Being physically active is one of the keys to living a longer, healthier and happier life as Allah, God, your Creator (or whatever term captures your beliefs) intended for you. Physical activity can help you reach and maintain a healthy weight and lower your risk for chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and colon cancer. Getting active can also help you:

· Control high blood pressure
· Lower blood cholesterol
· Lower your risk for a stroke
· Increase your fitness level
· Build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints
· Build your endurance and muscle strength
· Enhance your flexibility and posture
· Improve self-esteem and mood
· Reduce feelings of depression and anxiety.

Attention to both physical activity and nutrition are needed to stay healthy. The two factors work together and need to be in balance. In other words, calories taken in should equal energy used by our bodies. Being active increases the amount of calories you burn. As people age, our metabolism slows down, so maintaining energy balance requires moving more and eating less.

Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans to see if you and your children are getting enough exercise. All movement counts and adds up throughout the day and week.

Ideas to Get Moving at Your Congregation and at Home:

Think about how your family and congregation spend your time and how you can make physical activity a part of your daily and weekly routines. If you live near your house of worship, office, school or grocery store, plan to walk or bike there – or if going by bus or car, you could get off one stop earlier or park before your destination and walk the rest of the way. Make movement a regular part of religious education, working physical activity into your lessons or starting or ending each class with it. Kids will have an easier time sitting still during class if they have a chance to move around first.

For fellowship time and celebrations, plan inter-generational walks, softball or soccer games, lawn games like horseshoes and bocce ball, badminton and Frisbee™. If you are indoors, you can dance together and that doesn't require much space or any equipment (beyond a boom box or stereo). Live Healthy Georgia's toolkit, "Live Healthy in Faith: A Faith Community Guide to Promoting Nutrition and Physical Activity" includes ideas for changing your environment, as well as sample health promotion and education programs. At home, try exercise videos from the library. For more fun ideas to get moving, check out Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon's Tips to Keep Your Family and Faith Community Moving, the We Can! website, or the Resources section of this website.

For many of us, connecting with nature is a spiritual practice; it is also a great way to get more exercise. On the National Wildlife Federation, Get Outside Page, you can use the "“NatureFind” searchable database to find outdoor activities or events, parks and open spaces in every part of the country. Search by state, zip code, type of recreation, and type of natural area. The web page offers general ideas too on how to enjoy the outdoors to “refresh us and reconnect us with nature and wildlife” such as by observing wildlife, gardening, exercising, camping and through nature photography. Volunteer opportunities and actions families and institutions can take to make a difference for wildlife and nature are also featured.

Another site that can inspire families and inter-generational groups to get active and explore in nature is Nature Rocks. This national program's mission is to make it easy for you to have fun in nature, and connect with others to do the same.  Or, go to Entertainment Center Spot for additional children's outdoor activities for schools, congregations, and families.  This site gives ideas for all ages and locations, including sports and active games, gardening, and educational activities.

Find out how to use policies and changes to your environment to support physical activity at your congregation, at other institutions, and at home – and how you can help others gain access to physical activity opportunities.