HHS Focus On Your Health: Physical Fitness

4/9/2002

From: HHS Press Office, 202-690-6343; http://www.hhs.gov/

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Following is the latest edition of "Focus On Your Health" from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

Focus On Your Health: Physical Fitness

Did you know? -- Each pound of fat on your body is 3,500 calories of unused energy. -- Adding just 30 minutes of walking to your daily schedule will use up to 150 calories per day! -- More than 30 million Americans have diabetes or pre-diabetes, and millions don't even know it.

Background On: Physical Fitness Recent estimates indicate that 38.8 million adults are considered obese (20 percent above desirable weight), and nearly 7 in 10 don't get enough exercise. In addition, there has been an increase in body fat levels in children and youth over the past 20 years. Obesity is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Studies show that healthy eating and regular exercise can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes, even in high-risk individuals.

Naturally, experts agree that a certain amount of body fat is essential. Generally speaking, women should have around 20 percent body fat, while men should have around 15 percent. How much of your weight is fat can be assessed by a variety of methods including underwater weighing, skinfold thickness measurements and circumference measurements. Each requires a specially trained person to administer the test and perform the correct calculations.

People who exercise may increase lean body mass while decreasing their overall fat level. This can result in a loss of inches without a loss of weight, since muscle weighs more than fat.

What you can do -- Participate in a regular exercise program (at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity 5 times a week). -- Choose activities you'll enjoy and stick with. -- Increase the amount of physical activity in your daily routine (take the stairs, park further away from the store, walk briskly not sluggishly, play with your kids in the yard, mow the lawn, do some gardening, etc.). -- Eat healthfully and reduce fats. Check the food pyramid for tips: http://www.nal.usda.gov:8001/py/pmap.htm. -- Continually upgrade your fitness program. -- Keep a log of your progress. -- If you smoke, quit. -- Reward yourself for your success! -- Check http://www.cdc.gov/ diabetes for info on diabetes.

How HHS is helping This year, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson has made prevention health a focus of his work and the budget he submitted to the President. Launching a Secretarial Initiative, Thompson called on the Department to find ways to help Americans prevent illness -- before they become ill. Activities surrounding this multi-faceted Initiative will be announced throughout the next few weeks and months.

In FY 2002, HHS will spend more than $15.3 billion on prevention activities including child immunization, health education, food safety, and disease prevention. The President's budget for next year will increase prevention spending nearly $950 million, to $16.3 billion.

Housed in the Department of Health and Human Services, the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS) serves as a catalyst to promote, encourage, and motivate Americans of all ages to become physically active and participate in sports. For more information call 202-690-9000 or log into http://www.fitness.gov/.

HHS also sponsors the Presidential Sports Award. Anyone over the age of six can participate and earn a Presidential Award in nearly 70 sports from aerobics to wrestling and everything in between. To learn how to participate, call 407-934-7200 or go to http://www.fitness.gov/sportsaward.pdf.

Last year, the Surgeon General produced a "Call to Action" on obesity at http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/. Research says an estimated 61 percent of U.S. adults are overweight, along with 13 percent of children and adolescents.

What HHS Secretary Thompson Says "Good health is literally a walk away. You don't have to work up a big sweat at the gym or become a long-distance runner. Just 30 minutes of walking a day, five days a week, can significantly improve your health. Playing with your kids in the backyard for an hour each day can help the whole family stay healthy."

Future Foci -- Next Week: Infant Immunization -- Down the Road: More Prevention