Who can forget that song from the 1980s about nobody walking in Los Angeles? Turns out too many apparently took it seriously. People just don’t walk much these days…let alone ride bikes, swim, or engage in other forms of movement that are good for the body. America has become a society that drives cars, commutes at the desk, watches television, plays video games, surfs the Internet, takes elevators, and eats fast food. Is it any wonder we’re fighting a veritable obesity epidemic, when pressing buttons on the TV remote, clicking the mouse, and handing money to the fast-food drive-thru clerk is the scope of our “exercise.”
Researchers, again, have recently underscored the seriousness of the problem this lack of activity is creating for the collective health of our nation. According to an October 2005 news release issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institutes of Health, a recent study of the Framingham heart shows that “we [Americans] could become even more severely overweight and obese in decades to come” and that “if trends continue, our country will continue to face substantial health problems related to excess weight.” In response to these findings, National Heart, Lung , and the director of the Blood Institute, Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD, sums it up this way: “Taking simple steps to ensure that the total number of calories you consume does not exceed the number you burn can play an important role in reducing the risk of many chronic conditions. How do you do this? You guessed it… exercise!
Even with knowledge of the study findings and other health news events, it seemingly goes in one ear and out the other. People continue down the same unhealthy path despite medical warnings about inactivity. The study’s principal investigator and Boston University professor of medicine, Dr. Ramachandran Vasan, cited a litany of dramatic, life-altering conditions that can be experienced due to inactivity. Even with the threat of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and osteoarthritis, most of us still don’t budget from the couch unless absolutely necessary.
For those who really want to be more active, it can be difficult to put that desire into action. In today’s fast-paced society, many of us can’t find time to sit down to dinner as a family, much less get in the car and drive to and from the gym. Even with the best of intentions, many with home gym equipment end up using the devices as (very expensive) clothes racks. With enough stuff stacked on top of it and shielding it from view, they might not feel guilty when they pass it by on the way from the couch to the fridge to bed.
Others who have time to go to the gym may feel intimidated by all the strange equipment. Some feel uncomfortable around the cute girl in spandex who looks like she doesn’t even belong in the gym, not to mention the beefy guy who growls in front of the mirror as her biceps look like they’re about to explode. And while some can afford to hire a personal trainer, many must venture into this uncharted territory on their own. This can lead to ineffective workouts, a lack of serial motivation, or worse, injuries. Shortly after any of these events, the hype naturally drops and it’s just your credit or debit card that’s working out as the gym continues to charge whether you show up or not.
On the plus side (sort of), rising gas prices have made some people move around a bit more. Recent news reports indicate that more people are cycling to work and, yes, even walking! So if medical advice isn’t motivation enough, maybe a tooth in our collective pockets will be enough to get America back on its feet.
At the end of the day, it’s about making time for something you want, that you NEED, to do. Even a minimal amount of time and effort can make a real difference compared to no body movement at all. In this case, something is better than nothing.
