Celebrating Active and Healthy Women and Girls During National Women’s Health Week | womenshealth.gov

Celebrating Active and Healthy Women and Girls During National Women’s Health Week | womenshealth.gov

Honorable Nan Hayworth, MD, Member of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition

For all women, the foundation for lifelong health is laid when we’re girls. As a female physician, I can tell you how powerfully women benefit from good habits right from the start — and how vital it is for girls to be physically active to develop the bones, muscles, lungs, heart, and mind that will carry them through adulthood. Healthy habits that begin in childhood and adolescence set the foundation for a healthier adulthood. Physical activity in adulthood can decrease risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, depression, and even certain cancers.