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May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month

By SCMA On 02/05/2017  

The SCMA® has put together a checklist of ways in which medical assistants can serve as agents for adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good nutrition.

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. We have put together a recap of what you can do to be agents of adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good nutrition.

We know you will agree that in medicine, there is no magic pill that serves as a cure-all. However, if there were one, no doubt physical activity would be it. No other therapy provides as many health benefits. And yet, many Americans still miss out on the benefits of physical fitness and sport activity. Many of us are still aren't moving enough to reap the rewards movement.

Regular physical activity is good for everyone's health, and people of all ages and body types can be physically active. National Physical Fitness and Sports Month is a great time to spread the word about the benefits of getting active.

Health professionals like medical assistants can work with patients and their families to introduce ways of for everyone to get more physical activity. SCMA encourages you to use this month to raise awareness about the benefits of physical activity — and spread the word about fun ways to get moving!

Consider a specialized course for the following therapeutic specialties

Cardiology | Dermatology | Endocrinology | Family Medicine | Geriatrics | Internal Medicine | OB/GYN | Oncology | Orthopedic Surgery | Pediatrics | Transplantation Surgery | Urology | Women's Health |

  • Does your facility have a newsletter, a bulletin board or even a social media account like Facebook where you connect with your patients? If so, you can incorporate anything from a news release, health reminders and tip to highlight this month's national health observance.

  • You can get involved by volunteering within your community to do the following:

    • Encourage community groups and families to support physical activity programs for kids.

    • Host an information event (night featuring community members who have increased their physical activity. Ask people to share their stories and tips for success.

    • Motivate others to increase their physical activity and healthy eating habits. One way to doing so is by joining the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA+) program.

  • Ask fitness facilities to offer discounted memberships or free guest passes for patients and customers in your facility. Work together to share free information about physical fitness and health.

Brush Up On Your Healthcare Know-How

Review these benefits put together by Secondscount, a primary professional association for invasive and interventional cardiologists and physicians who diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease and congenital and structural heart conditions:

  1. Physical activity helps you live longer and prevent many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, abnormal blood lipid (cholesterol and triglyceride) profile, stroke, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and colon and breast cancers.

  2. Physical activity improves cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness.

  3. Physical activity raises your metabolism and helps you lose weight more easily (or eat more without gaining weight).

  4. Physical activity helps reduce stress, anxiety, and depression and improve your mood.

  5. Physical activity helps maintain brain function in older adults.

  6. Physical activity helps with digestion and promotes regular bowel movements.

  7. Physical activity increases bone density.

  8. Physical activity helps you age more gracefully by maintaining your looks and your agility.

  9. Physical activity improves sleep quality.

  10. Physical activity improves your overall quality of life.

Eating Healthy

Remind your patients and customers that eating healthy means getting enough vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients – and limiting unhealthy foods and drinks. Eating healthy also means getting the number of calories that's right for you (not eating too much or too little).

To eat healthy, be sure to get plenty of:

  • Vegetables

  • Fruits

  • whole grains

  • fat-free or low-fat dairy products

  • Seafood

  • Lean meats

  • Poultry, eggs, beans, peas, seeds, and nuts

It's also important to limit:

  • Sodium (salt)

  • Added sugars – like refined (regular) sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, and honey

  • Saturated fats, which come from animal products like cheese, fatty meats, whole milk, and butter, and plant products like palm and coconut oils

  • Trans fats, which may be in foods like stick margarines, coffee creamers, and some desserts

  • Refined grains which are in foods like cookies, white bread, and some snack foods

Keep Moving, Stay Active

Here are some downloadable resources for use for various age groups:

  • Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans - Written for men and women ages 18 to 64, this booklet is based on the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

  • Physical Activity Guidelines for Children - How much physical activity do children need? From aerobic activity to muscle and bone strengthening this link offers age-appropriate activities to keep kids active.

  • Physical Activity for Families – A great resource to help families move more each day while having fun with it.

  • Physical Activity for Older Adults - Go4Life, an exercise and physical activity campaign from the National Institute on Aging at NIH, is designed to help older adults fit exercise and physical activity into your daily life.

  • Physical Activity for Pregnant women or women who just had a baby - This resource also adheres to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and is perfect for healthy pregnant or postpartum woman who should also get the overall health benefits of physical activity.

References & More Information:

President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition
National Physical Fitness and Sports Month Federal Lead

Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Families Finding the Balance: A Parent Handbook
Offers practical tips to help parents help their families find the right balance of eating well and being physically active to maintain a healthy weight.

Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Midcourse Report: Strategies to Increase Physical Activity Among Youth
Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

BodyWorks: A Toolkit for Healthy Teens and Strong Families [PDF – 5.9 MB]
Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health

Fitness and Nutrition for Women
Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health

Tai Chi and Qi Gong
National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

We Can! Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition
National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Exercise & Physical Activity: Your Everyday Guide from the National Institute on Aging
National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging

Go4Life National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging