We walk 16km less per day than the early settlers.

It is well known that we are getting fatter with Australia now the fattest nation in the world! Up until the last 2-3 decades human populations have never been significantly overweight so what are the reasons for the steady rise in obesity we are seeing now?

The development of computers, motor vehicles, washing machines, television and the like have given us more time in the day but have caused us to have less reason to move. This dramatic reduction in our activity levels in the modern era has coincided with the rapid increase in obesity and diabetes. And, to add fuel to the fire, we have an abundant (and often calorie rich) food supply that needs more activity to burn off.

Egger, Vofgel and Westerterp (2001) designed a study to assess how much less we move as a result of our modern society. They asked seven male actors from ‘Old Sydney Town’ to live like early settlers by minimising the use of modern technology for one week whilst having their activity levels measured. The results were compared to a group of seven sedentary office going about their usual daily activities.

They found that activity levels were 2.25 times higher in the ‘historical’ group than the ‘modern’ group. This was calculated to be equivalent to walking up to 16km per day more in the past than today.

What does this mean to us today? Well, imagine trying to find time in your day to walk 16km!
This is next to impossible given the demands of our working day but it does serve as a reminder about the need to find opportunities to increase our daily activity levels. This may take a conscious effort to achieve or may require us to set aside some time to devote to physical activity.

The National Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity on most days for optimal health and weight management. This study would suggest that an increase in activity levels up to three times that may be necessary if we continue to eat as much as we do. This presents an incredible task within our busy modern day lifestyles.

Good Measures has been educating workforces about the importance of movement and giving simple suggestions for increasing our daily activity levels. Please contact the Good Measures team if you would like more information on providing this education to your workforce.