“The world may run out of oil and gas, but we will always have the sun and the wind.”
- Daniel Miller (Amish businessman)
I was recently in Lancaster, PA, and could not help but notice, not only the horse and buggy I was driving behind (I didn’t beep…honestly), but also the Amish walking, biking, and working hard in the fields, on the farms, in their shops, and around their homes. Constant motion was the constant. I doubt that “sedentary” would describe any of them, at any age. There was no time in front of television, computers, or video games - and I did not see a single iPod.
The Amish have been “green” well before it became vogue. Horse and buggy instead of cars. Candlelight at home. Solar panels and windmills to generate energy. They leave a carbon footprint the size of a gnat.
This lifestyle pattern that I observed firsthand has also been scientifically studied, with some very meaningful and telling results.
Dr. David Bassett, from the University of Tennessee, monitored physical activity and other health related parameters in both Amish adults and children, and compared them to the rest of us.
Although the Amish typically shun all outside sources of energy, they have no shortage of internal energy when it comes to using their bodies.
They don’t have health clubs, and a personal trainer would certainly go out of business if they had to rely on Amish communities for clients. So how do the Amish do it? The answer is simple — the old fashioned way.
Amish men averaged 10 hours of vigorous activity daily. Using a pedometer it was determined that Amish men take over 18,000 steps a day and Amish women, despite usually being homemakers, logged over 14,000 steps a day. Their activity levels amounted to six times the amount of weekly physical activity of adults in most modernized nations.
In addition only 4% of the Amish were obese, and only 26% were overweight, compared to the USA stats where approximately 30% are obese, and over 60% overweight!
In a second study of Amish children, Dr. Bassett found similar healthy trends. The Amish youth had extremely high levels of physical activity, and obesity was rare - not exactly the snapshot of our average American child.
One fairly remarkable study finding was that in the Amish community, the number of steps taken per day was the same for children and adults. In sharp contrast, in “modern” America, not only are our children much less active (than their Amish counterparts), but activity levels steadily decline into adulthood, where sedentary behavior rules. This is a major health issue since being sedentary is as dangerous to your health as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.
I knew the Amish were a strong, fit bunch but I was surprised there was not more obesity, given their relatively high fat, high sugar, meat and potato, cake and pie diet. Hence the power of physical activity combined with moderation.
Despite the above, and I don’t think you’ll be seeing “The Amish Diet” or “The Amish Workout” book anytime soon.
The real take-home message is that just being more active and avoiding sedentary behavior can go a long long way toward improving your overall health profile. Planned exercise sessions are important but on days where there are time constraints or other issues, don’t fret — just keep moving.
This fits with Dr. Stephen Blair’s scientific body of work from the Cooper Clinic in which he showed that individuals who were relatively “active” (i.e. avoid sedentary behavior) reaped significant health benefits in terms of longevity and disease prevention. They almost did as well as those involved in planned daily exercise routines. The key is to look for ways in everyday life to keep moving. Take a walk (even at the airport), use the stairs, wash your car, and mow the lawn. It all adds up and will complement those trips to the gym.
FitTip: Sometimes we must take a few steps backwards to move ourselves forward.