Made to Move

Abstract

It has been estimated that in developed countries, we are 60 to 70 per cent less active than a century ago, which equates to walking about 10 miles (about 16 kilometers) less each day.' Furthermore, as illustrated, most of this decline has occurred in the past 40 years. Several factors have contributed to this but largely to blame is the advent of "modern conveniences" that allow us to expend less energy doing our daily tasks. As a society, we have been carried away with inventing movement-saving devices. We have ingeniously created devices that wash the dishes for us, deliver warm water straight to our bath so we don't have to walk or work to get it, lift us higher in a building bypassing the stairs, and change the channel on our television with the press of a remote button so we don't have to get out of our seat. While there are many benefits and much to enjoy in our modern technology and labor-saving devices, we have created an environment in which being inactive has never been easier. Our innovative technologies have especially changed the nature of our work, transportation and recreation-and that is a problem because we are made to move.