Winning The Mental Battle of Physical Fitness and Obesity | Ogie Shaw | TEDxSpokane
Summary
TLDRThis script addresses the critical role of exercise in preventing diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, linked to obesity. It highlights historical shifts from physical labor to sedentary lifestyles, leading to health crises. Discussing the failure of fitness tests among American youth and adults, the speaker emphasizes the need for consistent, resistance-based exercise routines. The talk also stresses the psychological battle in maintaining motivation for exercise and suggests practical tips for integrating fitness into daily life.
Takeaways
- đ Exercise is crucial for preventing diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, all of which can be influenced by obesity.
- đŸ Historically, people got more exercise due to physical labor on farms, but urbanization and mechanization led to a more sedentary lifestyle.
- đ In the 1950s, the US military noticed a decline in the physical fitness of young recruits, indicating a broader public health issue.
- đ« Schools conducted fitness tests revealing that a majority of children failed to meet basic physical fitness standards.
- đ Comparative tests showed that American children had a significantly higher failure rate in fitness tests compared to their European peers.
- đïžââïž Despite efforts to promote exercise, a significant portion of the population still avoids it or exercises without significant improvement in fitness.
- đ§ The speaker emphasizes that maintaining a fitness routine is more about mental discipline than physical ability, suggesting that psychological factors are key to adherence.
- đ Consistency is key in exercise routines; the speaker suggests working out every day for a short period rather than fewer days per week.
- â± The optimal workout duration is suggested to be 20 minutes or less to maximize adherence and minimize the risk of injury.
- đȘ The importance of working against resistance in exercise is highlighted to ensure that the body continues to adapt and improve fitness levels.
- đ Measuring and tracking fitness progress is essential for motivation, with specific tests suggested for flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, and body fat percentage.
Q & A
What is the common factor among heart disease, cancer, and diabetes?
-Obesity is the common factor among heart disease, cancer, and diabetes as mentioned in the script.
When was the first recorded heart attack in the United States?
-The first recorded heart attack in the United States was in 1896.
What was the lifestyle like in 1896 that contributed to better physical health?
-In 1896, people lived on farms and had to do physical work, which contributed to better physical health.
What was the issue noticed during the Korean War regarding the health of young soldiers?
-During the Korean War, it was noticed that half the soldiers, averaging 19 years of age, had significant blockage of coronary arteries.
What was the outcome of the 1956 Eisenhower administration meeting in Washington DC?
-The 1956 Eisenhower administration meeting in Washington DC led to the formation of the President's Council on physical fitness and sports.
What was the failure rate of American kids in the physical fitness test in the 1950s?
-57.8% of American kids failed the physical fitness test in the 1950s.
What was the failure rate of European kids in the same physical fitness test?
-Only 7% of European kids failed the same physical fitness test.
What is one of the reasons people avoid exercise according to the script?
-One of the reasons people avoid exercise is due to lack of time.
What is the other common objection people have towards exercise?
-The other common objection towards exercise is that people claim they are too lazy to do it.
What is the importance of working out every day according to the speaker?
-The speaker emphasizes the importance of working out every day, first thing in the morning, for 20 minutes or less, and working against resistance to build fitness.
What is the 'overload principle' in exercise physiology?
-The 'overload principle' in exercise physiology states that no benefit occurs in any exercise program until you get tired, and as you get more fit, the amount of work you have to do to get tired increases.
Outlines
đïžââïž The Decline of Physical Fitness
The speaker discusses the historical context of physical fitness, highlighting how lifestyle changes from farming to urban living and mechanization have contributed to a decrease in physical activity. The script mentions the first recorded heart attack in the U.S. in 1896 and how the lack of exercise was a contributing factor. It also addresses the Korean War era, where soldiers showed significant blockages in their coronary arteries at a young age. The Eisenhower administration's concern over the unfit state of American youth led to the creation of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Despite efforts, the speaker notes that around 40% of the population avoids exercise, 50% exercises but remains unhealthy, and only about 10% maintains fitness. The University of Indiana's findings show that 57% of children between six and 17 years old are failing fitness tests, and there's an alarming rise in childhood obesity and early onset of diseases like diabetes. The speaker emphasizes the need for physical education in schools, which is being neglected due to budget cuts.
