by ACE—with our mission of Getting People Moving—is proud to support Active People, Healthy NationSM.
The Active People, Healthy NationSM Initiative from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a mission of helping 27 million Americans become physically active and “creating an active America, together.”
There are many benefits of physical activity, including improvements in health and quality of life and a reduction in healthcare costs. Other proven benefits include a reduced risk of at least 20 chronic diseases and conditions, enhanced school performance, better stress management and improved sleep. ACE Certified Professionals and others working in the health and fitness industries understand these benefits and have the skills and knowledge to support a more active America.
Active People, Healthy NationSM
There are three distinct elements involved in reaching that 27 million milestone. The first involves inspiring inactive individuals to perform at least one 10-minute session of moderate-intensity physical activity each week.
Step two involves motivating people who are already somewhat active to perform enough physical activity to meet the minimum aerobic physical activity guidelines for adults (at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of the two).
Finally, step three involves empowering youth to be physically active for at least 60 minutes every day.
How ACE supports Active People, Healthy NationSM
So, how can ACE and its approximately 90,000 ACE Certified Professionals help the CDC reach this ambitious goal? ACE Certified Personal Trainers, Health Coaches, Group Fitness Instructors and Medical Exercise Specialists are perfectly positioned to empower and inspire people to get moving, or to get moving more.
ACE Certified Professionals have the education – with the ACE Integrated Fitness Training® (IFT) Model and the ACE Mover Method – to provide individually-adapted health behavior change strategies that support individuals to incorporate physical activity into their daily routines by teaching behavioral skills such as appropraite goal setting and problem-solving. These strategies are tailored to a person’s individual interests and needs and encourage sustained healthy lifestyle habits.
In addition to encouraging current clients to add to their routines to reach certain physical activity-related milestones, exercise professionals and health coaches can participate in community-based programs that impact sedentary and inactive people they might not otherwise reach. Inspiring someone to participate in a single exercise session each week, even if the workout lasts only 10 minutes, can show someone who has negative associations with physical activity that it can be a fun, enjoyable, and attainable experience, which may set them on a new path toward more regular physical activity.
ACE also works to amplify physical activity advice of certified professionals and experts to benefit the general public. ACE resources such as the ACE Exercise Library, the ACE Healthy Living Blog, and frequent third-party articles in various publications like U.S. News & World Report, Medium, HealthCentral and The New York Times offer the general public free guidance on how to increase their physical activity levels in ways that work best for them.
A key value that ACE shares with the Active People, Healthy NationSM Initiative is equitable and inclusive access to opportunities to be physically active, regardless of age, race, education level, socio-economic status, disability status, sexual orientation or geographic location. Creating this equity will require teamwork among sectors, including public health, business and parks and recreation.
Certified exercise professionals and health coaches can and should play a key role in “creating an active America, together,” and ACE is proud to partner with the CDC on this initiative and empower our family of certified professionals to positively impact their clients and the health of the nation as a whole.
Active People, Healthy Nation is an HHS service mark.Use of Active People, Healthy NationSM does not imply review, approval, or endorsement by HHS.
