Physical Activity Is A Serious Problem

According to Healthy People 2020, “The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (PAG) released in 2008, was the first-ever publication of national guidelines for physical activity. The physical activity topics and objectives for Healthy People 2020 reflect the strong state of the science supporting the health benefits of regular physical activity among youth and adults, as identified in the PAG”, (United States Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], Healthy People 2020, 2016).

Physical activity also has benefits for children's social and emotional development and cognitive development. These benefits include being part of a team and making friends through group sports, which have a major impact on social and emotional development. The effect of obesity on children is closely linked to many bad health habits such as diet, smoking and drug use which in turn can affect a child's academic performance (Goran et al., 1999). Physical activity, if encouraged at a young age, can reduce the likelihood of children developing these behaviours and focus on their academic performance and cognitive development. As children in this age range are in their fundamental development stage, it is important that educators and parents alike, teach children about the importance of physical activity at a young age in order to prevent health and social well-being problems in their adult years.

Insufficient physical activity is one the leading risk factors for global mortality. Physical activity not only contributes to wellbeing, it is essential for good health. Increasing physical activity levels can help prevent or manage many conditions and diseases; this includes coronary heart disease, diabetes, some cancers and obesity along with improving mental health. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), physical activity is any bodily movement by muscles that requires energy expenditure.

As mentioned previously, exercise is seen as one of the cornerstones of a healthy life. A review of 86 scientific papers concerning exercise benefits in school age children, conducted by Janssen and Leblanc, found that children aged 15-17 “should accumulate an average of at least 60 minutes per day and up to several hours of at least moderate intensity physical activity”(Janssen and Leblanc, 1). In fact, even a more modest level of activity would be sufficient in battling health risks, such as

Physical activity is a very important aspect of an individual’s life. There are many health benefits to being physically active. Living an active life helps to prevent and lower the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, depression, and heart disease (Tuso, 2015). Healthy People 2020 (2018) states that about 80% of adults and adolescents do not meet the physical activity guidelines. Staying active may be difficult if there are no community resources to help. The intention of this paper is to implement interventions within Paulding County that will help increase physical activity among community members.

America's children are not getting enough exercise, and the health risks due to obesity are becoming epidemic in nature. Even First Lady Michelle Obama is supporting an initiative to help children become more active and to provide for exercise (at least 30-60 minutes per day) in all schools. Even limited amounts of exercise can have great health benefits. When humans exercise, the brain produces chemicals that help enhance mood, limit cravings for sugars, and contribute to healthier joints, muscles, the heart, and kidneys. In turn, this translates into more productive work time, the ability to sleep better, increase memory, and reduce dependence on medications. Children are so vulnerable to this health risk that if it continues, over 60% of graduating seniors will be clinically obese. Written by a medical journalist, the book is designed for the lay reader but has a number of documented scholarly sources.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2014), only 21% of Americans are sufficiently physically active according to the guidelines set forth in 2008. Thus, living a sedentary lifestyle has become an epidemic, and one that is not without consequence. The CDC (2014) further states that one’s risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, stroke, depression, some cancers, and early death is noticeably higher for those living a sedentary lifestyle. Certainly, then, promoting physical activity is a simple intervention providers should practice to prommote overall health and prevent or delay the onset of disease. A motivational interview was conducted with Cherish Brown, a 22-year-old

Over the last 30-40 years, the amount and intensity of exercise has gradually declined. Few children in the United States have actually met the recommended “sixty minutes of vigorous exercise” per day (Institute of Medicine, 2013). Although most states and districts have policies pertaining to physical education, these programs lack reinforcement and are often considered weak. Physical education has slowly declined throughout the years, and the the purpose of encouraging students to make physical activity part of their daily lifestyle has been lost. Recent research from Cornell University has found that the average high school gym class consists of students being active for an average of only sixteen minutes! This is nowhere near the recommended sixty minutes of physical exercise. Physical education has been pushed to the side while academics have been prioritised. P.E. classes have become overlooked by society as a whole. Students simply see it as a courses used only for socializing, or to avoid academic courses such as Algebra, Biology, and History. While teachers no longer encourage students to be active, this should not be the path in which we take physical education. The importance of exercise and physical activity goes beyond the classroom with is proven benefits in memory, cognition and attention which are skills that can be used for daily life activities. In recent times, many programs are popping up across the country to emphasize the importance of being active!

