1. HEALTHY HABITS FOR LIFE
A Common Sense Approach
to Healthy Living/Grades 4/5
Leader Guide for Healthy Habits for Life
Thank you for choosing Healthy Habits for Life: Your 6 Week Guide to Food and Fitness. This Leader Guide is designed as a series of slides. Teaching tips and activity ideas for each week are listed on the “Notes” section of the title slide for each week. Each slide was taken directly from the text of the book. Participants will find it easy to understand the lecture by following in their books.
The slides are divided into: an introduction
a presentation for each of the six weeks
a summary
You may down load them for free from this web site, save them on your hard drive and add to them or change them to suit your individual needs.
General Guidelines
The classes are designed to be taught in 6 one hour sessions but experience has shown that there is a lot of information to cover and the classes may be better taught dividing them slightly differently than the book is divided. Week Two (Eat Well) can really take two weeks to teach and Weeks 5 & 6 (Shop Smart and Fit It In) can both be covered in one session. There is enough material that the entire program could be extended to 8-10 weeks.
It is very important at the beginning of the program to set some ground rules. The nature of the material lends itself to much class discussion. Participants should be made aware of the amount of material to be covered in one short hour and the need to be respectful of the time. It may be necessary to meet separately with particularly outspoken persons out side of class time to address personal issues. Ideally, each participant would have a one hour consultation before the beginning of the program to help them through some of the personal information in Week Two and becoming familiar with their goals, concerns, etc.
Week Three

2. Move It: A Healthy Approach to Fitness
Benefits of Physical Activity
Making a Lifelong Commitment to be Active
Setting Up a Fitness Program
If you have access to a Certified Fitness Trainer it would be fantastic for them to teach this week of the program. It is not necessary as the Healthy Habits book gives you all the information you will need. A fitness trainer would be better able to answer questions that may come up. This chapter of the book was written by two certified fitness trainers.

3. Benefits of Regular Physical Activity
Focus on how good exercise can make you feel…
Celebrate the physical benefits of regular activity…
Exercise can help you feel better by: Lowering your stress level, fighting depression, sleeping more soundly, boosting your confidence, improving your quality of life, improving your self-esteem

4. Making a Lifetime Commitment to be Active
There is no one ideal program.
Start slow and gradually progress.
ANY activity is better than no activity.
The Surgeon General recommends 30 minutes of accumulated moderate activity on most days of the week to reduce your risk for chronic disease. To manage weight and prevent weight gain 60 minutes of daily activity is ideal. To lose weight minutes of physical activity daily will be the most effective.

5. Tips to get you moving! Activate your lifestyle. Make fitness fun.
Anticipate the unexpected.
Be comfortable.
Do not overdo a good thing.

6. Setting up a Fitness Program
Aerobic Conditioning
Strength Training
Stretching

7. Aerobic Conditioning Definition:
Any activity that uses the large muscles of the body and raises the heart rate for 20 minutes or more.

8. Aerobic Conditioning Frequency: Aim for 5 times/week
Duration: 20 minutes or more
Intensity: 60 –80% of maximum heart rate
Maximum Heart Rate = 220 – Your Age
Warm Up
Cool Down

9. Strength Training: Definition:
Exerting force against resistance in order to increase muscular strength.

10. Strength Training:
Include about 6 – 8 different exercises that work all of the major muscle groups.
Do between 8 – 12 repetitions of each exercise.
Train 2 – 3 times per week.
Rest 48 hours between sessions.

11. Strength Training: Getting Started
Abdominal crunch
Modified wall push-up
Overhead press
Biceps curl
Upward Row
Squat-chair, Sit-stand

12. Stretching:
Keeping yourself flexible will help prevent injury because a flexible muscle is less likely to be pulled or torn.

13. Stretching: Guidelines for success
Stretch while muscles are warm.
Do not over stretch.
Hold each stretch for 20 seconds.
Listen to your body.
Stretch at least three times each week.

14. A Healthy Approach to Fitness: Goals
Begin increasing your activity level.
Make a fitness plan for Aerobic Conditioning, Strength Training, and Stretching.
Record your activities in your Food and Activity Journal.

15. MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS DIVISION OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH LITERACY
SOURCE:
PRESENTATION PERMITTTED FOR INDIVIUAL
CLASSROOM USE