Research About Move It Monday
Getting people moving and participating in physical activity is a simple way to encourage them to take steps toward better health. Regular physical activity can improve overall livelihood and help to prevent disease.1
Engaging in or recommitting to regular participation in physical activities on Monday can impact healthy behavior throughout the entire week. 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.2
The survey found that one-third of respondents identified Monday as the day of the week that they make the most effort to be physically active. And 74% chose walking as the most useful exercise to get their recommended daily physical activity. These results suggest that regularly walking a Monday Mile may be an effective strategy to help individuals start and ultimately meet their weekly exercise goals.
Since 2012, the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion at Syracuse University has been leading Monday Mile efforts in central New York.3 Results from a countywide program found that the Monday Mile walk improved community cohesion and helped move towards their goal of making their county a healthier place to live.4
Research indicates that people who set small, realistic goals are more likely to be successful at accomplishing their goals than trying to change everything all at once. And those that perform regular physical activity, even those short in duration (perhaps as short as 4 seconds), can have a cumulative effect in meeting the recommendations to get at least 150 minutes of physical activity every week.5
You can learn more about preparing to be physically active, the health benefits of physical activity, the benefits of walking and the recommended physical activity guidelines.
For more tips and resources to promote Move It Monday, click here.
For more information about using a Monday cue to support healthy behavior, read The Monday Campaigns Research.
[1] About Physical Activity: Why it Matters. 2019. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/about-physical-activity/why-it-matters.html
[2] Data Decisions Group. 2019. Nationally representative survey of 1000 adult Americans.
[3] Monday Mile Case Study: Implementing a Physical Activity Promotion Initiative to Prevent Chronic Disease in Upstate New York. 2018. Healthy Monday Syracuse. http://www.moveitmonday.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Syracuse_MondayMile_2018CaseStudy_va.pdf
[4] Lee, M. K., Slocum, B. 2019. Jumpstart your Week with a Monday Mile. Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion, Syracuse University. March 26. https://lernercenter.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Lee_MondayMile_FINAL-2.pdf
[5] Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf