Although the prevalence of gyms and workout classes has increased over the past few decades, more Americans are leading sedentary lives than ever before.
In “Designed to Move,” a report backed by Nike, the average lifespan of the younger generation is expected to be five years shorter than their parents.
“Physical activity in the United States has declined 32 percent and is on track for a 46 percent drop by 2030,” according to the report.
According to newly released statistics by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three Americans are obese and nearly 26 million have diabetes. These medical conditions and many more can be directly linked to inactivity.
“I think the reason people are so inactive is a mix between technology and work,” Trey Johnson, a junior majoring in biology, said. “You’re sitting at your job all day, then you’re sitting on the couch watching TV when you get home.”
A new study by the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health estimated that only 20 percent of jobs today require moderate physical activity compared to the 1960s when more than half did. This means most Americans are sedentary for almost all of their nine-hour workdays.
According to a recent Forbes magazine article, people can stay active by standing at their desks or replacing their office chairs with stability balls.
The increasing number of sedentary Americans has caused not only physical, but also economic problems.
According to the “Designed to Move” report, the upcoming generation will affect economies worldwide due to its increasing inactivity causing a less productive education, which leads to lower income and higher health care costs. The U.S. Department of Labor reported that over 30 percent of employers’ wages go toward health care. They also reported that the cost of health care has risen 78 percent from 2001 to 2008.
“I try to exercise regularly every day. When I don’t have time, I try to take the stairs whenever possible, and I always walk to class or ride my bike,” Jackie Nolan, a sophomore majoring in elementary education, said.
According to the Nike report, the more we move, the longer we live. But with busy lifestyles, most students are finding it hard to make time for exercise. According to the British Medical Journal Open, reducing sitting to less than three hours a day can add an additional two years to life expectancy.
“To be more active, people could walk to class as much as possible and just find a gym that’s open late or 24 hours,” Johnson said. “Most apartments have that – even mine does – so I guess I don’t have much of an excuse not to work out.”
The University’s Recreation Center is open until midnight Monday through Thursday and provides exercise classes each day for students.
John Jackson, assistant director of research and fitness at the Rec, said they are working on a new program called METRECs that will hopefully be available for students in the spring. This program will measure the intensity of each group exercise program for students and rank them on a number scale.
“The program is based on an old health and training method called METs, or metabolic equivalency,” he said. “One MET is your basic resting metabolism, and the intensity of activities goes up from there. The higher the number, the higher the intensity.”
This will allow students to know just how much physical activity they are receiving from each class.
“The American College of Sports Medicine says that everyone should get at least 150 minutes per week of ‘moderate intensity activity,’” Jackson said. “But what’s ‘moderate intensity’ really mean? That’s something in the five to seven MET range, so now that’s a little bit easier for you to keep track of.”
Nolan said it is easier to workout in today’s world.
“There’s a gym on every corner, a sidewalk on every street and so much available knowledge, but no one uses it,” Nolan said. “We’re the most capable, but we’re still the laziest.”
