Energising Lives:

Physical Literacy in Perspective through the

Lifespan

Len Almond

BHF National Centre for Physical Activity and Health

May 19th 2008

Three Questions about Physical Literacy

• What is Physical Literacy• What relevance does it have to?

• Individual lives• Teachers and the PE Curriculum• Movement specialists’ perspectives on their role

• How do we promote it?• What messages do we project?• Pedagogy

• The art and science of reaching people• The art and science of engagement

Tasks for Today

• Part 1 Why do people avoid physical activity?

• Part 2 A Positive Perspective

• Part 3 Practical Illustrations

• Part 4 Pedagogy

• Finally Return to my three questions

PART ONE

Three Problems

• Poor understanding

• Low Priority

• Not Valued

Participation Levels

• 35% of men

• 24% of womenAchieve 5 x 30 minutes of

moderate activity each week

70% inactiveHealth Survey for England

2004

UNDERSTANDING

• ONLY 10% of general

public and 16% of professionals understand the public health and well-being message for physical activity

No Time or Low Priority?

Public Health Message

• Adults: 2% of your day

• Overweight/Obese older adults 4% day of your

• Most adults spend 19.3% of their day in front of a screen – adults in third age much longer

Activity at Weekends

All data - Mean steps per day recorded over a 4 week period (n = 277)

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

11000

Mon Wed Fri Sun Tues Thurs Sat Mon Wed Fri Sun Tues Thurs Sat

Day

Ste

ps/d

ay

However

• 62% of people reported that they would not be motivated to exercise even if their life depended on it

BHF YOUGOV survey September 2007

Inactivity Impairment

The Consequences of inadequate Physical Literacy

Personal Responsibility: A Myth?

What are the implications in the rise of:

• Personal Trainers

• Health Trainers

• Life Coaches

• Mentors

• What has happened to Expert Patients?

PART TWO

Promoting Physical Activity : enabling a person to flourish

Well-being Resource• Have more energy, dynamism, vitality, and

resourcefulness

Enrichment: enriching lives• Widen perspectives• Extend capabilities• Enhance quality of living

Reserve• Recover more quickly from major illness, stress,

hospital treatment

We want people to

Love being Active

This is an Educational role for Physical Literacy through the

Lifespan

• Cultivate

• Nurture

• Cherish

• NOT Squander

So that people:

• Understand• Appreciate• Value

PART THREE

Consequences of Not Valuing Physical Literacy: Older Adults

• Sarcopenia

• Inactivity Impairment

• Loss of independence

• Closed Horizons

• Poor quality of living

Percentage of Older Adults who are inactive. HSE 2004

Men Women

55-64 years 68 80

65-74 years 82 86

75+ 92 96

Inactivity –the consequencesProportion of women aged 70+ able to walk for different periods of time and lengths of walk,

0

20

40

60

80

100

70-7470-74AgAg

ee

75-7975-79 80+80+ 70-7470-74 75-7975-79 80+80+

11//4 4 of a mile or of a mile or moremore

30+ 30+ minmin15,<30 15,<30 minmin5,<15 5,<15 minmin<5 min<5 min

active, strength-trained sedentary

(Adapted from Sipilä & SuominenMuscle Nerve 1993;16:294)

The same difference in muscle size is

seen between a 30 and an 80 yr old

70 yr old females

Moving More OftenComponents:Games People Play

Walk with Me

Out and About

Just Me

Dance with Me

Chair Chi

Wii

Gardening

Care Homes Olympiads

Consequences of Not Valuing Physical Literacy: Early years

• Sedentary Children

• Inactivity impairment

• Major increase in fat between 3 and 7 (adiposity rebound)

• Narrow perspective on children’s movement education (lack of energetic activity and skilful)

• Closed Horizons

Adiposity Rebound

Physical Development:Foundation Curriculum

• Move with confidence, imagination and in safety.• Move with control and co-ordination• Travel around, under, over and through balancing and

climbing equipment• Show awareness of space, of themselves and of others• Recognise the importance of keeping healthy, and

those things which contribute to this• Recognise the changes that happen to their bodies

when they are active• Use a range of small and large equipment

Part Four

Pedagogy

The art and science of engagement with people for productive learning

To raise Participation levels teachers need to:

• Reach out and connect with young people particularly those who are sedentary and underserved.

• Engage them productively, enthusiastically and in a caring environment.

• Draw Out keep them interested and wanting more.

• Stretch extend them• Generate a longer term commitment to

sport, dance and any form of physical activity.

Well-being as Enablements/Capabilities

1. What a person has

2. What they can do with what they have

3. How they think about what they have and can do

This is an Educational role for Physical Literacy

• Cultivate

• Nurture

• Cherish

• NOT Squander

So that people:

• Understand• Appreciate• Value

Finally

Three Questions about Physical Literacy

• What is Physical Literacy: need for an alternative model• What relevance does it have to?

• Individual lives Language• Teachers and the PE Curriculum Language and Focus• Movement specialists’ perspectives on their role Language and

Focus

• How do we promote it?• What messages do we project? Needs to rethought• Pedagogy

• The art and science of reaching people• The art and science of engagement

Physical Literacy Critique

• Language• Assumes a rounded model of physical literacy which is

missing in exercise implementation• Focus on movement competence• Missing ingredients

• Physical Literacy as Therapy• Energy systems• Neuro-science insights

Physical Literacy has three characteristics:

• A Love of being physically active• The physical competence, motivation, confidence and

understanding to:• perform a range of physical tasks necessary for everyday

living• appreciate and value being physically active on a regular basis

• Maintain this commitment at an individually appropriate level throughout life.

It has the power to:

• Energise lives• Enrich lives and enhance the quality of everyday living• Be a therapeutic tool• Treatment and managements of specific medical

conditions• Restoring functional capacity to an optimal level• Healing (not in a religious connotation)• Personal growth

It implies Personal Responsibility for one’s well-being.

Thank You

With your help we can promote Physical Literacy

YOU REALLY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Contact:

Len AlmondFoundation DirectorBHF National Centre for Physical

Activity and HealthWebsite: www.bhfactive.org.ukTel: 01509 611473 Email:len.almond@btinternet.com