đ§ Overcoming Mental Barriers to Exercise
The speaker emphasizes the psychological aspects of exercise, stating that the lack of physical fitness is more about mental failures than physical ones. He mentions the common excuses for not exercising, such as lack of time and laziness, and how fitness leaders have failed to address these issues effectively. The speaker introduces Dr. Mark Anshel, who proposed a new fitness major in Applied Exercise Psychology, suggesting that exercise is more about mental attitude than physical ability. The speaker shares his experience in putting people on exercise programs and concludes that exercise must be made a habit and a part of one's lifestyle. He advises working out every day for 20 minutes or less, focusing on resistance training to avoid boredom, and following the overload principle to continually challenge the body.
đ Exercise as Medicine
The speaker discusses the concept of exercise as a form of medicine, arguing that it can have a significant impact on health, rivaling the effects of prescribed medications. He points out that exercise can help prevent and treat various health issues, from common colds to cancer. The speaker stresses the importance of defining what fitness means to the individual, as generic fitness does not exist. He shares his experience in training different types of people, from professional athletes to plumbers, each requiring a unique approach to fitness. The speaker also discusses the difficulty in finding a universally accepted definition of fitness and how he developed his own to promote health. He suggests that people should measure their flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, and body fat to assess their fitness levels and recommends specific exercises and tests to do so.
đ Measuring and Motivating Fitness
In this paragraph, the speaker focuses on the importance of measuring and rewarding fitness to maintain motivation. He explains that without a clear understanding and measurement of fitness, it's challenging to stay motivated. The speaker suggests that people should work out every day for 20 minutes or less, first thing in the morning, and against resistance. He provides motivational principles such as defining fitness, measuring it, and rewarding oneself for achieving fitness goals. The speaker also discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health and how it can be a powerful tool for improving overall well-being. He concludes by encouraging the audience to incorporate exercise into their daily routine and to use the principles of measurement and reward to stay committed to their fitness journey.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄExercise
đĄObesity
đĄCoronary Artery Disease
đĄPhysical Fitness
đĄMotivation
đĄFunctional Movements
đĄOverload Principle
đĄCardiovascular Endurance
đĄBody Fat Percentage
đĄFlexibility
đĄLifestyle
Highlights
Exercise is crucial in preventing heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, all of which can be affected by obesity.
The first recorded heart attack in the U.S. was in 1896, a time when physical labor was more common.
The shift to urban living and mechanized labor has contributed to a decrease in physical activity and an increase in obesity-related health issues.
By the Korean War, many young soldiers showed significant blockage of coronary arteries, indicating a decline in heart health.
In 1956, the Eisenhower administration held a meeting to address the difficulty of finding fit young men for military service.
Fitness tests in schools revealed that 57.8% of American kids failed to meet basic physical fitness standards.
When the same fitness tests were administered globally, American kids had the highest failure rate at 57%, compared to 7% in Europe.
The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports was established to address the physical fitness crisis in the U.S.
Despite efforts, 40% of Americans still avoid exercise, and 50% who exercise are still in poor shape.
A study by the University of Indiana found that 57% of kids aged 6 to 17 fail fitness tests, with fitness levels worse than 30 years ago.
There's an alarming trend of young children showing signs of heart disease and what was once 'adult-onset diabetes' now affecting kids as young as four.
Experts warn that the current generation may have a shorter life expectancy than their parents or grandparents, a first in U.S. history.
Oregon has the highest obesity rate west of the Rockies, and budget cuts are impacting physical education in schools.
