EXERCISE IS MEDICINE Fighting Physical Inactivity Is Crucial IN MODERN AMERICA
By Mike May
“Sitting is the new smoking” and “exercise is medicine.” Those were two of the big-picture thoughts which I shared with the Rotary Club of Wellington on Thursday, June 13. On that day, I discussed the national issue of physical inactivity during this gathering of Wellington community leaders. In addition to writing for Wellington The Magazine, I also serve as the director of communications for PHIT America, a national nonprofit group working to reverse the current “inactivity pandemic” in the United States. I have also
spent more than 30 years working in the communications sector of the sporting goods and fitness industry. Right now, this “inactivity pandemic” impacts the lives of 81.7 million Americans. The issue of physical inactivity
negatively impacts healthcare costs, academic achievement and military readiness. During my recent presentation, I shared a number of facts about the magnitude of the physical inactivity problem in America. I could tell by the expressions on the faces of the Rotarians that they were surprised by the depth of physical inactivity in the U.S. How bad is the state of physical inactivity in the U.S.? According to the Physical Activity Council, nearly 82 million
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