Monday, July 15, 2013

Online Government Initiative Offers Help for Living Healthy

Many government websites offer useful information, and The HealthierUS initiative is no exception.
Deciding to live a healthier life is one of the most important decisions anyone can make. The U.S. government has a wealth of useful information for people who have made this decision, and a great deal of this information has been amassed and organized on for a national initiative called The HealthierUS. The program's website provides tools and information that is designed to improve lives, prevent diseases, reduce the costs of health care, and promote community programs that encourage wellness initiatives.

HealthierUS.gov helps site visitors learn how to incorporate physical activity and exercise into their day, eat foods that are healthier for them, avoid health risks, and protect themselves from illness. The site is just one part of a broader presidential agenda for helping Americans live longer, healthier, better lives, especially children. The information provided is credible and accurate, and is designed to help Americans choose habits that are healthier, to replace unhealthy habits that have been ingrained into their lives.

Obesity is an epidemic in the United States that seems to be steadily increasing, despite the increased public and media attention to the problem. In the past few years, the diabetes rates among Americans age 30-39 has risen by nearly 70%. More than 46 million American adults still smoke cigarettes, even though it is a proven fact that smoking will result in health disabilities and premature death for at least half of them. More than half of all American adults don't get enough exercise during the day, and more than 25% of all Americans are completely sedentary. HealthierUS.gov is the government's offering to help Americans change these statistics by overcoming bad behavior and revamping their lifestyles.

One section of the site provides a great deal of information about the initiative itself - speeches, news releases, community-based programs created by the initiative, a link to the website of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and sports, and information about the President's Challenge, where you can track your weekly fitness goals and accomplishments. Being active for at least 30 minutes a day can not only help you build fitness and strength, it can also help you reduce stress, increase your energy, and improve your sleep - benefits that decrease your risk of heart disease and conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and cancer. An Adult Fitness Test provided by the President's Council features activities you can use to estimate your level of flexibility, aerobic fitness, body composition, and muscular strength and endurance. The test results give you a measure to use for tracking your progress in each area throughout the process of becoming more physically active and getting fit.

Other areas of the site provide information about the importance of making good nutritional choices, preventive screenings, and making healthy choices about your lifestyle that can help you to live a happy, healthy life. Making the decision to live a healthier lifestyle is the easy part - the follow-through is the hard part. Visiting HealthierUS.gov is a good starting point for heading down the road to healthy living.
By Buzzle Staff
Published: 1/12/2010
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/online-government-initiative-offers-help-for-living-healthy.html

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