Minds On
Daily activities
People engage in physical activities every day.
Some examples of physical activities that happen every day include:
- going for a walk, bike, or run
- doing household chores
- taking the stairs instead of the elevator
- playing at the park
- raking leaves or shovelling snow
- participating in sports or physical games with others
- dancing along to music
Explore this carousel of images and descriptions for some examples.
Walking and wheeling with friends is an example of daily physical activity.
Dancing along to a video is an example of daily physical activity.
Playing in the yard is an example of daily physical activity.
Walking the dog is an example of daily physical activity.
Consider the types of physical activities that you enjoy participating in.
Choose three of these physical activities. Describe each activity and state why you enjoy participating in these physical activities.
Record your thoughts in a method of your choice.
Action
What motivates you?
Being physically active is an important part of human development. Daily physical activity is an important factor in promoting physical and mental health.
Finding activities that you enjoy is a good starting point when beginning any activity.
You are more likely to stay active and feel additional motivation when you are participating in physical activities that you enjoy.
You are going to be creating a personal Fitness Journal. With this journal, you will reflect on your personal fitness journey and the daily physical activities that you participate in.
Before we begin, reflect on activities that you have recently been involved in that you found fun.
- What made it so enjoyable?
- Were you alone or part of a group/team?
- Did it involve lots of equipment?
Consider what motivates you to be active and any challenges you may face in starting.
Try to think of some realistic solutions that could help you find the time to exercise regularly.
As you progress, don’t forget to include how you felt after each workout so that you can review your observations and determine what types of physical activities suit your interest the most.
Begin your Fitness Journal by including the daily physical activity you engaged in yesterday and today in a method of your choice. Here is an example of an entry.
| Date | How I was Active Today | Observations |
|---|---|---|
| July 1st | This morning I picked up my old skipping rope that I hadn’t used in a while and tried skipping to warm up my muscles. I am so lucky to have a friend with a pool, so I went over to their house. We swam and played pool volleyball for almost an hour! After drying off, I walked home which took about 15 minutes. | Even though I haven’t skipped in ages, I was able to jump over the rope more than 50 times in a row. I wish there were more people around to try Double Dutch because that was always my favourite recess activity. Being in the pool was so much fun but my legs feel exhausted after so much kicking. It made the walk home so tough! The time went by so quickly… how could we have been in the pool for over an hour! I think I’ll focus on upper body activities tomorrow to give my legs a break. |
Complete the Fitness Journal in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document. If you would like, you can use speech-to-text or audio recording tools to record your thoughts.
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Fitness Journal.
Let’s get moving!
Let’s get moving! You always want to feel comfortable trying any new activity while giving your best efforts. If you find some exercises that might pose a greater challenge than others, consider altering the exercise.
Safety
Before you begin, consider these safety precautions:
Record 6 fitness activities that you can accomplish that target different skills, in a method of your choice. Number each exercise 1-6. Some examples include:
- balance (e.g., balancing using different body parts)
- flexibility (stretches involving different body parts)
- muscular strength (squats, lunges, using water bottles or soup cans, etc.)
- core exercises (crunches, sit ups, twists, planks, etc.)
- aerobics (skipping, marching on the spot, cycling, dancing, etc.)
Don’t forget to include a realistic number of repetitions or time frame that you think you can achieve. For example: 10 wall pushups, Plank for 20 seconds etc.
Try to perform all six activities. Use a timer to choose an amount of time for each activity that is realistic.
Consolidation
Enjoy your exercise!
The set of activities you did was an example of circuit training.
Press ‘Definition’ to access a definition of circuit training.
Circuit training occurs when you complete a series of exercises in a row, followed by a short rest period, and then repeat the exercises again, (often two or three more times). Often the same exercises are repeated, however new exercises can be chosen to target a variety of fitness goals.
If you were to create a new circuit based on the 6 exercises you created, how would you rearrange them to make them more personalized to your enjoyment?
- What factors would you consider in this decision?
- Would you keep all 6 of these exercises or choose any new ones?
Create a circuit using your favourite exercises.
Complete the Circuit Chart in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document. If you would like, you can use speech-to-text or audio recording tools to record your thoughts.
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Circuit Chart.
| Circuit One | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise name | Repetitions / time | Why I enjoy this exercise | Changes I want to make |
Maintaining consistency during your personal fitness journey is all about variety and enjoyment. It may take some time for you to explore your fitness interests but stick with it and have fun with the process!
Reflection
As you read through these descriptions, which sentence best describes how you are feeling about your understanding of this learning activity? Press the button that is beside this sentence.
I feel…
Now, record your ideas using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.