Physical activity is widely recognized as an important element in human health, yet the majority of Americans of all sizes remain sedentary. Part of the problem may lie in the "Old Paradigm" approaches used to encourage people to become more active. As Thomas Moore writes in Care of the Soul:

"Usually we are told how much time to spend at a certain exercise, what heart rate to aim for, and which muscle to focus on for toning . . . If we could loosen our grip on the mechanical view of our own bodies and the body of the world, many other possibilities might come to light . . . Body exercise is incomplete if it focuses exclusively on muscle and is motivated by the ideal of a physique unspoiled by fat."¹

Efforts to help people increase their physical activity have usually emphasized a biomedical, fear-driven, exercise-oriented approach. We have promoted "exercise" as a way to reshape the body, to lose weight, to get "in shape" and to prevent disease.  In fact, exercise and physical activity are not one and the same as the following definitions cleartly show.²

        PHYSICAL ACTIVITY:  Any bodily movement that results in energy expenditure

        EXERCISE: Physical activity done expressly for the purpose of improving or maintaining physical fitness

The focus on "exercise" ignores the historical reality that for the vast majority of time during which we have been a species, humans have remained fit as a result of engaging in physical activity as part of the normal course of everyday life. Our lives have become more and more sedentary as a result of the invention of labor saving devices and the desire to eliminate the toils of daily physical labor.  As  a result we find ourselves in the awkward position of needing to add "exercise" (and the time to do it) back into our lives - lives that are already overburdoned and overfilled.

In a typical scenario, we may drive 3 miles to work, circle round and round the parking lot to get a good spot, go upstairs and sit behind a computer all day, come out at 5 o'clock, drive over to the fitness center, and drive round and round the parking lot to get a good spot, only to go in and walk on a motorized treadmill or stationary exercise bike! The lack of success for most people of this approach is not difficult to understand. Time is already in short supply and for many people, this feels like one more thing that "must be done."

The New Paradigm Approach focuses on promoting movement that is social, playful and pleasurable and includes activities connected with everyday living such as walking and gardening.  While this does not rule out fitness clubs and more sports-oriented activities, the focus is on movement for enjoyment, camaraderie and improved quality of life, not calorie burning and weight loss.³ Many still people believe that the most important reason to engage in physical activity is to change the outward appearance of their body. Unfortunately, exercise is not a particularly effective weight loss technique. When people fail to lose pounds quickly they often stop participating and lose the opportunity of obtaining the many other benefits that are possible.

Health care professionals can discuss physical activity with clients with a de-emphasis on the changing of outward appearance and weight loss. In fact, evidence supports that physical activity can positively affect health and longevity regardless of weight status, ^4,5and recent research suggests that:

"if you're fit . . . being 25 or even 75 pounds overweight is perfectly healthy. And if you aren't fit, being slim gives you no protection whatsoever."⁶

In addition, the Health At Every Size movement acknowledges the prevalence of sedentary living in our society as largely a cultural phenomenon that can be significantly impacted only by addressing cultural barriers.⁷ This is especially true for larger individuals, many of whom are deterred from engaging in physical activity by fear of the ridicule and humiliation that they have endured as a regular, ongoing part of their lives.⁸ For many such individuals, movement can be a means of beginning to rediscover and reconnect to the bodies they have been taught to hate and ignore.⁹
 

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