Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Family Nutrition Program, in collaboration with the Physical Activity Research and Community Implementation Laboratory of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, has announced the availability of free video resources to help Virginians meet the physical activity recommendations of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
The video resources are part of an initiative to help Virginians exercise by providing free video resources that make exercising at home more enjoyable and safe and is part of the Move More, Virginia! campaign.
The collection of exercise videos and online resources being offered to citizens of the commonwealth were developed by certified group fitness instructors and behavioral scientists, and features three levels of intensity. The videos are upbeat, easy to follow, and offer a range of workout style options. Ranging from 10 to 30 minutes, they are ideal for mixing and matching resources to meet the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans’ recommended 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week.
The workouts are based on feedback from program assistants and volunteers and work for all fitness levels, with beginner, intermediate, and advanced options in each workout. The resources will offer a variety of workouts, including flexibility exercises, full body workouts, high intensity interval training, resistance band routines, core workouts, and even family-oriented exercises.
Extensive research was conducted to address the needs of the target population in order to deliver the most effective physical activity resources. The videos cater to a wide range of audiences by sharing positive messages with a realistic vision of exercise, fitness, and physique, and include participants with diverse exercise capabilities, ages, and body types. Participants follow along with the instructor and complete the workout to their best ability, emphasizing finding your highest intensity. The videos help demonstrate that anyone can be more active and enjoy the process.
Many barriers affect the ability of individuals to increase physical activity. These barriers range from health, environmental, and even socioeconomic issues. Through these open access physical activity resources, this initiative promotes healthy lifestyles by specifically targeting inactive or overweight individuals and limited-resource families, as well as potentially spreads awareness of behavior change for individuals to leading to healthier lifestyles across Virginia.
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