I would like to apply the principles of persuasion to change behavior so that most people exercise more. Let’s Move!, First Lady Michelle Obama’s initiative to tackle childhood obesity, for example, targets increasing physical activity as one of the five pillars of the initiative (Letsmove, 2015). While the emphasis is on kids, the behavior and attitudes of adults, particularly parents, will in large part determine the success of the program for their children.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics (2015), less than half of Americans achieve the federal guidelines for aerobic activity, and only about 20% meet the guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities. The numbers are worse for the young, the elderly, and minorities. This not only leaves us prone to obesity, but to lifestyle-related health problems such as heart disease, as well as making us lousy role models for our children. The physical activity guidelines for adults (ODPHP, 2015) include doing either 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity or a combination. This is just 30 minutes per day of moderate or 15 minutes per day of vigorous aerobic activity, five days per week. In addition, the guidelines recommend muscle strengthening of moderate to high intensity, involving all major muscle groups, at least two days per week. These seem like pretty easy goals to meet. It is kind of sad that not even half of us are doing this much. So my plan is to persuade people to achieve this minimal level of exercise or physical activity, if they are not meeting these guidelines currently.

There are many potential opportunities associated with persuading people to exercise more. Physical activity does not have to be boring, and at this level is not likely to be strenuous. For those who have health problems, they can start small and build up gradually. These potential opportunities include the use of medical professionals to explain the specific risks and benefits for their particular patients who may be couch potatoes; the presence of wellness facilities associated with hospitals for patients who need to increase activity while being closely monitored; the presence of parks and gyms for those who are healthy enough to exercise freely; the possibility of organizing group activities for those who would like to socialize; the use of music and/or videos for those who prefer to be entertained either alone or in small groups; a variety of apps to track progress; the use of public service announcements to motivate people, showing active people having fun; the use of schools to encourage children to involve their parents; the organization of friendly competitions such as are seen on TV shows such as The Biggest Loser (not the whole show, that’s a crazy level of competition; but the individual competitions for small prizes that include activities that are usually quite creative) or The Amazing Race (again, individual activities, not the whole crazy competition); dance events such as square dancing or ballroom dancing; and many more. Really, this is such an area of interest now and so important to the nation’s health that the opportunities are only limited by the imagination.

Probably the number one potential pitfall is not enough time. Other pitfalls include people trying to do too much too soon, particularly if they begin as total couch potatoes; and people not thinking they are able to do much, particularly if they have health issues. If people become injured, that will stop their new habits in their tracks, so it is important to design programs and stepwise goals to avoid injury or setbacks if at all possible, but to make activities challenging so that people have fun.

As far as the time issue, nobody has enough time; nobody sits around staring into the middle distance with literally nothing to do. Exercise has to be valued enough to be prioritized; there is going to have to be some juggling of current activities. However, if you love TV, use stationary equipment while watching; if you love video games, play those that require physically active participation; work stations can be modified for standing or walking while working; and some people may prefer to do their 30 minutes in small increments, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or finding a far parking spot and walking across the lot to the store (both of which may actually save time). If you have been wanting to prioritize spending time with your children, activities you can do as a family may help draw you closer together. Thus with a few relatively minor lifestyle adjustments, the objections to taking up “so much time” can be overcome.