Description

Fitness for Life Canada: Preparing Teens for Healthy, Active Lifestyles is the only health and fitness education program backed by research and focused on shifting teens from dependence to independence when it comes to lifelong healthy lifestyles. Through Fitness for Life Canada, students are engaged in the process of personal program planning for a variety of health behaviours including physical activity, fitness, and health eating. This evidence-based and standards-based program follows a pedagogically sound scope and sequence to enhance student learning and progress and presents the science of healthy living at age-appropriate levels. Research clearly demonstrates that active and healthy adults use a variety of self-management skills to maintain their positive behaviours. Fitness for Life Canada helps students develop numerous self-management skills—such as self-assessment, self-monitoring, goal setting, finding social support, overcoming barriers, and managing time—to prepare them to independently engage in healthy lifestyles. Students also learn to engage in community physical activity opportunities, with national sport and health organizations, and with technology that supports healthy lifestyles. Through Fitness for Life Canada, students explore these aspects:

• The foundations of active and healthy living, including adopting healthy lifestyles and self-management skills and setting goals and planning personal programs
• Learning the basics for lifelong activity and health, including engaging in smart and safe physical activity, knowing how much activity is enough, and understanding healthy eating
• Beginning activity and building fitness, including participating in moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity and developing cardiorespiratory endurance
• Building muscle fitness and flexibility, including understanding muscle fitness applications and ergogenic aids
• Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including achieving a healthy body composition, choosing nutritious foods, and making good consumer choices
• Creating positive and healthy experiences, including managing stress, developing lifelong leadership skills, understanding reproductive and sexual wellness, and making wise choices regarding alcohol, drugs, and tobacco

SummaryFitness for Life Canada develops higher-order physical literacy knowledge and skills that help students become active and healthy adults. Fitness for Life Canada focuses on developing students’ knowledge of health and health-related fitness concepts, training principles, and personal physical activity and fitness program planning. That knowledge is combined with numerous self-management skills that are critical for maintaining physical activity, healthy eating, and general health behaviours. In short, Fitness for Life Canada enhances engagement, learning, and assessment while paving the way to a healthy lifestyle throughout the life span.