Be Active

Welcome to Be Active! More and more people in our community are taking the all-important first steps to leading happier and healthier lives by becoming physically active. Just by visiting this site you’ve taken the first step to making physical activity a regular part of your lifestyle.

Regular physical activity can:

• Help build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints
• Help maintain a healthy weight, building lean muscle and reducing fat
• Reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression
• Improve your mood and sense of well-being
• Help to manage stress
• Help prevent health problems and diseases including heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, high blood pressure, and obesity

Can being inactive hurt me?

Be Active – Counting your steps?

“It is easier to maintain your health than to regain it”- Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper, Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research

People who are not physically active are not helping their health, and may likely be hurting it. The health risks that are associated with no physical activity show us that exercise should be an important part of every person’s life.

Exercising

Exercising doesn’t mean you have to run a marathon and physical activity doesn’t have to hurt to be beneficial. Any movement that increases your heartbeat and makes you breathe a little harder is considered exercise. You only have to be active for 30 minutes a day and you can add-up activities, 10 minutes at a time, to get to that daily 30 minutes.

Some simple every-day activities include:

• Gardening
• Housework (vacuuming, washing windows, dusting…)
• Walking or playing with a pet
• Playing with kids
• Walking or biking to work
• Taking the stairs instead of an elevator
• Parking far away from the entrance to a building
• Take a stretch break instead of a smoke or snack break at work
• Lift hand weights while watching TV or stretch and walk during commercials

Local Walks

Walking is one of the easiest ways to incorporate physical activity into your life. Walking for just 10 minutes 3 times a day can help you reap the benefits of an active lifestyle. In Ellsworth there are many places (inside and out) to walk and be active:

• Try a scenic walk along the Birdsacre (Cordelia Stanwood Wildlife Sanctuary) nature trails (Rt. 3, Ellsworth). With 200 acres of protected wilderness, Birdsacre is an excellent place to walk and hike during the summer, or snowshoe and ski during the winter. For more information about Birdsacre, visit: http://www.birdsacre.com
• Visit the historic Woodlawn Museum at the Black House on Rt. 172, Ellsworth. Residents can walk, run, snowshoe, and cross-country ski on the 2 miles of wooded trails which were once used to exercise Col. Black’s horses. For more information about the Woodlawn Museum, visit: http://www.woodlawnmuseum.com
• The Ellsworth Community Track has 8 lanes available for walking, jogging, and running and is located by Ellsworth Middle School. The track is only closed to the community for school sports games, practices and some physical education classes.
• Coming soon: The Downeast Trail! The Maine Dept. of Transportation has plans to develop the old train tracks into a multiuse bike/pedestrian trail which will stretch from Brewer to Calais. The tracks are available for walking now too. For more information: http://www.maine.gov/mdot/opt/downeast_trail/downeast_trail.htm
• In the winter, try a walk along the inside of the Maine Coast Mall or a shorter walk inside the Mill Mall. Both are located on Rt. 1A in Ellsworth.
• Want to find another walking/hiking route around Hancock County or Maine? Visit the Healthy Maine Walks website: http://www.healthymainewalks.org

Other Exercise Options

• The Downeast Family YMCA- 238 State Street, Ellsworth
• The NEW “Jump 2!” Community Playground at the Knowlton School
• Basketball courts on Oak St. (behind the Moore School)
• Tennis courts by Ellsworth High School
• Swimming, canoeing, and/or kayaking at: Branch Lake, Union River, Leonard Lake, Green Lake, & Graham Lake.
• Healthlink, The Wellness Center of Maine Coast Memorial Hospital, offers physical activity programs throughout the year such as Line Dancing, Lose & Win, and T’ai Chi. For More Information, visit: http://www.mcmhospital.org/hh/healthlink.htm