Stay Active to Reduce Blood Pressure
Physical activity can help to prevent hypertension and control blood pressure by strengthening the heart, contributing to a healthy weight, and reducing stress.
Disparities in the Quality of Physical Activity Environments
There are race, ethnic and socioeconomic status (SES) disparities in physical activity. The disparities differ by domain of physical activity (e.g., occupation, transportation), but there is consistent evidence that leisure time physical activity is lower among individuals with lower income and members of most race and ethnic minority groups. One possible explanation of these disparities […]
Air Quality and Outdoor Exercise
There is incontrovertible evidence linking poor air quality to adverse health outcomes. This is especially true for people with pre-existing conditions such as heart disease, stroke, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, healthy people are at risk too. Exposure to air pollution has been linked to a higher risk of developing asthma, and recent […]
Five Frequently Asked Questions About the Physical Activity Guidelines
The US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released the second edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans on November 12, 2018. The guidelines are meant to to help Americans understand the types and amounts of physical activity that offer important health benefits. #1 How many Americans meet the Physical Activity Guidelines? In 2017, only […]
How to Meet the Physical Activity Guidelines in Everyday Activities
The other day I heard a story about a woman who hated to exercise. She wanted nothing of it: going to the gym, sweating, walking on the treadmill. Boring. No way! She’d heard about the latest 2018 U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines, but had dismissed them as irrelevant to her life. Recently, she stumbled onto an article […]
Parks: More Than Just a Playground
Summertime is in full swing, and, for many of us, it’s the time of year we consider engaging with the great outdoors. However, as much as we might like, we can’t make every day a journey into nature … or can we? Local parks are a significant way to bring a piece of nature into […]