A report by the Oregon Health Policy Commission suggests that addressing childhood obesity requires influencing the behaviors of adults as well.
Common objections to exercising include lack of time and lack of motivation, with many admitting they are too lazy to exercise.
Exercise should not be just for fun; it must meet physiological requirements for intensity, duration, and frequency.
No single activity works the entire body adequately; a total body workout must be designed to ensure all muscles are exercised.
Dr. Mark Anshel's concept of Applied Exercise Psychology suggests that the fitness problem is more mental than physical.
Winning the mental battle for five consecutive years can lead to a sustainable exercise routine.
Exercise should be made a habit and a lifestyle, rather than a chore or a temporary commitment.
Working out every day is easier than working out three days a week, as it reduces the number of decisions about when to exercise.
Morning workouts are more likely to be completed and should be limited to 20 minutes or less to avoid injury and maintain consistency.
The overload principle in exercise physiology states that no benefit occurs until you get tired, requiring an increase in workload as fitness improves.
Diets are not effective for long-term weight management; focus on nutrition for health, not weight loss.
Defining and measuring fitness is crucial for motivation, with specific goals and regular assessments keeping individuals on track.
Rewarding physical fitness, whether through recognition or personal satisfaction, is a powerful motivator for maintaining an exercise routine.
Transcripts
[Applause]
is exercise
important heart disease cancer
diabetes one of the things they all have
in common is they can be affected by
obesity the first recorded heart attack
in this country was in
1896 in 1896 in this country you had to
get exercise they go to the bathroom
everybody lived on
farms well we got smart we started
building machines to help us get our
work done we moved to the cities and
started pushing buttons for a living and
pushing the wrong button could really
create a lot of stress and we started
noticing that people starting to die
from clogging the arteries by the Korean
War half the soldiers averaging 19 years
of age killed during that war showed
significant blockage of coronary
arteries 1956 the eisenhart
administration had a big meeting in
Washington DC the military was noticing
something funny starting to happen it
was becoming increasingly difficult to
find Young American men who could pass
the induction physicals for the military
they wanted to figure out who to blame
what's the problem they looked into the
public schools and some researchers had
done Fitness tests involving the uh
ability of our students at the high
school and Junior High School level to
perform what they call functional
movements just everyday things you might
have to do on your job in your lives
like uh you know can you bend over and
you touch your toes you know at 16 years
of age you should be able to put your
toes in your
mouth we thought that was the dumbest
idea anybody ever came up with to test
kids for physical fitness because we
thought that kids are fit just because
they're young 57.8% of our kids fail
that test we said that can't be right if
that's true we have the most unfit kids
in the world and folks that's just not
possible so they decided take the test
to the kids and give it to kids in
Europe 7%
fail ah they shop that test all over the
world could not find another group of
kids on the planet that had anywhere
close to a 7% failure rate on that test
a 57% failure rate on that
test he came back and started what
eventually became the president's
Council on physical fitness and sports
after over 40 years now everywhere you
turn somebody's been trying to put you
and your kids on exercise programs and
then we got another bright idea why
don't we check to see how fit we become
40% of us are still enthusiastically
avoiding
exercise 50% are exercising and still in
lousy shape about 10% are keeping
fit University of Indiana measured the
fitness level of 4 million kids between
six and 17 years of age and found in the
middle of all this hoopla about
exercise 57% of our kids are still
failing Fitness tests and fitness
leaders say they're worse now than they
were 30 years ago
we're finding 14 to 19 old kids with 40%
block at the coronary arteries what used
to be called adult onset diabetes is now
showing up in kids between four and 10
years of age they say we're raising the
first generation that will have a
shorter life expectancy than either
their parents or grandparents it has
never before happened in our history the
state of Oregon has the highest rate of
obesity of any state west of Rockies our
public schools are being gutted because
of budget cuts and the first thing we
always cut is physical education
they formed an Oregon Health policy
