A New You: Health for Every Body
Lesson 8 – Fitness for
Every Body
Goals and Objectives:
1. Understand benefits of being physically active.
2. Increase awareness of various types of physical activities.
3. Explore ways to increase physical activity in daily life.
Handouts:
Audience Notes (create from Lesson 8 Slides)
OYOL Labels (Lesson 8 handouts folder)
Quick Thoughts (Lesson 8 handouts folder)
Words of Wisdom:
WOW
Materials:
Sign-in Sheet
Name Tags
Portable stereo and music
Flip chart or board and markers or chalk
(optional: write the WOW on board)
Computer, Projector, Screen
Extension Cords
Feedback sheets from previous lesson
“It seems like when you
are physically fit, you
feel good about it, and
you feel good about
yourself.”
Male in his 40’s
Let their voices be
heard ©
Outline:
5 minutes – Welcome and Review
15 minutes – Benefits of Physical Activity, Motivators to Move, and
Keys to Success
5 minutes – Journaling
10 minutes – Fitness, Aerobic Fitness, Walking
10 minutes –Muscle Strength, Flexibility, and Physical Activity
Guidelines
5 minutes – On Your Own Learning (OYOL)
2 minutes – Wrap-up
8.2
Facilitator Notes
Distribute
Audience
Notes.
Facilitator’s Message
Sign-In
As participants arrive, have them sign in and pick up their name
tags and Audience Notes. Play some nice background music.
Optional: Post Class
Guidelines.
Slide 1: Welcome and Review
Welcome to our next lesson of A New You: Health for Every Body.
Let group
respond.
A New You:
Health for Every Body
Lesson 8: Fitness for Every Body
Does anyone have any comments or questions? (Address any
concerns, confusion or comments from previous session
evaluations.)
How is the journaling process? Would anyone like to share an
experience they have had with the journaling? Is it helpful?
For today’s lesson we will build on our last session on physical
activity. We will discuss your OYOL – On Your Own Learning in a
few moments.
8.3
Slide 2: Benefits of Physical Activity
What are the
benefits of
physical activity?
Turn to a partner and share what you think is one benefit of regular
physical activity.
(Allow a few minutes.)
Record
responses
on board.
Would anyone like to share what they said and I will capture them
on the board?
(Refer to this list if these are not mentioned.)
* increases physical fitness
* helps build and maintain healthy bones
* helps build and maintain healthy muscles
* helps maintain healthy joints
* builds endurance
* builds muscular strength
* helps manage weight
* lowers risk factors for cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and
type 2 diabetes
* helps relieve stress and improve mood
* helps control blood pressure
* promotes psychological well-being and self-esteem
* reduces feelings of depression and anxiety
* improves blood circulation
* improves energy level
* improves balance and coordination
* enhances immune function
* increases flexibility
Lists of benefits can be found in Fitting in Fitness on page 6 and
Intuitive Eating on page 223.
Facilitate
discussion
on the
worksheets.
Have extras available.
Motivators to Move
In the last session, you received Discovering Motives to Move and
Matching Motive to Activity handouts. Did anyone have any
questions about the worksheets?
Would anyone like to share what they discovered? If you have
been active for many years, what keeps you moving? Are there new
things you are going to try?
Is anyone using the OYOL walks as their physical activity goal?
8.4
Slide 3: Keys to Success
Keys to Success
Enjoy
Be safe & comfortable
Fuel your body
Celebrate!
Once you have made the decision to become physically active or
increase your activity, keep in mind these keys to success.
1. Enjoy what you are doing. One of the secrets to maintaining
physical activity over time is to choose activities you enjoy! Some
people prefer structured classes, others need to be productive or
purposeful, while still others work hard at their recreational
activities. Many do a combination. The important thing is to want to
do it more!
2. Choose activities that you are comfortable doing. If you do not
feel safe in water, water skiing may not be your top choice for
frequent activity. You need to feel safe and comfortable so increase
intensity, frequency and duration gradually as you are ready.
Abusing your body with excessive exercise can lead to injuries
and/or feelings of self-punishment.
3. Fueling your body is crucial. For some people, being physically
active is not enjoyable because they start being active at the same
time they start a diet. If you increase physical activity while
simultaneously starting a diet, your energy level will likely be low.
Without fuel, physical activity is not invigorating. It becomes a
chore and is not much fun. It is increasingly difficult to be physically
active when you are underfed, especially if carbohydrate intake is
too low.
