Exercise essay

Exercise, its for everyone

There is very little controversy when it comes to exercise and whether doing more physical activity is better for you then doing less or even none. There is not one expert of group of experts who can argue that doing more physical activity to stay healthy is bad for you. So if everyone agrees on the simple fact that we as a obese nation need to engage ourselves in more physical activity to stay healthy, is there still an epidemic. In this essay I will attempt to identify some of the primary reasons and viewpoints for why this is and how some groups/countries are taking measures to make improvements.


After reading the informative article by three prominent doctors called “Modify the Environment to Reverse Obesity” the answer seems clear, we are a lazy nation. The problem is many of us are glad we are a lazy nation. As a culture we have worked long and hard over the years to get and maintain the lifestyles and amenities we have today which we enjoy. As Americans we wanted cheap quick food we could eat on the run when time was short. So we got fast food joints and made them our primary source of food because time is always short. We need to rent a movie tonight, instead of walking to the movie store we take our automobiles after all we work long hard hours to buy the cars we love. At the end of the day why go out and play basketball or go for a walk, the sports game is on and we just bought that big screen TV. Americans have worked hard at becoming the laziest nation in the world and many of us including myself to some degree are perfectly happy with our situation not realizing the long term implications this lifestyle will have.


The second major contributor to our obese nation besides are personal desire to sit around at work and home is the media. For this essay we will use the term media to include food marketing and advertisements as well. Every time you turn on the tv there are commercials for eating new fast food (which they claim is good for you) or the newest video game or move to watch. Even buying tickets for major sporting events which must of us like to watch in person decreases our health. I don’t know about you but when I go to a basketball game it is pizza a few beers and sitting for three hours, not very healthy but very entertaining. Not only does the media advertise the new great tasting hamburger or beer to adults but they also viciously peruse marketing ads at kids and young adults. How about the tobacco company which in the past has had advertisements in many magazines which kids like to read showing individuals which kids may idolize smoking cigarettes. Where are the advertisements for getting outside and doing something active with the community, not on television.


The third example I want to point out is like father like son (or mother/daughter), as adults and role models for our kids if we do not encourage and even participate in physical activates with our kids then what is there motivation get outside and exercise. If you were overweight and your kid or significant other asked you to go to the park with them and throw the ball, or go for a hike, when you say next time in favor of watching the game you are contributing to your own laziness and also showing bad habits to your kids. Maybe our youth should be the best motivation we have for staying healthy.


The Changes:
Many of the online articles and publications suggest one of the main organizations which could help to jump start our society back to a healthy one is the government. Since they have there hand in everything else maybe they should start making policies and legislation which promotes more active lifestyles. Such as when designing or zoning new areas for buildings, make a requirement for parks, bike lanes, etc. There were some good suggestions by James O. Hill and his colleagues which suggested mandatory time when during the working day for employees to walk or do something physical for 15-20 minutes a day on the company dime.
There are currently many communities and organizations around the world who are trying to promote more active and healthier lifestyles by setting up community programs and city policies which reflect the desire for change. Some city councils in Scotland are developing guidelines and programs to keep there youth and elderly being active as part of there daily routine with easy leisurely activities. On Camino Island in the greater Seattle WA area there is community program to help the elderly stay active. They have set up a safe walking program with 30 designated neighborhoods where the elderly can walk and be active in a safe comfortable environment.


Many of us individuals enjoying the good life may not even think we do enough to keep us healthy, but this may not be entirely true. There are numerous websites and information about activity pyramids. These pyramids provide guidelines on how much an individual should be exercising and how often. Some of these pyramids use different criteria as the baseline (age, weight) for recommending daily activates or physical exercising regimes to stay active. These physical activity pyramids can be a great tool for people looking to get started on the road to better health.


In conclusion there were many good points I learned doing research for this essay explaining why we have formed a lazy society, and many ways we can change our ways. One of the best statements from James O. Hill and his team of authors I think states it best, there is no one reason for our nation of laziness and there is no one solution to fix our problem. What we have has taken years to develop and probably twice as long to undo, but one thing is for certain, if you want to improve your health the easiest thing to do is go outside and take a walk.