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Get up! Move your body!

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September 17, 2012

Get up! Move your body!

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons encourages public to get up and get active

In an effort to promote mobility and daily exercise, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is urging the public to get active with their Get Up! Get Out! Get Moving! campaign.

“When activities and healthy lifestyle choices are incorporated into daily living, staying active becomes second nature,” said orthopedic surgeon and AAOS spokesperson John Purvis, M.D. “It can be as simple as making a list of fun, active things that you like to do. Then begin to make those things a part of everyday living. It is important to reach out to kids, because the younger people start moving, the more likely they are to continue that lifestyle into adulthood.”

Tips for kids:

Plan to be active as much as possible and make physical activity part of your daily routine.
Playing is exercising too, so play tag with friends, swim or go bike riding. Use your imagination to come up with ways to have fun and get exercise at the same time.

Tips for parents:

Be a role model. Join children for a bike ride, a ball game or a long walk.
Use physical activity as a reward. Plan a family trip to the park.
Make exercise part of everyone’s daily routine. Chores such as raking leaves, painting or walking the dog are great ways to increase physical activity.
Schedule physical activity. Think about planning activities in 10- to 15-minute blocks of time throughout the day.
Make it easy to be active. Plan indoor areas for physical activity.
Make it fun to be active. Select toys and gifts that promote physical activity.
Exercise can be fun! Put the emphasis on fun rather than on winning.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 12.5 million children in the U.S. are obese. Obesity can affect a person’s mental, emotional, social and physical health. Physical activities help to combat these issues.

For example, weight-bearing activities cause bones to build more cells and become stronger. Without weight-bearing exercise, bone health is threatened, but individuals who are active everyday build strong bones for life.

The Academy is partnering with the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America to educate and empower people to get moving with television and print public service announcements.

The 60-second television ad “Sedentary,” (which can be viewed at www.youtube.comwatch?v=UntdGA7gH3Q), humorously depicts all of the things that a child can do without moving. It is a light and memorable take to help raise awareness on the serious subject of obesity.

Jump start your mission to move by following some of the Academy’s mobility tips. To learn more about Get Up! Get Out! Get Moving!, visit OrthoInfo.org.

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