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ImageOnce again it is time to celebrate "Movement Day" on June 21st. What do you do on Movement Day? You move! Go for a 15-minute walk. Shoot some hoops down at the park. Ride your bike. Swim a few laps in the pool. Go to early morning drop-in hockey like you've always intended. Hike up a hill just for the view. Take a walk around the block. Walk 18-holes instead of getting a cart. All you have to do is move.


Government statistics show that about 66 percent of adults are overweight or obese. There are many contributing reasons but on a national level, the surgeon general has identified lack of dietary balance and too little physical activity as the root causes of obesity. Consider it this way, the average person takes about 3,000 steps a day. Are you above average? Exercise doesn't have to be complicated; it's simply about moving more. Statistics show that only 13% of the population regularly exercise. Whether you are one of the 13% or the other 87%, June 21st should be dedicated to movement, exercise, and fitness.


If you are a parent, consider moving or exercising for another reason: your kids. Recent data shows 32 percent of children and teens are overweight or obese. Walt Thompson is chairman of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) panel that created a new analysis called the American Fitness Index. At the 2008 ACSM national conference, he commented, "This epidemic of obesity is catching up with us, and one way we can combat it is to provide an environment where kids and families can exercise." Everyone knows ‘the apple doesn't fall far from the tree' so lead your children by example and make this week the start of regular exercise.


Make it the day you join a gym and start a new exercise routine. No thanks to fitness being focused on weightloss in the last four decades, many people still equate exercise with burning calories. A 180lb person who walks for an hour at 3mph burns approximately 288 calories. This same person could run for half-an-hour at an 8 min-per-mile pace and burn approximately 492 calories but this is a shortsighted view of exercise. It is generally accepted that you have to burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound. If you think about how little calories you burn doing an hour of cardio, this becomes a depressing endeavor. Moving consistently more as part of your lifestyle is what weight loss is all about. Moving is about letting your body do what it is designed to do so that it can be as healthy as it is designed to be.


Check with your employer (those of you who still have jobs) because many companies now offer refunds up to a certain amount for gym membership or fitness-related costs. Even personal training can be covered under these company health benefits so make an appointment for this Sunday (contact information below). Make it a day to try a Les Mills group fitness class. Make it a day to get on the bike instead of getting in the car. How far did you get with your New Year's resolutions? June 21st is a second chance to make a fitness resolution, as opposed to January 1st, a day you can actually start it thanks to all the daylight. Support "Movement Day" on June 21st by refreshing your body through some kind of movement, activity, exercise, or fitness.


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