H ealthy L iving

Handbook

Book Two - Physical Activity

“Encouraging Healthy & Happy Lives”

 My Name

MY Friends

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Introduction

Health and wellness is an important part of being able to live a happy life.
COR believes that in order to realize our dreams and accomplish our goals,
we need to first be healthy and physically able to succeed!

These books are full of useful information and fun activities that will help
guide you on your path to becoming healthy for a happier life.

Through understanding the importance of eating right, exercising, sleeping

well, staying hydrated, keeping clean, and staying safe you will be able to
improve your life and help others as well!

T ype s o f B o o k s

Nutrition Book One

You are Reading Book Two
Physical Activity Book Two This book is great to read
with a friend

Hydration Book Three

Sleep Book Four

Personal Hygiene Book Five

Personal Safety Book Six

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Chapter Two - Physical Activity

Physical Activity means:

Any movement that increases the
amount of energy that we use.

This means that there are hundreds of

different ways to engage in physical activity!

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 There are many benefits of physical activity.
Below is a list of some of the benefits of being physically active.

Circle the

3
benefits
that are most important to you

Stronger Heart
Increased Flexibility

Increased Protection
Feel Better About Youself
Against Disease

Help Your Body

Lower Blood Pressure
Break Down Food Easier
& Get Rid of Waste
Better Mood (Happier)

More Energy
Thicker & Stronger
Throughout The Day
Bones

Increased Metabolism
Lower Weight

Become Stronger & Be

More Active Longer

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Now that you know the benefits of being physically active,

How Much Exercise Should

you
Be Getting Everyday?
According to Canada’s Physical Activity Guide,
the average person should be getting anywhere from
30-60 minutes of physical activity every day,
depending on the intensity.

The more effort required to do an activity,

the less time you need to do it.

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 FUN FACT
The key to being physically fit is
being creative and getting active in
ways that are fun and suit
your lifestyle!

According To Jim Becoming physically active requires a commitment.

Here are some steps to follow that will help you make
that commitment
Pick a Time
Identify a specific time that you are going to regularly
do your physical activity.
Pick a Place
Locate a suitable place to do your activity.
Make a Plan
Figure out how you are going to be physically active
and determine what things you might need
Move
Follow your plan and move more to become more
active!

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There are
3 different levels of physical activity intensity.

Light Effort involves minimal work and can be done with

little change of heart rate and slightly increased breathing
rate. During light effort activities, it should be easy to have a
conversation with a friend.

Moderate Effort physical activity requires more muscle

strength and endurance that should increase your heart rate
and cause some heavier breathing. During moderate effort
activities, speaking may become more difficult with deep
breathes needed in between.

Vigorous Effort includes those activities that use a great

amount of energy and cannot be kept up for a long period
of time. They cause a very big increase in heart rate and
will produce a fair amount of sweat from the body. During
vigorous effort activities, having a conversation should be
almost impossible.

Did You Know?

Every little bit counts! Although some
activities may seem small or unimportant,
every act that increases the physical activity
of an individual is important and can help
to make you more healthy!

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 Here are some examples of physical activity for different intensity levels.
Can you think of TWO more examples for each level?

LIGHT
Walking
Easy Gardening
Stretching

_________________
_________________

MODERATE
Brisk Walking
Bike Riding
Raking Leaves
Swimming

_________________
_________________

VIGOROUS
Aerobics
Jogging
Basketball

_________________
_________________

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 Statistic:
Roughly 60% of
women ages 25-44
and roughly 55% of
men the same age
are considered to be
physically inactive

There are
3 important factors to having a
successful exercise routine.
1. Frequency
Exercise needs to be done on a regular basis.
Skipping multiple days or even weeks can result
in a dramatic loss of strength, endurance, and
flexibility.
2. Intensity
In general, the more effort or intensity that
goes into your exercise, the more results you
will see.
3. Time
How long you exercise is also very important.
The higher the intensity of the exercise, the
less time has to be spent doing the exercise.

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 Stair Challenge!
Taking the stairs instead of taking
the elevator or escalator is a great
and easy way to add some physical
activity to your day!

For one week, make the decision to

use the stairs wherever possible.
There are plenty of opportunities
to use stairs. At the mall, the office,
school, home and anywhere you
can find them!

You can even challenge your friends

and find out how often they are
taking the stairs!

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 Michael Says...
“Every little bit counts! Although some activities may
seem small or unimportant, every act that increases
the physical activity of an individual is important and
can help to make you more healthy! Before you try
and set big goals, set some smaller physical activity
goals to get you started on your journey to become
physically fit!”

Exercising For Better Bones

As we get older the strength of
our bones gradually decreases.
This means that the older we get, the more likely we are
to injure ourselves. One of the best things we can do to
help make sure our bones stay strong is to exercise!

Many people think that exercising only improves your

muscle strength, while in actuality, it can significantly
increase the strength in your bones as well!

When you do “weight-bearing” activities such as walking,

jogging, dancing, or weight-lifting, your body naturally
increases the strength of your bones so that you are less
likely to injure yourself in the future.

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 Personal
Goals
Together with your friend, come up with
ONE short term goal (within the next week)
+
ONE long term goal (within the next month)
to improve your physical activity.
Short Term Goal
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Long Term Goal

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Now take the next week to apply the knowledge that you’ve
learned and to do more research if you would like more information.
Don’t hesitate to ask questions if you are unsure about something.

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 Write down some things you have learned
from the chapter and any questions that
you would like answered

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 Glossary
What does this word mean??

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Resources

Hales, Dianna & Lauzon, Lara. An Invitation to Health. Toronto: Thomson Canada, 2007.

“Healthy Living”, “Food and Nutrition”. Health Canada. www.hc-gr.gc.ca www.hc-sc.gc.ca

“Health”. Canadian Living. www.canadianliving.com

“Healthy Weight”. Healthy Ways. www.obesitynetwork.ca, www.canadian-health-network.ca, www.dietitians.ca

Friendships, Feelings & Futures. New Brunswick: New Brunswick Association for Community Living, 2004.

freedigitalphotos.net

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 Creative Options Regina
103-1170 Broad St
Regina, SK S4R 1X8

www.CreativeOptionsRegina.ca

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