Alright, I might be repeating myself but I have to get this out. One of my first posts I wrote I mentioned that there are 1,440 minutes in a day. And I challenged you to use 30 minutes for yourself, even better to use them for exercise. But the reality is Americans use 19 minutes for physical activity and exercise... if that. My frustration doesn't stem from 19 minutes, my frustration goes a lot deeper than this. It is the very people who make health recommendations that aren't making time for exercise. Now, don't get me wrong, I know there are health care practitioners out there that DO have balance and MAKE time for physical activity. But realistically, the majority don't.
It started a few weeks ago when I was asked by my adviser, Dr. Todd Miller, to speak to the third year medical students at The George Washington University on the importance of exercise and physical activity. Oh the irony behind this! Just three years ago, I was grudgingly filling out medical school applications with hopes of not going. I would say to my dad, "I do not want to be a fat doctor!" So here it is three years later and I am lecturing to the doctors of tomorrow.
I did a little research of my own before presenting and found that as of 2010 the working American exercises an average of 19 minutes a day, see a more thorough break down by checking out the American Bureau of Labor.
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| Action shot ... :) |
I then asked the students if they exercised on a regular basis, even if it was just 19 minutes, and approximately 10% of the 90 students I spoke with that afternoon raised their hands! I was shocked, but not really I guess. But let's step back a minute. Here I was, presenting to the Third Year medical students at THE George Washington University, located in the heart of the nation's capital, a place where policy is created, and WE cannot even find 19 minutes a day? Really? Is this a joke? Ashton Kutcher, where were you? I was waiting for him to yell Punked, but that never happened.
It's the sad reality of the world we live in today. The people that are supposed to be leading us in "healthcare" are not leading by action. So what do you do? Do it yourself. Supporting my beliefs, and inspiring my voice, is Dr. Loretta DiPietro, a pioneer for the field of physical activity in Public Health. I will leave you with a clip from her TEDex talk that I attended this past week. Warning their is explicit content, but like Loretta says, if you can't swear, you don't belong in public health.
In closing, take the stairs and take a stand! Create your own health and be the change! Every little bit counts. And remember, you can't change what you did, but you can change what you do!
Agreed!! Most of the PE teachers where I teach take the elevator as well! AND there are only two of us that exercise regularly. UGH!! Why is it so hard for people to move?
ReplyDeleteGreat post Kelley!
I had the same reaction the last two years when I gave similar talks to the 3rd year medical students. I was absolutely astounded at the lack of physical activity and exercise knowledge among the medical students! In the medical and health fields, these are the professionals that people trust the most with diagnosis, medical advice, and yes even exercise prescription--yet the majority of doctors don't find it important enough to include some type of physical activity into their daily or even weekly routine?? I find that highly ironic and hypocritical. Dear medical school administrations around the country, how about we include some exercise physiology and exercise prescription classes in the required curriculum or better yet maybe physical activity courses should be required? However, we can't just single out doctors, because exercise physiologists, nutritionists, health practitioners, and personal trainers are also, for the most part, guilty of not practicing what they preach to others. People wouldn't go to a dentist that has terrible teeth, so why would you listen to an exercise physiologist who doesn't exercise?? Despite all that may be upside-down in this industry, we have the ability to make small differences that lead to large change. Thank you Kelley for such a thought-provoking and inspirational post! Dr. DiPietro is dead on about so many of the issues surrounding public health and I wish more could hear her prospective!
ReplyDeleteSo, so true. We're all busy, but we must make time for activity, even if it's climbing the stair at the hospital or taking 5 minutes to walk here and there!
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