Volume 22 (2015): Issue 2 (June 2015)

Introduction. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of 10 weeks of bodyweight training on selected elements of body composition (body mass, muscle mass, and the percentage of body fat and water) and components of physical fitness (strength, strength endurance, flexibility, and aerobic capacity) of women aged 21-23 years who do not practise sports professionally.

Material and methods. The study involved 15 women whose mean age was 22 years 2 months. Their body mass and composition were assessed using a TANITA BC-1000 scale, and the following parameters of physical fitness were measured: the strength and power of the upper and lower extremities; the strength endurance of the shoulders, shoulder girdle, and trunk; as well as their flexibility and physical capacity. The assessment was performed twice, that is before and after the completion of the 10-week programme.

Results. The study revealed that the 10-week bodyweight training programme had caused a minor increase in body mass (1.16%) and body fat percentage (2.43%), while muscle mass and body water percentage had not changed. As far as physical fitness is concerned, the bodyweight exercises had had a positive impact on all of the elements of physical fitness which were measured, including statistically significant increases in the explosive strength of the lower extremities (5.6%; p<0.01), strength endurance of the trunk (10.7%; p<0.01), and aerobic capacity (33.3%; p<0.05).

Conclusions. Without a properly balanced diet and nutrition control, the bodyweight training programme had a small impact on the parameters of body composition. It was, however, an effective way of enhancing general physical fitness: apart from improving muscle strength and endurance, it also increased physical capacity and flexibility.

Introduction. The aim of the study was to compare the image of the body, the level of its acceptance and satisfaction with it, as well as anxiety about one’s physical appearance and overall self-esteem in a group of adult women who did fitness exercise and those who were physically inactive.

Material and methods. The study involved 464 women aged 18 to 35 years (M=25.49; SD=5.24), including 277 women who exercised regularly in fitness clubs in Warsaw and 187 women who did not engage in regular physical activity. The following instruments were adapted and used for the purposes of the study: the Figure Rating Scale, the Body Satisfaction Scale, the Self-Esteem Scale, the Social Physique Anxiety Scale, and a questionnaire designed by the authors. Student’s t-test was used to determine the differences between the two groups.

Results. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of actual and ideal body parameters; however, the discrepancies between actual and ideal height and BMI were greater in women who were not physically active. The women who did fitness exercise were less dissatisfied with their overall and facial appearance, and they had higher self-esteem and lower anxiety about their physical appearance that those who were inactive. No significant intergroup differences were found for the subjects’ ideal and actual figures or for those preferred by women and preferred by men, nor for the discrepancies between these figures.

Conclusions. Differences in the body image of adult women who did fitness exercise and those who were physically inactive were revealed for the emotional aspects of body image, but not for the cognitive ones. The differences found in the study are likely to be due to the selection of subjects and they do not provide sufficient evidence to prove that exercise has a positive impact on body image.

Introduction. The aim of the study is to assess the physical activity of adults residing in the Świętokrzyskie region in Poland with relation to age, gender, and socioeconomic factors such as the level of education, place of residence, and financial situation.

Material and methods. The survey questionnaire used to assess physical activity was prepared by the Department of Auxology of Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce. The study group involved a total of 1,032 persons, aged 20-59 years, including 517 women and 515 men. The results of the study were subjected to statistical analysis. Two tests were carried out to determine the correlations between variables: Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was calculated and the nonparametric chi-square test (x²) was used.

Results. It was found that the leisure-time physical activity of the adults residing in the Świętokrzyskie region who participated in the study was insufficient and remained at a low level. Particularly alarming is the fact that a low level of leisure-time physical activity was found for young persons, both male and female, aged 20-39 years. This low level of activity also prevailed in the older age groups. Apart from age, gender, and the level of education, the place of residence and financial situation significantly impacted the physical activity of the adults.

Conclusions. It was observed that the physical activity of men and women aged 20-59 years in their leisure time was the greater the bigger the size of the agglomeration they resided in, the higher their level of education, and the better their financial situation.

Introduction. A growing interest in survival as a tourist and recreational activity raises the need for empirical research into this issue. Unfortunately, a vast majority of authors focus on the technical aspects of survival, ignoring the determinants of this activity. The few existing studies are mostly based on observation and involve small samples. This paper will help complement the body of knowledge concerning this issue.

