National Women’s Health & Fitness Day is a holiday observed on the last Wednesday of September. The purpose of this holiday is to promote one of the largest health events in the United States for women of all backgrounds and ages.

On this holiday, it’s estimated that upwards of 100,000 women of all backgrounds and ages gather at fitness and health events in their communities. These events occur all over the country at parks, hospitals, health clubs, and even senior centers. It’s a day on which every woman is encouraged to take control of her health.

The History of National Women’s Health & Fitness Day

National Women’s Health & Fitness Day was created in 2002 by the Health Information Resource Center (HIRC). It’s a holiday that started small but has continued to grow over the last few decades, and now thousands of women celebrate it.

Facts to Know About Women’s Health

Below are quite a few facts that we found while researching National Women’s Health & Fitness Day. We feel that the following facts are quite interesting and will help women place their health in a better frame of reference.

• Asthma occurs more often in women than in men.
• Every year, 10 million American women are affected by heavy menstrual bleeding that lasts more than seven days.
• Approximately 36 million American women are living with a disability.
• Less than 50% of American women over the age of 18 meet the federal physical activity guidelines for aerobic activity.
• More than 38% of American women over the age of 20 are obese.
• Approximately 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives.
• About 20 million American women have eating disorders.
• American women are twice as likely to experience depression as American men.

Observing National Women’s Health & Fitness Day

Women wanting to take part in the festivities of this day only need to find a group in their community that is holding an event. If, by some chance, there isn’t a group celebrating this holiday, then women can band together and start their own group.

Women can also attend walking groups on this day, attend a seminar on health, or learn more about things they can do to improve their personal health. Women can also use the hashtag #NationalWomensHealthAndFitnessDay on their social media accounts.