B. Active Living / C. Movement Competence · Active Living and Movement: Moving with Purpose, Safety and Skill

Check My Fitness and Make a Fitness Plan

B2 A1.3 A1.5 A1.6About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can check my fitness in all four parts of health-related fitness with simple tests.
I can track my results over time and explain what the changes might mean.
I can make a personal fitness plan using FITT: frequency, intensity, time and type.
I can start my goals from my strengths and notice how being active makes me feel.

Words to know

assess
To check carefully how you are doing.

fitness profile
A record of your results in all four parts of fitness, like a snapshot of your fitness today.

fitness plan
A plan for what activities you will do, how often, how hard and how long, to reach a fitness goal.

FITT
Four things to decide in a fitness plan: Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type.

frequency
How often: how many days a week.

intensity
How hard you work, for example 5 to 8 on the effort scale.

strength (personal)
Something you are already good at. It can help you reach a new goal.

Remember from Grade 4

In Grade 4 you learned the four parts of health-related fitness: cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility. You chose one part, tested it to find your baseline, set a clear goal, and tracked it on a chart. You learned that a plateau (staying the same) is normal.

This year you will check all four parts to make a fitness profile, plan your activities with FITT, and build your goals on your strengths.

A snapshot, not a contest

A fitness check is like taking a photo of how your body is doing today. It is not a race against your friends. Everyone grows and develops at a different speed.

The only person to compare with is you: you in September, you in November, you in June.

Four home tests

Do each test the same way every time, so your results are fair to compare. Warm up first!

Part of fitness	Home test	What to record
Cardiorespiratory endurance	Jog laps around your yard (or jog on the spot) at a steady pace for 3 minutes	Number of laps (or minutes you kept going without stopping)
Muscular strength	Wall push-ups or knee push-ups with a straight back	Number done with good form in a row
Muscular endurance	Plank on knees or toes, or a wall sit	Seconds held with good form
Flexibility	Sit-and-reach: sit with legs straight, slide your hands slowly along a ruler	Centimetres reached (no bouncing)

Your fitness profile has one result for each part of fitness.

Tracking over time

Test again every few weeks and record the results. Then look for changes. Here is Ava's wall-sit chart:

Ava's wall sit: 20 seconds in week 1, 25 in weeks 2 and 3, then 30, 35 and 40 seconds in weeks 4, 5 and 6.

Ava's results went up by 20 seconds in 6 weeks (40 − 20 = 20). Week 2 to week 3 was a plateau, then she kept improving.

Results can change for many reasons:

Up: practice is working, your body is getting stronger.
The same: a plateau. Normal! Your body is getting used to the work.
Down: maybe you were tired, sick, stressed or didn't warm up. One bad day doesn't erase your progress.

As you see progress, many people feel proud and confident. Being active can also lift your mood and help you handle stress. Fitness helps your mind as well as your body.

Make a plan with FITT

A fitness plan answers four questions. Remember them with FITT:

Frequency: How often? (for example, 3 days a week)
Intensity: How hard? (for example, effort 6 to 8, or a gentle pull for stretches)
Time: How long? (for example, 15 minutes)
Type: What activity? (for example, skipping, biking, yoga)

FITT answers four questions about your plan: how often, how hard, how long, and what activity. These are the numbers from the sample cardio plan.

	Cardio plan	Flexibility plan
Frequency	4 days a week	5 days a week
Intensity	Effort 6 to 8	Gentle pull, no pain
Time	20 minutes	10 minutes
Type	Biking or skipping	Stretches after DPA

Two sample FITT plans.

Start from your strengths

Before you set a goal, name one strength. Maybe you have great endurance, a lot of energy, you never give up, or you love music.

Then use that strength to help you grow:

"I'm good at keeping going, so I'll do a long, steady stretch routine."
"I love music, so I'll skip rope to my favourite songs."
"My legs are strong from soccer. Now I'll build my arm strength too."

Goals that start from strengths feel possible, and that keeps you motivated.

Worked example

Let's read a fitness profile

Here are Mateo's results. September: 6 laps, 8 push-ups, plank 25 s, sit-and-reach 18 cm. November: 9 laps, 12 push-ups, plank 40 s, sit-and-reach 18 cm. What are his strengths and what could he work on?

