Active Living
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Active living is a
lifestyle Lifestyle is the interests, opinions, behaviours, and behavioural orientations of an individual, group, or culture. The term "style of life" () was introduced by Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler in his 1929 book, ''The Case of Miss R.'', w ...
that integrates
physical activity Physical activity is defined as any voluntary movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure.Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health, 2009. World Health Organization. Geneva, Switzerland. Accessed 13/07/2018 ...
into everyday routines, such as walking to the store or biking to work. Active living is not a formalized exercise program or routine, but instead means to incorporate physical activity, which is defined as any form of movement, into everyday life. Active living brings together
urban planners An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, tow ...
,
architects An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
, transportation engineers,
public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...
professionals, activists and other professionals to build places that encourage active living and physical activity. Active living includes any physical activity or recreation activity and contributes to a healthier lifestyle. Furthermore, active living addresses health concerns, such as obesity and chronic disease, by helping people have a physically active lifestyle. Communities that support active living gain health benefits, economic advantages, and improved quality of life. One example includes efforts to build sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian crossing signals, and other ways for children to walk safely to and from school, as seen in the
Safe Routes to School Safe Routes to School programs are a public health initiative in the United States and elsewhere designed to encourage more children to walk or cycle to and from school. In the US, a Safe Routes to School program was first formed and funded on th ...
program. Recreational opportunities (parks, fitness centres etc.) close to the home or workplace, walking trails, and bike lanes for transportation also contribute to a more active lifestyle. The
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of strong physical activity every week.


History

The concept of active living emerged from the early work of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the National public health institutes, national public health agency of the United States. It is a Federal agencies of the United States, United States federal agency under the United S ...
(CDC) with the release of the Surgeon's General Report on Physical Activity and Health in 1996. In 1997, the CDC began the development of an initiative called Active Community Environments (ACEs) coordinated by Rich Killingsworth (the founding director of active living by Design ) and Tom Schmid, a senior health scientist. The main programming thrust of ACEs was an emerging initiative called Safe Routes to School that was catalysed by a program designed by Rich Killingsworth and Jessica Shisler at CDC called KidsWalk-to-School. This program brought attention to the connections of the built environment and health, especially obesity and physical inactivity. In 2000,
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is an American philanthropic organization. It is the largest one focused solely on health. Based in Princeton, New Jersey, the foundation focuses on access to health care, public health, health equity, ...
formally launched their active living initiative. Led by Karen Gerlach, Marla Hollander, Kate Kraft and Tracy Orleans, this national effort comprised five national programs - Active Living by Design, Active Living Research, Active Living Leadership, Active Living Network and Active for Life. The goals of these programs included building the research base, establishing best practices and community models, supporting leadership efforts and connecting multi-sectoral professionals. The overarching goal was to develop an understanding of how the built environment impacted physical activity and what could be done to increase physical activity.


Benefits

There are many health related benefits to being physically active and living an active life. Active living can help to reduce the risk of
chronic diseases A chronic condition (also known as chronic disease or chronic illness) is a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term ''chronic'' is often applied when the ...
, improve overall health and well-being, reduce stress levels, minimize health related medical costs, help maintain a healthy weight, assist in proper balance and posture and the maintenance of healthy bones and strong muscles. Active living can also improve sleeping patterns and aid in the prevention of risk factors for
heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina pectoris, angina, myocardial infarction, heart attack), heart failure, ...
such as
blood cholesterol Blood lipids (or blood fats) are lipids in the blood, either free or bound to other molecules. They are mostly transported in a phospholipid capsule, and the type of protein embedded in this outer shell determines the fate of the particle and its ...
levels,
diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
and
hypertension Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a Chronic condition, long-term Disease, medical condition in which the blood pressure in the artery, arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms i ...
. Running can reduce the level of mortality from many diseases by 27%.


