Healthy Active Living Introduction Worksheet

Test format: multiple choice true or false matching

1. What is Wellness? (wellness-awareness continuum definition)

wellness = being in "a state of good health." Wellness is not for the short term it is a commitment to a way of living. Wellness requires that you be: Health conscious. You must be aware of the overall state of your health and what you need to do to improve it. Health active. You must actually do something about your health, not just talk about it-wellness doesn't just "happen." Health wise. You must be aware of the areas that you need to improve (such as diet, exercise, and goal setting). Health committed. You must be prepared to "stay fit, keep healthy, and have fun" for the rest of your life. The wellness-awareness continuum is a way of measuring your attentiveness to your wellness and level of activity.

2. What are the four components to Healthy Active Living? (define)

Good physical health is a result of all your body's important functions working well together. A person in good physical health can more easily: fight off disease; recover from illness; and perform daily routines without feeling tired. Good mental health is a result of positive feelings about yourself and about others. Your mental health can influence your decisions. A person in good mental health can more easily: deal with stress; cope with change; Overcome negative feelings; and maintain a positive outlook on life. Good social health is a result of your interactions with others and of coping well with social situations. Social health can be built through friendships, participation in community groups, and volunteer work. A person in good social health can more easily: feel close and connected to other people; Maintain good support systems understand his or her own self-worth; and cope with life's ups and downs. Good spiritual health gives peace of mind. Spirituality can be gained and expressed in the way you play a musical instrument, dance, work with art materials, or through religion. It can also be apparent through reaching out to help others in ways that restore their dignity and self-worth. Good spiritual health can: give your life a purpose; provide you with stress relief; and help you develop support systems.

3. What are the benefits of Healthy Active Living? (explain each one)

A healthy, active approach to life brings with it both short-term benelits (benefits you can see and feel right away) and long-term benefits (benefits you will be able to see for many years to come). Both are important: Short-term benefits. Healthy active living enables you to enjoy each day with more energy for the things you like to do on a daily basis. Long-term benefits. A healthy active lifestyle also ensures that the body and all its important parts continue to work as effectively as possible. The friendships and skills developed through pursuing such a lifestyle can last a lifetime. Just remember that a healthy active lifestyle is not something that happens overnight. Nor is it always self-evident how best to pursue a more healthy way of life. For example, with the pressure of completing all your academic courses in high school, you might be uncertain as to the merits of taking health and physical education. Yet, the skills and lessons that you learn in H&PE class will help you lead a healthy active lifestyle for years to come.

4. Define Overweight and Obesity.

Many Canadians, young and old, do not engage in enough regular exercise and pay too little attention to what they eat. As a result, overweight and obesity have become serious public health issues. The terms "overweight" and "obese" are often used interchangeably, but it is important to distinguish between the two: Overweight. having excess body fat for one's size and build a condition that will lead to health problems. The main way to address an overweight condition is to choose a better diet and to be more physically active. Obesity. more of a "chronic" condition meaning that one is overweight to the point where it is a danger to one's health. The condition may require action on many fronts, including professional intervention by a physician or other medical professionals. Of the two conditions, overweight is by far the more prevalent, though both are on the rise in Canada and other industrialized countries. Being overweight does not always lead to obesity, but it does require action before one's health is affected for the worse.

5. What are the health risks of being overweight?

Carrying excess weight places unnecessary strain on the body. Such people are at increased risk for certain diseases and health problems: Hypertension (high blood pressure). The heart of an obese person has to work very hard to pump blood and oxygen, and the extra stress can lead to heart disease or stroke. Type II diabetes. A form of diabetes that usually occurs at an older age, but is now beginning to show up among young adults as a result of poor eating habits and physical inactivity. Osteoarthritis. Excess weight places stress on the joints, which damages the cartilage and causes pain. Sleep apnea. A condition that often occurs in obese people, and causes them to stop breathing for short periods during the night, interrupting sleep patterns, and causing fatigue. Cancer. Obesity increases the chance of developing cancer, including colon, breast, gallbladder, ovarian, and prostate. Overweight or obese individuals may not only face problems with their physical health, but also with their mental, spiritual, and social health. Obesity can result in feelings of low self-esteem, especially if the individuals feel their identity and self-worth are linked closely to their weight. Obese individuals may also turn to dieting products as a quick way to lose weight--not necessarily for health reasons, but simply so they can feel accepted by others.

