Physical Activity Wellness Initiative - Sedgwick County, Kansas Health Department

Sedgwick County > Health Department > Wellness > Physical Activity

Physical Activity

There are 1,440 minutes in every day. Schedule 30 of them for physical activity! With a little creativity and planning, even the person with the busiest schedule can make room for physical activity.

Adults should strive to meet either of the following physical activity recommendations:

Moderate-intensity physical activities for at least 30 minutes on 5 or more days of the week (i.e. brisk walking, slow cycling, doubles tennis or gardening)

Vigorous-intensity physical activity 3 or more days per week for 20 or more minutes per occasion (i.e. jogging, fast cycling, swimming laps or racquetball)

It is never too late to start an active lifestyle. No matter how old you are, how unfit you feel, or how long you've been inactive, research shows that starting a more active lifestyle now through regular, moderate-intensity activity can make you healthier and improve your quality of life.

For many folks, before or after work or meals is often an available time to cycle, walk or play. Think about your weekly or daily schedule and look for or make opportunities to be more active. Every little bit helps.Check out these helpful suggestions to starting a more active lifestyle today!

Walk, cycle, jog, skate, etc. to work, school, the store or place of worship.
Park the car farther away from your destination.
Get on or off the bus several blocks away.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
Play with children or pets. Everybody wins. If you find it too difficult to be active after work, try it before work.
Take fitness breaks – walking or doing desk exercises – instead of taking cigarette or coffee breaks.
Perform gardening or home repair activities.
Avoid labor-saving devices – turn off the self-propel option on your lawn mower or vacuum cleaner.
Use leg power – take small trips on foot to get your body moving.
Exercise while watching TV (for example, use hand weights, stationary bicycle/treadmill/stair climber or stretch).
Dance to music.
Keep a pair of comfortable walking or running shoes in your car and office. You’ll be ready for activity wherever you go!
Make a Saturday morning walk a group habit.
Walk while doing errands.
Stretch!
Count your steps. If it's easier for you to include physical activity in your daily routine, purchase a pedometer and track your steps. It is recommended that healthy people take 10,000 steps a day. To figure out how many steps you take doing both fun activities, as well as typical chores, click here for a step conversion chart.
For more tips from the Sedgwick County Health Department, click here for here or go to the CDC Web site.

Water Counts!

Water is essential to daily living. It helps with body-temperature maintenance, is needed for your body to function properly and is vital to electrolyte balance. There are recommended amounts for normal activity:

Women: 8 glasses (64 oz. daily)

Men: 12 glasses (96 oz. daily)

Of course, with physical activity, you need to replace the water you lose. Be sure to drink water before, during, and after exercise to avoid dehydration!

Tips for People Who Have Been Inactive

What's keeping you from starting a more active lifestyle? Have you been inactive for so long, you can't imaging working out? The important thing to remember is to use a sensible approach and start slowly. Click here for secrets to getting started. You also can follow these simple steps:

Begin by choosing physical activities you enjoy. You’ll be more likely to stick with them.
Gradually build up the time spent doing the activity by adding a few minutes every few days until you can comfortably perform a minimum recommended amount of activity (30 minutes per day).
As the minimum amount becomes easier, gradually increase either the length of time performing an activity, or increase the intensity of the activity, or both.
Vary your activities both for interest and to broaden the range of benefits.
Engage in moderate-intensity physical activities at least 30 minutes on 5 or more days of the week.
Make sure to do at least 10 minutes of activity at a time. For example, you can take 3-10 minute brisk walks at a time.
Explore new physical activities.
Get the kids involved! For ideas on how to get your child signed up for organized team sports or classes, check out the Greater Wichita Sports Commission.

Overcoming the Barriers to Physical Activity

Many personal variables affect our plans to become more physically active. Some of the most commonly sited reasons include not having enough time to exercise, a lack self-motivation, or you find exercise boring. Some people fear being injured or lack encouragement, support or companionship from family and friends

The Barriers to Being Active Quiz can help you identify the types of physical activity barriers that are undermining your ability to make regular physical activity an integral part of your life. The quiz calculates a score in each of seven barrier categories. Once you've taken the quiz and identified which barriers affect you the most, look at the Suggestions for Overcoming Physical Activity Barriers for suggestions on how to overcome them.

For ideas for where to walk and other wellness resources, visit the following links:

No matter where you live in Sedgwick County, there are many beautiful parks for you to enjoy. Click on any of the individual Sedgwick County city names to view their park resources: Wichita, Derby, Haysville, Park City, Bel Aire, Mulvane, Clearwater, and Maize.

Source of educational information: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)