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      The importance of diet and exercise

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can explain how to try to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle effectively.

      Key learning points

      1. Regular exercise is crucial for maintaining physical and mental health.
      2. A balanced diet provides the necessary nutrients for the body to function properly.
      3. Consistency in diet and exercise is key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

      Keywords

      • Exercise - an activity that requires physical effort and is done to improve health and fitness

      • Moderation - eating or doing something within reasonable limits and not in excess

      • Lifestyle - the choices people make about the way they live

      • Consistency - maintaining a steady and regular pattern, for example, in diet and exercise

      Common misconception

      Exercise alone is enough to stay healthy.

      While exercise is important, it must be paired with a balanced diet for overall health.

      Teacher tip

      Ask pupils to discuss the sorts of exercise they do in PE lessons as examples.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the words to their correct definitions.

      Correct Answer:nutrients,substances in food that the body needs for growth and energy

      substances in food that the body needs for growth and energy

      Correct Answer:vitamins,nutrients in food that help you to grow, heal and fight off sickness

      nutrients in food that help you to grow, heal and fight off sickness

      Correct Answer:minerals,elements needed by the body for various functions, such as calcium

      elements needed by the body for various functions, such as calcium

      Correct Answer:calories,a unit of energy that we get from food and drinks

      a unit of energy that we get from food and drinks

      Q2.
      Complete the sentence: A healthy diet should be ...

      Correct Answer: balanced

      Q3.
      True or False? You can't tell if someone is healthy just by their appearance.

      Correct Answer: true, correct, T

      Q4.
      Starchy foods are a good source of energy because they give us:

      Correct answer: nutrients
      vitamins
      proteins

      Q5.
      True or false? We should eat more dairy than fruits and vegetables to stay healthy.

      Correct Answer: false, wrong, incorrect, F

      Q6.
      We can get an overview of the fat, salt and sugar content of a food from the:

      list of of ingredients
      Correct answer: front-of-pack label
      the description of the product

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the words to their correct definitions.

      Correct Answer:exercise,an activity that requires physical effort to improve health

      an activity that requires physical effort to improve health

      Correct Answer:moderation,eating or doing something within reasonable limits

      eating or doing something within reasonable limits

      Correct Answer:lifestyle,the choices people make about the way they live

      the choices people make about the way they live

      Correct Answer:consistency,maintaining a steady and regular way

      maintaining a steady and regular way

      Q2.
      Regular exercise strengthens our:

      Correct answer: heart
      Correct answer: bones
      Correct answer: minds
      eyes
      hair

      Q3.
      True or false? Exercising once for a long time has the same benefits as exercising regularly for a shorter amount of time.

      Correct Answer: false, wrong, incorrect, F, not true

      Q4.
      Ways to make healthy eating more enjoyable could be:

      Correct answer: helping to prepare meals
      Correct answer: planning a weekly menu
      Correct answer: trying new foods
      buying cheaper foods
      buying more processed foods

      Q5.
      Having a healthy lifestyle routine is about developing good habits - you can have sweet treats or takeaways, these just need to be in...

      excess
      Correct answer: moderation
      consistency

      Q6.
      True or false? If we eat healthily, then we don't need to exercise.

      Correct Answer: false, wrong, F, not true, incorrect

      To help you plan your 7 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: The importance of diet and exercise, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...