Healthy Living Messages

• Be Physically Active
• Eat Wisely
• Strive for a Healthy Weight
• Get Recommended Screening Tests & Immunizations
• Be Involved in Your Health Care
• Be Tobacco Free
• Limit Alcohol
• Manage Stress
• Be Safe
  

• Less than half of U.S. adults get the amount of physical activity recommended in the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.
• All adults should avoid inactivity. Some physical activity is better than none, and adults who participate in any amount of physical activity gain some health benefits. Physical activity is safe for almost everyone, and the health benefits of physical activity far outweigh the risks. If you do not have a chronic condition (such as diabetes, heart disease, or arthritis) and you do not have symptoms (e.g., chest pain or pressure, dizziness, or joint pain) you do not need to talk to a health care provider before you become more active.
• If you have a concern regarding a health condition, talk with your health care team about the types and amounts of activity that are best for you.
• Studies show that regular physical activity decreases the risk for developing depression, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, stroke, and some kinds of cancer.
• For important health benefits, you should do at least 21/2 hours each week of moderate-intensity, or 11/4 hours a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both.
• Physical activity is anything that gets the body moving. Start at a comfortable level. Once this begins to seem easy, add a little more activity each time. Then try doing it more often.
• Your body is working at a moderate intensity when you can talk but not sing. Moderate-intensity physical activity includes things like walking fast, dancing, and raking leaves.
• Your body is working at a vigorous intensity when you cannot say more than a few words without pausing for a breath. Vigorous-intensity physical activity includes things like jogging, jumping rope, swimming laps, or riding a bike uphill.
• People of all ages and body types benefit from physical activity. Even if you are out of shape or have not been active in a long time, you can begin activity safely.
• Aerobic activity should be in episodes of at least 10 minutes, and it is best to spread these out during the week.
• Aerobic activity (also called endurance activity) is when you move your bodys large muscles in a rhythmic manner for a sustained period of time and your heart beats faster than usual.
• Muscle strengthening activity causes your body's muscles to work or hold against an applied force or weight. This includes resistance training and lifting weights. Resistance can be generated using elastic bands, handheld weights or body weight. The effects of muscle-strengthening activity are limited to the muscles doing the work.
• Strengthening activities should be performed on at least 2 non-consecutive days each week and should target all the major muscle groups: legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms.
• Stretching can produce the following benefits: increased flexibility, improved joint range of motion, improved circulation, and stress relief. How often should a person stretch? Generally, it is best to stretch when engaging in physical activity. For those who are not active on a regular basis, stretching at least three times per week to maintain flexibility is a good starting point.

More Information

• Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans:
  www.health.gov/paguidelines*
• Healthfinder: A Guide to Reliable Health Information on Physical Activity and Other Topics, HHS:
  www.healthfinder.gov*
• President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN), HHS:
  www.fitness.gov*
• The President's Challenge:
  www.presidentschallenge.org*
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HHS:
  www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity*
• Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, HHS:
  www.odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov*
• Healthfinder: Get Active
  www.healthfinder.gov/prevention/ViewTopic.asp?topicId=22*

* Indicates that the link leads to a non-VA website. The VA is not responsible for the content that is on the site.

Supporting Information

Definitions

• The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans: Designed to provide information and guidance on the types and amounts of physical activity that provide substantial health benefits for Americans aged 6 years and older. The main idea behind the Guidelines is that regular physical activity over months and years can produce long-term health benefits.
• Moderate intensity: The body is working at a moderate intensity when one can talk but not sing. Moderate-intensity physical activity includes things like walking fast, dancing, and raking leaves.
• Strengthening activity: Any activity that works a specific muscle or muscle group and results in increasing the strength of that muscle/muscle group. Examples of strengthening activities are lifting weights (e.g. chest presses, leg presses, biceps curls, triceps extensions) or using your body weight as the resistance (e.g. push-ups, sit-ups, squats, pull-ups). Vigorous intensity: The body is working at a vigorous intensity when one can't say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.
• Vigorous-intensity physical activity includes things like jogging, jumping rope, swimming laps, or riding a bike uphill.
• Aerobic activity (also called endurance activity): When the body's large muscles move in a rhythmic manner for a sustained period of time and cause a person's heart to beat faster than usual. Aerobic activity should be in episodes of at least 10 minutes and it is best to spread it out during the week.

VA Policies

• VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guidelines for Screening and Management of Overweight and Obesity (section addressing Physical Activity)
  www.healthquality.va.gov/obesity/obe06_final1.pdf

Source Documents

1. CDC tobacco website.
   www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/index.htm.
2. Community Guide - Tobacco Use.
   www.thecommunityguide.org/tobacco/index.html.
3. Counseling and interventions to prevent tobacco use and tobacco-caused disease in adults and pregnant women: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reaffirmation recommendation statement. Ann Intern Med. Apr 21 2009;150(8):551-555.
   www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/uspstbac2.htm
4. Smokefree.gov website.
   www.smokefree.gov.
5. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Surgeon General 2006.
6. You Can Quit Smoking. Support and Advice from Your Prenatal Care Provider. In: Quality AfHRa, ed. Rockville, MD: U S Public Health Service; 2008.
7. VHA Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards website.
   www.publichealth.va.gov/smoking/.
8. Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Effects: Making Sense of the Evidence. 2009;
   www.iom.edu/Reports/2009/Secondhand-Smoke-Exposure-and-Cardiovascular-Effects-Making-Sense-of-the-Evidence.asp.
9. FDA Guidance on Electronic Cigarettes.
   www.fda.gov/downloads/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/UCM173430.pdf.