don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

One of my favorite philosophers is Calvin, the amazing six-year-old creation of Bill Watterson's late and much lamented cartoon strip "Calvin and Hobbes." One of Calvin's strips I still think about and quote in my REAL wellness presentations dealt with the meaning of life -- a topic quite germane to anyone concerned with boosting quality of life rather than just health status. In it, Calvin and his imaginary playmate, Hobbes, are standing on a sidewalk when Calvin proposes a hypothetical situation for Hobbes to ponder:

Let's say that life is this square of the sidewalk. We are born at this crack and we die at that crack. Now we find ourselves somewhere inside the square and in the process of walking outside of it. Suddenly, we realize our time in here is fleeting. Is our quick experience here pointless? Does anything we say or do in here really matter? Have we done anything important? Have we been happy? Have we made the most of these precious few footsteps?

Worksite wellness professionals and other coaches and mentors should raise this kind of question, in their own fashion, now and again. Like Calvin, everyone wonders if anything we say or do really matters, if we have done anything important, if, in short, we have made a difference? I suspect most worksite wellness promoters and other health educators of varied kinds have a hard time convincing themselves they have. I'm not sure about this, either. What do you think?

A few years ago, a study indicated that what we say does matter, what we've done is important and what we do does make a difference! It seems that as little as three hours of counseling over a two-year period can make an impact, if not on meaning of life matters that Calvin raised, at least on adult physical fitness. The two-year research project compared three types of education and counseling, all varying in intensity. Sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, the findings suggested that all manner of counseling seems to work equally well for increasing the amount of physical activity. A special focus of the research findings was targeted to medical doctors, who were urged to engage in such counseling with patients. A summary of the study appeared in the August 8, 2001 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"The study shows that doctors and their medical staff can help their patients, especially women, increase their physical fitness and that such an effort doesn't take much time," said NHLBI Director Dr. Claude Lenfant. This should encourage promoters of healthy lifestyles, in addition to motivating doctors to offer such advice.

The following passage from the Report sums things rather well, it seems to me:

Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease and high blood pressure, and contributes to overweight and obesity. Federal recommendations call for adults to engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking, on five or more days of the week. But, according to the 1996 Surgeon General's Report, Physical Activity and Health, 26.9 percent of women and 21.4 percent of men age 18 or older engage in no leisure-time physical activity.

If doctors and others act on these findings, we could expect major health gains. With such gains, health promoters and medical doctors working with sick and/or sedentary people should expect to make a difference.

However, on the bigger meaning of life questions Calvin put to his friend Hobbes, more research is needed. LOTS more research.

Be well, enjoy and look on the bright side of life.

Note: Earlier versions of this essay appeared here on August 15, 2001 and September 1, 2003. If I'm still going at the time, you might see it here again around October 30, 2012.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the PHYSICAL DOMAIN under the skill area of exercise and fitness. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

 Send e-mail to Don Ardell