Keeping Fitness a Priority During a Worldwide Pandemic

A healthy heart is always important, but especially during the Pandemic. People with heart disease and other medical conditions appear to be at higher risk for more severe symptoms or complications if they contract COVID-19. The American Heart Association recommends adults have at least 150 minutes of moderate levels of physical activity per week or an average of 30 minutes each day and including strength training on 2 of those days.

The pandemic brought the world to a standstill, and that included the closure of many businesses including fitness centers. This in turn affected the amount of activity many people participated in. In an effort to keep people moving, the Anderson County Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) assistant provided “The January Fitness Challenge” on the Anderson County Nutrition Facebook page. Participants were offered an exercise of the day that included safety precautions, and visuals to help them preform the exercise. The participants could earn a point by completing 30 minute of physical activity of their choice, another point was earned by exceeding the 30 minutes and one additional point for completing the exercise of the day. The prize for winning, the gift of good health!

Long term benefits of physical activity include reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and weight gain. The sometimes overlooked positive effects of exercise are reducing anxiety and depression. The Fitness Challenge provided a connection to others who were participating as well as accountability by sharing the activities with the twelve participants in the group.