commission to tell us how to solve this
problem they published a 65-page report
which basically said we don't
know but they said
this children's behaviors are
substantially affected by the
influential adults in their lives
parents grandparents and teachers
efforts to address childhood obesity in
Oregon will not be successful unless
they also include interventions that
influence the healthy eating and
physical activity behaviors of adults as
well as children now they warded this
message down a bit in their final draft
but the idea was
out how many of you get all the exercise
you
need and if not why
not well the two most common objections
are what do you think it is number one I
don't have time every time we've asked I
don't have time number two and this
surprised me how often they stay and how
boldly they stated was I'm too lazy to
do it even when I do have
time or the way the way one guy in South
Carolina said it I swear after college
I'd never sweat
again let's just call it lack of
motivation but every time we in the
medical and fitness field had been bold
enough to ask why don't you do it you've
been incredibly honest and you've been
incredibly consistent you said two
things over and over and over and over
again I don't have time and I don't know
how to stay motivated to exercise and
you would think all medical and fitness
leaders who cared would have scheduled a
National Convention somewhere got into a
big room and said let's just solve these
two problems it has never happened as
Fitness leaders we're not trained to
deal with I don't have time and I don't
know how to stay motivated to exercise I
almost changed my major at the
University of North Carolina when I
heard some guy from California say
exercise to my wife is to take a bath
pull the plug and fight the current
what they teach us to say is yeah got to
make exercise fun you ever heard that
it's all over the place make it fun make
it folks over the past 39 years I put
over 10,000 Americans on exercise
programs and I'm here to tell you I've
learned a lot about exercise one of the
things I've learned is if what you're
doing for exercise is fun I guarantee
you you're not doing it right
there are physiological requirements
that must be met in order to benefit
from your exercise program whether you
like it or not the intensity the
duration the frequency of your exercise
are all more important than whether or
not it's fun you must work every muscle
in the body the cardiovascular system
flexibility muscle balance muscle
strength and there's no single activity
or exercise that we know of that
adequately Works your total body if you
don't sit down and design a total body
workout it isn't going to happen
so how do you solve this
problem well I got to meet Dr Mark
anchel Dr Mark anchel has a dual
professorship at Middle Tennessee State
University in
Murphysboro a dual professorship in the
department of psychology and Health and
Human
Performance he wrote an article
conceptualizing a new fitness major he
was going to call Applied exercise
psychology which would have been what I
majored in had it existed when I was in
school
but basically what he had done is wrote
an article to the uh Journal of the
board of uh sports psychology explaining
what he saw was justification for this
new fitness major and explaining the
problems he saw in physical fitness and
it almost exactly mirrored what I've
been speaking on for over 30 years to
the point where I wanted to meet this
guy so I flew back to to Nashville drove
down to Murphy's buror looked him up in
his office went up to him gave him a
great big bear hug and said you're my
hero and he called for security
and
uh no it no that didn't happen
but but I explained him what I was doing
and and and he was so appreciative of
that and and uh has a new book out and
promised to send me a new copy which I
haven't gotten yet um but uh but what he
basically said is this this Fitness
problem is more about our mental
failures than our physical
failures it's more about your head your
attitude than it is about your body he
said you just can't decide to exercise
and have it sustain you for the rest of
your life so your brain's going to fight
you you say I'm going to start an
exercise program your brain says what
are you
doing haven't we been down this
road look at
you look at your
dog but he says you have to win the
mental battle and it's tough one guy
said he got in his car decid to go to
the health club he got down to the
intersection the light turned red he
said that's a sign turned around and
went back home
but if you can win the mental battle for
five consecutive years you will never go
back to your previously sary lifestyle
but you got to keep it
up how do you win the psychological
battle associated with getting ourselves
to
exercise
well make it just that a lifestyle it
becom has to become a
habit now we know that rather than
working out every day excuse me seven
day three days a week the way we've been
