Health: Exercise Worksheet

Question 1

List three physical benefits of regular exercise for middle school students.

Accepted Answer

Regular exercise can strengthen the heart and lungs, build stronger muscles and bones, and help maintain a healthy body weight.

Question 2

List two mental or emotional benefits of exercise and explain how each one can help a student during the school day.

Accepted Answer

Exercise can reduce stress, which may help a student feel calmer in class. Exercise can also improve mood and focus, which may help a student pay attention and complete assignments.

Question 3

Match each activity to the main type of fitness it improves: jogging, push-ups, stretching, and holding a plank. Use these categories: cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, and muscular endurance.

Accepted Answer

Jogging mainly improves cardiovascular endurance. Push-ups mainly improve muscular strength. Stretching mainly improves flexibility. Holding a plank mainly improves muscular endurance.

Question 4

A student wants to improve cardiovascular endurance. Choose two activities from this list and explain why they are good choices: walking the dog, sprinting once for 5 seconds, swimming laps, playing video games, riding a bike for 20 minutes.

Accepted Answer

Swimming laps and riding a bike for 20 minutes are good choices because they keep the body moving and raise the heart rate for an extended time. Walking the dog can also help if it is done at a steady pace.

Question 5

Look at the weekly activity chart. Monday: 20 minutes walking. Tuesday: 30 minutes basketball. Wednesday: 0 minutes. Thursday: 25 minutes biking. Friday: 15 minutes stretching. Saturday: 40 minutes soccer. Sunday: 0 minutes. What is the total number of minutes of physical activity for the week?

Accepted Answer

The total is 130 minutes of physical activity for the week. This is found by adding 20 + 30 + 0 + 25 + 15 + 40 + 0.

Question 6

The same weekly activity chart shows 130 total minutes of activity. If the student's goal is 60 minutes per day, how many total minutes would the student need in a 7-day week, and how many more minutes are needed to meet the goal?

Accepted Answer

The student would need 420 minutes in a 7-day week because 60 times 7 equals 420. The student needs 290 more minutes because 420 minus 130 equals 290.

Question 7

Explain the difference between a warm-up and a cool-down. Give one example of each.

Accepted Answer

A warm-up prepares the body for exercise by slowly increasing heart rate and loosening muscles, such as walking briskly before running. A cool-down helps the body return to normal after exercise, such as slow walking and gentle stretching after a game.

Question 8

A student starts running as fast as possible without warming up and then stops suddenly without cooling down. Describe two possible problems with this plan.

Accepted Answer

This plan may increase the chance of muscle strain because the body was not prepared for intense movement. Stopping suddenly may also cause dizziness or discomfort because the heart rate drops too quickly.

Question 9

Create a balanced 30-minute workout for a beginner. Include a warm-up, a main activity, strength or flexibility work, and a cool-down.

Accepted Answer

A balanced beginner workout could include 5 minutes of easy walking as a warm-up, 15 minutes of biking or jogging as the main activity, 5 minutes of bodyweight squats or stretching, and 5 minutes of slow walking and gentle stretching as a cool-down.

Question 10

Identify whether each exercise is mostly aerobic or anaerobic: dancing for 20 minutes, lifting a heavy weight for a few repetitions, jogging for 15 minutes, and doing a 10-second sprint.

Accepted Answer

Dancing for 20 minutes is mostly aerobic. Lifting a heavy weight for a few repetitions is mostly anaerobic. Jogging for 15 minutes is mostly aerobic. Doing a 10-second sprint is mostly anaerobic.

Question 11

A student says, "If exercise is healthy, I should work out as hard as I can every day with no rest." Explain why this is not a safe plan.

Accepted Answer

This is not a safe plan because the body needs rest to recover and grow stronger. Exercising too hard every day can increase the risk of injury, extreme fatigue, and loss of motivation.

Question 12

Read this situation: It is hot outside, and a soccer practice lasts 90 minutes. Name three safety steps the players should take before or during practice.

Accepted Answer

The players should drink water before and during practice, wear lightweight clothing, and take breaks in the shade when possible. They should also tell an adult if they feel dizzy, weak, or overheated.

Question 13

Use the perceived exertion scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means very easy and 10 means maximum effort. A student rates an activity as 8, is breathing hard, and can only say a few words at a time. What does this suggest about the intensity of the activity?

Accepted Answer

This suggests that the activity is vigorous intensity. The student is working hard because their breathing is heavy and speaking is difficult.

Question 14

A student wants to be more active but dislikes team sports. Suggest three physical activities that do not require joining a team.

Accepted Answer

The student could try walking, biking, dancing, swimming, yoga, hiking, skating, or following an exercise video. These activities can be done alone or with a friend without joining a team.

Question 15

Look at this simple heart rate graph showing resting heart rate, exercise heart rate, and recovery heart rate. Explain why heart rate rises during exercise and why it lowers during recovery.

Accepted Answer

Heart rate rises during exercise because muscles need more oxygen and energy, so the heart pumps blood faster. Heart rate lowers during recovery because the body needs less oxygen as activity slows down.

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Health: Exercise

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