April is Move More Month

By Robin Parker, Healthy For Good Content Manager, American Heart Association

According to the American Heart Association’s Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2018 Update, only 22 percent of American adults meet the federal physical activity recommendations for aerobic and muscle strengthening activity, and one in three adults report participating in no leisure time activity at all!

While most people know exercise should be part of their daily routine, many don’t realize just how easy it is to add physical activity to everyday activities. Not everyone has hours to spend in the gym, or even 30 minutes to take a walk every day. It’s time to help people feel good about what they’re already doing, while also providing some new and creative ways to sneak in even more daily movement.

The American Heart Association and NHLBI are promoting Move More Month in April to get individuals and organizations moving in ways that work for them. This year we’re focusing on how easy it can be to move more, anytime, anywhere. Whether it’s taking little opportunities to be more active at work, finding ways to get the whole family moving, or getting active outdoors with a pet, we want to provide inspiration and motivation to squeeze a little more movement into every single day.

We’ve got a toolkit of resources you can use to participate in and promote Move More Month. It provides a full month’s worth of tips focused on simple, practical ways people can get active for even a few minutes at a time. Because it all adds up. And when we move more, we live more.

Try some of these tips to move more throughout your day:

  • Work out at work. Add activity to your work day. Take 10-minute walking breaks, schedule walking meetings or walk to a nearby restaurant for lunch instead of driving.
  • Park and go. How many times have you circled the parking lot to find that “rock star” spot? Spare yourself the stress by parking farther away (or even in a remote lot) and walking the rest of the way to your destination.
  • Fitness first. Shake up your family’s after-school/after-work routine. Join your kids for a bike ride or shoot some hoops before starting on homework and chores. You’ll all feel better and think better!
  • Go mobile. Catching up on phone calls? Walk while you talk – in your neighborhood, on a treadmill or around your house.

Sign up to be part of Move More Month and make sure others in your circle know about it. Got a creative or unique way to grab a few more steps in your day? Show off your moves on social media and tag us using #MoveWithHeart and #HealthyForGood.

Spread the word! Share this post with your networks using this sample tweet: @AHALiveHealthy on the BAYW blog: April is Move More Month! Show us how you #MoveWithHeart to be  #HealthyForGood. https://bit.ly/2pPrAno