4. Celebrate yourself! The important thing is to move. When you
are physically active, give yourself a pat on the back and know that
you made a choice for better health.
Journaling
Take out your journals and think about a positive experience you
have had with physical activity. Record why this is a positive
memory.
(Play some soothing background music and allow about 3 mintues
for journaling.)
8.5
Slide 4 and Slide 5: Fitness
Having the energy and
strength to do everything
you need and want to do in
your daily life.
Aerobic fitness
Muscular strength
A working definition of fitness is having the energy and strength to
do everything you need and want to do in your daily life. Fitness is
not defined by a particular weight. Fitness is an important factor in
life-long health.
Fitness is achieved by being physically active on a regular basis.
Fitness includes the following:
* aerobic fitness for your heart and lungs
* muscular strength
* flexibility of your muscles and joints
Flexibility
Slide 6 and 7: Aerobic Fitness
Aerobic = Oxygen
Work heart
& lungs for
better
oxygen use
Improve
endurance
with less
tiring
Aerobic activities work your heart and lungs. The more vigorous
the activity, the more oxygen your body needs. You breathe harder
and your heart beats faster to deliver more oxygen to the working
muscles. This increased workload makes your heart stronger and
more efficient. The more efficiently your body uses oxygen, the
more active you can be without being out of breath and tired.
Aerobic Activities
walking, jogging, running
mowing, raking, sweeping
swimming, cycling,
dancing
There are many different activities that can be aerobic depending
upon the intensity. One versatile aerobic activity is walking.
8.6
Slide 8: Walking
“The secret to health
is only 2 feet away –
your own 2 feet.”
Robert Sweetgall – Author,
speaker, walker and advocate
of walking for wellness.
Robert Sweetgall, walker and advocate of walking for wellness says,
“The secret to health is only two feet away – your own two feet.”
What are some ways you have or you can incorporate more
walking into your day?
(Refer to this list of prompts as needed.)
Record
responses
on board.
* Park farther away.
* Walk extra flights of stairs.
* Walk 20 steps out of your way, on purpose.
* Unload groceries in several trips instead of one or two.
* Deliver email personally.
* Walk around your house once a day and make one tiny
improvement like picking up a piece of trash or pulling a
weed.
* Walk away from the TV whenever a food commercial comes on.
* Take a 5-minute walk after every meal.
* Change the TV channel without the remote.
* Instead of sitting in a waiting room for an appointment, ask how
long the wait will be and fit in a walk around the building.
* Take a 2-minute walk whenever you feel your energy drooping.
* Take a walk and don’t stop until you find a penny.
* Cut your lawn without a riding lawn mower.
Let’s take a short break for a 2-minute walk right now. (Take a short
walk break.)
8.7
Slide 9 and 10: Muscle Strength
Muscle Strength
Use it or lose it
We are all weight lifters! What do you lift on a daily basis? It may be
children, grandchildren, groceries, books, boxes, pets or even a
backpack or purse. While muscle strength can decline as we age,
inactivity is a major factor in loss of muscle strength.
Strength-building activities help increase bone density, improve
balance, decrease risk of falling, and build and maintain muscle
strength that decreases the likelihood of injuries – especially back
injuries. They make the muscles resist or work against weight or
force. The resistance may be from weights, elastic bands or your
own body. Your muscles don’t know the difference.
Strength Activities
weight-lifting (cans, books,
milk or water jugs)
elastic bands
body for resistance calisthenics
Household items make great weights – lift empty milk jugs filled
with water or lift canned goods. You can also use elastic bands to
create resistance or use your own muscles for resistance.
While sitting in your chair, try this resistance activity. Start with your
feet flat on the floor. Point your right toes upward. Slowly straighten
your right leg. Keeping your knee straight, slowly raise and lower
your leg off the chair. Repeat 10 times. Switch to your left leg.
Remember to take deep breaths and use slow, controlled
movements.
8.8
Slide 11 and 12: Flexibility
Flexibility
Stretching comes
naturally – anywhere,
anytime
Have you ever watched a cat when he gets up from a nap? He
yawns and stretches his legs and back. We can take a lesson from
cats and do the same thing when we rise after sitting or lying for
awhile. Stretching feels good!
Flexibility is the ability of a joint or limb to have a complete range of
motion. Muscle tension and joint aches are sometimes caused by
limited flexibility. While some flexibility is lost with aging, inactivity
may be a larger factor.
