Healthy Heart, Healthy Family: A Community Health Worker's Manual for the Filipino Community

Session 3 Handout Take Heart – Say Yes to Physical Activity

Download Take Heart – Say Yes to Physical Activity (646k, 2 pages) handout.

Regular physical activity can help your heart and lungs work better; lower your blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood glucose (blood sugar); and help you control your weight. It can also help you relax, feel less tense, sleep better, have more energy, and feel better about yourself. Physical activity can also reduce your risk for diabetes and some types of cancer.

Make staying active a lifelong habit.

Lola Idad has learned that the more physical activity you do, the easier it gets.

“I do not wait until the end of the day when I am too tired to do any physical activity. I am active throughout the day. I take the stairs instead of the elevators and walk everywhere I can. Now I am up to walking 60 minutes a day with my friend Victoria. It helps to walk with someone. We are so busy talking, we walk even longer.”

Keep moving. Start slowly, and work your way up!

Try to do at least 30 minutes of activity every day. If you’re short on time, try three or more 10-minute periods.

Start with light activities

• Slow walking
• Watering the lawn or garden
• Light house cleaning
• Fishing

Move to moderate activities

• Walking at a brisk pace
• Gardening (mowing, raking)
• Dancing
• Doing home repairs
• Practicing tai chi or yoga
• Washing windows and scrubbing floors
• Playing softball
• Bowling

Increase to vigorous activities

• Playing tennis
• Playing basketball
• Practicing martial arts
• Running or jogging
• Bicycling fast or uphill
• Doing aerobics
• Swimming laps
• Jumping rope
• Roller skating
• Doing heavy construction work

Other things to do to help you and your family get started:

• Leave a pair of walking shoes in your car.
• Set a date and time with a coworker to begin walking.

Lola and her family have all increased their physical activity. They now dance and go for walks at the local park on weekends. Cesar, Ric, and Antonio have started a community basketball league at the local community center. Your health and your family’s health are priceless. Value it!

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Information on this page is taken from the English print version of “Healthy Heart, Healthy Family: A Community Health Worker's Manual.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, NIH Publication No. 08-3674, Originally Printed 1999, Revised May 2008.

Last Updated March 2012