19 May May is national fitness and sports month

May is now known as National Fitness and Sports month.

Spring is here, and with summer around the corner it is quickly becoming the time of the year for fun, outdoor activities. This is the time to get healthier and get in better shape, beach season is upon us after all!

This month is used to raise awareness about the benefits of physical activities. Physical activity isn’t just for children or athletes, everyone needs some physical activity in their lives. Children and adolescents benefit the most from physical activity, they can improve their muscular fitness, heart health and their bones as well. It’s important to get children active at a young age, physical activity will prevent them from growing up into obese adults who have a slew of health problems. Teenagers continue to develop past high school, and sports in high school and the college level will continue to help athletic adolescents thrive and stay strong and healthy.

Adults benefit from physical activity as well, and should exercise regularly. As you get older your chances of heart disease and diabetes increase, so exercise will help keep you away from that. Exercising regularly as an adult can also help prevent cancer from attacking you. Seniors also need to exercise to stay healthy, and it can be even more important for them as they have even more chance of getting a disease than the average adult. Physical activity in seniors also helps with their balance. Balance training can help lower the risk of falls in the elderly. Physical activity keeps seniors alert, and can even help with their cognitive functions.

Finding time for exercise can be a hard, especially for adults who work all day, the last thing some people wanna do is keep moving after work, they rather relax. But it doesn’t have to change your whole lifestyle, it could be done in baby steps. Try taking a walk after dinner with the family, or maybe even go on a bike ride together. These activities can be fun and don’t feel like exercise if your with your family and talking and having a good time. If you’re a parent and are worried your child isn’t getting enough physical activity, talk to the teachers at your child’s school, perhaps you can work on a plan together to make physical activity more of an everyday thing at the school.