Health & Wellness
Play is critical to health and wellness. At a time when our lifestyles are more sedentary than ever, play helps us to move, stretch, flex and get stronger. Best of all, play is fun. When we enjoy an activity, we’re more likely to keep it up.
Play is as important for older adults as it is for children. Physical activity has plenty of benefits, from preventing disease to building stronger bones. These articles will make you want to get up, get outside and get moving.
Older adults are blending exercise with enjoyment
Keep Active: Safe at Any Age, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons
Does “physical fitness” make you think of aching muscles or hard-to-maintain exercise schedules? There’s a better way. Older adults are blending exercise with enjoyment. Some stay in motion with gardening and walking, while others get a rush from sports like tennis and skiing. The payoff? Seniors who play have stronger bones, improved mobility and balance and reduced joint and muscle pain. They live longer, healthier lives. Experts say that spending a little time each day in some type of physical activity can make a big difference in everyday life.
Overweight and obesity become a national priority
Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General
The U.S. Surgeon General wants individuals, families and communities to make the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity a national priority. Eating healthier foods, moving and exercising, educating health care professionals and students and encouraging exercise in the workplace and in school—these are just some of the ways that we can take action to improve health and wellness in our country.
Outdoor play is important to children’s health
Resurrecting Free Play in Young Children: Looking Beyond Fitness and Fatness to Attention, Affiliation, and Affect, American Medical Association Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
For today’s children, unstructured outdoor play is less common than it was twenty years ago. More kids are spending time indoors—watching television, playing videogames and using the computer. When it comes to children’s health, active, unstructured outdoor play is an important way to get children to increase their physical activity. More importantly, this kind of play allows kids to experience the joys of movement, creativity and friendship.