Active living > Provide information and learning opportunities

Provide information and learning opportunities

Physical activity should be fun! Be creative in finding ways to share these key messages with your members:

• Being active has many benefits and inactivity has many risks.
• Everybody can be active.
• Being active does not require lots of effort. Simple changes make a difference.

Use a range of strategies to communicate the message, "Active living is good for you." Build on the following ideas.

Information handouts

Handouts help to reinforce ideas and information that people have already heard, discussed or seen.

Make handouts available, but don't expect that, by themselves, they will move people to action. A copy of Canada's Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living for Older Adults is included with this Guide. It's a colourful, informative and very readable introduction to active living for your members. Other handouts are:

• Handout 5 - Benefits of physical activity
• Handout 6 - 5 tips for getting physically active
• Handout 7 - 5 tips for staying physically active
• Handout 8 - Safety tips and stop signs
• Handout 9 - Winter Active, Winter Smart
• Handout 10 - My active living diary
• Handout 11 - Tips for walking

Discussion groups

Have members share success stories, problem-solve the difficulties or challenges of making changes, and learn from each other's experiences.

Use a quiz to initiate discussion and test your members' knowledge of active living. See Resources: Handout 13 - Physical activity: a fountain of youth.

Invite a speaker to kick-off a discussion around a specific theme, for example, "Walking, the Wonder Drug!"

Play a video related to the importance of older adults keeping active. See Resources: Other Resources for a list of videos.

Posters

Post practical information and update it on a regular basis. See Resources: Program Tool 13 for a sample poster to promote active living.

Post notices:

• Encouraging people who are able to use the stairs rather than the elevator. (Make sure your stairs are safe first!)
• Illustrating simple stretches that your members can try at home. Have a "Stretch of the Week" to introduce a range of simple activities over time.
• Focusing on a different safety tip each week. Throughout the Guide you will find safety tips for walking, for being active in winter or summer weather, and for physical activity generally. Discuss these safety tips. Then use a poster to remind your members of how important they are.

Bulletin boards
Use bulletin boards to highlight key messages about active living.

If you have the space, include pictures, notices, contests or humour related to active living themes.

Here are a few suggestions.

• Highlight individual and collective achievements. For example, post a public "congratulations" to the walkers or stair climbers who have collectively met their target.
• Have a "suggestions" space for people to post strategies they have used to build safe, physical activity into their regular activities each day. For example, getting off the bus one or two stops before a destination, or parking a car at the back of the mall lot. Use Resources: Handout 14 - Add it up! to show how these activities can quickly ensure at least 30 minutes of activity a day.
• Post maps identifying "activity-friendly" walking trails or inspirational articles on active living from various print media.
• Have an "active-living" cartoon corner.

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