The road to weight loss is often strewn with fad diets, broken promises, and exercise equipment that gathers dust instead of logging miles. You do need to make sure you are getting regular physical activity.

And what better time than springtime to kick your fitness up a notch? Longer days and warmer weather provide the perfect motivation. And you do not have to train for a marathon, either. Just get more activity than before and you are getting on track. Let springtime inspire you to break down those barriers and finally make fitness a way of life.  Take those evening strolls with your spouse, play outside with your children, take your dog for a nice long walk.

Regular physical activity improves your mood, enhances the quality of your life, helps you burn off stress and, most important, it strengthens your body while it burns calories. Physical activity helps your body work the way it is supposed to. Even simple walking is a good, weight-bearing exercise that helps keep muscles, and your heart strong.

Think about how good you feel when you finish your workout. Many people have trouble getting started, but once they finish, they feel terrific, partly due to endorphins, those feel-good brain chemicals.

Evidence suggests that physical activity improves mental ability in people with heart disease, and that music enhances brainpower. And the combination of music and exercise was found to be more stimulating to the brain than exercise alone. So, turn your music up and get started.

Through your health insurance plan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina offers all the essential benefits under Obamacare and having your wellness/preventive care visit each year is covered at 100% with no deductible. Always consult your doctor before starting any new exercise program, and then spring into action.

For more information on North Carolina insurance coverage, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our experienced and professional agents.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – In North Carolina, almost 30 percent of adults and more than 18 percent of children are obese.  Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) launched Get Outside North Carolina (GO NC) to help reverse this trend. This four-year initiative will start by supporting biking and greenway projects to increase outdoor physical activity.  Future efforts will include support for other outdoor initiatives across the state that encourage people to get moving.

GO NC will provide new ways to help increase outdoor physical activity in North Carolina, according to Brad Wilson, BCBSNC president and CEO.  Every $1 spent building biking trails and walking paths can save about $3 in medical expenses. Through GO NC, BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF NORTH CAROLINA hopes to improve health and reduce obesity-related medical costs in North Carolina.

GO NC will kick off with three flagship programs: B-cycle in Charlotte, the Blue LoopSM in Raleigh and completion of the Gary Shell Cross-City Trail in Wilmington:

Charlotte B-Cycle:

BCBSNC and Charlotte Center City Partners have teamed up to make 200 bikes available for rent at 20 stations in Uptown Charlotte and surrounding neighborhoods.

BCBSNC customers are eligible for a 20-percent discount on year-long bike share memberships.

The program will become the first bike share program in North Carolina and the largest urban system in the southeast.

North Carolina Museum of Art’s Blue Loop:

The Blue Loop will complete a network of recreational trails in the Museum Park and connect the Museum to the regional greenway system. It will provide additional options for commuters, bikers, runners, walkers and art-lovers in the Triangle.

Construction of the Blue Loop will start September 2012 with an estimated completion date of spring 2013.

Gary Shell Cross-City Trail:

BCBSNC funding through GO NC will complete the final phase of the 15-mile trail that crosses Wilmington from Wade Park to the drawbridge at Wrightsville Beach.

Other additions to the trail include:

Mile markers along the entire 15-mile trail

Five bicycle fix-it stations along the trail

Annual Run, Ride and Roll 5k event that takes place on the trail

The information in this article was taken from a Press Release from Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina July 2012.

For more information on health insurance coverage in North Carolina, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our professional agents. Our agency provides coverage for health insurance in North Carolina through Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC). You may qualify for a 15% healthy lifestyle discount if you are in excellent health. Call us for details.