I only thought our society was lazy before. Now, I've discovered the new height of laziness.
We have lots of ideas about why Americans eat more and exercise less and the declining health that results. And there is no doubt that our habits are changing … and generally not toward healthy ones. Is one of the problems just plain laziness?
Think about the jumble of remote controls on your living room table. We don’t have to leave the couch (and the chips) to change the channel, switch to the DVD player, or adjust the volume. Now there are remotes for the gas fireplace and the air conditioner. I want one to refill my birdfeeders.
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| Healthy Las Vegas tourists rent mobility scooters to get around. |
My kids love to upgrade the stereos in their cars for more power, and all the aftermarket stereos now come with remotes! Tell me why a driver needs a remote to adjust the stereo in the dash? How lazy can we get?
Well, here’s a new height of lazy — perfectly healthy tourists going on vacation and avoiding the walking on the sidewalks by renting a “mobility scooter” intended for the disabled. In recent years a scooter company in Las Vegas has seen increasing numbers of healthy people renting their mobility scooters. You don’t have to walk and there’s even a cup holder for your high calorie drink!
Walking is good for us. Current recommendations for Americans' exercise is one hour a day! At first, that seems way too difficult to achieve. But if you break it out into smaller pieces, it can be done. One way to learn how many opportunities you have to walk is to buy a pedometer. Then compare your activity on a typical work day to one where you change your habits. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk the dog for 20 minutes before work. I like to do this with my coffee from the kitchen brewer with the automatic timer that goes on while I’m in the shower. Maybe I could add some extra steps if I didn’t use that gadget! Go outside at lunch. Take a walk with your spouse instead of sitting on the couch. Take another walk after work (or a bike ride). Add it all up and you can really burn some calories and improve your health.
It’s making new habits that is so hard. But if you make it fun, and cut it into smaller bits — it’s not so hard. And please, when you go on vacation, leave the mobility scooters for the disabled folks who don’t have the opportunity to enjoy feeling their legs work for them.