Moving Less
Our Sedentary Lives
In the Eating More section, we looked at how the food supply has increased exponentially in just a short period of time. The extra food alone would not have had such a tremendous impact on obesity rates had our levels of physical activity not declined precipitously within the same period.
To understand the difference that our sedentary lifestyles make, consider the Old Order Amish. On one hand, the Amish diet is not a lean one; meat and potatoes, eggs, gravy, bread, and pie still grace the table. On the other hand, a life carried out completely without modern conveniences means hard, physical work. A study published in January 2004 found that Amish men average 18,425 steps per day and Amish women average 14,196 steps per day—that's about nine miles and seven miles per day, respectively. The net result? Only 26 percent of the Amish studied were overweight, and only 4 percent were obese.
Next to that, 30 minutes per day seems paltry—but most Americans don't even accomplish that. Twenty-seven percent of adults don't exercise at all, and 28 percent are not regularly active. Only 20 percent of Americans trying to lose weight exercise more than 150 minutes per week; the USDA now recommends 60 to 90 minutes per day of physical activity for individuals trying to lose weight or maintain a weight loss.
Of course, it's all too easy to be sedentary these days. Most of us have jobs that require us to sit for large parts of the day. We have cars to get to and from our destinations. We have riding mowers instead of push mowers, snow blowers instead of show shovels, and elevators and escalators instead of stairs. Even television viewing has grown even more sedentary thanks to the remote control.
Because of these conveniences, many of us have gotten into the habit of compartmentalizing physical activity from the rest of our lives. A person can drive to a health club, circle the parking lot for the closest spot, go in and use the StairMaster for half an hour, then sit at a desk or on the couch for the rest of the day, feeling virtuous.
Too Much TV
Of all the sedentary pursuits in modern life, none has had as a detrimental effect on our waistlines as television. It's bad enough that most of us watch television while parked on the couch or the easy chair (if you're a gym rat who usually watches television from the treadmill, give yourself a few bonus points). But many of us also snack in front of the television, which means that we're taking in extra calories just when we're least likely to expend them. To make things worse still, TV ads tempt us with visions of chips, sodas, pizzas, burgers, and other high-calorie treats. Study after study has shown a direct correlation between television viewing and obesity.
Communities Built for Cars
If your lifestyle doesn't allow you to abandon modern conveniences and adopt an eighteenth-century farming life, your next best bet is to move to the city. A study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion found that city residents weighed, on average, six pounds less than their suburban counterparts. This is because people who live in cities have more opportunities to walk to work, to stores, and to other destinations. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that one-fourth of all trips are less than one mile, but 75 percent of these are made by car.
In fact, those who choose to walk or bike on errands risk being treated as a bit strange. I've encountered this myself. I used to live just three blocks from the grocery store and would walk if I just needed to pick up a few things. If I happened to bump into a neighbor (and one time my brother-in-law), I would be asked repeatedly if everything "was okay" or if I needed a ride.