by teaplease

Created on: January 30, 2010

Think the Motor City and L.A.

Americans are notoriously addicted to what we call "freedom" and one way that is illustrated is by heading onto the highways. Our love of speed and lack of compromise in how we get from one place to another affects us from fuel consumption to our very health.

The next time you travel in another country, look out the window of your taxi or rented car to see droves of people walking or bicycling.

Americans are commuting more and more over the past fifteen years. While my drive of thirty miles each way is longer than most, people are by and large driving farther.¹ With all of this driving, we're sitting more and moving less.

We don't need to hit the gym each and every day to make up for sitting on our bottoms all day long. We just need to move. If we incorporate more common activities into our daily lives, it adds up to thirty minutes or more. The gym can be used to achieve specific results.

What is it called when we lead a life of inaction (gazing at the television set, hunched over a keyboard, grasping a game controller or yes, rolling up to a stoplight, belted into a bucket seat)? That, my friends, is what they call a sedentary lifestyle.

Sedentary lifestyles have contributed to Americans' ever-expanding physiques at the same time that we have been driving more. From the late 1980s to 2006, obesity (BMI 30 or above) has grown by over ten percent and what is called "extreme obesity" has almost doubled.²

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a tool used to approximate over-all health. It is not all-encompassing and we should seek health professionals for assessments. That said, BMI is used by our government, doctors and physical trainers to get an idea of how healthy we are at our weight for our height.

Here's an universal truth: One pound of weight is lost by burning three thousand five hundred (3,500) calories.

Unfortunately, for most of us, it is easier to gain one pound when we consume 3,500 calories. We must burn those calories to leave obesity behind us.

Let's consider some common activities and the amount of calories a person (125 and 185 pounds, respectively) can burn in thirty minutes by performing them.³  We'll look at these weights to get an idea of range. You can calculate burning calories with many resources, including Nutritiondata.com. 

• Sleep: Yes, we burn calories maintaining our bodies during repose. 

(125lb=19 - 185lb=28)

•Watching television: The average amount spent in front of the

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