Across the United States, seventy-eight million adults and thirteen million children are fighting the health and emotional effects of obesity. Current research trends suggest that by the year 2030, fifty-one percent of the U.S. population will be obese. Many people believe that the only way to combat obesity is to increase physical activity levels in all ages. The issue is that while obesity rates have skyrocketed over the last thirty years, physical activity levels have increased as well. The solution to the United States’ obesity epidemic lies in the education of its citizens on the importance of dieting. Although physical activity has many health benefits, it is not as efficient as dieting is to combat obesity and aid overweight individuals

“Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading; I will rather say more necessary, because health is worth more than learning,” by Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. The importance of exercising is critical, especially for the youth. Without the proper amount of exercising, kids are at risk with for serious health problems like heart disease, and cancer.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the recommended amount of physical activity is thirty minutes per day, and many adults do not meet this minimum.6 In the past, rates of cardiovascular disease were high, as the rates of smoking were higher. As smoking is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, such as COPD, as rates of smoking fall, so will rates of cardiovascular disease. As more and more adults and children begin to realize the importance of cardiovascular exercise and avoiding cigarettes, the rate of these diseases can be expected to fall further. However, less than 30% of high school students reach the recommended amount of physical activity needed, and further intervention is therefore

It is recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, that children receive at a minimum of 60-minutes of cumulative physical activity per day. Many children do not get the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day. Regular physical activity during adolescence has many beneficial factors including, healthy bones, weight control, and prevention of many chronic diseases (CDC, 2013). Physical activity can be playing a simple game of tag, or advanced as an organized sport, as long as it gets the child up, off the couch, and active. Despite this recommendation, many children fail to receive adequate physical activity. In 2006, only 27.1% of students in the United States had fulfilled the recommended amount of physical activity (CDC, 2013). In 2012, 56.3% of eighth grade students in Multnomah County “watched TV, or played video games, or used the Internet for 3 or more hours daily”(OHA, 2012). With an eight hour school day, three hours of video games, and at least an hour of homework adds up to 12 hours of the day, that with family time, meals, and “leisure” time, doesn’t allocate much time for physical activity. The lack of physical activity, combined with extremely long periods of sedentary behavior, coupled with junk food and sugary

PREPARATION OUTLINE Purpose Statement: To persuade my audience to exercise more Thesis Statement: Physical fitness is not just some passing trend, some spur of the moment fad. Physical fitness is a lifestyle, and one that every human being should be involved in. Introduction Attention Getter: I will start off doing jumping jacks and squats to get my audience’s attention and to get their blood flowing (so to speak). Overview of Main Points: For this persuasive speech I am going discuss the statistics on exercising, explain the advantages of exercising, and lastly the consequences that can come from not exercising.

Physical Activity is undeniably good for everyone, not only does it keep you fit and healthy but when started at a young age, it can set up good habits for life. Sometimes however, people do not take care of their physical wellbeing, resulting in obesity and other eating disorders which can be detrimental to their health.

In today’s society children are increasingly becoming less active. Lack of physical activity in childhood leads to obesity, can increase one’s risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, arthritis, and poor health status. Physical inactivity also increases one’s risk for dying prematurely, dying of heart disease, and colon cancer. Technology and video games have become a major factor in this and have seemed to take over and control lives of many children. Less children are involved with sports and few play outside. The lack of physical activity as a child, can pay huge dividends in the child’s health, into his/her adulthood.