taught working out seven days a week or
according to American College of sports
medicine work out most days or every day
I said thank you I've been saying that
for over 30 years see it's easier to
work out every day than it is to work
out three days a week three days a week
gives you too many
decisions Monday Wednesday Friday
Tuesday Thursday Saturday can I skip
today and double up
tomorrow folks if you're negotiating
about where the to work out it's
over do you work out first thing in the
morning you have a 300% greater chance
of getting it done than at any other
time of day because you have more
control over your schedule first day in
the morning than any other time of
day try to confine your workout time to
20 minutes or less the more time you
spend exercising the less likely you are
to do it and the more likely you are to
get injured will keep you from doing it
anyway and then work against resistance
if you work against resistance you get
tired faster now the most important rule
in exercise physiology is called the
overload principle it says no benefit
occurs in any exercise program until you
get tired the problem is as you get more
fit what happens to the amount of work
you have to do to get
tired it goes up in the public schools
they did studies on high school boys and
ask them to do as many push-ups as they
could every day until they get got tired
do that every day for a year the boys
who could do five push-ups on the first
day after year we're doing between 100
and 120 to get to the same level of
fatigue that five got them on the first
day we're talking Major League boredom
even if you do have time so then we said
we'll just go on a diet well folks the
quickest way I know to get an American
fat is to go on a
diet don't ever diet another day the
rest of your
life eat for nutrition never eat for
weight loss and never make any change in
the way you eat that you're not willing
to make permanent now there's a lot more
I want to talk about nutrition but for
lack of time let's just concentrate on
on physical fitness
today so s days a week first thing in
the morning plan to spend about 20
minutes or less and then work against
resistance so that as you become more
fit you don't spend more time you work
against more
resistance so how do you do that well I
was speaking to the university rotary
club in
Seattle and one of the members came up
when I was done and said I'm one of the
editors for prce Hall publishing we're
the largest publishing company in
America we have a waiting list of people
that want to write books on exercise
nobody is telling us how to stay
motivated and what you told us here
today makes more sense than anything
I've heard anywhere in the country we do
a book for my company on fitness
motivation and I said sure that was 30
years ago and I haven't gotten motivated
to do it
yet but what I said was this the problem
with Fitness is we don't know what
Fitness is and the reason we don't know
what Fitness is is because there's no
such thing as generic Fitness Fitness is
activity specific until you define what
you're trying to get fit for the term
has no meaning I've trained Portland
Trailblazers and I've trained Seattle
Seahawks I've trained real estate agents
and I've trained plumbers totally
different approach to Fitness depending
on what I'm trying to get done in that
fitness
program so what is the most universal
appeal I can make for physical fitness
and I came down with this health
exercise being called the best medicine
in America today outperforming almost
every prescribed medication in the
country in terms of its overall impact
on our health everything from coals and
flu to cancer is being impacted by
exercise but you can't just pay lip
service to the idea you actually have to
do
it so how much Fitness do we need in
order to be healthy I said no problem
I'll go to The Experts I went to the
medical school library in Portland to
look up how fit you have to be to stay
healthy and for the most part could find
virtually nothing written on the subject
some information on aerobic exercise but
other than that there was nothing there
so I went and talked with
physiologist that I had known and and
read about and asked them their in
definition about physical fitness and
there are already tests and Norms that
had been established for the components
that could make up Total Physical
Fitness but nobody ever packaged it and
said this is the level of Fitness he
wanted to have so that's exactly what I
did I put together what I contended was
a level of Fitness sufficient to stay
healthy and for 14 years took my
definition around the medical societies
and College physiology departments
trying to get somebody to disagree with
me and to date have not found one
disagreement on one item on my test so I
turned it into a business that's still
going now in in uh in Beav in
Oregon and then I wanted to get it even
out farther to the general public so I
