Skip to main content

The Science Inside You

Your body is packed with science, from the physics of flexing a muscle to the chemistry of digesting a French fry. Try these fun resources to learn more about the science inside you!

Get Your Own Fitness Factor Journal!

Test your fitness and track your exercise with The Fitness Factor Journal! Find an exercise partner and do four exercises together to check your fitness. Add up your scores and write them in the Journal.

Then, try some of the exercises described in the Journal each day for a week, and write down what you did in the Journal’s Exercise Chart. After a week, try the fitness test again and see if you’ve improved your score.

Make copies of blank Fitness Factor Journal Fitness Test and Exercise Chart pages, save them in a folder or binder, and keep charting your fitness, week after week.

Over time, you’ll be amazed at how much stronger, fitter and more flexible you’ll become!

The Science of Fitness Activity Sheet

Match animals and the ways they move to be inspired to stay active, record your fitness challenge scores, and color the parts of the brain involved with exercise with this fun page of games and activities!

 

 

All Systems Are Go

Arnold Rutabaga has lost some very important body parts and needs your help finding them. Read “Learn More,” either by clicking on it with your mouse or using the Tab key and space bar on a keyboard to select it, to find out what they are and then put them back where they belong!

 

Zap!

You are a frog using high tech visual and audio detecting equipment to track incoming flies. Test your reaction time by hitting the big red button when you see or hear a tasty insect!

 

Reaction Ruler

The Reaction Ruler is a bookmark, a handy centimeter ruler, and a tool that measures your reaction time. Just ask a friend to hold the ruler at the yellow diamond, so it hangs straight down. Put your thumb and forefinger around the ruler right at the yellow star, so that you are ALMOST pinching the ruler (but not quite). Your friend should let go of the ruler, letting it fall. And you try to pinch your fingers closed, catching it as quickly as you can. Then read the red number nearest where you catch it; that tells you how long it took you to react. Try practicing to see if you can improve your time!

Antibiotic Attack

Paging Dr. You! There are seven patients with serious infections in your waiting room. Select the right antibiotic to kill the bacteria making them sick—but choose carefully! Some of the bacteria are resistant to all but the most powerful drugs—and those may have side effects that make your patients sicker.

 

The Pulse Is Right

In this activity, you will find your pulse and then see how it changes when you exercise.

 

 

Smart Attack

Think you know a lot about your body? Test your knowledge with this Smart Attack challenge!