1. OCTOBER Let’s Get Physical! For the month of October, we will focus on the importance of physical activity. The following pages contain verbiage, tips, a printable poster and other articles and resources that you can reference and share with your co-workers and employees.

2. WHAT AND WHY: Simply being physically active does so much good for us. The opposite is also true. The absence of activity can be detrimental to our health. Exercise doesn’t have to mean running a marathon. Simply working some extra steps into your daily routine and making sure you do a little more standing or walking instead of sitting can have a big impact. So let’s do it! Let’s get moving.

3. IDEAS FOR ACTIVITIES: Set out a stack of sticky notes and have team members write down tricks that they use to incorporate more activity into their daily lives. Have them post the notes on the breakroom wall. Audit your activity for one week. Remember – it doesn’t have to be running or swimming to count. Cleaning the house, mowing the lawn and playing with the kiddos counts! You might be more active than you think.

4. ARTICLES: 5 Ways to Burn 500 Calories in 30 Minutes 25 Easy Ways To Fit In 10 Minutes Of Exercise The many benefits of walking 30 minutes a day Nine Easy Ways to Sneak in Exercise VIDEOS/RESOURCES: Calories Burned Calculator TEDxUMKC – Run for your life! At a comfortable pace, and not too far!Run for your life! At a comfortable pace, and not too far! TEDxSpokane – Winning The Mental Battle of Physical Fitness and ObesityWinning The Mental Battle of Physical Fitness and Obesity

5. THE MORE YOU KNOW! 25 TIPS, TIDBITS OF TRIVIA AND TWEETS ABOUT HEALTH WITHIN THE OFFICE. SHARE ONE VIA EMAIL EACH DAY OR POST THEM NEXT TO THE WATER COOLER. 1.When you go outside to pick up your morning newspaper, take a brisk 5-minute power walk up the street in one direction and back in the other. 2.If you're housebound caring for a sick child or grandchild, hop on an exercise bike or do a treadmill workout while your ailing loved one naps. 3.If you’re cooking dinner, do standing push-ups while you wait for a pot to boil. Stand about an arm's length from the kitchen counter and push your arms against the counter. Push in and out to get toned arms and shoulders. 4.After dinner, go outside and play tag or shoot baskets with your kids and their friends. 5.Walk around the block several times while you wait for your child to take a music lesson. As your fitness level improves, add 1-minute bursts of jogging to your walks. 6.Turn a trip to a park with your child into a mini-workout for you. Throw a ball back and forth and run for fly balls. 7.If you dine out on your lunch hour, walk to a restaurant on a route that takes you a little bit out of your way.

6. MORE TIPS: 8.If you have a meeting in another building, leave five or ten minutes early (or take some time afterward), and do some extra walking. 9.On breaks, spend five to ten minutes climbing stairs. 10.During commercials, jog in place. A 150-pound woman can burn up to 45 calories in five minutes. 11.Do leg exercises and lifts with small weights while you watch The Weather Channel, cooking shows, movies or the news. 12. Unless you’re a highly conditioned athlete, you can’t maintain a very intense pace for very long, so the best way to improve your aerobic fitness and burn fat is with intervals. That is, you alternate very intense periods of work with lower-intensity sessions in which you recover. 13. Doing 30 minutes of cardio exercise daily contributes heavily to your overall health. Benefits of this type of workout include boosting your cardiovascular endurance, regulating your cholesterol, improving your heart health, lowering your blood pressure and burning calories to help you maintain your weight or shed a few pounds. 14. Cardio workouts also have emotional well-being benefits. As you exercise, your body releases endorphins that can rapidly improve your mood and ease your stress.

7. MORE TIPS: 15.Make getting fit enjoyable. Pick an activity (or range of activities) that appeals to you, since you’re more likely to keep to an exercise plan if you like it. 16.Make exercise a social event. Find a friend or family member to be active with so you can motivate and reward each other, or make some new friends through a class or club. 17.Have fun getting physical. Go dancing, fly a kite, throw a frisbee or swim in the sea – you’re not limited to sports and structured exercise programs. 18.Regular physical activity can help you prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, certain types of cancer, arthritis and falls. 19.Look for incidental ways to move your body every day. For example, walk or cycle to the local shops, instead of driving the car. Use the stairs instead of the lift or escalator. 20.Check out local exercise options. Opportunities to be active in your neighborhood may include leisure centers, sports clubs, parks, walking trails, swimming pools or exercise classes. 21.Choose activities that suit your lifestyle. Consider your budget, physical abilities and amount of free time.

8. MORE TIPS: 22.Exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn. 23.No matter what your current weight, being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which decreases your risk of cardiovascular diseases. 24.Involve the whole family in keeping fit. Arrange for outings that are physically active, such as walking the dog, rowing or hiking. 25.Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. You may also feel better about your appearance and yourself when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. 26.Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance. Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently.

9. MORE TIPS: 27. To improve overall cardiovascular health, we suggest at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise (or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity). Thirty minutes a day, five times a week is an easy goal to remember. 28.Plan ahead for bad weather. Head to your local swimming pool or gym to exercise indoors.

10. APPENDIX: We can’t take all of the credit. In compiling this information, we referenced the following organizations and websites: Prevention.com MuscleAndFitness.com LiveHealthy.chron.com Heart.org BetterHealth.vic.gov MayoClinic.com