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NCHPAD - Building Healthy Inclusive Communities

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Russia's concern about lack of exercise


James H. Rimmer, Ph.D., Director
James H. Rimmer, Ph.D., Director
It wasn't very long ago that exercise-related stories, if they reached a newspaper at all, ended up on the back page as a 'filler' for a canceled advertisement or to 'plug' some empty space. Today however, things are much different. Exercise stories are being published in major newspapers and magazines across the country. The most recent example is a cover story in the February 10 issue of the Sunday New York Times on the lack of exercise among the Russian population. Displayed on the front page of one of the most highly regarded and widely circulated newspapers in the world was a story about the increasing sloth among the Russian population and President Vladimir Putin's call for increasing physical activity among all its citizens. During Putin's sendoff of his world-class athletes to the Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, he noted that the sports infrastructure in Russia had so decayed in the last decade that only one in 10 citizens exercised or played sports. He also noted in a somewhat alarmed manner that any "further decay" would have a "ruinous impact on the nation's health." The response from Russian legislators was a five-year proposal to build 1,000 new sports and health centers across the country.

Wow. I can remember not too long ago reading articles about the build up of nuclear weapons and the chilling reality of the Cold War. Now we have articles appearing on the front page of the New York Times where the regional governor of Krasnodar (a province in Russia) issued a statement urging residents to exercise for "the honor of the collective; the honor of the territory; the honor of the country." And in St. Petersburg, Russia, Mr. Putin's hometown, the governor ordered his aides to prepare a fitness program for all 6,000 government workers! Last May the Russian people, in a display of support for Mr. Putin's exercise initiative, organized a "Walking Together" campaign. Thousands of people walked to a Moscow square as a show of solidarity for their President's exercise campaign (By the way, President Putin is a master in judo and an avid skier. Our own President Bush is also an avid exerciser.).

I am convinced that in this new century, exercise will be considered one of the most favorable and prescribed "pharmaceuticals" for curing the nation's ills, including heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, depression, stress and loneliness. The National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability (NCHPAD) has a mission similar to President Putin's, with the primary difference being that our goal is directed at the world's citizens with disabilities. We hope that you find what you need on our website and if you have any questions or suggestions, please don't hesitate to give us a call.

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