Our nation’s determined band of wellness revolutionaries has rallied around a wonderfully succinct and effective policy slogan: Make the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice.

In the context of promoting physical activity, the “easy choice” varies depending on the environment. At the workplace, for example, the “easy choice” might mean taking an authorized exercise break during the day, using a treadmill desk, or conducting walking meetings. At home, the “easy choice” could be a stroll along a well-lit and safe walking path leading to a marketplace.

As more and more policymakers consider whether their decisions make it easier or harder for Americans to make the “healthy choice,” the barriers to exercise will be chiseled down, and we will become a more active nation.

But I would like to add a parenthetical to strengthen the slogan.

Something like this: Make the Healthy Choice, the Easy (and Happy) Choice

In many cases, it’s not enough to create an “easy choice,” if the “easy choice” will not add happiness to the chooser’s life. For example, IHRSA (my employer) could install a 30-foot climbing wall inside my cubicle, but as someone whose blood pressure increases rapidly the further my shoes get from the ground, I would never climb the wall because climbing it would detract mightily from my happiness.  IHRSA couldn’t make it any easier, but I still wouldn’t do it.

Now, of course, “happiness” is a complex emotion, and there may be as many forms of happiness are there are people on the planet (e.g. here are plenty of happy things related to physical activity), but there are some basic human tendencies to consider when crafting “the easy (and happy) choice.”

1. Sometimes we want to go where everybody knows our name.

The secret weapon of many successful health clubs is the friendly front-desk person who seems genuinely pleased to see you and greets you by name. It’s nice to feel welcomed and valued. That quick interaction makes us feel happy and more likely to seek out a similar interaction in the future.

2.  Exercise is easier with a buddy or two (or ten…)

A long, lonesome walk can be inspiring, but it can also just be long and lonesome. On the other hand, a long talk with a buddy on a walking trail can fly right by, and satisfy a common need for social engagement (not just the kind over a network) and physical activity. For many people, easy choices are made easier when buddies are involved.  

3. Aesthetics matter

A treadmill desk in a dank office with peeling paint is a crummy option. Sure, it might provide easy access for time-saving physical activity, but it’s a downer, and not likely to put on many miles. A climate-controlled office, however, full of fun pictures, perhaps of employees or the local sports heroes, can be a happy place, and happy places compel return visits.

What are some other ways we can inject more happiness into the easy choices?

Written by: J. Nadine Gracia, MD, MSCE; Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health

Cross-posted from the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition blog

Fitness is a word that means something different to everyone.  For some, it’s a necessity.  A prerequisite for health and wellbeing.  For others, it’s a journey.  A work in progress.  An aspiration.  An opportunity.

For me, fitness is exhilaration: the rush of bursting from the blocks at the start of a 200m race; the thrill of sprinting down a basketball court in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.  Sports, I found as a shy teenager – and as one of the few students of color at my high school – was a means of expressing myself that often seemed truer than anything else, and an outlet that opened up so many more doors of opportunity.  As an athlete, I learned lessons about leadership, teamwork, and perseverance that remain with me to this day.

But committing to physical fitness doesn’t have to mean running laps on a track, stepping onto a basketball court, or even joining a gym.  It doesn’t have to involve fancy equipment or expensive gear.  And it doesn’t mean winning races or setting records.  Physical fitness, as I have told kids and parents in my work as a pediatrician, is for everyone.  No matter what you look like, where you come from, or what your means, you can get active and get moving.  You can make physical activity a way of life.  You can improve your health, and jumpstart a better future. 

In the face of our country’s obesity epidemic, it is more important than ever that we inspire kids and families to make physical fitness a lifelong habit.  Perhaps more than any other health issue, obesity provides a clear example of the racial and ethnic health disparities that have been so costly for communities of color and for our country as a whole.  Minorities are far more likely than the rest of the population to be overweight and obese – and to suffer from related conditions, including diabetes and heart disease. Studies show that minority adults are less likely to be physically active.  Students of color are less likely to attend physical education classes on a regular basis.

Even as the Affordable Care Act is reducing health disparities by making health care more affordable, strengthening access to quality care, and promoting prevention and wellness, we know that minorities face many more barriers to health and fitness.  They also face challenges in many of the places where they live, work, learn, and play – places where the social determinants of health are stacked against our most vulnerable and underserved communities.  I heard the stories and worries of the parents of my patients as they told me that their neighborhoods and playgrounds weren’t safe for their kids to play in. 

But while these issues are complicated, they are not impossible to overcome.  That is why, under the leadership of First Lady Michelle Obama, our administration has declared an ambitious goal: solving childhood obesity within a generation. 

The First Lady’s Let’s Move! campaign is bringing together community leaders, elected officials, educators, health professionals, faith leaders, business leaders, parents, and even kids themselves to bring an end to childhood obesity. 

As schools are stepping up to serve healthier food in their cafeterias, and businesses are working to ensure that more Americans have access to healthy food, elected officials, faith-based organizations, and community groups are finding ways to promote physical activity in their communities.  And with the recent launch of the Let’s Move! Active Schools initiative, we are working to bring physical activity back to schools across the nation – because there is no better place to get kids moving, and no better way to inspire them to be physically active for a lifetime. 

Already, we are seeing communities and states make great strides in finding new ways to help kids get healthy.  But there remains so much more work to be done.  In the movement to bring physical activity into all our lives, and raise healthier generations in all our communities, there are many more opportunities yet.  To learn more and join in, visit www.LetsMove.gov and www.Fitness.gov. 

Aging used to be simple: People were born, moved through childhood into adolescence and adulthood, through midlife into old age (if they lived that long), and then died. They often established a home, a family and a vocation, before retiring to live out their “declining” years. Today, with 30-plus years added to the life span, a new view of aging has emerged—one filled with anticipation and accomplishment. Standing in the way of optimal aging, however, is that familiar foe: ageism. Whether the older adult is viewed as a burden to family and society or as a “superhero,” unrealistic perceptions of aging can, and do, have a negative impact on the mental and physical health of this population. The media and marketers use fear-based communications to sell “anti-aging” products and services, driving home the message that aging - a natural process in life - is negative and should be fought every step of the way.

The reality is we are all aging. And we all will experience old age, if we’re lucky enough to live that long.

While negative portrayals and messages of aging are common when marketers and the media address the older market, most of the time this population is practically invisible to them. Only five percent of marketing dollars are spent on individuals over age 50. Together with the lack of inclusive, appropriate products, this neglect can make older consumers feel irrelevant, even though they have money to spend.

What the media and marketers miss in all the above is the reality. By addressing the real challenges that older adults face and fulfilling the opportunities they desire for lifelong experiences, you and your organization can significantly impact the self-perception of these consumers and their quality of life, as well as the way others perceive them. To do so requires you and your staff, your organization and your suppliers to become advocates for this consumer group. How? Promote the message and language of autonomy, while fostering a “can do” attitude among customers. You will see a return on this investment in many ways, from consumer loyalty, to increased business, to a positive position in the greater community.

Of course, to achieve the above, you may also need to address perceptions within your organization. Columbia University's International Longevity Center in New York points out four categories of ageism: personal, institutional, intentional and unintentional. Living in an ageist society, we are often unaware of how stereotypes of aging shape our perceptions of older adults. Greater sensitivity begins with increased awareness.

Bottom line, perceptions become reality. The only way to change old perceptions is to create a new reality.

A thought to ponder: What is the societal cost of ageism and exclusion, versus self-empowerment and inclusion?