Local officials discuss importance of being physically active

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – National Physical Fitness and Sports Month is May. It provides an opportunity to promote and celebrate physical activity and the benefits of playing a sport.

“Physically active can look a little bit different for everybody,” said Sarah Widener the Director of Health & Wellness for Med Center Health. “Do something every single day, something that you enjoy.”

Physical activity is the key to maintaining a person’s overall health and well-being. An active person can improve their fitness, reduce stress, reduce the risk for many chronic diseases, and ease symptoms of anxiety or depression.

For adults, chronic diseases could include anything from heart disease to diabetes.

“The other thing that we want to be aware of is as we age we lose muscle mass. So [with] exercise we tend to tie it to weight management only, but it’s important for strength,” Widener said.

To help people stay active, Warren County Parks and Recreation hosts various activities for residents to participate in.

“We have disc golf opportunities, we have recreational leagues to third party leagues that are offered within the department and that includes baseball, softball, basketball, football, inline hockey, tennis, pickleball, you know, basketball, volleyball, you name it,” said Director of WCPR, Chris Kummer.

He added that if you’re not into sports, other options exist, such as walking and biking.

“We have trails that are along corridors from Michael Buchanan Park to South Warren, for example, that’s a multipurpose dual-purpose greenways path,” Kummer said.

He also said that there are ways to be active inside your home even on cold or rainy days.

“It may be walking from the living room to your back room, your bedroom, doing some housework, that mobility and that importance of being able to get up and not just sit, it does so much good for your body as a whole,” Kummer said.

If you want to start and aren’t sure how or where to begin, Widener said to take ten minutes and walk.

“Go from 10 minutes to maybe 12 to 15 minutes and keep building until you’re working up to what we recommend, which is at least 30 minutes a day of exercise,” she said.

Widener added that as a parent, one of the things you can do to encourage physical activity with your kids is to show interest in what they want to do outdoors.

“Throw a Frisbee kick a ball, throw a baseball, bike, walk, whatever that child wants to do are interested in help foster that for them,” she said.

For a full list of sports and other activities offered by WCPR, visit warrencountyky.gov or call (270) 842-5302.

Copyright 2024 WBKO. All rights reserved.