Get moving for the health of it

  • Published
  • By Brian Kirby
  • USAFE Health Promotion
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, and various Air Force organizations within Europe will join the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports to challenge Americans to get moving for health and to get active and fit.

It is recommended that Americans of all ages incorporate more movement in their daily lives.

"Adults need at least 30 minutes of activity five days each week," said Melissa Johnson, executive director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, which started National Physical Activity and Sports Month in 1983. "This can be done by choosing to bike or walk instead of driving, taking stairs instead of elevators, or pushing a lawnmower instead of riding one. Children need at least 60 minutes of active play daily. They need to run, climb, jump, and just get up and move around, away from their desks, the television and computer games."

Twenty minutes of vigorous physical activity three times a week, such as sports, aerobics, working out in the gym, and running, has added health benefits.

"It's important to understand that you don't need to sweat in a gym or run a marathon to reap the health benefits of daily physical activity," Ms. Johnson said. "Even 30 minutes a day, broken up into shorter increments of 10 or 15 minutes, can greatly improve your health."

For more information about National Physical Fitness and Sports Month events in your area, contact the RAF Mildenhall Health and Wellness Center at DSN 238-7161. For information about the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, visit www.fitness.gov. To start a physical activity and fitness program, visit www.presidentschallenge.org and sign up to take the President's Challenge.