Busy People Can Neglect Their Health
Benefits of Physical Activity
Society Makes It Easy To Be Inactive
Society Is Changing
References

HEAD START STAFF AND PARENTS ARE BUSY PEOPLE. They are committed to caring for children and sometimes neglect their own health and well-being. They do not take time to eat well, relax, or get out to play. You notice that we said “play” and not exercise! That is because we want you to keep reading. We want to describe the benefits that adults can gain from being more active. We want to alert you to the community and personal barriers to your playing as well and as much as you want.

First the basic information: If you are an active person, the benefits are endless. Physical activity, especially in the form of PLAY, can—

• Reduce the risk of dying from coronary heart disease and of developing high blood pressure, colon cancer, and diabetes;

• Help reduce blood pressure in some people with hypertension;

• Help maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints;

• Reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and fosters improvements in mood and feelings of well-being; and

• Help control weight, develop lean muscle, and reduce body fat (McGinnis & Foege 1993; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 1996).

Most people know all of this. However, most people—in fact, more than 60% of American adults—do not get out and play for the recommended 30 minutes each day. Why? Perhaps it is because our society has made it so easy for us to be inactive. We are busy and cannot imagine getting up 45 minutes earlier everyday to do something active. At the end of the day, we are too tired. Our children would rather use video games and watch TV than play tag. We find it easier to get in a car and drive everywhere than to walk. Sometimes it is tough to find a safe place to walk, run, or bike. However, things were not always this way, and they do not have to stay this way.

You will remember that in the past, a lot of people smoked cigarettes. As we learned more and more about the health risks of cigarette smoking, our society changed its attitude toward smoking. It became harder for people to smoke in public. Thirty years ago, we would never have seen smokers outside of buildings puffing in the cold. We would not have been able to fly across country on a smoke-free airplane. How times change!

Although there are still smokers (and we will give them all possible support as they try to quit), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that physical inactivity, in children and adults, is fast approaching epidemic proportions. CDC and the Surgeon General have sounded the alarm—there are serious consequences for being inactive. However, it is better to think of the benefits of activity, and to understand that each one of us can build a little bit of activity into our lives. Bit by bit, we can reach the recommended 30 minutes each day. The 30 minutes do not need to happen all at one time.

You can climb a few stairs, dance a few steps down the hallway, or get out in the garden to water plants. Take a walk with your toddler, move to music with your preschooler, or toss a ball with your older child. Choose to get around by any method other than the car, and you will add many minutes of physical activity to your day.

If you would like to begin a genuine program of PLAY, choose a playmate. Social support from family and friends is consistently and positively related to sticking with regular physical activity. Choose something to do that you like. If you hate to sweat, do not sign up for aerobics! Remember that your PLAY does not have to be strenuous. It just needs to get you moving. We can almost guarantee that you will feel happier when you are done with your workout/PLAY. In fact, studies have shown that exercise can help alleviate depression (Dimeo et al. 2001).

Beyond our individual efforts, it is important to improve our communities. Object to local policies that make it more difficult for people to be active. For example, do not let your leaders put in streets without sidewalks or ignore cars that speed through crosswalks. Ask for longer hours at recreation centers. Insist that parks be well-maintained and well-lit. Be sure that workplaces support active people by providing places for workout clothes, clean-up facilities and breaks that allow people to get out and about.

Thirty years from now, we hope that we will see changes in our society that makes it easy for all of us to be active and healthy. In the meantime, we all have to commit ourselves to leading a more active—that is, a more playful—life!

REFERENCES

Dimeo, F., M. Bauer, I. Varahram, G. Proest, & U. Halter. 2001. Benefits from aerobic exercise in patients with major depression: A pilot study. British Journal of Sports Medicine 35: 114-117.

McGinnis, J. & W. Foege. 1993. Actual causes of death in the United States. Journal of American Medical Association 270: 2207-2212.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. 1996. Physical activity and health: A report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: Author.

Peggy da Silva is a Project Director for James Bowman Associates.

See also:
    Adult Health, Head Start Bulletin #75 [PDF, 6.48MB ]