6. What two factors can we control for maintaining a healthy weight? (explain)

Researchers have identified three main causes of overweight and obesity: insufficient physical activity; excessive food intake; and heredity (our genetic make-up). Of course, we can't control our genes. We can do something about the first two how much we exercise and what we eat: Active living. The first step to prevention is being physically active. This includes participating fully in H&PE classes. The goal of H&PE class is to teach you about fitness through games, activities, and sports and to teach you how to design a healthy active lifestyle plan. Try to spend at least 30 minutes every school day on physical activities, with at least 10 minutes involving vigorous activities. Healthy eating. Choose your fuel wisely. A balanced food plan includes three or more meals per day that target all the food groups. If you find yourself lacking energy during the day, choose healthy snacks such as fresh fruits (bananas, apples, and pears) or fresh vegetables (carrots, celery sticks, and broccoli).

7. Define Fitness.

Fitness is achieved by: regular exercise, proper diet, and adequate rest. However, your level of fitness may vary over time. Indeed, at any point in time, you may be fit in one respect, but not especially fit in another. For example, you may have good muscular strength but weak cardiorespiratory fitness. You may also decide at different times to work on improving your level of fitness in one area or another. It is helpful to think of the term "fitness" as having two dimensions. One pertains to overall health; If you are generally "health fit," then you can probably look forward to a long life all the important body parts (heart, lungs, muscles, bones) are in good working order and are exercised regularly. the other focuses more on performance and skill. If you are also "performance fit," you are able to call up the skills required for a high level of involvement in a particular sport or some other kind of rigorous physical activity.

8. List and define the five Health Related Fitness Components ( help us to stay healthy.)

Health-related fitness is generally assessed in five main areas: Cardiorespiratory fitness the ability of the heart and lungs to supply oxygen and energy to the muscles. It is critical because it builds the endurance needed to accomplish day-to-day activities, such as climbing stairs or running for the bus. Some activities that build this aspect of fitness include running, swimming, and dancing. Muscular strength the ability to exert force or lift a heavy weight. We use it on a daily basis, for example, in pushing or pulling a heavy door to open it. Some activities that build strength include ice hockey, football, and resistance training. Muscular endurance the ability of muscles to work over a long period of time, such as hitting a ball over and over again in a long gar of tennis. Some activities that build muscular endurance in. de wrestling, aquatics, cycling, and cross-country skiing. Flexibility the ability of the muscles to stretch. It prevents injuries when the body is pushed beyond its usual limits, such as during a fall while skateboarding. Some activities that build flexibility include martial arts, dance, and yoga. Body composition the distribution of muscle and fat throughout the body. A healthy body composition means that the body has enough fat to provide it with energy and enough muscle to perform a variety of activities. Of course, this aspect of fitness focuses on whether one is generally maintaining a healthy weight range, regardless of actual physical appearance.

9. List and define the six Skill Related Fitness Components (These components do not contribute to good health but rather assist in improved performance of skills used for example in games and sports.)

In the context of physical activity, a skill is the ability to do something efficiently and well. For example, you may be skilful at serving in tennis or doing a jump shot in basketball. If you notice you're improving in a particular sport, it usually means you're improving in several skill areas at once. Skills are developed over time with practise. Learning how to perform a particular action better also develops patience and discipline. While health-related fitness focuses on "core health" (the heart and lungs, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition), skill-related fitness usually centres on the following six components: Agility the ability to change direction rapidly and accurately. Basketball and hockey players are very agile; their feet go one way, their upper bodies go another and their hands yet another. Activities that need agility include dancing, football, and soccer. Balance the ability to maintain equilibrium when moving or standing still such as the ability to avoid falling over when playing racquetball or even when just walking a straight line. Activities that build balance include yoga, skiing, and fencing. Coordination the ability to combine balance and agility while moving. Doing two unrelated tasks at the same time, such as running and dribbling a basketball, takes coordination. Sports that build coordination include field hockey, handball, and gymnastics. Power the ability to apply maximum effort in as short a time as possible. For example, the start of a downhill ski race or a roundhouse karate kick needs power to get a person or body part moving at maximum speed. Activities that require power include a sprint start in track and field, a basketball lay-up, and a swimming race start. Reaction time the ability to respond to a situation in as short a time as possible. For example, in soccer or hockey, goalies are expected to react to an oncoming ball or puck in fractions of a second. Sports that need quick reaction time include table tennis, badminton, and karate. Speed the ability to cover a short distance as quickly as possible It is generated by a combination of all the skills listed so far. At a competitive level, speed is obviously the most important skill, such as in a swimming or a cycling race. Sports that require speed include baseball, soccer, and road hockey.

