Convenience - Friend or Foe?

Have you ever noticed how we have become somewhat demanding of all things convenient? We stay plopped in our cars to get dinner, do our banking, pick up the drycleaning, have prescriptions filled, and even to check the mail when we get home from work. All the fitness experts claim that small changes, such as parking your car farther from the door to a store will help burn calories (which, by the way is true!), yet more and more of us would rather sit on our tushies and watch the world go by.

No wonder obesity rates continue to rise. Convenience is making us lazier than ever.

Yesterday as I was driving, I noticed a man cutting his grass on a riding lawn mower. This was not a thin man, and his yard was quite small -- so small, as a matter of fact, that he was having a hard time even negotiating this behemoth of a mower in such a tiny yard. Now, I do realize that maybe this gentleman has health issues that may warrant his use of a riding mower....but if I had to guess, any health problems he may have are likely related to his weight. It's ironic - an obese person needs to move, but when they do it causes severe pain or difficulty, therefore they elect not to move, or to choose the simplest path of resistance. It's a vicious cycle that is difficult to break free from.

So what is the answer to this dilemma? I wish I could wave a magic wand and solve the riddle. To me, the most logical solution is to prevent obesity from happening in the first place. I know, easier said than done, but what choice do we have? Have you taken a look at a group of teenagers lately? More than half of them are tipping the scales beyond a healthy weight, and could be facing a lifetime of chronic health issues because of it. Fast food & lack of exercise are taking their toll on our future generations. Computers and electronic media are keeping our kids from getting outside and actually engaging in physical activity. The world is at their fingertips.

I say forgo convenience! Park the car and actually WALK into the bank....what a novel idea! Make small initial changes to your activity level, and I bet you will find it easier and easier to increase your exercise with time. Rome wasn't built in a day, of course, and you won't be able to run a marathon tomorrow if you haven't trained for it. If you haven't been active for some time, be patient but consistent, and don't become discouraged. 10 steps to the mailbox today could become 15 tomorrow, and 20 the next day...you get the idea.

I speak from first hand experience -  I couldn't even stay on an exercise bike for 5 full minutes several years ago. My journey began with the smallest of baby steps, maybe even some crawling in the beginning. Every day I grew stronger and fitter. There were days I wanted to quit as I had in previous attempts (and there were many of those, unfortunately) but I stuck with it. I finally got it; I knew I HAD to move to become healthier, simple as that.

My challenge to you is this  -- find ways in your everyday routine to add more steps, more movement, some increase in your physical activity. For those of you that have kids, set a great example and encourage them to join you. Take them swimming, or go for a bike ride together, even do some "mall walking" to escape the heat. Not only will you be getting some exercise, but you will also find this to possibly be a great bonding time with your children.

And please, stop using the drive thru's! Your car is NOT an appendage of your body!  :)