Fitness for Life Canada
Activity Lesson Plan 1: Fitness Trail
In this lesson students will complete a Fitness Trail activity while monitoring exercise intensity using the
RPE scale, the Talk Test, and pulse counts. Let your school administration and staff members know that
the fitness trail will be set up and encourage them to use it.
Preparing the Lesson
Lesson Objectives
1. Complete a warm-up, workout, and cool-down.
2. Participate in a Fitness Trail activity.
3. Monitor exercise intensity using RPE, heart rate (refer to chapter 8), and the Talk Test (if you are
unable to talk comfortably while performing the activity, then you are probably working too
hard).
Equipment
Depends on which of Activity Cards: Fitness Trail you choose to use, Task Cards: Dynamic Warm-Up
Sequence, Activity Cards: Flexibility Circuit, Worksheet: Fitness Trail, Activity Cards: Physical Activity
Cool-Down, Worksheet: Feel the Pulse, cones, digital watch or clock with a second hand, pencils
Technology: Incorporate heart rate monitors into this lesson.
Setup
• Post the instant activity instructions where students can read them as they enter the activity
area.
• Place appropriate worksheets, activity cards or task cards, and pencils (if needed) out for
students.
• Set up activity stations around the outdoor activity areas of your school with the Activity Cards:
Fitness Trail stations you choose to use (provide pencils at each station).
Option: If no outdoor options are available, this fitness trail can be performed in a gymnasium.
Equipment for performing the fitness trail will depend on the activity cards you choose and the
equipment you have, but leave space for students to walk, run, or jog around the outside of the
gymnasium. Also include music in the Fitness Trail activity if you perform it in the gym.
Academic Connection: Let school staff and parents know about the fitness trail and
encourage people to use it at lunch or after school.
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Fitness for Life Canada
Delivering the Lesson
Part 1. Instant Activity
Instructions posted:
1. Get a worksheet and put your name on it.
2. Walk and talk with a friend around the area and check out the different activity stations without
disturbing the equipment.
Part 2. Lesson Focus
We have practiced three methods of determining our exercise intensity (heart rate, Talk Test, and RPE).
Check for Understanding: What are the three different methods, and how are they used to
determine exercise intensity? (Answer: heart rate, pulse counts; Talk Test, ability to talk; RPE,
feelings during activity.)
Today you are going to perform a general warm-up, a Fitness Trail activity, and a cool-down. Your
textbook has a Taking Action feature on being active in the outdoors. We are also going to practice using
the Rating of Perceived Exertion scale or RPE scale to monitor exercise intensity.
Check for Understanding: What are the characteristics of a general warm-up? (Answer: 5-10
minutes of dynamic activities that gradually increase in intensity.)
Basically, RPE is a judgment you make about the intensity of an activity. RPE is a rating scale from 0 to
10. Zero is equivalent to sitting in a chair, and 10 is the hardest exercise you have ever experienced. A
good RPE level to aim for when beginning an activity program is 3 to 5.
Option: Show the Rating of Perceived Exertion card from Activity Cards: Fitness Trail when
describing RPE to the students.
Option: Use Worksheet: Feel the Pulse to practice monitoring pulse.
Review: Review the fact that everyone has different levels of fitness and physical abilities. It is
important to work at your own pace.
Part 3. Fitness Activity
Take students through a stretch warm-up using the Task Cards: Dynamic Warm-Up Sequence and
stretches from Activity Cards: Flexibility Circuit. It is important that you warm up the students first and
then perform the stretches. Hold the stretches for a maximum of 30 seconds.
Option: Use your own dynamic warm-up or have students present some dynamic warm-up exercises.
Remember to start slowly and gradually increase the intensity of activities.
Option: Have students complete a general warm-up by walking a lap or two around the fitness trail
starting with a brisk walk, and then moving to a jog to get warmed up.
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Fitness for Life Canada
Immediately following the warm-up, have students pair up. Explain that while moving through the
fitness trail, they should be doing brisk walking, jogging, or running at an intensity that allows them to
continue talking while they move (Talk Test). When they encounter a fitness station, they should
complete the activity and fill out the information on their Worksheet: Fitness Trail.
Review: This is a good opportunity to review the concept of pacing. Students need to exercise
at an intensity level that allows them to be active for the whole Fitness Trail activity. “Pace
yourself” means that you need to find an activity level that won’t tire you out too quickly. Start
slow and finish strong!
Option: If you are performing the fitness trail in the gymnasium, use music to manage the class.
When the music starts, have students begin moving around the perimeter of the gymnasium. When
the music stops, students perform the activity station nearest to them without going backward.
Have students move through the fitness trail at least two times. The number of times they can move
through the trail will depend upon the area it covers.
Check for Understanding: Throughout the lesson, assess individual students’ ability to
determine their heart rate in beats per minute (bpm) using a radial pulse count.
Technology: Use heart rate monitors to verify that students can accurately monitor heart rate.
Students wear a heart rate monitor but perform a pulse count while you look at the watch
reading.
Lead students through a cool-down, have a student lead the class through a cool-down, or have
students walk and talk as a cool-down.
Part 4. Reflection and Summary
Have students share what Fitness Trail activities resulted in the highest and lowest RPE. Discuss why that
might be the case (activities are more vigorous, involve more muscle groups).
Check for Understanding: Ask them why they think the activity station(s) they identified
caused the highest RPE. Also ask why they think it’s important to assess their RPE during
physical activity.
Explain that they will be using the skills of monitoring exercise intensity throughout the Fitness for Life
Canada program. Ask them to share what method they prefer (heart rate, Talk Test, RPE) and why.
Review: Review the components of a safe exercise session (warm-up, workout, cool-down).
Part 5. Evaluate
Option: Have students place Worksheet: Fitness Trail into their Fitness for Life Canada portfolio.
Assess for completion and accuracy. Check RPE chart for accuracy. Do the RPE values match the
activities listed?
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Reinforcing the Lesson
Take It Home
Have students find out if there is a fitness trail in their community and report back to the class.
Supplemental Activities
Have students create a fitness trail in their community. It could be around a neighbourhood block. Have
them take pictures of the stations they create using everyday items (streetlamp posts, stairs, playground
equipment, and so on) and place the map and any pictures of the fitness trail in their portfolio.
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