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Abstract |
In the present study the particular case of Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences Tourism and Leisure studies (founded in 1996, Valmiera, Latvia) will be used to present the experience of integration of outdoor physical activities in the study program with a focus on development of skills knowledge and reduction of institutional barriers for physical activities. Despite the fact that a good physical condition is not only a personal issue, but also a professional precondition in case of tourism, the research of Grinberga (2016) reveals that 70% of students identify their lifestyle as sedentary and inactive (11% with 0 activity), 45% of respondents said that they do some outdoor activities because of the added value of natural surroundings. The most common problems related to physical inactivity that students mentioned is back pain, decrease of physical fitness, (difficulty to move, muscle weakness etc.), also weight gain, poor immunity and sickness, pain in the neck, apathy. In their comments about the reasons for inactivity students mention lack of time due to the intensive lecture schedule which could be interpreted as an organizational barrier. |
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