Hi I’m Dr. Mike Evans usually I'm talking about the science behind best
health but today
today I want to start a movement a movement called
let's make our day harder I know that sounds
Counter-intuitive usually I’m asking how can I make
easier to do the right thing but let me explain a recent review in jama internal
medicine compared to how for baby boomers to previous generations it
should what you might expect medical advances have led to longer life
expectancies
but it also shows something else US baby boomers have more chronic disease
More obesities and lower self rated health and members of the previous
generation at the same each
even though we smoke less and work out more than the Mad Men generation
so what’s the difference? well I think for a variety of reasons that include
technology culture in attitudes
we have a severe generational case a sitting disease
we watch phones tablets and TVs we
we stare computers while we work and pride ourselves and not moving for four hours
Straight we don't walk to a friends house or a coworkers office
we text them text my kids in my own house
don't get me wrong I love technology there there's lots of good to be had but I
also think we need to be mindful that is technology becomes more ubiquitous sick
you can loop the medicine chest to our single best treatment for good health
being active moving we shop on the internet instead of walking to the store
We have vacuums that automatically circulate so we don’t have to
electric toothbrushes so we don’t have to move our hands up and down
the push a button we can manipulate the TV the music cultured
We might even choose our house based on these conveniences are on the size of the TV
room or the garage
not walkability living further away gets you a bigger house but
it can also mean another half hour day sitting in your car to compare ourselves
to the recent low-tech simpler path
let's look at the Amish the average Amish dude walks
18 thousands steps a day the average Amish woman 15,000
American men walk 7200 steps a day and women 50 to 100
you can do our bit better and I keep running a little bit high but
2009 data show 9500 steps per day for men and 8400 for women
Unfortunately this drops by about fifteen hundred steps a day once we hit sixty
I think its time to change our prevailing attitude maybe
easier isn’t really better after all so how about you and I start a movement
An anti-pushing the button for the door opens automatically force movement
not talking about extra stuff like going to the gym or are running if you do that 43 00:02:30,80 --> 00:02:30,680 it's great
i'm talking about the health goal of our daily habit when I call
tweak the week its about looking at your week and seeing where you can make it harder
by taking the stairs or riding your bike or
getting off a stop early in your daily commutes have a walking meeting instead
of sitting in a conference room had a ninety year old patient tell me the day
that he gets off two floors above his floor
when I said why he said well I can't go up the stairs to anymore but I can still go
down
can you flip technology or use your phone
or other wearable to monitor remind you to move first and more
I'm going for a walk at lunch is so just going somewhere else to sit
can you refrain buying a push more
Or a rake or snow shovel as an opportunity Instead of driving around the parking lot For 10 minutes trying
to find that spot
That’s ten feet closer can you just park farther away
in that spot reserved for people want to live longer and have a higher quality of
life
Let’s rethink this a bit lets you and I or loved ones or coworkers or friends
Let’s all mix in a little low tech into our high-tech
let's do something that’s totally in our control
its maker day harder