Go4Life® is an exercise and physical activity campaign designed to help you fit exercise and physical activity into your daily life. Every September marks Go4Life Month and this year’s theme is Get Motivated! Get Moving! Go4Life! The overall goal of Go4Life Month is to promote the importance of regular physical activity as a key component of healthy aging. As a national partner, Age Safe® America helps the National Institute on Aging at NIH to promote the “Go4Life” exercise campaign and spread the word about the many benefits of exercise.
Exercise and physical activity are good for just about everyone, including older adults. No matter your health and physical abilities, you can gain a lot by staying active. In fact, in most cases you have more to lose by not being active. Most people tend to focus on one activity or type of exercise and think they’re doing enough. The goal, however, is to be creative and choose all four types of exercise – ENDURANCE. STRENGTH. BALANCE. FLEXIBILITY.
Happy Go4Life Month – Get Motivated! Get Moving! Go4Life!
This month is a great opportunity to encourage older adults to be active. If you haven’t made plans yet, there’s still time.
Use the suggested activities and Go4Life materials below to help older adults get motivated and moving during Go4Life Month this September.
Lots of Free Resources to spread the word!
– Check out the free online Go4Life Month Toolkit, with ideas for events and activities, social media messages, and more!
– Help us share and promote NIA’s NEW! Exercise Safety Videos for Adults 50+ during Go4Life Month. Through these videos, viewers will learn about selecting the right fitness shoes and clothes, staying safe while doing the 4 types of exercise, exercising safely in both hot and cold weather, exercising safely outdoors, and biking safely.
– Physical activity is an important part of healthy aging. Try these Go4Life workout videos to help you fit exercise and physical activity into your daily life. https://go4life.nia.nih.gov/workout-videos/
– And take a look at two new resources developed in collaboration with our partners: Walking Club Toolkit and Partner with Libraries Toolkit
Each year, more than 2 million older Americans go to the emergency room because of fall-related injuries. A simple fall can cause a serious fracture of the arm, hand, ankle, or hip. But don’t let a fear of falling keep you from exercising and being physically active. Overcoming this fear can help you stay active, maintain your physical health, and prevent future falls. The good news is that there are simple ways you can prevent most falls.
One of the most important ways to prevent falls is to stay physically active. Regular exercise makes you stronger. Weight-bearing activities, such as walking or climbing stairs, may slow bone loss from osteoporosis. Lower-body strength exercises and balance exercises can help you prevent falls and avoid the disability that may result from falling.
Balance exercises can help you prevent falls and avoid the disability that may result from falling. You can do balance exercises almost anytime, anywhere, and as often as you like, as long as you have something sturdy nearby to hold on to for support.
Age Safe® America was honored to provide input into the development of the Walking Clubs Toolkit. The Go4Life Walking Clubs Toolkit provides tips for those interested in starting and sustaining a walking club for older adults. The recommendations presented here were obtained from a variety of trusted sources at the National Institutes of Health, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Surgeon General, national and local Go4Life partners with expertise in developing and conducting walking clubs. A list of these resources may be found under the “Helpful Resources” https://go4life.nia.nih.gov/walking-clubs/helpful-resources section of this toolkit.
Happy Go4Life Month – Get Motivated! Get Moving! Go4Life!
#Go4LifeMonth