Function or fun?

What motivates us to 'Get Movin' depends on age. Regular physical activity greatly reduces the risk of dying from coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Physical activity also reduces the risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, and colon cancer, enhances mental health; fosters healthy muscles, bones and joints; and helps maintain function and preserve independence in older adults. Knowing that physical activity is good for us is one thing. Doing what we know is good for us is another.Physical function, not fitness, is what we should be measuring. Fitness and function do go hand in hand, and improvement in one can lead to improvement in the other. Older women and adolescent girls both would benefit from regular physical activity. So what makes physical activity or exercise worth the effort? For middle-aged women it's improved function. For adolescent girls, it's fun. Middle schools are the sites for physical activity camps. Here they workout, and have lessons. The program promotes communication and problem solving and it tries to create a community for these young women.