The United States has a new crisis to worry about and it might just be one of the most serious ones yet. The crisis, known as the “physical inactivity crisis,” is spreading like wildfire, affecting American children and adults. The CDC reports that in the past thirty years, childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents. The CDC also reports that more than one-third of American adults are obese – that’s 35.7% of our population who are more at risk for obesity-related illness!
To combat the crisis, many health and fitness companies are developing programs to reverse the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Nike founded their own non-profit called Access to Sport that is dedicated to promoting youth sports. Lisa MacCallum, the Vice President and General Manager of Access to Sport, is greatly concerned by the physical inactivity crisis and the effect it will have on the American population. MacCallum stated at a Huffington Post event this past week, “The consequences of physical inactivity go so far beyond weight management or the obesity crisis into things like intellectual function and a whole host of mental health disorders that are directly linked to lack of physical activity.”
The good news is that the crisis has a cure. All we need to do is get moving and encourage kids and adults alike to focus on becoming more active. Yes, that sounds like a tall order, but there are a wide range of fantastic organizations, just like Nike’s Access to Sport, that our always looking for help. Make it your semester goal to do some good and make a difference in our nation’s health. Here are three of our favorite organizations that are always striving to make America as healthy as she can be:
1. Access to Sport
Nike is doing amazing things to fight the physical activity crisis. Primarily, they are focusing on educating the world about the dangers of inactivity. Their Designed to Move campaign features shocking statistics and data projections. The site reports that, “By the end of this decade, most Americans will exert only slightly more energy per week than if they slept 24 hours a day.” How scary is that?
2. Girls on the Run
As a runner, I love the idea behind this organization. The organization’s mission is to, “inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.” Not only do they focus on self-improvement and positivity, but they also help young girls (in 3rd-8th grade) to develop a lifelong appreciation of health and fitness. You can help by raising awareness, finding a local branch to volunteer for, or even starting your own chapter. Find out more information here.
3. Let’s Move!
Anyone up for some soccer on the White House South Lawn with Michelle Obama? Okay, so you probably won’t ever get to kick around a ball with the First Lady, but you can help raise awareness for her Let’s Move campaign. Take the pledge to stay active, find a “Let’s Move Meetup” in the Boston area, or join the Partnership for a Healthier America. Definitely check out the Let’s Move website as it is fun and filled with awesome health, fitness, and nutrition information.
Article Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
http://www.designedtomove.org/en_us/
Photo Sources:
http://mobile.company3.com/data/images/Nike_FindYourGreatness_Jogger_Coleman_080783968328109.jpg
http://pritheworld.tumblr.com/post/22718849479/america-is-a-big-country-and-guess-what-its
http://www.letsmove.gov/blog/2011/10/07/soccer-south-lawn-us-womens-national-team