Flexibility Activities
before & after other
activities
range-of-motion
movements
stretching
It is always good to stretch before and after an activity. It warms the
muscles and reduces injuries. Range-of-motion stretches help
reduce injuries by preparing joints and muscles for the activity.
When stretching, stretch until you feel a slight pull and do not
bounce. Hold stretches for 10 to 30 seconds, relax and repeat.
Notice how good it feels.
Let’s try a wrist roll or a range-of-motion movement.
* Make a loose fist with your left hand.
* Hold your arm still and slowly rotate your hand in a
circular motion at the wrist.
* Repeat 10 times each direction.
* Switch to your right hand – or try both hands at once!
Slide 13: Physical Activity Guideline
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, it is
recommended that adults avoid inactivity. Some activity is better
than none. For substantial health benefits, adults should do at least
150 minutes per week of moderate intensity activity or 30 minutes
most days. Aerobic activity should be done for at least 10 minutes
at a time. Children are encouraged to accumulate 60 minutes.
The good news is the minutes can accumulate throughout the day.
That means if you get 10 minutes here and there – every minute
counts! If you already get 30 minutes of physical activity daily, you
may gain additional health benefits by being more active.
Keep this guideline in mind as you set or revise SMART physical
activity goals for yourself.
8.9
Distribute
OYOL
Labels for
Lesson 8.
Slide 14: On Your Own Learning (OYOL)
1. Continue your 5-minute walks after each meal or three times a
day. Increase one of these daily walks to 10 minutes. That will mean
you are adding 20 minutes of activity each day – over half way to
the recommended minimum!
On Your Own Learning
OYOL
1.Increase one of the 3 daily 5minute walks to 10 minutes.
2. Record how you feel about the walks
2. Think back to when we started our 2-minute weekly walks. In
your journal, record how you feel about your walking. Note
anything you have noticed about yourself.
3. Review and revise goals
4. Look for media messages with
unrealistic body images
3. Review and revise your goals as needed. Contact me if you need
any help or have any questions.
4. In preparation for our next session, look for media messages
showing unrealistic body images as symbols of success and
happiness. Make a note to share what you find in our next session.
Distribute
evaluations.
Collect
name tags.
Adapted from A New You:
Living in A Healthy Body
developed by Outreach and
Extension at University of
Missouri, Lincoln University
Adaptation & revisions by
Mary Kay Wardlaw
Project Education Specialist
WIN the Rockies
Slide 15: Wrap-Up
Thank you for joining our class today. Please complete the
evaluations and leave your name tags. We will see you next week.
8.10
References and Additional Resources:
Fitting in Fitness. American Heart Association. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1997.
Holmes, Betty, Suzanne Pelican and Fred Vanden Heede. Let their voices be
heard: Quotations from life stories related to physical activity, food and eating, and
body image. Laramie, Wyoming: Wellness IN the Rockies, University of Wyoming,
2004.
Sweetgall, Robert. A Journey to Wellness. Clayton, Missouri: Creative Walking,
Inc., 2001.
Tribole, Evelyn and Elyse Resch. Intuitive Eating. New York: St. Martin’s
Paperbacks, 1996.
United States Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and
Promotion. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. www.dietaryguidelines.gov
You may reproduce A New You:
Health for Every Body for
educational purposes but not for sale
purposes. Please credit as follows: A
New You: Health for Every Body,
Wellness IN the Rockies,
www.uwyo.edu/wintherockies
A New You: Health for Every Body
Wellness IN the Rockies • www.uwyo.edu/wintherockies
Dept 3354, 1000 E. University Ave • University of Wyoming • Laramie, WY 82071
Adapted from A New You developed by Outreach & Extension at the University of Missouri & Lincoln University. Adaptation
and additional development at the University of Wyoming by Mary Kay Wardlaw, WIN the Rockies Education Specialist.
Editing and support from Suzanne Pelican, WIN the Rockies Co-PI and Food & Nutrition Specialist, Family & Consumer
Sciences, Cooperative Extension; Betty Holmes, WIN the Rockies Regional Coordinator; and Darlene Christensen, Project
Coordinator, Food & Nutrition Extension Programs.
WIN the Rockies is a community-based research, intervention and outreach project to improve
health of residents in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Supported by award 0004499 through
IFAFS (Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems) Competitive Grants Program/USDA.
The University of Wyoming, Montana State University, the University of Idaho and the United
States Department of Agriculture cooperating. These universities are equal opportunity
affirmative action institutions.
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