From Your Health Journal…..”I found a great article/interview today by Irene Maher of the Tampa Bay Times that I wanted to promote here. I hope you all visit the Tampa Bay Times site (link provided below) to read this great article about keeping active throughout the day. Experts state one key to healthier lifestyle is to make your entire day more active by building movement into your day. It is a habit best started as early as possible. This is so important. I know for myself, I do try to make physical activity a big part of my day by taking steps, doing extra chores, walking from place to place, always going outside for fresh air, making more walks to the bathroom at work…..etc. I feel it helps to keep me fresh and vibrant, and not stiffening up. So many people spend a big part of their day sitting and just being very sedentary, so getting up and about is very important for many people. We know that heart disease is still the number one killer in the United States, and many young children already suffer from risk factors for heart disease, so change is needed. Please visit the Tampa Bay Times / ABC News site to read the complete article.
From the article…..
How do you get in shape and stay in shape? Experts say the real key is to make your entire lifestyle more active by building movement into your day. It is a habit best started as early as possible.
To find out more, we talked with Lisa Witherspoon, co-director of the Active Gaming Research Laboratories at the University of South Florida.
Anything with “gaming” in the title might sound like fun, but her specialty could hardly be more serious: getting kids moving.
Americans of all ages spend too much time on their backsides, and lots of experts think that’s a major cause of the obesity epidemic and a growing list of attendant maladies.
But Witherspoon will not tell you and your kids to put down your beloved electronic devices. Her research centers on finding ways to use technology to increase physical activity.
The interview:
Q: What happens, physically, to inactive people?
A: The first and most obvious result is obesity or weight gain. Also well-documented are the problems inactivity causes related to heart disease — blood pressure, cholesterol, circulation, heart rate, diabetes. Bones lose density, putting you at risk for fractures and osteoporosis. Muscle strength declines, limiting you physically so you’re not able to do as much, even just around the house. Balance and coordination decline also as muscle strength declines. Basically, if you don’t move, you’re slowly killing your body.
Q: Why are some kids running around all the time and others seem glued to the TV?
A: It has a great deal to do with parents and other role models at home. If the parents aren’t active, chances are the kids won’t be active. Many schools are eliminating or reducing physical education and recess time. So, if they aren’t getting it at home or at school, it’s no surprise that kids are becoming accustomed to a sedentary lifestyle.
Q: Do parents only need to worry about activity if their child is overweight or obese?
A: Kids who are not active are at a major disadvantage for their health. This isn’t about being fat or skinny. We want them healthy so their bones and their hearts, their muscles and their lungs are strong. Active people live longer, have fewer health problems, less pain and live independently longer.
To read the full article…..Click here