Here are five free resources anyone can use to live a healthier life.
1. How much physical activity you need?
Sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this site answers the question – how much should I really exercise? Although the idea of starting a physical activity program sounds daunting, this site aims to alleviate the pressure of incorporating activity into one’s lifestyle. It talks about beginning with adding simple steps a few times per week. It also talks about the two types of physical activity to improve your health – aerobic and muscle strengthening.
2. Youth Physical Activity Guidelines Toolkit
Another free resource from the CDC, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, recommends that children and adolescents aged 6-17 years should have 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day. This link provides a toolkit which can be downloaded. The toolkit can be used by anyone who promotes youth physical activity, including community leaders; physical education and health education teachers; physical activity coordinators at the school, district, and state levels; and physical activity practitioners working in health or community-based organizations.
Every Body Walk is an online educational campaign aimed at getting Americans up and moving. Sponsored by Kaiser Permanente and their partners, they aim to spread the message that walking 30 minutes a day, five times per week can improve overall health and prevent disease. This site provides news and resources on walking, health information, walking maps and how to find walking groups.
4. Let’s Move: 5 Simple Steps to Success
The Let’s Move website is a useful tool for educators and community leaders to help kids and families work together to eat healthy and move more. This link contains helpful tips and step-by-step strategies for families, schools and communities to help kids be more active, eat better and grow up healthy.
5. SuperTracker from ChooseMyPlate.gov
The Super Tracker can help you plan, analyze, and track your diet and physical activity. You can look up individual foods to see or compare their nutritional values, find recommendations for what and how much you should eat, compare your food choices to your nutrient needs, and assess personal physical activities and identify ways to improve. You can customize your plan by setting up a calorie goal and adding it to your top five goals page. And it’s free!
Do you know of other useful resources that should be added to this list? Want help putting these to work for your family or in your personal lifestyle? Contact me today for a free consultation.