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Volunteering
Get Active: Volunteer!
Volunteer programs can play an important role in promoting physical
activity. By volunteering on active environmental projects such as trail
building, volunteers can enjoy the health benefits of physical activity
while providing better access to recreational facilities for the community.
Physical Activity is Good for your Health
People who are not normally active can improve their health with physical
activity. Physical activity can help to:
- Control weight.
- Control high blood pressure.
- Reduce risk for type 2 diabetes, heart attack, and colon cancer.
- Reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- Reduce arthritis pain and disability.
- Prevent osteoporosis and falls.
Volunteering and Physical Activity Working Together for You
Regular physical activity provides many health benefits. However, people who
are looking for ways to be more active may not realize the variety of health
benefits active volunteering may has to offer:
- Personal health is influenced by your social interactions and being active while volunteering. Studies have shown social interaction can improve your mental well-being by reducing depression and anxiety.
- Environmental health is influenced by the physical labor done to clean up the environment. Through projects such a trails maintenance and park and river clean up the environment becomes less polluted and a safer environment for the community to use.
- Community health is a result of a healthy, safe environment. The outdoors becomes the perfect “gym” for your community to become active, giving the people of the community an opportunity to interact with one another creating increased social interactions.
How does active volunteering become part of my recommended physical
activity?
Active volunteering is an easy way to help not only your community, and your
environment, but also your health through physical activity. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine
has determined physical activity recommendations for adults as follows:
- Adults should engage in moderate-intensity physical activities for at least 30 minutes most, and preferably, all days of the week
But what does that mean?
The intensity of physical activity is categorized as light, moderate or
vigorous based on the amount of energy or effort expended in performing the
activity. ABSOLUTE intensity of a physical activity is measured using
the following method
A metabolic equivalent (METs) is a unit used to estimate the metabolic cost
or oxygen consumption of physical activity. One MET equals the resting
metabolic rate and is defined in practical terms as the energy or oxygen
expended as someone sits quietly, perhaps while talking to someone on the
phone or while reading a book. Less than one MET is complete inactivity,
such as reclining while watching television or lying in bed motionless, yet
awake. Energy expended that is greater than one MET requires physical
activity, the more intense or vigorous the activity, the higher the MET
value.
Light activity consists of casual or easy movements with a level of effort equal to:
• Less than 3.0 METs
Moderate activity is usually a continued movement with a level of effort equal to:
• 3.0 – 6.0 METs
Vigorous activity is an intense continued movement with a level of effort equal to:
• Greater than 6.0 METs
What kind of activities can I do?
The American Hiking Society*
offers a variety of volunteer opportunities in many communities across the
country. These opportunities get you outside, get you busy, and get you
excited about trails and physical activity.
National Trails Day is held the first Saturday of every June and is a
nationwide celebration of trails. With more than two thousand events hosted
by trail clubs, conservation organizations, agencies and businesses,
National Trails Day is America’s largest celebration of the outdoors.
AHS Volunteer Vacations are scheduled one- and two- week trail work trips
from January to November. You visit stunning backcountry locations to
construct or rebuild footpaths, cabins and shelters. In the process, you
meet new people, explore canyons, peaks and valleys, enjoy quiet evenings
around a fire and come home refreshed a rejuvenated.
There are many volunteer opportunities that involve physical activity. The
attached table is a comprehensive list of volunteer activities and their
associated1 ABSOLUTE level of intensity measured in METs.
1For persons 65 years of age and older or persons who have
chronic medical conditions, please click here for more detailed information
regarding recommended levels of physical activity intensity.
Get outside and get volunteering!
Active volunteering is an easy way to help your community, your environment
and your health. While you are getting the physical activity you need you
are also cleaning up your environment and creating a safe and appealing
setting for your community to become physically active. So get outside and
get volunteering!
Please note: Some of these publications are available for download only as *.pdf files. These files require Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to be viewed. Please review the information on downloading and using Acrobat Reader software.
* Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.
Page last updated: May 22, 2007
Content Source: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