got on the speaker sech and start
teaching the general public how to
measure their own physical
fitness that be will be sufficient to
impact your health both physical and
mental health by the
way and the test which you'll believe
will have a copy of later says this
here's your test that you can do at home
I want you to be flexible enough to sit
on the floor with your legs straight and
reach your fingertips at least 5 Ines
past your toes most men can't touch
their toes some of you haven't seen them
in 5
years why is flexibility that big a deal
because one of the leading causes of not
showing up for work in America is my
back hurts 85% of the back pain in
America today is being traced to people
with tight back muscles caused by weak
stomach muscles because you sit so
much when the stomach muscles go on
vacation the back muscles have to work
overtime they tighten up you been over
to pick up a pencil and you all work for
6
weeks strengthen your abdominal muscles
and stretch your lower back in 85% of an
80 to 100 billion doll problem will
either lessen or go away completely but
none of you can strengthen your
abdominal muscles by taking Don's
pills you have to
exercise I want you to have enough
cardio vas endurance to be able to step
up and down on a 16 and a qu inch box
chair or stool or an 8 in stare for
three consecutive minutes take the Pulse
for 15 seconds and multiply the Beats by
four if your pulse is higher than 144
beats a minute for men or 156 beats a
minute 156 beats a minute for women on a
16 and a qu inch step you just fail the
test and 75% of the people in this room
if you're typical will fail that test a
lot of you Runners don't have good
cardiovascular fitness but nobody's been
explain that to you that test will and
it's not my test I didn't make it up
it's out there being used by the
research community and then finally keep
track of your body fat one lady started
a 15 m a week jogging program with
lightweight training hoping to lose
weight she gain 8 lbs but drop Six dress
sizes because muscle is heavier than fat
and takes up less space this is a
skinfold caliber I've been taking it
everywhere I go every time I speak for
over 30 years it measures subcutaneous
body fat half the fat in your body is
stored directly beneath the skin I can
pinch the thickness of your skin and the
upper back and the thigh for men upper
arm and the waistline for women I can
fairly accurately tell you how much body
fat you have women shouldn't carry more
than 20% men no more than 15% if you're
carrying more than that you tend to be
more prone to everything from Co and flu
to cancer and by the way for you
researchers this is Sloan's formula that
I'm using for estimating body fat and
I'll be happy to stay around at the end
of the day and do body fat percentages
for anybody who wants to have that done
it's the quickest way I know to clear
the
room and if you don't have a skinfold
caliber keep track of your body shape if
you're losing inches but you're not
losing pounds what are you losing fat
and that's a good thing so keep track of
your shape for men you should at least
drop your keep track of your waistline
if you're dropping body fat you almost
always are dropping the waistline
measurement for men it's excuse me for
women it's the hip measurement keep
track of your hip measurement I found if
you're dropping body fat you almost
always are dropping the hip measurement
so your body's giving you the
information you need to motivate you but
you have to know how to read your body
this is stuff we should have taught you
back in grade school and we didn't a
major price for it as a nation and
finally don't forget to fit exercise
into your busy schedule three basic
things you want to
remember with doing that number
one I want you to work out every
day I want you to work out first thing
in the
morning every day first thing in the
morning 20 minutes or less and then work
against resistance but here are the
motivational principles that I want say
I want you
to um Define what Fitness
is until you gain agreement about what
you're trying to do
you're in deep
trouble two then I want you to measure
Fitness measuring Fitness is a way of
identifying what the need is focusing on
the need is the thing that motivates you
to do it and take it
seriously and three I want you to reward
physical
fitness isn't that important to get
recognition for doing it I found one of
the most effective reward tools I've
ever found for physical fitness is the
belief that you're intrinsically doing
something that will impact your health
it is the most powerful reason for
exercise but beyond
that here's what comes in number two
little sticker stars and paper
certificates some of the top Executives
in the state of Oregon I've had
rearranging our schedule to get their
next Dicker
star this stuff works okay so Define
Fitness measure Fitness and reward
Fitness thank you
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