Daily HealthBeat Tip

Don�t stop.

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this is HHS HealthBeat.

Whatever happened to good old-fashioned play? As we grow up, being physically active often changes somehow from playing to exercising. Play is fun. Exercise? Well, for many of us, that�s not fun. And without play, we quit being active. So we get out of shape and start gaining weight.

But new reports call on us to be physically active for the sake of our health. So what can we do? At the President�s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, executive director Melissa Johnson says it�s simple. Get on your walking shoes and go for a walk, or do something else you enjoy:

"A lot of sedentary or deconditioned people haven�t yet experienced the euphoria or the good feeling of just moving. And once that becomes familiar to them, they don�t want to stop."

Federal officials recommend 30 minutes of moderate activity on most if not all days of the week as a minimum goal for good health.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: July 8, 2005

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