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National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
Posted by LYNNE MORGAN on 5/1/2017
May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
Regular physical activity is good for everyone's health, and people of all ages and body types can be physically active. National Physical Fitness and Sports Month is a great time to spread the word about the benefits of getting active.
Here are just a few benefits of physical activity:
- Children and adolescents – Physical activity can improve muscular fitness, bone health, and heart health.
- Adults – Physical activity can lower the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer.
- Older adults – Physical activity can lower the risk of falls and improve cognitive functioning (like learning and judgment skills).
Communities, health professionals, and families can work together to create opportunities for everyone to get more physical activity.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FACTS
- Only one in three children are physically active every day.1
- Less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day: only one in three adults receive the recommended amount of physical activity each week.
- Only 35 – 44% of adults 75 years or older are physically active, and 28-34% of adults ages 65-74 are physically active.
- Children now spend more than seven and a half hours a day in front of a screen (e.g., TV, videogames, computer).7
- 0% of Americans, or 80.2 million people, aged six and older are physically inactive.
- Nearly one-third of high school students play video or computer games for 3 or more hours on an average school day.
Source: https://www.fitness.gov/resource-center/facts-and-statistics/