Physical Activity Truth . . . Let’s Move Jeffco Youth

Encouraging an active lifestyle for children beginning at a young age can create an overall healthier life with reduced risk for many chronic diseases. National guidelines determined by the CDC suggest that children need 60 or more minutes of physical activity each day. Not only can regular physical activity help defend against childhood obesity and chronic illnesses, a new study has recently shown that it will improve children’s mental or “cognitive” skills, too.

The study, published in Pediatrics in September, reported improvement in memory, focus, attention and the ability to switch back and forth between tasks in 100 children (ages 7 to 9) involved in an after-school program of a little over an hour of moderate to vigorous exercise every weekday for almost the entire school year. While an hour a day of exercise may sound like a lot, rethinking how we define and categorize exercise can help.

Meeting a child’s daily physical activity goal can include activities such as informal, active play to organized sports. Here are some great tips from the CDC on creating a supportive environment for children to succeed:

• Set a positive example by leading an active lifestyle yourself;
• Make physical activity part of your family's daily routine by taking family walks or playing active games together;
  
• Give your children equipment that encourages physical activity;
  
• Take young people to places where they can be active, such as public parks, community baseball fields or basketball courts;
  
• Be positive about the physical activities in which your child participates and encourage them to be interested in new activities;
  
• Make physical activity fun. Fun activities can be anything your child enjoys, either structured or non-structured. Activities can range from team sports or individual sports to recreational activities such as walking, running, skating, bicycling, swimming, playground activities or free-time play;
  
• Instead of watching television after dinner, encourage your child to find fun activities to do on their own or with friends and family, such as walking, playing chase or riding bikes; and,
  
• Be safe! Always provide protective equipment such as helmets, wrist pads or knee pads and ensure that activity is age-appropriate.

Resources:

• CDC physical activity guidelines for children, adults and older adults: How much physical activity do you need?
  
• Jefferson County Public Health educational brochure: Active Living
  
• Jefferson County Open Space offers a wide variety of trails for all ages and skill levels.

Support programs that encourage physical activity such as Safe Routes to School

Spring is officially here and Jefferson County Public Health encourages everyone to get outside and get active. Physical activity can help improve your health. Check out the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Physical Activity Guidelines and the national “Let’s Move” campaign.

Everyone can benefit from physical activity. Unfortunately, most children in Jefferson County are not getting the recommended amount of physical activity per day. Our 2013 community health assessment data showed that in 2009, only 39% of children ages 5-14 met the physical activity guidelines of 60 minutes of activity a day.

Safe Routes to School Programs SRTS programs provide educational opportunities and infrastructure support for people to increase their physical activity by making it easier and safer to walk and bike in their community. All kids deserve safe routes to school in their community. HB14-1301, is a measure currently in the state legislature to increase walking and bicycling in Colorado through Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs. The Colorado SRTS program is at risk without passage of House Bill 1301. Consider emailing your elected official to educate them on the importance of creating environments around schools that allow students and parents to walk, bike or scoot safely to school. Click here to sign up for updates and for more information on the bill.

Get ACTIVE . . . Regular physical activity can help lower blood pressure and improve health

Products that claim to lower blood pressure and cholesterol may or may not work, but regular physical activity has been proven to prevent and control these conditions. Just 30 minutes a day is enough to make your heart more efficient at pumping blood, and when your heart is better at pumping blood your blood pressure will decrease. Moderate to vigorous physical activity also lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol, and raises HDL (good) cholesterol. If 30 minutes at a time is too much, you can break it up and do 10 minutes at a time throughout your day.  Kids need at least 60 minutes of active and vigorous play each day to stay healthy, and one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to meet this goal is by playing outside.  Jefferson County partners with Jeffco Open Space to encourage physical activity.

Check out the Open Space Parks and trails web page. 
View the national Let’s Move web site.