health and fitness
4 detailed 50-minute lessons with teaching scripts, worked examples, parent guides, and assessment criteria.
Lesson Overview
Total Lessons: 4
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA
Learning Objectives
- Explain the key ideas of health and fitness
- Apply health and fitness to exam-style questions
- Develop independent study skills
- Build cross-topic connections
Prerequisites
- Read the revision notes for health and fitness first (GCSE Revise summary)
- Key vocab to pre-teach: WHO Definition, Key Concept, Yes.
- Basic skills: reading the summary notes and answering the practice questions there
Materials & Equipment
- Exercise book, coloured pens
- Ruler
- Printed revision notes (link below)
- Internet for videos (see Resources)
Lesson 1: Introduction: health and fitness
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Quick Recall
Write down everything you already know about health and fitness. Then check against the key terms: WHO Definition, Key Concept, Yes.. Use a mini-whiteboard or paper.
Main Content (35 minutes)
Parent/Teacher Guide:
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: WHO Definition, Key Concept, Yes..
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: WHO Definition, Key Concept, Yes..
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Teaching Script (35 mins):
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: health and fitness. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of Physical Education because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: health and fitness. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of Physical Education because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
First Look
Start with the revision notes summary, then attempt: State the WHO definition of health.
Plenary (5 minutes)
Check Out
Your student states one thing they learned and one question they still have about health and fitness.
Lesson 2: Core Concepts: health and fitness
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Review Previous Lesson
Quick recap: write 3 key points from Lesson 1 on health and fitness. Check them against the notes below.
Main Content (35 minutes)
WHO Definition: The World Health Organisation defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
Important: Health is NOT just the absence of illness. A person can be free from disease but still have poor mental or social health. True health requires well-being in all three areas.
Definition: Fitness is "the ability to meet the demands of the environment" or "the ability to meet the demands of a physical task." It refers to how well the body can cope with the physical challenges it faces.
Key Concept: Health and fitness are related but they are NOT the same thing. A person can be fit but not healthy, or healthy but not fit. Being fit can contribute to good health, but it does not guarantee it.
Regular exercise improves both health and fitness, but they are improved through different mechanisms:
Yes.: A person can be physically fit enough to perform a task even while having a health condition. For example, athletes with asthma (like runner Paula Radcliffe) can be extremely fit for their sport while managing a long-term health condition. However, ill health typically makes it harder to achieve and maintain fitness.
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Fit AND healthy | The person can meet the physical demands of their activity AND has complete physical, mental and social well-being | A recreational runner who trains regularly, eats well, has good social connections and positive mental health |
| Fit but NOT healthy | The person can meet physical demands but has health issues in one or more dimensions | An elite athlete with an eating disorder (mental health issue); a footballer playing through injury; an athlete with depression |
| Healthy but NOT fit | The person is free from disease and has good well-being, but cannot meet the physical demands of specific tasks | A person who is disease-free and happy but leads a sedentary lifestyle and cannot run for a bus without becoming breathless |
| Neither fit nor healthy | The person has health problems and cannot meet physical demands | A person with chronic disease who is physically inactive and socially isolated |
Practice (10 minutes)
Q: State the WHO definition of health.
Answer: "A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
Plenary (5 minutes)
Explain Back
Your student teaches the key points back to you without looking. Fill any gaps immediately.
Lesson 3: Application: health and fitness
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Quick Recall
Recall the key terms: WHO Definition, Key Concept, Yes.. Define each in one sentence.
Main Content (35 minutes)
Parent/Teacher Guide: Let your student attempt each question alone first, then compare with the model answer. Award method marks for correct working even if the final answer is wrong.
Q1: State the WHO definition of health.
Answer: "A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
Q2: Define fitness.
Answer: Fitness is the ability to meet the demands of the environment / the ability to meet the demands of a physical task.
Q3: Explain how a person can be fit but not healthy, giving a specific example.
Answer: A person can be physically capable of performing at a high level (fit) but still have health problems. For example, an elite marathon runner may be extremely fit for their sport but may suffer from an eating disorder (poor mental health) or compete through injury (poor physical health). Fitness relates only to physical capacity, while health encompasses physical, mental and social well-being.
Q4: How can ill health decrease fitness?
Answer: Ill health can decrease fitness because: disease reduces the body's capacity for physical work; illness may prevent training and cause de-training; conditions like flu reduce cardiovascular efficiency, muscle strength and energy levels; chronic conditions limit the ability to exercise regularly.
Q5: Describe the three dimensions of health and give an indicator for each.
Answer: Physical health - body functions efficiently without disease (indicator: healthy body weight, good energy levels). Mental health - psychological well-being (indicator: positive self-esteem, ability to cope with stress). Social health - positive relationships and interactions (indicator: supportive friendships, community involvement).
Q6: Explain why fitness does not guarantee good health.
Answer: Fitness refers only to the physical capacity to meet task demands. Health encompasses physical, mental and social well-being. A fit person can still develop mental health issues (e.g. depression, anxiety), social health problems (e.g. isolation despite athletic success), or physical conditions unrelated to fitness (e.g. asthma, diabetes). Additionally, extreme training for fitness can sometimes harm health (e.g. overtraining, eating disorders, injuries).
Plenary (5 minutes)
Error Review
Review any questions answered incorrectly. Identify whether the error was knowledge, method, or reading the question.
Lesson 4: Exam Practice: health and fitness
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Command Words
Review what these command words require: state (one point), describe (say what happens), explain (say why), compare (both sides), evaluate (judgement).
Main Content (35 minutes)
Exam-Style Question
Attempt a past-paper style question on health and fitness from the exam board past paper finder (see Resources), then mark it against the scheme.
Exam Tips: You MUST learn the WHO definition of health word-for-word - it is frequently tested | Health has three dimensions: physical, mental and social - always mention all three | Health ≠ "not being ill" - the WHO definition specifically states it is more than absence of disease | Fitness is about meeting the demands of the ENVIRONMENT or TASK - use the exact wording | Be ready to explain the relationship between health and fitness with examples | Know that fitness is task-specific - a fit marathon runner may not be fit for weightlifting
Common Errors: Watch Out! Students often think fitness and health are the same thing. Wrong: Fitness and health are the same thing Correct: Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being (WHO). Fitness is the ability to meet the demands of the environment. You can be fit but unhealthy (e.g. a marathon runner with flu). Students often think static stretching is the best warm-up. Wrong: Static stretching is the best warm-up Correct: Current evidence suggests dynamic stretching is more effective in warm-ups as it mimics sporting movements. Static stretching may actually reduce power output if held too long before activity. Students often think no pain, no gain is a good training principl
Stretch & Challenge (Grade 8-9):
- Synoptic links: explain how health and fitness connects to another Physical Education topic you have studied
- Real-world: research one real-world use or example of health and fitness
- Critical: "What are the limitations of the models used in health and fitness?"
Plenary (5 minutes)
Assessment Criteria
- Got it: Confident explanation + correct worked examples
- Getting there: Main points OK, needs support with detail
- Not yet: Confused on key concepts - re-run Lesson 2
Homework & Consolidation
- Consolidation: Re-answer any Lesson 3 practice questions answered incorrectly (20 mins)
- Retrieval: Write flashcards for the key terms: WHO Definition, Key Concept, Yes. (10 mins)
- Exam practice: One past-paper question on health and fitness from the board websites (15 mins)
- Extension: Explain health and fitness to someone else in your own words (10 mins)