MORE MOVEMENT IN OUR LIVES

Hello.

I took this week's post from an article I read from Precision Nutrition. I am a huge nerd and love learning about my topic of choice when it includes graphs, charts, research studies, etc.! So this information was super fun for me to read about.

The author of this piece is Brian St. Pierre and compiled by Adam Campbell. I hope you find the information useful on your health and wellness journey. 

"Here’s a fun chart, courtesy of some clever scientists in the Netherlands.

It tracks changes in people’s average daily energy expenditure from 1900’s to the early 2000’s.

But to make it interesting (this is why they’re clever), the researchers also plotted the widespread adoption of both time-saving and time-wasting technology.

The finding: there’s been a 60 to 70 percent reduction in total daily energy expenditure over the last century.

In a previous study, the same scientists calculated that actors at a historical theme park set 150 years ago were 1.6 to 2.3 times more active than sedentary modern office workers.

According to the researchers: That’s the equivalent of walking 5 to 10 more miles daily.

This isn’t to suggest that you need to immediately start taking 20,000 more steps per day.

It’s to emphasis how much less we move in today’s modern world compared to any other time in human history. And that most of us would benefit from more daily movement of any kind, even if we workout regularly.

No revelations there, of course.

But you know that old cliché, “Every little bit helps?”

It’s really true. Only most people have a hard time seeing it that way.

For example, have a look at this list”

·         Vacuum the house

·         Weed the yard (a.k.a. “gardening”, for people who like it)

·         Taking the dog for an extra walk

·         Shooting hoops in the driveway

·         Marco Polo with the kids (instead of watching them play in the pool)

To many people, these might be viewed as hassles or time drains. But what if they were seen as opportunities to move a little more while accomplishing other stuff?

This slight reframing might inspire you to get more done, have more fun, and increase your daily energy expenditure – all without requiring more time in the gym.

Essentially it becomes a two-for-one activity – which is what some people need to better justify the time for self-care.

This also works for activities people hate.

Take household chores. The idea, from University of Pennsylvania scientists, is to pair an activity people feel inclined to do but don’t enjoy (a “should”) with an activity they look forward to doing (a “want”).

Example: if a client saves their favorite podcast (want) for when they vacuum (should) but also reframes it as exercise (another should), they accomplish two “shoulds” at once – and get their want, too."

 

For me, the biggest takeaway from this article is the fact that we’re moving LESS than any other time in history.

And finding ways to increase our movement each day is a goal that everyone can strive for. When every bit helps, it doesn’t hurt to try, and perhaps the benefits will encourage you to keep working toward bigger and better results without having to make sweeping changes in your life all at once.

Until next time….