This blog post has been contributed by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

To health professionals, planners and transportation experts, active transportation (i.e. walking and biking as an alternative to car travel) is a no-brainer. Communities that facilitate non-motorized modes as safe and convenient options for getting from A to B simply function better. They have less pollution, their population is healthier, downtown business areas are more vibrant, and real estate values are stronger as their neighborhoods reflect what more Americans are demanding of their environments these days - diversity of transportation choices.

Not only that, but these facilities make economic sense too. A mile of paved trail can cost the same as just a few yards of urban four-lane road, not to mention the associated savings of non-motorized transportation stemming from reduced oil consumption and spending on reactive health care. This is why building environments that encourage walking and bicycling is a key part of the National Physical Activity Plan, and a major component of its strategies.

Unfortunately, despite the overwhelming support of the public health community, local planners and officials, businesspeople and residents, there are still some political and financial barriers to building these kinds of environments. For example, the Transportation Enhancements (TE) program was recently an agenda item during government budget planning. TE is the nation's largest funding source for trails, walking and bicycling. Working with numerous partners, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) led an effort to ensure our elected leaders knew how important walking and biking options were to their constituents. In the end, vital active transportation programs like TE were preserved intact.

RTC knows it is important to secure adequate funding for active transportation into the future. So, what we know to be a public health issue - the effort to increase physical activity in our everyday lives - is also an effort of political will.

In an era of fiscal constraint, presenting economic benefits could have the most weight when discussing the issue with policymakers. With walking and biking, it is an easy argument to make.

Biking and walking infrastructure account for less than two percent of the entire federal surface transportation budget, yet account for 12 percent of all trips taken in America. And trail construction projects have been shown to create more jobs, and more local jobs, for every $1 spent, than road construction. This is both smart financial investment and good health policy.

The voice of the health community, which understands so clearly that investing in walking and biking could translate into a significant reduction in our health care expenditure, adds yet another dimension to a case that is already hard to dismiss.

The great work being done through the National Physical Activity Plan will only be realized as health gains if we are able to maintain funding and support for facilities that encourage biking, walking, and active ways of getting around.

How will you encourage the funding of facilities that promote active transportation?

Pictured: Community trails like the Hudson River Greenway (top image) in New York and the Ojai Valley Trail in California are crucial in providing transportation options for residents that incorporate health and fitness into their daily lives.

Want to know more about how RTC is working to build a better landscape for walking and biking? Contact Kartik Sribarra at kartik@railstotrails.org.

The National Physical Activity Plan is an ambitious, comprehensive, and vital blueprint for creating a more active culture. It embodies the principles and best ideas formulated by folks steeped in the urgent effort to increase physical activity among all Americans. Already it is having an impact.

But there is a significant barrier. And it is one that must be overcome before the vision of the Plan can be fully realized.

It is the misconception that the ultimate goal of the National Physical Activity Plan is to promote physical activity. It isn't.

The ultimate goal of the National Physical Activity Plan is to save lives - millions of lives - and to improve the overall health and wellbeing of every American.

It is a goal worthy of the full attention of policymakers and thought leaders. And given the staggering cost of obesity and chronic diseases in this country - coupled with the dismal forecast for the life expectancy of America's current generation of children - it is a seriously urgent goal that requires immediate action.

Last month, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly held a high-level meeting to discuss the devastating impact that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are having around the world. Not surprisingly, they reached the very conclusion that prompted the development of our country's own National Physical Activity Plan two years ago:

The resolution that resulted from the meeting recognized "the critical importance of reducing the level of expsoure of individuals and populations to the common modifiable risk factors for non-communicable diseases, namely, tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and the harmful use of alcohol, and their determinants while at the same time strengthening the capacity of individuals and populations to make healthier choices and follow lifestyle patterns that foster good health."

In a recent editorial published by McClatchy Newspapers, Joe Moore, President and CEO of the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), connected the pressing nature of the UN resolution directly to the National Physical Activity Plan.

"As UN members formulate a coordinated strategy to prevent and control NCDs around the globe, we need to consider our own efforts," Moore wrote. "What can we do, as a united nation, to fight back the NCDs that we've let grow out of control in our own backyards?"

He continues, "Our country's first-ever National Physical Activity Plan lays out a vision that one day, all Americans will be physically active and will live, work, and play in environments that facilitate regular physical activity. Its ultimate purpose is to improve health, prevent disease and disability, and enhance quality of life."

In short, the National Physical Activity Plan is about making America strong again.

And that demands attention.

What are your ideas on what else we can do to emphasize the urgency of the National Physical Activity Plan? How do we get policymakers and opinion leaders to pay attention? What is your organization doing?

There are many reasons why individuals might not meet the Physical Activity Guidelines, but one major factor is the physical environment that surrounds them. When people don't have the option to make the healthy choice regarding their participation in physical activities, there is no possible way they can do it.

Over the past several decades, our society has engineered physical activity out of our lifestyles. For example, 13% of children five to fourteen years old usually walked or biked to school in 2009, compared with 48% of students in 1969. For a long time, neighborhoods were being built without regard for pedestrians, putting the needs of the driver first. Safe biking lanes, walking paths that connected places where people wanted to go, and a variety of safe outdoor play spaces were all but engineered out of most built environments. Schools were being put in a position where they had to eliminate physical education, whether for budget reasons or to meet academic goals. Offices were built without bike racks, employee changing areas, or easy to use staircases, further enhancing less physical activity instead of more.

Fortunately, things are starting to change. A healthier communities movement is building across the nation. The Y, along with other national organizations, is leading the way. Since 2004, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other corporate and foundation donors, the Y has engaged leaders in 200 communities in working together to implement strategies that provide opportunities for physical activity.

YMCAs engaged in our Healthier Communities Initiative (pioneering Healthier Communities, Statewide Pioneering Healthier Communities and ACHIEVE) are helping families by giving parents peace of mind when they let their kids walk to school. The initiative is focused on creating safer routes, making streets safe for all users whether they are on foot or on wheels. The organizations strive to keep a generation of kids healthier by working with schools to increase physical education and physical activity during the school day, and making recess periods more active. The initiative also encourages employers to build environments that support activity among their employees. These examples are just the beginning.

How healthy is your community? What are examples of your community's efforts to change the built environment so more people engage in physical activity to meet the PA guidelines? How are you helping people see that their own built environment supports or inhibits meeting these guidelines? What barriers are there, and how can you work with other leaders in your community to collaboratively remove those barriers?