August 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 80

OPERATIONS

Health Coaching: The New Kid on the Block
By Sheila Franklin

ver the past three decades, the United States has seen overweight, obesity and chronic disease rates reach record highs.
We know that nutrition and physical activity are two major factors that can be utilized to help treat, reduce and prevent these
numbers from rising and, ultimately, will play a key role in reversing the
trends. Yet, current data confirms that physical inactivity has been on the
rise for several years.
of health and wellness activities,
serving a wide variety of demographics throughout the nation.
They offer myriad opportunities
for residents to engage in physical
activity, ranging from individual
use of amenities like trails, swimming pools and tennis courts, to
structured programming, such as
group exercise classes, youth and
adult sports leagues and martial
arts classes. They also are focusing on improving access to healthy
foods and promoting healthy eating for their community members,

PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EXERCISE

Research shows that the number
of children who participate in at
least one hour of physical activity
per day has dropped to 26 percent
and only 45 percent of adults are
getting the amount of daily physical activity needed to achieve the
associated health benefits. In addition, when surveyed, 23 percent of
adults reported they had not taken
part in any physical activity or exercise aside from their regular job
in the past 30 days.
Local park and recreation agencies have become critical providers

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teaching new generations to enjoy
and protect nature and working to
ensure that children have access to
healthy and active out-of-schooltime programs, regardless of their
economic status.

Community Fitness
Programming
Recreation and park agencies have
a long history of employing exercise professionals in a variety of
ways. Most agencies offer group
exercise classes as part of their
programming palette and, in recent years, have begun offering the
services of personal trainers. Most
often this service is offered at department fitness centers, but agencies without such facilities can still
offer their residents the opportunity to work with personal trainers in
other settings.
Health coaches work face-to-face
with individuals in a wide variety
of settings, including at fitness and
community centers. They also often incorporate technology in the
form of either delayed or real-time
communication; for example, using the phone, internet, email, video conferencing and social media.
While these exercise professionals are instrumental to recreation
and park programming, there is a
" new kid on the block " - health
coaches. Health coaches are individuals who are passionate about
health and wellness who actively
collaborate with individuals and
groups, assisting them in unlocking their full potential to live
healthy lifestyles. From managing
stress and setting goals, to eating

August 2018 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2018 - Parks & Recreation