New "Make the Move" Report Guides Implementation Efforts of the National Physical Activity Plan

The National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) has established national implementation priorities in a new digital report, Make the Move, which provides an outline of short-term and long-term goals to implement policies, programs and initiatives to get more Americans moving. The report was developed by the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity (NCPPA), the national coalition charged with implementing the nation’s first ever National Physical Activity Plan.

The American Heart Association is a founding member of NCPPA helping to lead implementation efforts alongside the numerous national organizations involved in the initiative. The association is co-leading the Business and Industry sector of the National Physical Activity Plan to help increase physical activity and promote best practices in the workplace. The association’s Start! campaign is an example of how employers and individuals are promoting physical activity throughout communities and in workplaces. Start! provides individuals and companies with the tools and resources to be physically active and heart healthy. Resources offered by Start! include a local walking path finder, activity and meal tracker, tools to connect people in their areas, and grocery list builders to name a few. www.heart.org/start.

The Start! campaign demonstrates the American Heart Association’s commitment to help people become physically active and healthy, working with the goal of the Plan. The Make the Move Implementation Report highlights other examples of local activities that support the Plan. In Ohio, a manufacturing company with limited access to technology took part in a Virtual Walk across the U.S. and 56 percent of employees participated, increasing overall wellness. Each employee was assigned a pushpin on a map that marked each company location across the country and using the pedometers they were given, employees tracked the miles they walked to see who could get to each location the fastest.

NCPPA President Laurie Whitsel states: “This is a great opportunity to begin collecting all of the exciting stories about the different ways organizations, communities, and passionate advocates are making the National Physical Activity Plan a reality and hearing how people across the U.S. are making physical activity a regular part of their day.”

Unite forces with American Heart Association and the NPAP to Make the Move in your business or at home today! Learn more at http://www.ncppa.org/ or to get involved visit www.facebook.com/PhysicalActivityPlan