Physical Activity

Begin the conversation by reading the key messages

1. Find movement that works best for your body

2. Being active improves your mood

3. Embrace being active by setting realistic goals and planning

You can use this Physical Activity goal sheet (pdf) to help guide the discussion.

Share important information about physical activity

You may have heard that being active is good for your health, and it’s true! Being active helps improve your mood and prevent and manage chronic diseases. The key is finding movement you enjoy and setting realistic goals. Movement may be challenging during the winter months. Think about movements you can do year-round or simple changes you can make to increase physical activity.

Choose an open-ended question to reflect on physical activity

1.  What is your favorite way to move your body? 

2. What are some ways you get more movement into your day? 

3. What new activity are you considering trying, and when do you plan to start? 

4. Think about things you like to do to move your body during the day. What are those things?

Come up with ideas for a specific goal

Select a change (ideally goals come from the person, these are just ideas):

1. Improve health by being more active - start slow, any movement counts

2. Plan movement into your day to be more physically active

3. Find a buddy to support you in your movement (2- or 4-legged)

Help make a plan (be specific -- time, day, action -- and start small):

1. I will walk for 10 minutes today.

2. Today I will walk around the neighborhood for 10 minutes at 2 p.m.

Assess confidence in meeting the goal

On a scale of 1-10 how confident are you that you can meet your plan?

Close with quotes from what others said about this topic

“One, I do love my cat…when I do go for walks, I end up bringing her and her stroller. We sometimes will walk to the gas station right by my house, it's about a mile away, and then walk back."