Active Living Every Day

Having energy, feeling good, and being healthy are all benefits of active living. You can achieve these benefits with Active Living Every Day.

The Active Living Every Day Participant's Packet has everything you need to get moving and stay moving. It includes access to and support from the Active Living Partners Web site as well as the textbook and ALED Online.

The Active Living Every Day textbook is the text for all Active Living Every Day classes. Whether you are just getting started with an exercise routine, have been in a slump, or simply want to start leading a less sedentary life, Active Living Every Day will help you reach your physical activity goals.

ALED Online enhances Active Living Every Day group sessions. For each week's lesson you'll find forms, weekly quizzes, Web links, and suggested readings that will help broaden your understanding of the week's topic. ALED Online is also home to many practical tools designed to help you track your progress, including:

-an activity minutes log,

-the 1000+ plan, which will help you find ways to burn 1000 extra calories per week,

-a steps log,

-a short- and long-term goal log, and

- a walk test

Steven N. Blair was the senior scientific editor of the Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health in 1996 and received the Surgeon General's Medallion for his work. He was one of very few people outside the U.S. Public Health Service to receive this award. Blair is a Professor of Exercise, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics in the Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina; and Executive Lecturer in the Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion, and Recreation at the University of North Texas.

He has served as the president of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity.

Blair has three honorary doctorates, a 1994 doctor honoris causa from the Free University of Brussels; a 1996 doctor of health science, from Lander University; and a 2002 doctor of science honoris causa, from the University of Bristol, UK. He also is a Benjamin Meaker Fellow at the University of Bristol.

Blair enjoys reading, jogging, and gardening in his leisure time. He and his wife, Jane P. Blair, PhD, live in Columbia, SC.

Andrea L. Dunn is the associate director for the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications at The Cooper Institute. She has served as the project director and co-investigator of Project Active, ACT (Activity Counseling Trial), and PRIME (Physically Ready for Invigorating Movement Every day), all large-scale clinical trials involving sedentary adults. These studies helped sedentary adults learn behavioral skills that are important for adopting and maintaining an active lifestyle.

Dunn co-wrote the curriculum for Project Active and PRIME that is the basis for Active Living. She has led intervention groups that tested the approach and is the lead author on the JAMA article describing its efficacy.

Dunn has an MS in psychology and a PhD in exercise science and is a fellow with the American College of Sports Medicine.

Dunn is an avid cyclist who enjoys both mountain biking and touring, as well as cross-country skiing, camping, fishing, and gardening. She lives in Garland, Texas.

Bess H. Marcus is professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Brown University School of Medicine. She is the director of physical activity research at the Brown University Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine at The Miriam Hospital. Bess is a clinical psychologist who has spent the last 15 years conducting research on physical activity behavior and has published more than 80 papers and book chapters on this topic. She has participated in numerous panels that have created new recommendations regarding the quantity and intensity of physical activity necessary for health benefits. She was also a contributing author to the recent Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health. Bess is known internationally for her work in helping people increase their motivation for physical activity and she has given several talks on this topic in many different countries. Bess also served as an advisor on the development of the curriculum for Project Active and PRIME.

Bess enjoys walking, biking, and swimming with her husband, children, and friends. She lives in southeastern Massachusetts.

Ruth Ann Carpenter of The Cooper Institute is the program director for the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications. She was the co-creator of the curriculum and group co-facilitator for The Cooper Institute's Project Active study that created Active Living Every Day.

Carpenter is a registered dietitian with a master's degree in applied nutrition and a minor in exercise science. She has been doing health behavior change programming in nutrition and physical activity for 15 years. She has co-authored four books and developed educational materials for clients such as the American Heart Association, Kellogg's, Tropicana, and Wonder Bread.

Carpenter stays active nearly every day by walking, playing soccer, hiking, fly fishing, cycling, and doing yard work with family and friends. She lives in Dallas, Texas.

Peter Jaret is a medical journalist and a contributing editor to Health, Hippocrates, and National Wildlife magazines. He is the co-author of In Self-Defense: The Human Immune System, as well as more than 300 articles on health and medicine.

Jaret enjoys hiking, biking, and swimming. He lives in Petaluma, California.