Move your way to better heart health Published Sept. 26, 2014 Operation Live Well TINKER AIR FORCE BASE - Okla. -- Meeting physical fitness standards may be a requirement for service members, but being physically active is essential for people of all ages -- beginning with early childhood and spanning well into retirement. Regular physical activity helps prevent you from getting illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. It also helps control your weight, builds muscle, reduces fat, improves sleep and relieves tension and anxiety. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends one hour of moderate or vigorous cardio activity every day for children ages 6 to 17. Adults between the ages of 18 and 64 should engage in a minimum of two-and-a-half hours a week of moderate to intense physical activity. Adults ages 65 and older should maintain this same level of activity unless they have limiting chronic or physical conditions. Activities for Children's Heart Health Daily cardio exercise for children and youth can range from bicycle riding with friends after school to taking the dog on a brisk walk, playing soccer with a local team or taking a martial arts class. Ensuring that your children start enjoying physical activity at an early age makes it more likely that they will sustain it well into adulthood and thereby improve their cardiovascular and metabolic health. To motivate your children to get moving, you can: · Encourage them to try a new sport · Buy them toys that facilitate physical activity, such as a jump rope or balls · Limit the amount of time they sit in front of a screen (TV, iPad, game device) · Walk or bike with them to school, if possible · Spend time as a family engaging in physical activity, since children model their parents' behavior Activities for Adults' Heart Health As adults, we often find that it's hard to make time for physical activity, and we tend to sit a lot, whether at work, while driving or watching television in the evening. Planning out a weekly fitness schedule that includes a minimum of two-and-a-half hours of cardiovascular activity, however, can greatly improve your overall health by preventing high blood pressure, reducing heart disease and improving your blood cholesterol level. Physical activity can include jogging, taking brisk walks with a friend or neighbor, swimming, playing tennis, ballroom dancing, Zumba, water aerobics, hiking, playing basketball or biking. The list is endless and doesn't necessarily require taking a class. Brief spurts of heart-pumping physical activity throughout the day can be just as beneficial as blocking out a larger chunk of time for cardio activity. To get yourself motivated to move more, you can: · Create a weekly exercise schedule with a spouse, friend or co-worker, slowly building up the amount of the time doing the physical activity · Take your kids biking or hiking on the weekends at least twice a month · Do jumping jacks or run in place during television commercials. Encourage your children to do the same · Walk or bike to work if possible, or to the nearest public transportation · Park longer distances from your destination and take the stairs instead of the elevator · Take 10-minute breaks at work every hour to walk around and stretch · Consider using a mobile app that records and tracks your physical activity · Contact your local Retiree Office to inquire about activities involving physical fitness · Take a ballroom dancing or water aerobics class Being physically active doesn't have to be a chore for children or adults. Find a couple of fun weekly physical activities to do with your children, spouse or friends to help you maintain heart health throughout your life! Additional information: For more information on physical activity, visit the following sites: · Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: www.health.gov/paguidelines · American Heart Association - Physical Activity: www.heart.org/HEARTORG/ GettingHealthy/PhysicalActivity/Physical Activity_UCM_001080_SubHomePage.jsp · Let's Move! Get Active: www.letsmove.gov/get-active · National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's "We Can" movement: www.nhlbi.nih.gov /health/educational/wecan/get-active/index.htm · Operation Live Well: http://health.mil/livewell