May 1-31
National Physical Fitness & Sports Month
Promote physical activity as a path to better health.

May 1-31
Exercise is Medicine Month
Spread the word about the health benefits of physical activity.

May 1-31
Global Employee Health & Fitness Month
Encourage your employer to invest in an active and healthy workplace.

May 1-7
National Physical Education and Sport Week
Encourage kids to be physically active!

May 14-18
National Bike to Work Week
Promote the health benefits of riding your bike to work.

May 30
National Senior Health & Fitness Day 
“Get Moving…Start Improving!”   

Time away from TVs, video games, computers, and smart phones is becoming more important than ever–not only for children, but teens and adults as well. Technology has changed the way our kids spend their time, and increasingly adults are plugged into smart phones and tablet computers, as well.

According to the Media Education Foundation, the average U.S. home has more TVs than people. Even more alarming, 54% of all kids have a TV in their bedroom. According to the Pew Research Center, one-third of all adults own a smartphone, and 87 percent of them access the Web or e-mail on their phone. What’s more, 68 percent of that group access such information on a daily basis. Information is available at our fingertips  wherever we are.

A major down-side to all this technology access is that we do not unplug for a mental wellness break from work as we are constantly accessible, and for adults and children alike, we are not moving since we are glued to our screens.

Screen-Free Week, coming up  April 30-May 6, is a great reminder for all of us to unplug. This effort  encourages children, adults, schools and communities to refrain from relying on screens for entertainment for the week. The annual event isn’t only about unplugging for seven days, but using the week as a catalyst for making lifestyle changes that improve overall well-being.  

Since we all need regular physical activity to maintain good health, Screen-Free Week is a great time to replace screen time with active time.  Get creative. Schedule a week of fun screen-free activities  in advance.  For example, take the time you would have spent watching TV and go for a walk around the neighborhood. Here are a few other ideas to help you get started:

• Plant a garden.
• Walk your children to school or meet up with a neighbor for a walk. 
• Have a friendly family competition to see who can do the most jumping jacks.
• Play games in your yard like tag, hide-and-go-seek or kickball.
   

These are only a few things you can do for Screen-Free Week.  The key is choosing activities that you enjoy and to have fun. Who is in? Let us know how you will be active during Screen-Free Week!

This article also appears on the Advocates for Health in Action  (AHA) blog. AHA is a  community partner of Be Active North Carolina.

Pastor Leonard Smith partnered with Be Active North Carolina in the spring of 2011 to help his congregation become more active and healthy. Pastor Smith suffers from diabetes  and knows firsthand the importance of making good choices for the mind, body and spirit. Since his diagnosis, Smith has turned his life around – changing his diet and adding daily gym visits. He wanted his congregation to see that the body has to be strong and healthy to fully serve out life’s mission. 

Pastor Smith asked Kim Evans, Christian Life’s resident fitness guru, to serve as the Be Active Faith Community Coordinator. She accepted the mission with enthusiasm. With the help of Be Active NC, Kim and her wellness committee surveyed the congregation, created an action plan and have now helped transform the lives of many church members. “I feel better in every way,” says Dalarie Edwards. “I want to work out now, when before it was a struggle. I love fellowshipping this way. You have so many supportive people.”

Christian Life has done a walking challenge and hosted visits from dieticians and physical activity experts. Parishioners exercised together every week for nearly a year and their results have been dramatic. Nearly everyone involved now reports getting more than 150 minutes a week of physical activity – the recommendation of the Department of Health and Human Services.    

“I have learned just how important it is for the spirit, soul and body to be in harmony,” said Lisa Hutchinson, who has lost 18 pounds and lowered both her blood pressure and cholesterol. “I have become more aware of my lifestyle choices concerning food and exercise. I am very thankful that God is opening the eyes of my understanding.”

Unhealthy lifestyles are driving up healthcare costs. In 2010, North Carolinians spent almost $54 billion on medical bills and lost worker productivity associated with eight risk factors known to cause chronic conditions in adults. The costs associated with adult obesity totaled more than $17.8 billion alone. The total cost is down slightly from the $58 billion discussed in our last analysis; unfortunately, this is due to higher unemployment and a change in the way accepted productivity costs are calculated.

Other highlights from the report:

• Employers pay the lion’s share of the cost of unhealthy lifestyles, since they are responsible for the majority of working-age adults’ insurance coverage.  If workplaces alone were responsible for the financial costs of unhealthy behavior in adults, each one would have received a bill for $239,139 on average in 2010.
• The total price tag for adults went down between 2006 and 2010 due to higher unemployment and a change in the way accepted productivity costs are calculated, rather than a drop in medical costs or better health outcomes.
• More adults were physically active and fewer smoked in 2010 than in 2006, reflecting the successes of public health campaigns and physical activity programs.

Be Active NC has published the report since 1997, which highlights the high cost of diseases and conditions that can be largely prevented.

