Physical Activity and Nutrition: Active Community Initiatives
Physical activity matters
Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health, both today and over your lifetime. Moving more can help lower the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and some cancers. It also helps reduce stress, boost mood, support a healthy weight, improve sleep, and keep your body strong.
Despite these benefits, only about one in four Wisconsin adults meet national physical activity recommendations. The Physical Guidelines for Americans encourage adults to move more and sit less each the day. Adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week along with muscle-strengthening exercise on two or more days a week.
Our program works to increase physical activity by helping communities create lasting policies and environments that make it easier for everyone, regardless of age, ability, shape, or size, to move more and sit less.
Community resources to help make active living an easy choice
Not everyone has the same opportunities to be physically active. Community-based organizations, government agencies, and residents all play a role in building active communities that support safe, convenient movement for people of all ages and abilities.
These efforts may include creating and maintaining parks, safe streets, trails, and greenways that connect people to the places they live, learn, work, shop, and play. Use these resources to assess your community's needs, develop strategies, and launch initiatives that make active living easier for everyone.
Evidence-based strategies support active communities and increase opportunities for physical activity across multiple sectors and in different settings: CDC Strategies for Increasing Physical Activity.
Active Wisconsin, a statewide collaboration of partners and community coalitions focused on creating equitable, sustainable opportunities for walking, biking, and everyday physical activity, developed the Active Wisconsin Community Strategies and Resource Guide (PDF), which includes examples from across the state.
Local assessments and action planning are important steps for communities to improve built environments that promote physical activity.
CDC’s The Active Communities Tool includes assessment modules to identify existing community plans, policies, and resources for action to improve community-built environments.
Small town and rural-specific tools:
- Rural Active Living Assessment (RALA) Tools—Help assess the physical environment features and amenities, town characteristics, community programs, and strategies that can affect physical activity among residents in rural communities.
- Promoting Active Living in Rural Communities (PDF)—Use the research in this guide to plan local projects that make it easier for rural residents to be active every day.
- Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks (PDF)—This resource highlights examples of how small towns and rural areas can create safe, connected walking, biking and transit options.
Conducting an audit in your community or neighborhood can help identify key intersections or areas where changes could make a big difference. Addressing concerns and recommending physical and environmental enhancements may improve peoples' chances to be more active.
- AARP Walk Audit Toolkit (available in English and Spanish)
- AARP Bike Audit Toolkit (available in English and Spanish)
- America Walk's Video Guide to Conduct a Walk Audit
- Using Walk and Roll Audits to Support Community Health (Chronic Disease Prevention Program Partner Call—July 2024)
Planning and designing communities with activity-friendly routes that offer direct and convenient ways to actively reach everyday destinations like homes, workplaces, schools, parks, health care, and food outlets help increase physical activity.
Safe Routes Partnership provides helpful resources on Safe Routes to:
Cross sector partnerships are important to planning and designing communities with activity-friendly routes that offer a direct and convenient way to actively reach everyday destinations. Fostering Healthy Communities Through Planning and Public Health Collaboration shows how planners and public health professionals can work together to create healthy communities.
Additional policies and plans support active communities include:
- Complete Streets focus on planning and designing streets that safely support walking, biking, driving, and transit. This approach helps communities create transportation systems that support health, safety, and local needs.
- Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.
- Safe Routes to School policies and plans make it easier and safer to walk, bike, and roll to school.
- Bicycle and pedestrian plans
- Active transportation plans
- Comprehensive or master plans
- Parks and recreation plans
- Outdoor recreation plans
Resources from the Move Your Way® campaign and Active People, Healthy Nation Multimedia ToolsSM can help you communicate the importance of physical activity to your audiences.
Fun and easy ways for families and individuals to get moving
You don't need a gym or fancy equipment to be physically active. Walking, biking, playing outside, and other everyday activities are easy ways to fit movement into your day and support lifelong health.
Being active looks different for everyone. Whether you are just getting started or looking for new ideas, these resources can help you find safe, fun, and realistic ways to move more and feel your best.
Active play helps children grow strong bodies and sharp minds while building healthy habits. Kids need many opportunities throughout the day to run, jump and explore.
Regular movement manages stress, boosts energy, and helps to prevent chronic diseases. Even short bursts of activity can add up to better physical and mental health.
Staying active as you age supports balance, strength, and independence, while helping to keep you connected to the people and activities that keep you feeling vital.
Choosing safe and gentle activities during and after pregnancy can improve your mood, support healthy weight, and prepare your body for childbirth and recovery.
Everyone can benefit from being active. It's important to find activities that help you feel good and fit your needs to build your strength, energy, and confidence.