Welcome to Be Active! More and more people in our community are taking the all-important first steps to leading happier and healthier lives by becoming physically active. Just by visiting this site you've taken the first step to making physical activity a regular part of your lifestyle.

Regular physical activity can:

• Help build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints
• Help maintain a healthy weight, building lean muscle and reducing fat
• Reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression
• Improve your mood and sense of well-being
• Help to manage stress
• Help prevent health problems and diseases including heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, high blood pressure, and obesity

Can being inactive hurt me?

Be Active - Counting your steps?

"It is easier to maintain your health than to regain it"- Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper, Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research

People who are not physically active are not helping their health, and may likely be hurting it. The health risks that are associated with no physical activity show us that exercise should be an important part of every person's life.

Exercising

Exercising doesn't mean you have to run a marathon and physical activity doesn't have to hurt to be beneficial. Any movement that increases your heartbeat and makes you breathe a little harder is considered exercise. You only have to be active for 30 minutes a day and you can add-up activities, 10 minutes at a time, to get to that daily 30 minutes.

Some simple every-day activities include:

• Gardening
• Housework (vacuuming, washing windows, dusting...)
• Walking or playing with a pet
• Playing with kids
• Walking or biking to work
• Taking the stairs instead of an elevator
• Parking far away from the entrance to a building
• Take a stretch break instead of a smoke or snack break at work
• Lift hand weights while watching TV or stretch and walk during commercials