4 Physical Activity

In terms of weight control and reversing the effects and problems associated with obesity, the single most easily modified factor is the amount of activity people get each day.  According to an Obesity Prevention Source from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, about one in three people gets little, if any, physical activity.  (“Physical Activity”, 2016). It is a global problem and contributing to the rise in obesity and the chronic disease rate everywhere.

The World Health Organization, along with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as other authorities recommend that adults should get the equivalent of two and half hours of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week.  Children should get at least one hour a day.  There is some debate regarding the level of activity necessary for weight loss compared to maintaining a healthy weight, however the message is clear that greater levels of activity are needed.  (“Physical Activity”, 2016).

A quick search on your favorite internet search engine for ways to add more activity into your day yields countless results from a variety of sources.  For example, this Bing search yielded 326,000,000 results. (Bing, 2020).  Some of the most common, simple changes are summarized in an article from the University of New Hampshire and include the following:

• Take the stairs. You’ve probably heard this one before but taking the stairs is a great way to add movement to your day and increase your heart rate. Also, if you continually take the stairs you’ll be able to see the results of your body being active when you can reach the top without being out of breath.
• Take a walk. Sitting for extended periods of time has been proven to have negative effects such as higher risk for heart disease, obesity, cancer, etc. Taking a break every hour or so to get up and walk around will help prevent some of these negative effects and get you moving.
• Wake up and work out. Before getting ready for work do a couple sets of crunches and push-ups or jumping jacks. It won’t take a lot of time and it will set a positive and healthy tone for the rest of your day.
• Wear a pedometer. It is really easy to track your steps. Even if you don’t have a fitness tracker, your phone automatically keeps track of how many steps you are taking when you have it with you. Seeing the number of steps you take get higher and higher throughout the day is fun and it is always a great feeling to see that you’ve met your step goal.
• Add movement to housework. Focus on posture and the different muscle groups you’re using while doing chores such as vacuuming or washing the dishes. For added exercise, listen to music while doing housework- dancing will add some activity to your day and add some fun to your chores.

(Mondor, 2017).

Some other common recommendations are to get fit with friends and to utilize technology to get reminders for physical activity.  My personal recommendation is to find an activity that you like as you are more likely to stick to it.  For example, if you don’t like to lift weights, don’t try to force yourself into a routine that includes that as a primary activity as it sets you up for failure.  Small steps toward creating healthy habits around physical activity that you enjoy will likely be more successful in the long run.