May is National Fitness and Sports Month

Did you know that May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month? Designated in 1983 by the President’s Council on Fitness, National Physical Fitness and Sports Month was created to promote a healthier way of living for Americans and to bring awareness to how important it is to stay fit and physically active.

Park Physical Therapy in Massapequa is proud to represent National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. Park PT is driven to providing excellent quality care to its patients. Park PT has been serving patients in the Massapequa area, as well as residents in the surrounding areas of Suffolk and Nassau Counties on Long Island since 1993. Their mission is to provide high quality, compassionate, and educative care to its patients to make the post of their rehabilitation experience.

So what exactly is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month? In an article written by Judi Sheppard Missett, National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, Missett states that American leaders were realizing just how important it is for society as a whole to stay physically fit and active. The President’s Council reminds us that it is our responsibility to remain active and that everything we do to keep our bodies in shape will have positive results for us in the long run and result in longevity among all Americans.

Missett gives us six different ways that we can stay physically active and fit.

• The first is to Be a Sport. By this, Missett means that we can join a community sports league. By doing this, you will not only have fun, and be engaged in your community activities, but you will also be getting great exercise.
• The second is to Join a Group. A lot of people do much better at working out and achieve the results they want when they have a friend or partner to work out with. Your friends, classmates, etc. will keep you on track and remind you of how important it is to reach your goals.
• The third is to Exercise With Mom. As we all know, Mother’s Day is in May. So what better way to bring the two occasions together and get your Mother physically active with you.
• The fourth is Have a Ball With Your Children. Making sure your kids are physically active is crucial to their overall development. Toss a ball across the yard with them, play tag. There are dozens of ways to get your kids outside and give them the exercise that they need.
• The fifth is Hip Hoopa. Remember Hula Hoops? According to Missett, swirling a hula hoop around your hips is excellent exercise for your abdominal muscles.
• The sixth and final way to stay active is to be a Jack of All Trades. That’s right, jumping jacks! Try different variations of jumping jacks, it is a great way to get the blood flowing and most importantly, it is great exercise.

There are so many ways you can stay physically fit. In a society where obesity is a big problem among many people, it is important to get everyone on the right track towards fitness and staying fit and staying active. The results will not only give you a better overall feeling about yourself, but your body will thank you in the long run.