May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month

May 22,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Health Department is supporting the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition in honor of National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. During the month of May, we challenge all adults to get 30 minutes of physical activity every day.

Did you know that regular physical activity increases your chances of living a longer, healthier life? It also reduces your risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, and some types of cancer.
Regular physical activity is good for everyone’s health! Physical activity is anything that gets your body moving. If you haven’t been active before, start at a comfortable level. Once you get the hang of it, add a little more activity each time. Then try getting active more often.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults:
Aim for 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week. Moderate activity includes things like walking fast, dancing, swimming, and raking leaves. Aerobic activities make you breathe harder and cause your heart to beat faster. Walking fast is an example of aerobic activity.
Do muscle-strengthening activities at least 2 days a week. Muscle-strengthening activities make your muscles stronger. Muscle-strengthening activities include lifting weights, using resistance bands, and doing push-ups.
To get all the health benefits of physical activity, do a combination of aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities.
Physical activity is for everyone. No matter what shape you are in, you can find activities that work for you. Together, we can rise to the challenge and get more active during the month of May!