Summer is a time of the year when more people are motivated to get active. The sun is out, the weather is inviting, and people are feeling up to staying active. Yet most people don’t know how much exercise they should be getting or which ones are going to help them look and feel their best. The National Institutes of Health reports that children and youth should get 60 minutes of physical activity per day, while adults should aim to get 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity exercise, or 75 minutes per week of vigorous intensity exercise. For most people, if they can remember to get 30 minutes of exercise five days per week, they will be well ahead of the game.

Want to help raise money for charity and get a good workout in at the same time? Those who join in on the Longest Day Fundraiser will be doing just that, by lifting weights for a great cause. The 2nd annual event will be held on Saturday, June 17, 2017 at SAPT Strength & Performance Training, Inc., located at 3160 Spring St., E-F, Fairfax, Virginia.  The open gym event will last through all of the daylight hours on that day, where participants can take part in the free training being offered.

“Last year, we raised around $5,500 for charity and we had a great time doing it,” explains Sarah Walls, personal trainer and owner of SAPT Strength & Performance Training, Inc., who is also the strength and conditioning coach for WNBA’s Washington Mystics. “We hope to raise even more this year and give people a great workout while we are at it.”

March is National Nutrition Month, which is a time to shed some light on our food choices and how we can develop some sound eating and physical activity habits. The health professionals seem to agree that American families desperately need both of them. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that nearly 21% of adolescents are considered obese, and over 17% of kids ages 6-11 are. This is a number that has continued to rise, despite the health problems that obesity can lead to.