In addition to the month of May hosting a number of special days to remember, in 2005 the entire month was deemed National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. The actual birth of this concept began in 1953 when a published report by Hans Kraus, M.D. created concern about the physical fitness of America’s children relative to their European counterparts.

In 1956 President Eisenhower established the President’s Council on Youth Fitness and schools across the nation were implementing testing, challenges and awards.

Throughout the years, government officials, doctors, educators, sports celebrities and families have added to the program and spent much time and energy educating our country about the importance of an active, healthier lifestyle and that it needs to begin at an early age.

NOT FOUND: fitness month.jpgLook how easy it is to be active:
* Adults 18 an older need 30 minutes of physical activity on five or more days a week to be healthy.
* Children and teens need 60 minutes of activity a day for their health.
* Even a moderate amount of physical activity (30 minutes of brisk walking or raking leaves, 15 minutes of running, 45 minutes of volleyball – playing, not watching) can bring significant health benefits.
* Break up your 30 to 60 minutes into 10 or 15 minute segments and you can still receive significant health benefits.

Some great benefits from a more active lifestyle:
* Even moderate daily physical activity can reduce the risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers, such as colon cancer.
* Daily physical activity helps to lower blood pressure and cholesterol
o Helps prevent or retard osteoporosis
o Helps reduce obesity, symptoms of anxiety or depression
o Helps reduce symptoms of arthritis

Inactivity is a killer
* 37% of adults report they are not physically active. Only 3 in 10 adults get the recommended amount of physical activity.
* Poor diet and inactivity can lead to overweight/obesity. Persons who are overweight or obese are at increased risk for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, some types of cancer, coronary heart disease, gallbladder disease and osteoarthritis.
* Physically inactive people are twice as likely to develop coronary heart disease as regularly active people and heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women in the United States.
* Staggering statistics about being overweight:
* Obesity continues to climb among American adults. Nearly 60 million Americans are obese. More than 108 million adults are either obese or overweight. That means roughly 3 out of 5 Americans carry an unhealthy amount of excess weight.
* 16 % of children and teens aged 6-19 were overweight in 2002, triple the proportion in 1980.
* One quarter of U.S. children spend four hours or more watching television daily.
* Only 25% of students in grades 9 through 12 engaged in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes on 5 or more of the previous 7 days in 2003.

Creating the programs, writing the books, designing the health clubs, producing the infomercials are all great vehicles to encourage and communicate the need to be active, but – once again – the choice is up to you.

During this National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, let’s do a little more than think about or read about getting active – let’s make the decision to DO IT. Encourage your family and friends to put on their walking or running shoes and change the statistics and do our part to make this a fit and active nation.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The first wealth is health,” and if you ask anyone suffering from debilitating disease, I’m sure they will agree.

Get fit, Sacramento!