Cardio: 6 → 9 laps, up 3 laps.
Strength: 8 → 12 push-ups, up 4.
Endurance: 25 → 40 seconds, up 15 seconds.
Flexibility: 18 → 18 cm, no change.
Strengths: cardio, strength and endurance all improved. His plan is working for those parts.
To work on: flexibility. He hasn't been stretching regularly.

Mateo improved in three parts. His next goal can be flexibility.

Worked example

Let's build a FITT plan

Mateo wants to improve his sit-and-reach from 18 cm to 22 cm in 6 weeks. His strength: he never misses his evening bike ride. Make his FITT plan.

Use his strength: he is great at a daily routine, so he can stretch right after his bike ride, when muscles are warm.
F: 5 days a week.
I: a gentle pull, never pain. Hold each stretch 20 to 30 seconds. No bouncing.
T: 10 minutes.
T: stretches for the backs of the legs, the lower back, calves and shoulders. A family yoga video works too.
Check: test his sit-and-reach every 2 weeks and adjust if he hits a plateau.

F 5 days a week, I gentle pull, T 10 minutes, T stretching after biking. Test every 2 weeks.

Just for fun

Why was the plank so confident?

Because it knew it could hold its own! (For about 25 to 40 seconds, like Mateo.)

Hands-on activity

My fitness profile and 4-week plan

You need: a timer, a measuring tape or metre stick, a wall, paper, a pencil and a grown-up.

Warm up for 5 minutes.
Do the four home tests from the table. Record each result in a fitness profile chart. Rest between tests.
Circle your strength (the result you feel best about) and star one part you want to grow.
Write a goal for the starred part that is specific, measurable and just right.
Make a FITT plan for it. Write how your strength will help.
Make a tracking chart. Test again in 2 weeks and 4 weeks. Then draw a line graph like Ava's.
Each time, write one word for how you feel after your activity (for example: proud, calm, tired, happy).

Safety: Use good form, not speed. Stop if anything hurts (not just feels tired). For the sit-and-reach, move slowly and never bounce.

Your turn

Name the four parts of health-related fitness.

What does FITT stand for?

Why should you do a fitness test the same way each time?

Who should you compare your fitness results with?

Which test from the table checks flexibility?

Your plank went from 30 seconds to 45 seconds. How much did it improve?

Do it and check: Do the wall sit test with good form.

More practice: warm-up

In FITT, which letter means how often?

In FITT, which letter means how hard?

What part of fitness do push-ups mostly test?

Is staying the same for a week called a plateau or a sprint?

Should you warm up before fitness tests?

More practice: on your own

Look at Ava's chart. Between which weeks did she have a plateau?

Lily's sit-and-reach went from 20 cm to 17 cm. She had the flu that week. What should she do?

Write the Type and Frequency for a muscular endurance plan.

Turn this into a strength-based goal: "I'm bad at running so I have to run more."

Why is a fitness check not a contest?

Challenge

Jonah's push-ups: week 1: 6, week 2: 8, week 3: 8, week 4: 11. Find the total improvement and describe what happened in week 3.

Write a full FITT plan for cardiorespiratory endurance that you could do in winter in Ontario.

Ben says, "I only care about getting faster, so I'll skip the other parts of fitness." Explain why all four parts matter.

Check your understanding

Quiz

What does the first T in FITT stand for?

Which test checks flexibility?

Your wall sit went 30 s, 30 s, 30 s for three weeks. What is this called?

Who should you compare your fitness results with?

"I will skip rope 4 days a week" tells which part of FITT?

Which goal starts from a strength?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 5 students assess and monitor their health-related fitness (cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility) and develop and carry out a personal fitness plan. This lesson builds on Grade 4 goal-setting by testing all four parts, using FITT (frequency, intensity, time, type) to plan, and starting goals from personal strengths.

How to help at home:

Help set up the four tests and keep the conditions the same each time (same place, same time of day, after a warm-up).
Be the timer and the cheerleader. Praise effort, form and consistency.
Keep the profile private if your child prefers. Results are personal.

Common difficulties:

Comparing with siblings or friends. Children grow at different rates, especially around this age. Bring the focus back to their own progress.
Rushing tests. Good form matters more than a big number.
Discouragement at a plateau or dip. Point to the whole chart, not one result.

A sensitive note: Fitness tests in this lesson are tools for learning, not for grading bodies. Avoid talking about weight or appearance; talk about what bodies can do and how activity feels.

Social-emotional learning: Building goals on strengths develops positive motivation and perseverance and a healthy sense of self; reading trends and adjusting a plan builds critical thinking.