Fitness ought to be fun, but the process could be taken one step further for even better results. Physical education classes should be designed with high demands on fitness components, such as cardiorespitatory endurance, stength, flexibility, and motor skills. However, participation in such elements should not only be enjoyable, but should also be disguised so the students do not realize that they are doing a fitness activity. Some physical educators may find the idea of "disguising" fitness activities with fun to be inappropriate, but hiding academic lessons in enjoyable activities is a well-established educational practice. "The enjoyment of learning is something that has to be nutured. If students do enjoy the activities that strengthen their skills, they will learn more and remember it longer" (Cruey, 2007 p. 1)
As long as student engagement and learning are taking place, whether it is math, vocabulary, science, or physical fitness, disguising the learning process as fun is a useful technique.
(JOPERD, Sept. 2008)