odphp.health.gov Blog

During the month of May, National Physical Fitness & Sports Month provides an opportunity to celebrate and promote physical activity and the benefits of sports participation. Physical activity is key to maintaining health and well-being. Getting active can improve fitness and reduce stress, reduce risk for many chronic diseases, and ease symptoms of anxiety and depression...

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that kids and teens ages 6 to 17 get 60 minutes of activity every day. Physical activity provides many benefits for the health and development of youth and can be an important coping mechanism during difficult and stressful times. Playing sports is one way that kids and teens can get the physical activity they need, but opportunities for physical activity have changed a lot during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as it relates to sports...

By LT Dennis Anderson-Villaluz, MBA, RD, LDN, FAND, nutrition advisor, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Establishing healthy dietary patterns early in life can provide young Americans with the foundation to continue those behaviors throughout later life stages. Unhealthy dietary patterns and inadequate physical activity in children and adolescents ages 2 to 18 contribute to overweight and obesity — as well as increasing the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease later in life...

In 2020, ODPHP worked with 8 pilot communities to implement the Move Your Way® campaign on the local level, using the Move Your Way Community Playbook. Due to COVID-19, pilot communities adapted their campaigns to help people stay safe while getting active. This blog post series highlights local events and initiatives from the community pilot program — including creative ways to promote physical activity during social distancing...