How to Make Physical Activity Fun

Why Should I be Physically Active?

Just 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity physical activity on 5 or more days of the week can improve your health and reduce the risk of developing certain conditions or diseases! Public health experts estimate that half of all U.S. deaths are preventable and can be attributed to just nine "actual" causes of death, which may be personal behaviors or lifestyle related. Tobacco use, diet, inactivity and alcohol use together account for almost 40% of deaths. 14% of deaths caused by diseases that affect us most - like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes -take root in diet and inactivity that you can do something about. Scientific evidence shows that physical activity done at a moderate-intensity level can produce health benefits. Just 30 minutes a day on 5 or more days of the week! If 30 minutes is too much for you, try to accumulate your activities of 10 minutes or more, like three 10-minute walks. It's never too late to start being regularly active, even moderately, no matter how old you are or how long you have been inactive.

Physical activity improves yours and your families' health, well-being and quality of life. You can benefit substantially from what physical activity delivers both physically and mentally, from reducing risk of chronic disease to increased emotional well-being. In addition to the social, emotional and spiritual benefits, you can also economically benefit through reducing health care cost, saving on sick day leave, avoiding or delaying the need for institutional care.

Living an active lifestyle helps to:

• control weight
• lower your risk of getting heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, colon cancer, and diabetes
• reduce your risk of dying from heart disease or stroke
• lower high blood pressure
• keep your bones, muscles, and joints healthy, controlling joint swelling and pain from arthritis
• improve flexibility and balance
• protect against falling and bone fractures in older adults
• reduce anxiety, depression and improve your mood and sense of well-being
• handle stress
• give you more energy
• give you more energy
• sleep better
• improve academic performance
• improve independent living in later years
• live longer

Its never too late to start. Try to integrate physical activity into your daily life. Don't cram all of your physical activity into one day. You will get more benefit from doing a little every day than a lot once a week.

Source:

• Introduction to the Healthy Delaware 2010 Initiative.