers slides with key points and graphics from the book.

Physical Best meets needs on many levels. For veteran teachers, it outlines strategies for emphasizing health-related fitness in their existing programs. New teachers will benefit from the specific examples from master teachers and be able to use this guidance for creating an effective fitness education program. For teacher education programs, it provides an overview of current research, trends, and best practices in health-related fitness. And for district coordinators, it reinforces professional development training and continued education.

This latest edition of the official SHAPE America resource is organized into four parts:

• Part I offers an in-depth look at physical activity behavior and motivation and explores basic training principles. An expanded chapter on nutrition covers the foundations of a healthy diet and reflects the most up-to-date USDA guidelines.
• Part II examines health-related fitness concepts: cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, power, flexibility, and body composition. The text supplies tips for addressing each fitness component within a program.
• Part III presents strategies for integrating health-related fitness education throughout the curriculum, employing best teaching practices, and being inclusive in the gym, on the field, and in the classroom.
• In part IV, readers study assessment and learn assessment strategies for effective teaching and health-related programming. They discover how to collect and use assessment results and how to assess fitness concept knowledge.

Physical Best helps teachers impart the skills and knowledge that students need to become physically literate--the first step to leading healthier, less stressful, and more productive lives. It details best practices, provides current content, and shows how to integrate health-related fitness education into an existing curriculum. It helps students meet standards and grade-level outcomes. It can help spark student interest in lifelong physical activity. And it will help teachers be the best physical educators they can be as they shape the future health of the nation.


About the Author
Jackie Conkle, DHEd, is a health education teacher and the wellness committee chair at Peters Township Middle School in McMurray, Pennsylvania. She also serves as the health and physical education facilitator for the K-8 staff. Jackie prides herself in providing many wellness activities during the school day for staff and students and instructing students in after-school physical activity programs. Jackie also provides CPR and first aid training to the school district's staff as an instructor for the American Red Cross. She loves working with others to improve the health of all. Jackie earned a bachelor's degree in health and physical education from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a master's degree in physical education teacher education from West Virginia University, and a doctoral degree in health education and administration from A.T. Still University. Jackie is a longtime member of both SHAPE America and the Pennsylvania State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. For six years, she was an instructor for the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, working to improve physical education nationwide. Helping young people develop a love of movement is among her highest professional goals. She lives in Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania, with her husband and three young children. In her free time, Jackie likes to be active outdoors, especially riding her horses in barrel racing competitions.

Activity Editors
Clayton Ellis, Aurora Public Schools (Colorado)
Joanna Faerber, Louisiana State University Laboratory School
Brian Mosier, University of West Georgia
Brent Heidorn, University of West Georgia