1. Influences on Eating & Physical Activity
Aim: What are some things that influence how we eat and exercise?

2. Do Now
Think about a goal that you have previously achieved, did not achieve, or have yet to achieve.
In a sentence or two, describe two things you think have had the biggest effect on your progress, either positively or negatively.

3. Influence
Influence: to change someone’s thoughts, beliefs, or behaviors.
Many things can influence what people think, feel, or do.
How do you think you’re influenced by other people or the world around you?
How are you influenced by your own thoughts, beliefs, and feelings?

4. Peer Share about Influences
Work with your partner to make a list of things that you think influence you and other teenagers.
For each influence, describe the way(s) it influences you and other teenagers.

5. Types of Influences
Influences can affect how you think, feel, and do things. They can be internal or external.
Remember that internal means that it comes from you, such as your personal beliefs, thoughts, and feelings. External means from the outside, like people who are close to you, your culture, media, and other things in society.
Which of the influences on your list are internal? External?

6. Types of Influences
Family: Mother, father, sibling, uncle, grandparent, etc.
Peers/friends: Classmates, best friend, acquaintance.
Culture: Heritage, environment.
School: Teachers, counselors, content/subject.
Community: Neighbors, the guy from the corner.
Media: Celebrities, television shows, movies, magazines.
Technology: Computers, phones, electronics, apps, etc.
Personal Beliefs

7. Positive vs Negative
Influences can also be positive or negative. Positive influences encourage and support healthy choices and actions. Negative influences can lead people to make risky choices or make healthy actions more difficult.
Think about a family member, celebrity, actor/actress, movie, artist, etc. that you look up to. How does this person(s) influence the way you think, believe, and act?

8. Shapes & Forms
As you can see, influences come in many forms and there are many factors that can influence a person’s choices, in both positive and negative ways.
Today we’ll examine the influences on our eating and physical activity behaviors and talk about how these influences can affect our goals.

9. Influence Analysis
You will work in groups of 4. Left half of the room will analyze influences on eating behaviors, while the right half of the room will analyze influences on physical activity.
Think about all the things that could influence a person’s choices and behaviors around either eating or physical activity.
example: Family: Type of food that are in the house. If a family keeps healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables in the fridge, this could have a (+) influence on the family member’s eating behaviors. If the family always had potato chips, or other salty or high-fat snack foods in the pantry, it might have a (-) influence.

10. Media Influence
Media has one of the most, if not THE most, influence on the choices people make, whether it’s on actions and behaviors, way of thinking, feelings, eating, or exercising.
We will take a look at a few clips to see if it may influence different groups.

11. Complete & Share
Think about how each of these influencing factors might affect a person’s choice and behaviors. Then, with your group members, describe or give an example of one way it could influence someone, and label it either positive or negative.

12. Family
If your family members like to be physically active, they can help and encourage you to increase your own activity level.
However, if your family leads an inactive lifestyle, it can make it harder to get the physical activity you need to be healthy.

13. Peers
Friends can encourage your healthy food choices by either leading by example or sharing the benefits of making better food choices.
However, friends can also tempt you to eat less healthy foods.

14. Community
Some communities have bike trails, running paths, parks and recreation centers to make it easier for people to be physically active.
Other communities may not be set up so it’s easy to walk or ride a bike for transportation.
In some communities, it may be unsafe to walk or play outdoors.

15. Media
Advertising in the media may promote unhealthy choices or make less healthy foods, such as fast foods, sweetened cereal and candy, look and sound appealing.
Studies show that people who read or watch these ads tend to eat and drink more of those less healthy kinds of foods and beverages.
However, the media can also encourage healthy eating and physical activity through public service campaigns, TV shows about health, and role models who are physically fit.

16. Technology
This enables people to find information and support for improving food choices or increasing physical activity, and can make it easier for people to track their diet or activity through apps, or other online tools.
However, it can be negative if people spend too much time on the computer or playing games instead of being physically active.

17. Government
Laws and regulations can encourage healthy choices, such as requiring food companies to provide Nutrition Facts for packaged foods, and public health policies and recommendations give good advice for people to follow.
But the government cannot control people’s individual choices or beliefs. Some people might find the recommendations difficult or not understand them.

18. Barriers and Negative Influences
Have you encountered any negative influences as you work toward your goal?
With your partner, list 3 specific negative influences that can get in the way of a healthy eating or physical activity goal.
After you are done, trade lists with another pair, and work with your partner to suggest ways to counter or resist the negative influences on the list you receive.

19. Ways to Counter (-) Influence
1. Focus on your objective.
2. Remember the benefits you will receive.
3. Remember why it was important to you.
4. Surround yourself with support or people with the same goal.
5. Cut off the negative influences.
6. Focus on all the positive influences.
7. Think both short-term, and long-term.

20. Negative Influences
Negative influences can set us back, but as long as we stay on track, focus on the goal and why we are doing it, we are able to overcome those influences.
Thinking about the both the short-term and the long-term goal can help us stay motivated, and can influence others to do the same.

21. Homework
Complete the INFLUENCES on MY EATING or PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BEHAVIORS worksheet.
You are going to identify 4 positive influences, and 4 negative influences on your behaviors around eating or physical activity, and explain how each one supports you, or a strategy to overcome or resist those influences.
examples: A friend who works out with me after school would be a positive influence because he or she is encouraging me to be active. OR
I saw a commercial for a fast-food restaurant for lunch, so I changed the channel or left the room since it’s a negative influence.