Close-up photo of 4 healthy kids

Physical Activity Tools and Resources

These tools and resources will help families and communities better understand physical activity and how it relates to maintaining a healthy weight. 

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Parent Tips and Handbook new

Tools and More

Physical Activity-Related Curricula

Federal Guidelines and Additional Resources

 

Parent Tips and Handbook

Families Finding the Balance: A Parent Handbook

Offers practical tips from We Can!® to help parents help their families find the right balance of eating well and being physically active to maintain a healthy weight. The Parent Handbook received the 2005 NIH Plain Language Award for an Outstanding Plain Language Product.

Be Active and Have Fun new

Try these tips from We Can! to help increase daily physical activity and have fun at the same time.

Get Started! Eating Healthy and Moving More new

Try these tips from We Can! to eat well and move more and see how easy taking small steps toward a healthier life can be.

We Can! Move More Every Day new

Use this worksheet to record expected physical activity for your family including time, day of the week, and who will participate.

Energy Balance: ENERGY IN & ENERGY OUT new

Use this worksheet to better understand how balancing energy in and energy out can help your family maintain a healthy weight.

Tools and More

Tips for Teens with Diabetes: Be Active!

This tip sheet provides useful information about diabetes and encourages teens to be more physically active in order to manage their disease for a long and healthy life.

Portion Distortion Quiz

In addition to providing helpful information about how portions have changed over the past two decades, these quizzes also provide useful information about the amount of physical activity required to burn off the extra calories provided by today's portions.

Portion Distortion Slide Sets

NHLBI offers these slide sets for public use. The slides can be downloaded for use in computer slide shows, conventional slide presentations, or for online viewing via the Web site.

Your Guide to Physical Activity and Your Heart

Know you should be more physically active, but are confused concerned, or just can’t get started? This guide developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute uses science-based information to help adults develop a safe and effective program of physical activity that can be sustained. All research indicates that regular, moderate physical activity will improve your heart health and how you look and fell. Find out about the importance of physical activity in reducing heart disease risk, and how to begin or maintain an activity program that’s right for you!

Take Charge of Your Health: A Guide For Teenagers

A booklet from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases that is designed to help teenagers take small and simple steps to keep a healthy weight. It provides basic facts about nutrition and physical activity, and offers practical tools to use in everyday life, from reading food labels and selecting how much and what foods to eat, to replacing TV time with physical activities.

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Physical Activity-Related Curricula

We Can! offers four curricula that address physical activity.

  • Media-Smart Youth: Eat, Think, and Be Active!® is a 10-lesson curriculum designed to help youth ages 11 to 13 understand the connections between media and health.
  • CATCH® Kids Club is an evidence-based curriculum for after-school and community recreation settings, that includes lessons and activities to motivate heart-healthy behavior in children in grades K-5.
  • SPARK™ PE and SPARK™ After School are evidence-based programs designed to promote physical activity in youth from K-12, and ages 5-14, respectively. They include curricula, training, equipment, and follow-up support components.
  • We Can! Energize Our Families: Parent Program is a multi-session program for parents and caregivers that includes one session dedicated to reducing screen time and increasing physical activity in youth.

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Federal Guidelines and Additional Resources

2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans

The Federal Government has issued its first-ever Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. They describe the types and amounts of physical activity that offer substantial health benefits to Americans, including adults and children.

President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports

Learn more about physical activity on this Web site developed by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, an advisory committee of volunteer citizens who advise the President through the Secretary of Health and Human Services about physical activity, fitness, and sports in America.

CDC Physical Activity Web Page

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity provides online information about physical activity, including how much physical activity your children should get.

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Last Updated: June 25, 2012

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