Photo Credit: Courtesy of Arlington Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources
Everywhere you look there are symptoms of sedentary living and unhealthy choices that negatively affect communities--both physically and fiscally. Park and recreation departments can play a major role in offsetting this epidemic. Our business revolves around motivating people to be active and presenting a smorgasbord of healthy choices so they stay active.
“Fitness is a way of life; it’s not confined to what a child does on the soccer field or an adult does in the gym,” says Virginia’s Arlington County Chair Walter J. Tejada. “Fitness comes from consistently making healthy choices--being active, eating well, getting proper sleep, [and] choosing activities that involve flexibility, coordination, endurance and strength.”
The reasons for inactivity are more complex than residents merely not having enough time to exercise or not knowing the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy choice. To really effect change, communities need to develop a culture in which being healthy and fit is a way of life for people of all ages and abilities.