The Urbana Park District is turning to the power of Monday to encourage its residents to get moving and improve the health of our community, one day at a time! Why Move it Monday? Research shows that people select Monday as the day they’re most likely to start an exercise routine. And those who start each week with physical activity describe being more likely to continue throughout the rest of the week.

We are thrilled to partner with Move It Monday, an international physical activity campaign, which encourages people of all fitness levels to use Monday to jump start each week with practical, simple exercises to get moving. The movement is part of the Monday Campaigns, a public health initiative that seeks to reduce the incidence of preventable diseases. Since it was founded in 2003, The Monday Campaigns has formed a network of public health and hospital partners, who provide subject-matter expertise to apply the Monday concept to a variety of health behaviors. These include Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, The Maxwell School at Syracuse University, NYU Langone Health and the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Whether you are new to fitness or pursuing more advanced goals, starting the week by engaging in or recommitting to physical activities can impact healthy behavior throughout the entire week. Move It Monday’s research shows nearly 60% of respondents to a nationally representative survey indicated that if they exercised on Monday, they were more likely to exercise the rest of the week.

As we start this new partnership, we will be sharing Move It Monday’s library of resources for improving flexibility, building strength, and increasing endurance on Mondays. As we transition back to a full program of exercise classes, these resources will enhance Urbana’s current collection of workout videos and limited in-person offerings. We can’t wait for the Urbana Park District to join individuals, hospitals, schools, businesses, NGOs, governments and whole communities in the US and globally in the Move It Monday movement.

For this week's Move It Monday, Ashley shows us how you can use a bench for a great workout.