The American Heart Association states “People who are physically active and at a healthy weight live about seven years longer than those who are not active and are obese.”   Many Recovery Centers lack opportunities for physical activity, but they have walking, running, and personal exercise, like calisthenics available to them.

 A seven-week program using the Healthy Choices for Everybody curriculum was presented by a Jefferson County Cooperative Extension Services SNAP-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education) assistant for SNAP eligible individuals, at a men’s substance recovery group in Jefferson County.  The program provided nutrition education, food resource management, food safety, portion control, and information about physical activity. The SNAP-Ed. Assistant stated the importance of physical activity during each lesson and gave examples like walking, bike riding, team sports, yoga, and dancing to name a few when they complete their rehab program.  The assistant also stated, “ try and some  fun when exercising, you never see unhappy people on the dance floor.”

 Eighteen men, who ranged in age from 21 to 60, participated in the program and the entry survey stated that 18% of the group meet the requirements for 30 minutes or more of daily physical activity. When the seven-week program was completed, 65% of participants demonstrated an improvement in the frequency of their daily physical activity.