Physical Health
An LDS view of emotional health
Purpose
Learn the Lord’s standards for caring for our emotional health and why this is important.
Description
Read about emotional health on page 25 in For the Strength of Youth. Discuss what the youth are doing each day to care for their emotional health and why it is important to the Lord. Invite someone who is experienced in counseling those with emotional issues to come and speak to the youth (this could be someone from or recommended by LDS Family Services). Also invite the bishop to discuss how the Atonement and the Spirit of the Lord can help us find happiness in life.
Emergency preparedness
Purpose
Start preparing for possible emergencies and help others prepare as well.
Description
Invite someone with knowledge about emergency preparedness to teach the youth how to prepare for a variety of emergencies. Help the youth make small emergency preparedness kits, including first-aid supplies, flashlights, water bottles, and so on. Discuss the scripture “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30). Hold a preparedness fair in which the youth can teach their families and other members of the community what they learned about emergency preparedness.
Evaluating our nutrition
Purpose
Learn the importance of being healthy and make plans to change unhealthy practices.
Description
Invite someone with knowledge on the topic of nutrition to discuss healthy eating habits. To apply what they learned, youth could make a list of everything they have eaten in the past several days and evaluate how healthy that food is; you could also assign groups of youth to research the healthiness of various types of food; or the youth could prepare and eat a nutritious meal based on what they learned. Have youth study D&C 89 and commit to live the Word of Wisdom (see “Physical Health” in Duty to God or the list of Knowledge value projects in Personal Progress).
Exercise night
Purpose
Improve our physical fitness.
Description
Learn how to do a variety of physical exercises (such as running, sit-ups, push-ups, aerobics, weight training, yoga, cycling, martial arts, or other exercises that the youth are interested in). If necessary, you could find someone with expertise to teach an exercise. Let the youth measure how well they can do these exercises and make a plan to improve over the next several weeks. Meet again, and have the youth report their progress. You could repeat this activity with various exercises. Discuss why the Lord wants us to care for our bodies. You could study “Physical and Emotional Health” in For the Strength of Youth (2011) as part of your activity.
First aid
Purpose
Learn basic first aid.
Description
Invite someone to teach and demonstrate basic first-aid skills, such as cleansing a wound, performing CPR, helping someone who is choking, attending to broken bones, and so on. Give youth opportunities to practice what they learn and create first aid kits. Consider holding a mock disaster—invite members of the community to participate, pretending they are suffering from various injuries and allowing the youth to administer first aid.
Healthy food hunt
Purpose
Learn to make smart and healthy decisions about food.
Description
Discuss how the youth can determine the nutritional value of foods they buy. Visit a local grocery store or market to practice shopping for the healthiest ingredients. Split the youth into teams and have each team try to write a shopping list for the healthiest meal. Have the youth locate the foods on their lists and select the healthiest option for each one. At the conclusion of the activity, have the youth find a few healthy snacks to buy for refreshments. Discuss the blessings that come from living a healthy lifestyle.
Hike to the devotional
Purpose
Teach the importance of staying physically and spiritually fit.
Description
Complete a short hike, ending with a brief devotional about the importance of staying physically and spiritually fit. Focus on how both are important to our eternal progression. The “Physical and Emotional Health” section in For the Strength of Youth or the Word of Wisdom in the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C 89) could provide some topics to cover. Consider inviting parents to participate in this activity.
Internet safety
Purpose
Stay safe from online dangers.
Description
Invite a knowledgeable person to teach principles of online safety, such as avoiding exposure to inappropriate content, dealing with cyber-bullying, recognizing predators, and avoiding identity theft. Explore LDS.org to discover resources to help individuals and families use the Internet safely and wisely. Consider using the “Entertainment and Media” section of For the Strength of Youth to support this activity.
Making our own cookbook
Purpose
Share recipes for healthy meals.
Description
Invite the youth to bring some of their favorite recipes, and compile these into a simple cookbook. Talk about meal planning, preparation, basic cooking, and good nutrition. If possible, each youth could bring a sample of one of their recipes. This could also be turned into a competition between various teams of youth.
Sports night done right
Purpose
Improve health through fun sporting activities.
Description
Invite a youth to teach the others about a sport that is new to the group or teach skills for improvement in a familiar sport (consider inviting a less-active youth or a friend of another faith). Play the sport as a group. Consider discussing how to keep a spirit of friendship even in a competitive scenario. Focus on the health benefits that come from physical activity.
Traffic safety
Purpose
Learn about traffic safety and defensive driving.
Description
Invite an expert to teach the youth about road safety. This discussion could include safe driving strategies as well as principles of pedestrian and bicycle safety. Ask the youth to identify and discuss some common distractions that can occur while driving. Encourage them to make specific pledges to practice road safety (such as not using mobile phones while driving). The youth could quiz each other on what they learn.