Material and methods. Following a pilot study, the study proper was conducted between 2011 and 2013 using a questionnaire prepared by the author. The analysis was based on the opinions of 594 respondents. The research was conducted during randomly selected survival events, among randomly selected members of survival societies and organisations, and among users of websites dedicated to survival.

Results. The respondents usually organised survival activities individually or in a group of friends, forests being the preferred location. The respondents undertook survival activity either sporadically (once every 4-6 months) or sometimes (once every 2-3 months), with individual periods of activity usually lasting 2-3 days. The most popular form of this activity was one-day-long or several-day-long trips with overnight stays, and the activities the respondents performed the most frequently were constructing makeshift shelters, lighting and building campfires, and topography.

Conclusions. Survival activity was strongly determined by the accessibility of the natural environment. The persons engaged in survival showed high independence in carrying out their tasks. The survival activities were undertaken in short periods and sporadically, weekend trips (sometimes with an overnight stay) being the most popular form of activity. Basic issues related to survival were the dominant activities performed by the respondents.

Introduction. In order to examine the consequences that a changed view of the child had on early twentieth-century teaching in Sweden, this article analyses a battle that erupted when a proposal for new lesson content for Swedish school gymnastics was presented.

Material and methods. The study method is a comparative qualitative analysis of texts which present the views of the supporters and opponents of the proposal. The data analysis is based on a model showing five different constructions of childhood: a moment of innocence and purity; a period of lacking, but with naturally unfolding potential for, rational power; the primitive stage of human evolution; a time for redemption: saving the child from his/her sinful nature; and a period of active growth.

Results. For the proposal's supporters, the fact that they mainly regarded childhood as a time of active growth meant a form of gymnastics more suited to children and their needs as well as a desire to get them to participate and become involved. For the proposal's opponents, the notion of childhood as the primitive stage of human evolution meant that considerable space was accorded to order movements, commands, and other military elements designed to subjugate and control in order to develop and civilise pupils in accordance with the values and ideals this side represented.

Conclusions. The findings show that the views of both sides concerning which gymnastics should be practised can be linked to different notions of the child.

Introduction. Despite the fact that sport tourism plays an important role in upland destinations, as a field of research it is still characterised by a knowledge deficit.

Material and methods. Active winter sport tourists at two upland destinations were compared in terms of socio-demographic variables, the importance of destination choice criteria, and travel behaviour in order to give recommendations to destination management organisations.

Conclusions. There were significant differences between tourists at the two destinations. Consequently, advantages may be gained from the development of destination-specific marketing strategies.

Introduction. Apart from basic services, the modern hotel industry provides a number of additional services, including those having to do with wellness. This article attempts to provide a general description of spa services in selected hotel facilities in the Lublin Province in Poland.

Material and methods. Data on the size of the accommodation base, its diversity, and its occupancy by tourists were obtained from the official statistical publications of the Polish Central Statistical Office (GUS). The paper presents the results of research on quantitative and structural transformations of mass accommodation facilities in the years 2000-2013. Particular attention was paid to spa hotels. Information on their profile and offer of balneological and wellness treatments was collected by means of a diagnostic survey in the form of an interview (primary source) and the exploration of websites (secondary source).

Results and conclusions. According to the data provided by the Central Statistical Office, in 2013 there were a total of 285 mass accommodation facilities in the Lublin Province (accounting for 2.9% of all facilities in Poland), which constitutes 8.0% of the territory of Poland and is inhabited by 5.6% of the country's population. The facilities were able to receive approximately 18,700 guests (2.7% of the total accommodation capacity of Poland). Every fourth mass accommodation facility in the Lublin Province was a hotel. This type of accommodation base was represented particularly by facilities of lower categories (3, 2, and 1 star hotels), and it accounted for approximately 27% of the total accommodation capacity of the Lublin Province. Hotels and guest houses offering spa services in addition to accommodation constituted 19.5% of the total number of hotel facilities in the Lublin Province. They were particularly concentrated in Lublin and the towns of the Puławy (Puławski) District, such as Kazimierz Dolny and Nałęczów. Spa services provided in hotel facilities can become an important product intensifying the use of tourist space in the Lublin Province.