Holistic Health--Learning from Indigenous Elders Traditional Indigenous approaches to medicine and healing embrace the concept of holistic health--that is, the idea that the mind, body, and spirit are interconnected and that only when all these elements are healthy will a person experience true wellness. This is also a concept that is central to quality Health and Physical Education programs today. We need to be attentive to all three dimensions of our health and well-being.

The significance of the Indigenous medicine wheel The medicine wheel, a symbol commonly associated with Indigenous cultures, best symbolizes this interconnectedness. The medicine wheel captures the cycles of nature and represents life as an interconnected, circular journey. The four points on the wheel represent: the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter); the four aspects of a person (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual); the four kingdoms (animal, mineral, plant, and human); and the four sacred medicines (sweetgrass, tobacco, cedar, and sage). the four points of the compass, marking: mental (North), spiritual (East), emotional (South), and physical (West) aspects of health. For a traditional Indigenous healer, an imbalance in any one aspect of health will affect a person's overall health and well-being. Holistic health bringing all four dimensions into harmony and balance. Truth and reconciliation through active living The important role that physical activity can play in promoting wellness was highlighted in the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015) The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was set up, under Justice Murray Sinclair, to report on the historical injustices experienced by Indigenous peoples and to find a way forward. “For over a century," the Commission concluded, "the central goals of Canada's Aboriginal policy were to eliminate Aboriginal governments; ignore Aboriginal rights; terminate the Treaties; and, through a process of assimilation, cause Aboriginal peoples to cease to exist as distinct legal, social, cultural, religious, and racial entities in Canada." Five of the Commission's 94 Calls to Action indicate how, among other things, greater opportunities for young people in Indigenous communities to participate in physical activity and recreation can help redress these historical injustices. The Commission emphasized how active living programs and community sports can play a significant role in the development of Indigenous communities and improve the overall health and well-being of Indigenous peoples. The Seven Sacred Teachings and healthy active living The Seven Sacred Teachings: Truth, Humility, Honesty, Wisdom, Respect, Courage, and Love- lessons that have been passed down from Indigenous Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers. These sacred teachings align well with Health and Physical Education programs in schools across Canada. School-based Health and Physical Education is built on the principles of equity, inclusiveness, and fair play and the idea that personal fitness and active living are essential components of overall health and well-being. Physical activity and personal fitness are essential steps on the road to overall wellness, lasting friendships, and an optimistic outlook on what the future can bring. Supporting physical literacy for all of Canada's peoples Sport for Life's Long-Term Athlete Development Framework (LTAD) promotes physical literacy based on seven developmental stages. This framework describes the developmentally appropriate activities at each stage of life that enable us to pursue the sport or leisure activities of our choosing. LTAD fosters positive active experiences, improved health, and higher goal achievement for everyone. Recognizing that mainstream models do not necessarily align with Indigenous needs or experiences, Indigenous educators and Sport for Life also developed the Aboriginal Long-Term Participant Development Pathway. This pathway builds on a holistic model of health and wellness that takes into account the physical as well as the cultural, mental, and spiritual dimensions of health. Just like a circle, where there is no end and no beginning, the Aboriginal Long-Term Participant Development Pathway is based on the principle of continuous improvement. The stages of the pathway provide programs for all ages with the aim of increasing participation and optimizing performance in a wide range of culturally appropriate activities.