Originally Posted by
DnvrFox
I was wondering if there were any thoughts or ideas on how you get folks to change their sedentary and other habits, which seem to lead to unhealthy lifestyles, obesity, and a host of related physical conditions and diseases.
Any personal stories?
Think about this on a societal level. Is there anything that leaders in health, government, schools, etc., could do to make a real difference?
I don't think problems like this get solved on a societal level, at least not by deliberate action. Effective actions take place at the grass roots -- higher-level policy aimed at social change has severe limitations, and when it's effective, it's usually as a result of mandating (or prohibiting) certain behaviors (like, to use an example from the fairly recent past of the USA, not allowing people of certain races/genders/religions equal access to schools). The hearts and minds follow afterwards, if at all.
OTOH, I suppose what you're talking about doesn't necessarily have to be a "hearts and minds" solution, although we'd probably agree it's better that way. In theory, you could mandate exercise, I suppose, the way that our government tends to mandate things, by making noncompliance painful. In practice, I don't ever see that happening in the USA. So...back to the hearts and minds, I think that works best on a more local level.
One thing that's different between the US and some other countries is access to organized physical activity. In school, students have mandatory physical education; those who want to go beyond it can compete on sports teams. But once out of high school, organized competitive sports is mostly the province of the elites. Local recreation departments have organized activities, but in most activities these are geared towards youth -- often exclusively so. What's an adult to do? Pick-up leagues and company softball teams don't provide much in the way of exercise, if the truth be told. Bicycling is actually a bit of an anomaly, since there are group rides typically organized by bike shops -- other sports or activities tend not to have even that level of organization. Hiking clubs are about the only other thing I can think of that are fairly common. So, I think an important first step is creating opportunities for participation in organized activities for adults. Without that, every adult who tries to be active is a sort of "lone ranger", trying to do it all on their own. With organized activities, you have easier access to activities, plus a social aspect that will make it attractive to more people.