HOW EXERCISE IMPROVES MOOD | 5 REASONS WHY EXERCISE IS IMPORTANT FOR MENTAL HEALTH
Importance of Exercise
Overview
Students will go over the importance of exercise and learn why it's important to have it in a daily routine. This lesson will discuss the ways that exercise is beneficial, and the negative impacts that come with a lack of physical activity.
Bell Ringer
As you walk into class, take out a sheet of paper and answer the following questions?
- What kinds of activities involve exercise?
- Why are the benefits of exercise?
- Why is exercise so important?
Objectives
Students will be able to:
Learn the benefits of physical activity and understand why they're so important in everyday life.
Give some examples of what they can do for exercise.
Make an exercise plan for the week where they do some kind of physical activity for at least 30 minutes.
Exercise
Exercise is an essential part of our lives. It is needed for everyone of all ages and it helps us live a long and healthy lifestyle. Exercise is an important part of physical growth but it does have some mental benefits as well.
This video discusses the positive of exercises on the brain:
Benefits of Exercise
Exercise is also beneficial to physical health. By doing at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day, it brings many positive physical effects to ones body.
Exercise can:
- Help you maintain a healthy weight
- Help prevent any long term disease, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes
- Help burn calories and regulate metabolic rate.
- Make lungs healthier and stronger.
- Increased bone health and muscle mass
Exercise isn't hard to do either. Many younger people usually exercise by playing sports, but exercise can be as simple as walking around the neighborhood.
Activity
When doing exercise, a lot of changes happen to the body. The heart rate goes up, endorphins are released, and you feel more alert. We will perform a before and after activity demonstrating this.
- First, on a sheet of paper, write down how you feel sitting down at your desks. (e.g. calm, relaxed, bored)
- Next, everyone must stand up and walk around the room for 1 minute
- After walking, everyone stop and perform 20 jumping jacks
- Next, everyone walk back to your desk and write down how your feel.
Students should feel alert, awake, and they should feel their heart rate should be increased
Lack of Exercise
As previously mentioned, exercise is essential in everyday life. This means that lack of exercise can be very negative to your health. It increases the risk of disease, and for younger people, it can be detrimental to their physical growth.
The CDC has many benefits of exercise and the negative effects that come with the lack of it.
Planner
Now that you know why exercise is important and how it can benefit life, you will have a project to start on that will be turned in at the end of the week.
Students will:
- Create a planner with 7 columns for days of the week
- Starting today, students will perform some kind of exercise for at least 30 minutes a day
- They will document what type of activity they did and write it on the planner for that day
- Planners will be turned in the following week with all the days filled out
Exit Ticket
- Write down 3 ways that someone could do exercise
- Write down 3 ways that exercise could benefit someone