Access to Places for Physical Activity (2024)

Community Engagement Resource Guide*
This guide provides park and recreation professionals with a roadmap to implement equitable and inclusive community engagement strategies. It focuses on the planning, design, construction, maintenance, and activation of park projects and park plans. It includes an internal assessment, community engagement strategies, and an evaluation framework.

Complete Parks Playbook [PDF-2.4MB]
This playbook is for anyone interested in using parks to promote health and can be used as a comprehensive guide to assess a community’s parks system. The playbook briefly explains the elements of a complete parks system, gives additional resources to implement each element, and highlights community examples.

Creating Equity-Based System Master Plans*
This website helps park and recreation professionals, planners, and others to create a systemwide park master plan that is grounded in equity. It can help users focus on multiple benefits while gaining support from partners and stakeholders across different sectors.

Creating Parks and Public Spaces for People of All Ages: A Step-by-Step Guide* [PDF-5.0MB]
This guide is for local leaders, policy makers, community advocates, and neighborhood residents. It can help them collect data, evaluate opportunities, and generate ideas about how to increase the quality and quantity of parks and outdoor spaces nationwide.

Parks for Inclusion Guide*
This set of resources is designed to guide local park and recreation agencies to create formal inclusion policies that emphasize reaching historically marginalized groups. Such policies help ensure that spaces are open, welcoming, and engaging to community members from racial and ethnic minority groups, people with physical and cognitive disabilities, LGBTQ+ people, and new Americans.

The Toolkit for Health, Arts, Parks and Equity (HAP-E)*
This toolkit helps local health advocates use place-based arts and culture approaches to promote health equity. Included are case studies, principles, and guidelines on using arts and culture, parks, and public space to celebrate communities and facilitate challenging discussions that can help build a more just world.

Access to Places for Physical Activity (2024)

FAQs

What is physical activity answers? ›

WHO defines physical activity as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. Physical activity refers to all movement including during leisure time, for transport to get to and from places, or as part of a person's work.

What are the places where physical activities are performed? ›

Parks and recreation centers.

Community organizations and locations can provide access to safe places to be physically active—such as walking trails, indoor facilities, parks, and playgrounds—away from busy streets. Health and fitness facilities provide indoor opportunities to be physically active.

How do you access physical fitness? ›

Remember, every little bit counts.
  1. Do 10 minutes of physical activity at a time. Spread bursts of activity throughout your day.
  2. Add a 15-minute walk or activity that you will stick with during your lunch break or after dinner.
  3. Make activity part of your daily routine.

What is enough physical activity? ›

For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends these exercise guidelines: Aerobic activity. Get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week. Or get at least 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week.

What is physical activity 5 examples? ›

Physical activity is any body movement that works your muscles and requires more energy than resting. Walking, running, dancing, swimming, yoga, and gardening are a few examples of physical activity.

What are the three main types of physical activity? ›

The three main types of physical activity are aerobic, muscle strengthening, and bone strengthening. Balance and flexibility activities are also beneficial. Aerobic activity is the type that benefits your heart and lungs the most.

How to improve access to exercise opportunities? ›

Following are strategies that work to increase physical activity.
  1. Community Design for Physical Activity.
  2. Access to Places for Physical Activity.
  3. School and Youth Programs.
  4. Community-Wide Campaigns.
  5. Social Supports.
  6. Individual Supports.
  7. Prompts to Encourage Physical Activity.
  8. Equitable and Inclusive Access.

How does access to safe places to play or be active affect physical activity? ›

When children were provided with a safe play space, we observed a relative increase in their physical activity. Provision of safe play spaces holds promise as a simple replicable intervention.

What are the four important areas of physical activity? ›

Research has shown that it's important to get all four types of exercise: endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility.

Why is physical activity important? ›

Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Being physically active can improve your brain health, help manage weight, reduce the risk of disease, strengthen bones and muscles, and improve your ability to do everyday activities.

How does the environment affect your physical activities? ›

Environmental factors that impact physical fitness include: Technology: Providing extensive resources and entertainment, but do not require any physical activity. Transportation: Reducing physical activity in getting places. Busy lifestyles: Interfere with any commitment to physical activity.

What is an example of physical fitness? ›

Endurance, or aerobic, activities increase your breathing and heart rate. They keep your heart, lungs, and circulatory system healthy and improve your overall fitness. Examples include brisk walking, jogging, swimming, and biking. Strength, or resistance training, exercises make your muscles stronger.

How to get stronger as a kid? ›

Fun ways to make muscles stronger
  1. Climbing and swinging on playground equipment.
  2. Climbing trees.
  3. Gymnastics.
  4. Push-ups with knees on the floor.
  5. Sit-ups.
  6. Skiing or snowboarding.
  7. Tug-of-war.

How strong should a 14-year-old be? ›

For a 14-year-old, the average bench press is typically around 65 pounds. For a 15-year-old, the average is around 85 pounds. For a 16-year-old, the average is around 100 pounds. For a 17-year-old, the average is around 115 pounds.

Do people get enough physical activity? ›

People living in rural areas were even less likely to get enough exercise: Only 16% of people outside cities met benchmarks for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities, compared with 28% in large metropolitan cities areas.

What is in physical activity? ›

Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure. The energy expenditure can be measured in kilocalories. Physical activity in daily life can be categorized into occupational, sports, conditioning, household, or other activities.

What is physical activity examples? ›

Physical activities that build endurance include:
  • Brisk walking or jogging.
  • Yard work (mowing, raking)
  • Dancing.
  • Swimming.
  • Biking.
  • Climbing stairs or hills.
  • Playing tennis or basketball.
Jan 29, 2021

What is physical activity explanation for kids? ›

Physical activity is any activity that involves moving your body. It includes everyday activities, physically active play, and organised sports and exercise. Light physical activities don't noticeably change your child's breathing or heart rate.

How do you explain physical activity to a child? ›

Talk about the activity. Reiterate information on the positive health benefits and importance of exercise for kids: It helps your body maintain overall good health. It helps build and maintain healthy bones and muscles.

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