Physical Fitness

Active Lifestyle Award

Why Are Staying Active and Eating Well So Important?

Because the results are amazing:
A healthy heart
Regular physical activity and a healthy diet can lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels and can reduce the risk of illnesses such as type 2 diabetes or heart disease.
Strong bones
Exercise, combined with fat-free or low-fat dairy products and other foods rich in calcium, is necessary to build strong, healthy bones and can help slow the bone loss associated with getting older.
A sense of well-being
Being in good shape can give you more energy, reduce anxiety and depression, improve self-esteem, and help you better manage stress.
A good social life
Staying active is a great way to have fun, make new friends, and spend quality time with family.
Looking and feeling better
You look better when you’re in shape and eating right. Staying active helps you tone muscles and improve your posture. Both moving more and eating healthy are important to maintaining a healthy weight.


Our definition of “activity” is simple: it’s any movement that uses large muscle groups as opposed to sitting or lying down. Physical activity doesn't have to be continuous to be healthy, either. Doing chores around the house counts. So does walking to school. But passively playing video games doesn't.
You might notice that your favorite activity is not listed. If that’s the case, we apologize. The good news is that this list is always changing to keep up with fitness trends.
We hope you find something you enjoy in the list below, and we encourage you to try some muscle- and bone-strengthening activities. Get out there and get active!
  • B Strengthens bones
  • M Strengthens muscles
  • * Some movements of this activity may have the component indicated
  • Aerobics B
  • Archery
  • Badminton
  • Baseball B
  • Basketball B
  • Baton Twirling
  • Bicycling
  • Billiards
  • Bowling
  • Boxing/Kickboxing
  • Calisthenics M/B*
  • Canoeing
  • Cardio Machines
  • Cardio Tennis B
  • Cheerleading B
  • Children’s Games B*
  • Circuit Training M
  • Coaching
  • Cricket
  • Croquet
  • Cross-Country Skiing M
  • Curling
  • Curves M
  • Dancing B
  • Darts
  • Diving
  • Downhill Skiing
  • Fencing
  • Field Hockey B
  • Fishing
  • Foot Bag
  • Football B
  • Frisbee
  • Gardening M*
  • Golf
  • Gymnastics B/M
  • Handball
  • Hang Gliding
  • Hiking/Backpacking B
  • Hockey
  • Home Repair
  • Horseback Riding
  • Horseshoe Pitching
  • Household Tasks
  • Hunting
  • Inline Skating
  • Jai Alai
  • Juggling
  • Kayaking
  • Lacrosse B
  • Lawn & Garden
  • Lawn Bowling
  • Lawn Mowing/Gardening
  • Lifting/Hauling M
  • Marching B
  • Martial Arts
  • Motocross
  • Mountain Biking
  • Mountain Climbing
  • Nordic Walking B
  • Orienteering B
  • Paddleball
  • Pedometer B
  • Pilates M
  • Polo
  • Racquetball B
  • Rock Climbing M
  • Roller Skating
  • Rope Jumping B
  • Rowing
  • Rowing Machine
  • Rugby B
  • Running B
  • Sailing
  • Scuba Diving
  • Shuffleboard
  • Skateboarding
  • Skating
  • Ski Jumping
  • Skiing M
  • Skiing - Cross Country M
  • Skiing - Downhill M
  • Skimobiling
  • Skydiving
  • Sledding
  • Snorkeling
  • Snow Shoveling M
  • Snowboarding
  • Snowmobiling
  • Snowshoeing
  • Soccer B
  • Softball B
  • Squash B
  • Stationary Bike
  • Stretching
  • Surfing
  • Swimming M
  • Table Tennis
  • Tai Chi
  • Tennis B
  • Track & Field B
  • Trampoline
  • Trap & Skeet
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Unicycling
  • Video Exercise Workouts B/M*
  • Video Games - Activity Promoting B/M*
  • Volleyball B
  • Walking B
  • Walking Stairs M
  • Wallyball B
  • Water Aerobics M
  • Water Jogging
  • Water Polo
  • Water Skiing
  • Water Walking
  • Weight Training M
  • Whitewater Rafting
  • Wrestling
  • Yoga M*