Today, our ever-increasingly sedentary lifestyle is causing major health problems.

This article discusses some of the reasons many of us are getting fatter and provides some suggestions for reversing this trend. We have all seen the figures on the dramatic increase in overweight and obesity throughout all age groups since the 1980’s. Ever worsening projections of Australian overweight and obesity expect approximately one third of our children, and 80% of adults facing overweight and obesity.

Perhaps the missing link in today’s obesity crisis can be found in the difference in lifestyle between now and 50 years ago when childhood obesity rates were only 2-3%So what is the difference in lifestyle between the 1950’s and the 2000’s? As an exercise physiologist (keeping changes in our nutrition of the picture) I see three major factors contributing to the problem:

1.    Television and sedentary based electronic media

2.    Our ever increasing dependency on Cars

3.    Increased business productivity leading to the time poor parent/business person

Rather than significantly reducing the amount of time that we go to the gym, play a game of sport or engage in organised physical activity, look at altering the way we view the following:

1.    Television and electronic Media: Instead of coming home at the end of the school or work day and heading out to the back yard to muck around, play sport, spend time with the kids, garden etc, we sit in front of something we can turn on so that we can switch off.

2.    Cars: The average worker now walks 10m out the door, sits for 30min or more in their car and then walks another 10-100m to work from their car. We also pack more chores, and jobs into our day because the car can get us to different places quicker.

3.    Longer hours at work, and more chores packed into the day simply means less free or ‘non-work’ time than ever before.

The human body is designed to move, and the fact that we do so little of that is a major problem. The future is not all dark and dreary though, because there really are many ways that we can as individuals increase what is called incidental exercise.Very simply incidental exercise is ‘movement that we perform doing daily activities’.

It is my belief that incidental exercise can be the deciding factor between being overweight or losing weight and then maintaining a healthy weight forever. This type of exercise includes walking, hanging out washing, walking up and down stairs, mowing the lawn and just about anything that avoids sitting in a sedentary position.

The key to increasing this type of exercise is planning to change some of our daily lifestyle habits, acting on these plans, and also thinking outside the box for ways to enjoy ‘free time.’

Here are my top 10 ways to increase incidental exercise:

  • While you are speaking on mobile or cordless phone pace up and down the hallway or office.
  • Walk up or down the stairs rather than taking the lift or escalator.
  • Get outside during your lunch break instead of sitting inside the office to eat.
  • Get off the bus one stop early and walk a little further to work (or catch the bus to start with and stand up during the bus ride)
  • Take the dogs for a walk, they probably need the exercise too
  • Don’t use the remote control to change TV channels – Better still, avoid the TV in the first place.
  • If you have to watch TV, do so whilst exercising on a stationary bike or treadmill.
  • Don’t drive around for 20min finding the closest park… Park further away and use some of that 20min to walk the extra distance.
  • Actually play with your children: Perhaps take them to the park for a picnic lunch on the weekend and then play a game of tag or hide and seek.
  • JUST GET OUTSIDE! Queensland has some of the most consistently beautiful weather in the world so there really are no excuses!

Sometimes we really do just need to get back to the basics. Rather than coming up with one hundred great excuses not to change, spend that time thinking of and performing activities that get you moving.

Michael Lawler

Accredited Exercise Physiologist

Tree of Life

www.toli.com.au