My Fitness Plan - Getting Started!

 

Exercise is good for you in many different ways. It can help you maintain a healthy weight and boost your overall energy level. Regular exercise decreases stress and anxiety, and helps improve your mood, too.

 

Exercise can and should be fun. This guide includes three worksheets to help you figure out what motivates you to exercise and what activities you currently enjoy (Worksheet 1), new activities that you'd like to try (Worksheet 2), and how to make these activities a part of your everyday life (Worksheet 3).

 

Worksheet 1: Focus On Fitness
My Fitness Motivators and Health Benefits What motivates you to want to be physically active? Use the boxes on the right to check off what motivates you. Use the extra lines at the bottom to write down other reasons that you want to make fitness a part of your life.	Have more energy Reduce stress Keep my heart healthy Improve my overall health Manage my weight Improve my mood and self-esteem _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________
My Everyday Activities You can move your body more by changing your daily routine, such as walking to school or the movies instead of getting a ride. Check off some of the things that you could change, and write in a few of your own ideas, too.	Walking instead of driving or taking the bus Taking the stairs instead of the elevator Walk around while talking on the phone _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________
My Other Physical Activities Other ways of exercising are physical activities such as riding your bike or playing a sport. Generally, these activities require more energy than everyday activities. Check off some other physical activities you enjoy, or write them in.	Riding my bike Playing a team sport Taking a dance or yoga class _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________
My Time to Get Fit You need to make room in your busy schedule to free up time for fitness. Think about ways to plan a workout into your day. Check off or add some strategies that will help you make time for fitness.	Cut TV, internet, and video game time in half Wake up ten minutes earlier to bike to school Put gym clothes in backpack the night before _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________
My Fitness Goals Having clear goals can help motivate you and keep you focused. Check off or write in your top three fitness goals for the next month.	Join a sports team, or learn a new sport Try a new dance, aerobics, or yoga class Try an exercise DVD Run a mile Start a walking club with friends _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________
Great job! You've finished your first worksheet. Now you're on your way to getting started with your new fitness program. Keep this sheet where you can see it to help you stay focused on your goals.

 

Intro to Worksheet 2: Fun Fitness

A good fitness plan should include a balance of stretching, toning, and aerobic activities. Our Stretch It section shows you stretching exercises that will keep you flexible, help you relax, and help prevent injuries such as pulling a muscle from reaching too far.

 

Our Tone It section shows you strength exercises that will help you build strong muscles and boost your metabolism.

 

Our Move It section shows you aerobic exercises that will help keep your heart healthy and strong.

 

This worksheet shows exercises from each of the Fun Fitness sections. Check off the ones you want to try, and use the extra lines to fill in related exercises you’d also like to do. You can include exercises you've learned from a sports team, in gym class, or from a certified personal trainer. Be sure to choose items from each column for a balanced workout.

 

Worksheet 2: Fun Fitness
Stretch It	Tone It	Move It
Upper Body Bicep Tricep Chest Upper Back Cross Shoulder	Upper Body Overhead Shoulder Press Chest Press Bent Knee Push Up Bicep Curl Tricep Extension	Aerobics Basketball Biking Dancing Field Hockey Hiking Ice Hockey Ice Skating Jumping Rope Kickball Kickboxing Pilates Power Walking Running Skiing Soccer Step Aerobics Tennis Track Volleyball Yoga _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________
Middle Body Back Abdominal Waist Reach	Middle Body Sit Up Isometric Sit Up Side Twist Sit Up Front Arm Raise
Lower Body Hamstring Inner Thigh Outer Thigh Quadricep Lunge	Lower Body Inner Thigh Lift Outer Thigh Lift Power Lift Kick Squat Calf Lift
Related Activities _______________________ _______________________ _______________________	Related Activities _______________________ _______________________ _______________________
Great! You've selected the exercises you'd like to try. The last step toward getting your fitness program going is to add these activities into your weekly calendar. The third worksheet will help you with planning and scheduling.

 

Intro to Worksheet 3: My Fitness Plan

 

Plan time to do the activities you've chosen from worksheet 2. This will help you plan your fitness schedule so that exercise becomes part of your weekly routine.

 

Look back at your completed Fun Fitness Worksheet, and fill in the calendar below with the activities that you've chosen. Think about what activities will work best on which days and what time of day would be best to do them. Remember to balance stretching, moving, and toning exercises. You don’t have to do all three in one day, but remember to also schedule your week so that you’re not doing only one type of exercise.

 

After you’ve created your fitness schedule on this worksheet, it’s a good idea to mark the days that you plan to exercise in your own calendar or planner. It can also help to put this worksheet in a place where you’ll see it as a daily reminder of what’s coming up.

 

Worksheet 3: My Fitness Plan
Day, Date, and Time	Activity and Location
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

 

Congratulations! You thought about what motivates you and your current activities. You’ve selected different fun fitness activities, and you’ve planned your exercise schedule. By completing these three worksheets, you’ve taken a big step towards becoming healthier and fit. Be proud of yourself, and keep up the good work!

 

Written and reviewed by the CYWH Staff at Boston Children's Hospital

 

Updated: 9/13/2012