Offer opportunities to ensure that physical activity and fitness become part of regular, healthy behavioral patterns. Encouraging any type or amount of physical activity in leisure time can provide important health benefits, compared to a sedentary lifestyle. Encourage activities that promote strength and flexibility because they may protect against disability, enhance functional independence, and encourage regular physical activity participation. These benefits are particularly important for older people a good quality of life means being functionally independent and being able to perform the activities of daily living. Work with those in the school and other youth related settings.
Young people are at particular risk for becoming sedentary as they grow older.
Therefore, encouraging moderate and vigorous physical activity among youth is important. Because children spend most of their time in school, the type and amount of physical activity encouraged in schools are important components. The major barriers most people face when trying to increase physical activity are time, access to convenient facilities, and safe environments in which to be active. Counseling by primary care providers about the need to participate in physical activity also is an important way to change behavior. In addition, facilities need to be accessible to people with disabilities.