"Let's make life harder" ... it might be good for you!

I love this guy, Dr. Mike Evans, and his entertaining YouTube videos showing us how moving a little more and sitting a little less can increase our health and fitness by leaps and bounds. He's an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto, and a staff physician at St. Michael's Hospital.

Here, in his latest video, he talks about making life harder. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whPuRLil4c0  What does that mean? It refers to not making things as easy as possible. What have we come up with that makes life easier, and how can we get the 'work' back into our day? Walking mowers instead of riding ones; standing up to change the channel on the TV instead of using the remote; getting out of your car to close your garage door. Things we used to do when obesity was not a national epidemic! 

Advances of all sorts have made it easier to move less:  text someone rather than go down the hall; email instead of walking to the mailbox; see your messages, favorite shows, and reference ideas on your tablet instead of going to another desk or bookshelf. We basically don't stand up and take steps anymore.

Remember the ideal number of steps to shoot for daily is at least 10,000. This is about 5 miles of walking (whether it's done at once or in small increments) and can help you lose nearly a pound a week if you were previously barely moving. Try out a pedometer if you haven't before, and see how you can change your daily steps by taking the stairs, parking a little farther away, and not doing things that are automated during a typical day.

I'd love to hear what you found! Leave your comments.