Get Active to Combat Stress this Holiday Season

group of 4 people hiking in cold weather

Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of the holiday season? You are not alone. Seasonal illnesses, end-of-year work pressures, potential holiday tension and cold weather challenges can add up this time of year, and can  all lead to negative physical and mental health outcomes. Unchecked stress can contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease as …

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Physical Activity, Healthy Weight, and National Security

teen boy walking with a backpack

When Sports Illustrated subscribers thumbed through the final issue of 1960, they encountered the usual assortment of sporting news. Bart Starr led the Packers past the Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Indiana men’s basketball team continued their winning ways, breezing by Missouri and Nevada on the shoulders of Walt Bellamy. But the sportswriters …

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Parks, Trails and Greenways Plus Programming Can Increase Physical Activity

Parks, trails, and greenways are an important part of a community. They are places where people can move, relax, and enjoy time with others. A new Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) recommendation shows that science backs up the idea that these places can help people be physically active. But simply having these community spaces …

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Moving More to Improve Mental Health: What City Officials Need To Know

One of the personal health indicators selected for inclusion into ACSM’s American Fitness Index is a measure of the mental health status of city residents. Mental health and physical health are both important components of overall health and are themselves closely connected. Mental health plays a major role in maintaining good physical health. Mental health …

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The Cost of Mental Health: Seeking Community Solutions

Good mental health is effective functioning in daily activities resulting in good productivity (e.g., work, school), healthy relationships and the ability to cope with adversity. A threat to good mental health is mental illnesses, which are health conditions involving changes in emotion, thinking or behavior (or a combination of these). Those experiencing mental illness may …

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