Download the full report>>

Surtronics employees kick-off the company's Amazing Walk Challenge

More than two-thirds of North Carolina residents are overweight or obese and nearly 60 percent aren’t getting enough physical activity. These unhealthy lifestyles are costing North Carolina roughly $54 billion each year in direct and indirect healthcare costs and employers carry most of the weight. 

So what are the solutions? A comprehensive worksite wellness program is one solution. Research shows that an employer can earn up to $6 for every $1 invested in wellness through reduced healthcare costs, absenteeism and worker’s compensation claims – and don’t forget about improved morale and lower turnover!

What constitutes a comprehensive program? According to National Worksite Health Promotion Survey, the following components are essential for maximum return on investment.                

• Health education 
• Supportive physical and social environment
• Integration of programs into the worksite culture
• Linkage of wellness to related programs
• Worksite screenings or assessments

Don’t worry if your business has limited resources, even a small change can create big results. According to a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association, a business can see a nearly 5% reduction in an individual’s healthcare costs for each day of the week they are more active.

What are North Carolina companies doing to get their employees more active?

• Creating diverse wellness teams that are representative of their organization
• Assessing the needs and interests of their employees through surveys or questionnaires
• Providing programs, such as the Heart Health Challenge or the Amazing Walk
• Announcing policies that allow for employees to be active during work, such as Sit for 60, Move for 3
• Creating environments that support active lifestyles, such as attractive stair wells, walking trails or on-site physical activity equipment

For more information on how to start or enhance your worksite wellness program, contact Annie Martinie.  

Children need more activity than adults to stay healthy. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommends that school-age children and teens engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for 60 minutes a day at least five days a week. Since children spend a significant portion of their day in school, it’s important that educators create a positive, physically active learning environment for children in classrooms.

We offer these tips to create an active learning environment that will help keep your students motivated throughout the school day. 

Keep Yourself Motivated!

Think back to when you were a child. If your teacher showed little enthusiasm in the classroom, how did you feel about it? It’s the same with young children today. If you, the teacher & often a role model for your students, think an activity is fun, then they will too!

Encourage!

Children thrive on praise and positive attention from the adults in their lives. If you want them to get involved in an activity, stay involved and motivate your class. 

Play games!

Many times children don’t even realize they are learning if they are enjoying themselves. When you play games, you can use points and competition to motivate, but not for very young children who may find competition to be too stressful. For them, just playing the game is enough. You can sometimes award extra credit or extra points, but use this sparingly so that it remains ‘extra’ and a special reward.

Energize!

Allowing children to move around is critical to keeping them motivated.  Incorporating daily Energizers will get students moving, and also keep them interested and paying attention.

1. Commit to yourself and at least one other person. Make physical activity a priority and ask someone else you trust to help keep you accountable.
2. Do a variety of activities that you enjoy. You don’t have to go to the gym to be active – try a new activity,experiment and have fun!
3. Get social support. Get a workout partner or join your local walking or running club.
4. Track your Progress. Consider keeping a physical activity log or doing a fitness assessment, such as push-ups or a 1 mile walk/run every 6 to 8 weeks.
5. Celebrate your success! Find healthy ways to reward yourself – get a massage, go on a weekend hike with a friend, buy a new pair of walking shoes.

The friendly competition offered an opportunity for school staff to learn many healthy new habits and ways they can be more physically active. Motivated by the Challenge, individual winner Staci Creech now serves as a volunteer with Be Active NC to encourage others to make physical activity a part of their lifestyle.

Congratulations to the winners!

Top Individuals
Staci Creech, Estes Hills Elementary School, Chapel Hill
Katherine Shelburne, Hope Valley Elementary, Durham

Top Teams
Team “Shooter,” Estes Hills Elementary School
Jessica Booker
Courtney Clap
Staci Creech
Kelly O’Hare
Christine Shooter

Team “Eat Our Dust,” Hope Valley Elementary School
Judy Full
Crystal Jefferson
Penny O’Brien
Katherine Shelburne
Ellen Vaughn

Top School
Jordan Matthews High School, Siler City

Highest Staff Participation
Woodlawn Middle School, Mebane

An interesting field has recently emerged in the physical activity world, the study of sitting. A major study published last year found an association between the amounts of time spent sitting and mortality, even with an hour a day of structured activity.  It is estimated that on average, people who sit too much shave a few years off of their lives.  

A 14 year study by the American Cancer Society showed that women sitting for long stretches, more than six hours a day, were about 40% more likely to die during the course of the study than those who sat fewer than three hours per day.  Men were about 20% more likely to die.

So don’t drop your daily gym visit, but get up and move as much as possible during the workday and your leisure time activities, such as watching TV and reading.  Here are some tips from exercise scientist Dr. Len Kravitz, to help you burn calories and keep your metabolism up throughout the day:

• Take a short walk around the office every time you take a coffee break
• Do 5 squats every time you take a drink of water
• Pace while you talk on your cell phone
• Make an effort to walk quickly at the grocery store, into the office or during other errands
• Get up briefly every 30 minutes and gets the blood flowing

What are some ways that you keep moving throughout the day?