By Stephanie Dailey, Director, Go4Life Campaign, National Institute on Aging
This September, join the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and our network of Federal, national, and local partners to celebrate the fourth annual Go4Life Month!
Highlighting the Importance of Exercise as We Age
Go4Life® is NIA’s national campaign to help adults 50+ fit exercise and physical activity into their daily life. In September, we observe Go4Life Month as a way to spotlight the importance of regular exercise and physical activity for healthy aging.
This year’s Go4Life Month theme is Get Ready! Get Moving! Go4Life! This September, each week will be devoted to the following:
- Week One: Get ready with Go4Life!
- Week Two: Get moving! Do all 4 types of exercise.
- Week Three: Stay on track with Go4Life!
- Week Four: Go4Lifethroughout the year!
All across the country, Go4Life partners, senior services organizations, and other groups will be focusing on each of these recommendations as they help older adults explore ways to be active and to stick with physical activity throughout the year.
How Can Organizations Get Involved?
Check out the free Go4Life Month Toolkit. It’s full of activities, social media messages, workout videos, and other tools you can use to help older adults engage in exercise. Refer to the toolkit for these simple and fun ways to mark each week:
- Week One: Get Ready! To begin Go4Life Month, you could
- hang large Go4Life posters in your facility
- hand out Go4Life call-to-action postcards to prompt older adults to start thinking about exercising
- hand out the Find Your Starting Point tracking tool to help people assess their current activity levels
- distribute free exercise materials to older adults, such as the Go4Life Exercise and Physical Activity Guide or Workout to Go booklet
- Week two: Get Moving! Use free Go4Life resources to help older adults get moving—or move more. You might
- hold a presentation to introduce older adults to the benefits and basics of exercise using the new Go4Life Speakers Toolkit (emailed when requested at Go4Life@mail.nih.gov)
- show Go4Life tutorial exercise videos demonstrating individual strength, balance, and flexibility exercises
- organize a class for older adults using a Go4Life 10-minute, 15-minute or 20-minute workout video.
- Watch the Go4Life Facebook Live Event with older adults on Thursday, Sept. 13th at 2:00 pm Eastern. (See below for details.)
- Week 3: Stay on Track: Use Go4Life resources to help older adults stay on track with the 4 exercise types. You might
- hold a “Subscribe to Go4Life” session with older adults to help them sign up for free Go4Life e-alerts and text messages about exercise
- offer older adults the Track Your Activities tracking tools
- organize an exercise class using a 10-minute, 15-minute or 20-minute workout video.
- Week 4: Go4Life Throughout the Year! Use Go4Life resources throughout the year to help people stay on track. You could
- share the Monthly Progress Test tracking tool to help them track how they do throughout the year
- share inspirational videos about how directors at the National Institutes of Health maintain their exercise routines.
- continue using the 10-minute, 15-minute or 20-minute workout videos.
Watch the Go4Life Facebook Live Event
Tune in to the Go4Life Facebook Live event on Thursday, September 13, at 2 p.m. Eastern. The event will feature NIH employees demonstrating the 4 types of exercises recommended for older adults and describing how performing them regularly has made a difference in their everyday lives. A trainer from the NIH Fitness Program will be on hand to provide tips on safety and ways to make the exercises more challenging.
We hope that you will join us in encouraging older adults be physically active during Go4Life Month this September, and throughout the year.
Spread the Word! Share this post with your network using this sample tweet: Help older adults get ready and get moving during #Go4LifeMonth this September. Plan activities for each week! Ideas to help you get started: https://bit.ly/2Pm2oPL
