Physical Fitness (Or Lack Thereof)

Group 8

Our Comm/Our Hlth

Portland State University

12/01/14

Physical Fitness (Or Lack Thereof): A Winnable Battle

If asked, many of us would admit to being aware that we ‘should’ exercise more. Or if we already exercise, then we likely realize that our population as a whole could use a little more physical activity, and we are probably accustomed to hearing about how exercise promotes health, prevents disease, etc. So why, as a population, do we not engage in more physical activity? Some may hold the belief that Americans in general have gotten too lazy, or have become too busy. Or maybe it is simply that we have grown accustomed to living in a culture where everything is done for us instantly, and we would prefer to take a pill to mask a headache rather than take some uncomfortable steps (around the block, perhaps?) to prevent it in the first place.

Without a doubt, these could be valid excuses for lack of physical activity for certain parts of the population. However, we would do well to consider that there are many other social determinants that may influence whether a community or an individual participates in adequate physical activity. As stated in The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, we will find out that “health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life; where they learn, work, play and love,” (World Health Organization, 1986). This means that there are many factors influencing the amount of physical activity in our lives, and while personal choices are important, there are forces that are much stronger that influence healthy behaviors.

Less than 48% of adults are getting the physical activity they need (CDC, 2014). However all this can be changed if adults take action for their workplace. Healthy employees means more productivity. There are many ways employers can make their employees healthy by promoting physical activity at the worksite. One way is have educational materials be distributed on the bulletin boards and cafeteria. The educational materials could be about facts about health or exercise classes, employees can sign up for. Companies can create sport teams or walking clubs and compete with other companies. This would help with participation and maintain the commitment to physical activity. Companies can also partner with local fitness facilities where employees will have increased access and reduced cost. If companies cannot partner with local fitness facilities then they can build their own gym. These gyms will have aerobic and weightlifting equipment and showers for joggers and exercisers. One of the simplest way of promoting health at the workplace is taking the stairs. Sometimes the simplest things can lead to bigger goals.

Sometimes, it is difficult for a person  to be able to exercise. They might make excuses that they don’t have money for expensive gym equipment, that they don't have a gym membership, or that the weather is too unpleasant to go outside for a jog. However, what they don’t understand is that some exercise is better than not doing anything. With that being said, a person can jump rope inside their home, or do stretches inside their house.

The exercises shown here can be done at home in less than 10 minutes. There is really no reason that a person should feel that they aren’t able to exercise. Not only does working out cause a person to be in good shape, but it also allows a person to be healthier, reduce stress and anxiety and help them live a longer, better and happier life.

Furthermore, our bodies are created to be active, we are created to run miles with our complicatedly engineered knees and legs, we are created to hunt for our food, or spend long times during the day to gather supplies; however somewhere throughout the centuries we have lost the connection we had with our bodies and being healthy, and have focused it on being lazy and finding the best possible way to make our lives easier. It might sound like it is too much to work out everyday for 30 min to a person in this day and age, but it shouldn’t.

There is also the aspect of capitalizations and the fact that its very hard to find open spaces or parks to exercise in, and the cost of gym membership is enough to feed a village in Africa. The fact is that even if a person is willing to exercise, this economy and system will find a way to stop that from happening. But it is not that hard to take 10 minutes, three times a day, in the comfort of our own home or work space, and just be active, walk around, stretch, or just dance. It doesn't matter what you are doing, as long as you are active. The fact is, whether we want to hear it or not, we are on this planet for a very short period of time, and every second we spend being inactive we are taking a bit of that time and throwing it away, so let’s get that time back.

However, getting that time back is far more complex than simply finding the time. There are a multitude of factors that influence one’s ability to not only find the time, but also the resources to make physical fitness an attainable goal. For it is not about an individual prioritizing physical fitness, but rather how the environment that surrounds them supports opportunities to maximize their physical fitness. When “obesity continues to impact greater than 2/3 of the U.S population” it is clearly not an individualistic issue (Gustat et al., 2014). Anything from the amount of sidewalks to the number of functioning street lights can affect rates of physical activity. Essentially, the neighborhoods we live in design the framework in which one can be physically active.

For instance, programs have been implemented to try and mitigate the grand scope of the obesity problem through physical fitness intervention. Although this issue affects almost all social strata, there are those that face more social inequities and therefore experience higher rates. Because this problem is vast, studies have tried to narrow down the grand scale. In a study in South Carolina there was an overview study that provided nutritional information, exercise tips, and discounts at fitness centers to a wide group of people spanning many races, socioeconomic backgrounds, and genders. Even though the results were only slightly better amongst most groups, the more disadvantaged subpopulations seemed to benefit the most (Gay & Trevarthen, 2013). However, this does speak to why generic intervention like this often doesn’t produce stellar results. This study shows who may need more help. On the other hand it doesn’t bear in mind the specific needs of each subpopulation.      

Giving someone the chance to exercise for the recommended 150 minutes is a far better solution than just telling them that they need to increase their exercise regimen. Since about 45% of people live with some sort of chronic disease (type II diabetes, hypertension, heart disease) as a result of being overweight, it’s obvious that physical activity inequities are causing serious problems (Gustat et al., 2014). The best place to find a solution to a problem of this magnitude is to start at the source. In this case, neighborhoods are an ideal platform upon which to launch better access to physical fitness improvements. Although programs should not be implemented without community input. Generally, “targeted and tailored programs can enhance participation and adherence when preferences are taken into account” (Gay & Trevarthen, 2013). Increasing walkability, adding fitness centers, or changing zoning codes should be done with the specific community in mind. These shifts “aim to influence large groups of people, even populations, rather than promoting change only at the individual level” (Gustat et al., 2014). Interventions at the population level are needed so as to enhance the social determinacy of physical fitness for all, not just a privileged few.

So while we do create our own health to some extent by the personal choices that we are able to make, it goes without saying that we only make the choices that we are able to make. If one chooses to live more healthfully but does not have the means to do so, then this decision may not be very useful. If a person has fair health, access to gyms in the workplace or the means to travel to a safe park or jogging trail and then chooses to add physical activity to improve their health, then they may have a different health outcome than someone who lives in an unsafe neighborhood and has no access to gyms and who decides to do sit ups in their living room every day. Again, let us focus on implementing programs and policies to increase physical activity by looking deeper into the source of the social problems preventing this. We all deserve to be healthy, and we all deserve to have access to that which will improve our health.

Bibliography

 (2014, July 14). Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/

Gay, J. L., & Trevarthen, G. (2013). Location, Timing, and Social Structure Patterns Related to Physical Activity Participation in Weight Loss Programs. Health Education & Behavior, 40(1), 24-31.

Gustat, J., O'Malley, K., Tian, H., Tabak, R. G., Valentine Goins, K., Valko, C., & ... Eyler, A. (2014). Support for Physical Activity Policies and Perceptions of Work and Neighborhood Environments: Variance by BMI and Activity Status at the County and Individual Levels. American Journal Of Health Promotion, 28S33-S43. doi:10.4278/ajhp.130430-QUAN-216 

WHO | World Health Organization. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2014, from http://www.who.int/en/

World Health Organization. (1986). The Ottawa charter for health promotion. Retrieved from http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/129532/Ottawa_Charter.pdf.