Time to Play, Ladies (For a Good Cause–You!)
When is the last time you got out to play, run around, let go, and blow off steam with some physical exercise?
I find that kind of release when I play tennis.
It’s a sport I just took up playing about three years ago, but as a mom, I spent eight or nine years sitting on the sideline, watching my children take lessons. It simply never occurred to me to get up and play.
Thank goodness I finally decided to pick up a racquet and get out on the court myself one day.
I’ve found everything seems to go better for me when I can make time to play. Even though finding the time sometimes feels selfish, it’s a commitment I make to myself. I figure I’m worth it.
A recent survey from the American Cancer Society shows not nearly enough women are engaging in physical activity that they consider fun, certainly not as often as their male counterparts, and it is taking a toll on women’s health, productivity, and happiness.
However, the survey does show it can be fixed…that women would get more active if it didn’t feel like work. “It is essential to find a way to bring the power of play and physical activity that you enjoy back to your day,” says Colleen Doyle, MS, RD and director of nutrition and physical activity at the American Cancer Society. “There are so many options – play tag with your kids, jump rope with a friend, or even hula-hoop at the office. The important thing is to keep moving and to have fun.”
In response to the survey’s findings, this May the American Cancer Society is encouraging women to “choose play” and get active as part of its 100,000 Acts of Play Challenge. The ACS wants women across the U.S. to “get playing” and to log their acts of play at www.ChooseYou.com/Play (starting on May 1st) and to help reach the goal of 100,000 acts of play by month’s end. You can also post to their Facebook page.
This will be a cinch for me as my tennis team heads to a state tournament that will have us on the court for several days straight. Not too bad for a gal who sat on the bench instead of getting up to play for so long, huh?
What will you do to play?
