IB Sports, exercise and health science A.3.2.4 Principles and Purposes of Exercise Prescription Key Definitions

A negative emotional state marked by feelings of nervousness, worry, and apprehension about future events, often without a clear external cause.

Clinical depression is a mental illness involving long-term depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration, lasting months or years and interfering with daily life.

The mental processes involved in gaining knowledge and understanding, including memory, learning, and problem-solving.

Effect size is a standardised measure of the magnitude of an observed effect. It allows results from studies that used different scales or variables to be compared on a common metric.

Natural chemicals produced by the body during exercise that act as mood enhancers and contribute to feelings of well-being.

Exercise prescription is the process of designing a structured exercise program that is specifically tailored to meet an individual’s health or performance goals.

Mood is a set of feelings experienced day to day. Moods last hours, days, weeks, or months, longer than emotions, which last minutes to hours and arise from specific events.

The ability of the brain to form new neural connections, which can be promoted through physical activity, aiding in stress regulation and emotional processing.

Also known as noradrenaline, norepinephrine is a hormone and neurotransmitter that works alongside epinephrine to regulate the fight-or-flight response.

A key training concept which dictates that to improve fitness, the body must be exposed to progressively greater levels of stress (e.g., by increasing weight, time, or reps) to promote adaptation.

Self-esteem refers to an individual’s overall sense of self-worth or personal value, while body image refers to how one perceives their physical appearance.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved in mood regulation, sleep, and appetite. Low serotonin activity is linked to anxiety and depression.