Program encourages Delawareans with disabilities to get active

Program encourages Delawareans with disabilities to get active

More than 20 percent of Delawareans with disabilities report getting no physical activity, compared to 8.5 percent of individuals without disabilities, according to the 2009 Delaware Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Those who have a disability, chronic health condition or activity limitation and want to engage in a program of exercise that recognizes the need to modify activity, can sign up for the “14-Week Plan to a Healthier You.”

This online program, created by the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD), launches in March. It is being promoted in Delaware by the Healthy Delawareans with Disabilities (HDWD) project of the University of Delaware’s Center for Disabilities Studies.

Those who sign up at ncpad.org/14weeks2011, will receive weekly exercise and nutrition tips from NCPAD. These tips will help keep one motivated to stay on track for health and fitness goals for 2011. Along with these tips, one will receive exclusive access to exercise and nutrition experts who can provide personalized guidance during the 14-week program.

From video clips to written materials, people will learn exercises to do in the home, innovative ways to increase activity level, ideas for motivation and ways to cook healthy recipes.

NCPAD is an information center concerned with physical activity and disability. Its mission is to promote substantial health benefits that can be gained from participating in regular physical activity. The philosophy of NCPAD, Exercise is for EVERY body, is based on scientific evidence that every person can gain some health benefit from being more physically active. Visit .ncpad.org, for more information.

Healthy living with a disability can be done achieved year-round. Logon to the Healthy Delawareans with Disabilities website, GoHDWD.org, or contact Eileen Sparling at sparling@udel.edu or 302-831-8802 to get involved.