The purpose of this advocacy paper is to make a case for the development of a pedagogical model for Health-Based Physical Education (HBPE) drawing on Jewett, Bain and Ennis's (1995) and Metzler's (2005) ground-breaking work on models-based practice in physical education. A selective review of what has been learnt about HBPE was made to be able to define the central theme for the model as "pupils valuing a physically active life, so that they learn to value and practice appropriate physical activities that enhance health and wellbeing for the rest of their lives." This theme requires that teachers' beliefs are oriented toward self-actualization and social reconstruction. It also suggests that the affective domain ("valuing" physical active) is prominent in planning for learning. The discussion focuses on identified tensions related to the central theme and its associated value orientations and learning domain priorities. A stepwise research agenda for progressively developing the model through implementation by teachers in different contexts is proposed.