Types of physical activity

There are four types of
physical exercise Exercise or workout is physical activity that enhances or maintains fitness and overall health. It is performed for various reasons, including weight loss or maintenance, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardio ...
s that medical professionals recommend in order to improve and maintain physical abilities:
endurance Endurance (also related to sufferance, forbearance, resilience, constitution, fortitude, persistence, tenacity, steadfastness, perseverance, stamina, and hardiness) is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a ...
,
flexibility Stiffness is the extent to which an object resists deformation in response to an applied force. The complementary concept is flexibility or pliability: the more flexible an object is, the less stiff it is. Calculations The stiffness, k, of a ...
, balance, and
strength Strength may refer to: Personal trait *Physical strength, as in people or animals *Character strengths like those listed in the Values in Action Inventory *The exercise of willpower Physics * Mechanical strength, the ability to withstand ...
activities. * Endurance activities increase your heart rate and strengthen your heart and lungs. Examples include dancing, skating, climbing stairs, cycling, swimming and brisk walking. * Flexibility activities improve your body's ability to move and assist in keeping your muscles and joints relaxed. Examples include yard work, vacuuming, golf, and stretching - when you wake up, before you exercise and after to prevent injury. * Balance activities reduce the risk of falling and focuses primarily on lower-body strength. Examples include standing up after being seated, Tai Chi, and standing on a single foot. * Strength activities create and maintain muscle, while also keeping bones strong. Examples include raking leaves, carrying groceries, climbing stairs, lifting free weights, and doing push-ups. Endurance, flexibility, balance, and strength activities can be incorporated into daily routines and promote active living. For example, activities such as household chores and taking the stairs can fit into more than one of the above categories.


Recommendations

In Canada, the
Public Health Agency of Canada The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC; ) is an agency of the Government of Canada that is responsible for public health, emergency preparedness and response, and infectious and chronic disease control and prevention. History The PHAC was f ...
supported the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) to review the Canada's Physical Activity Guides, which were updated and replaced with the Get Active Tip Sheets. The Get Active Tip Sheets are broken down into 4 age categories (5–11, 12–17, 18–64, and 65 & older). The Get Active Tip Sheets recommend that children aged 5–11 and youth aged 12–17 should participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day. The recommendation for adults 18–64 and for older adults 65 years and older is at least 2.5 hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week. These minutes do not all need to be done at the same time, but the recommendation is a minimum of 10 minutes at a time.


Initiatives

In Canada, there are many active living initiatives currently in place. One of the most well-known programs is the
ParticipACTION ParticipACTION is a Canadian non-profit charitable organization and an enduring part of Canada’s physical activity history, encouraging people to get healthy by getting active since 1971. Through its award-winning public education campaig ...
program, which aims to encourage Canadians to move more and increase their
physical activity level The physical activity level (PAL) is a way to express a person's daily physical activity as a number and is used to estimate their total energy expenditure. In combination with the basal metabolic rate, it can be used to compute the amount of fo ...
s. Their mission statement is "
ParticipACTION ParticipACTION is a Canadian non-profit charitable organization and an enduring part of Canada’s physical activity history, encouraging people to get healthy by getting active since 1971. Through its award-winning public education campaig ...
is the national voice of physical activity and sport participation in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. Through leadership in communications, capacity building and knowledge exchange, we inspire and support Canadians to move more." Since the 1970s,
ParticipACTION ParticipACTION is a Canadian non-profit charitable organization and an enduring part of Canada’s physical activity history, encouraging people to get healthy by getting active since 1971. Through its award-winning public education campaig ...
has been motivating Canadians to live actively and participate in sports.


See also

* * - automobile oriented transportation * *
Basal metabolic rate Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the rate of energy expenditure per unit time by endothermic animals at rest.. In other words it is the energy required by body organs to perform normal It is reported in energy units per unit time ranging from watt ( ...
- the rate at which the body uses energy while at rest to maintain vital functions such as breathing and keeping warm * * - transport on cycle * * * '' National Physical Activity Guidelines'' * * *
Sedentary lifestyle Sedentary lifestyle is a Lifestyle (social sciences), lifestyle type, in which one is physically inactive and does little or no physical movement and/or exercise. A person living a sedentary lifestyle is often sitting or lying down while enga ...
- a lifestyle with a lot of sitting and lying down, with very little to no exercise * *
Urban vitality Urban vitality is the quality of spaces in urban area, cities that attract diverse groups of people for a range of activities at different times of the day. Such spaces are often be perceived as being alive, lively or vibrant, in contrast with lo ...
- the extent to which a place feels alive or lively


References

{{Reflist Urban planning Health promotion Physical exercise Health and transport