Lincoln in Motion supports Active Living as a goal for our community residents. Active Living is a way of life that integrates physical activity into daily routines. The goal is to accumulate at least 30 minutes of activity per day. Individuals may do this in a variety of ways, such as walking or bicycling for transportation, exercise or pleasure; playing in the park; working in the yard; taking the stairs; and using recreational facilities. Moderately intense, daily physical activity, such as bicycling or walking, has long been recognized as an essential ingredient of a healthy life. Yet many Americans, both young and old, lead a sedentary lifestyle. Our workplaces and routine activities are increasingly automated. Many jobs require workers to spend hours at a desk. We use the automobile as our primary means of travel, even for short trips.

(Robert Wood Johnson Foundation : Leadership for Active Living, Leadership Action Strategies).

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To prevent disease, we ask people to do things that they have not previously done, to stop doing things they have been doing for years, and to do more of some things and less of other things. It is unreasonable to expect that people will change their behaviors easily when so many forces in the social, cultural, and physical environment conspire against such change. If successful programs are to be developed, then attention must be given not only to the behavior of people but also to the policies and the environment in which they live:
    Promote stairwell use instead of elevators
    Pass legislation or policy requiring daily physical activity for grades K-12
    Design transportation infrastructure and public policy that supports active modes of transportation, such as walking and biking. (Guidelines for Comprehensive Programs to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity, Nutrition and Physical Activity Work Group, 2002). Such programs are often less costly per person and may last longer than behavior change programs alone.

In order to encourage active living, we must make the healthy choice the easy choice. Activities such as walking, biking, gardening, climbing stairs, and playing can be fit into people's daily lives once the conditions are right. These conditions include nearness to safe and pleasing places, social support and policies that favor non-motorized travel. (California's Physical Activity and Health Initiative, CA Dept. of Health Services and The Institute for Health and Aging, UC San Francisco)

The ability to be physically active is in part dependent on how we design and build our human environment. Many argue that "urban sprawl" has contributed to "waistline sprawl" in that it supports an automobile-friendly environment rather than an environment where other modes of active transport (walking, cycling, other non-motorized vehicles) are encouraged. Indeed, the percentage of people who are overweight or obese increases as the number of daily miles traveled on foot decreases. (Washington State Policies to Make it Easy to Move: Promoting Health through Urban Planning proposals)

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Policy and environmental interventions are designed to improve the health of all people, not just small groups of motivated or high-risk individuals. Policy changes mean modifications to laws, regulations, formal and informal rules, and standards of practice. Policy change might occur at the worksite, the community level (school system), or at the society level (legislation). These policies may result in a change in the environment to support physical activity.

Environmental change means that the physical and/or social environments are changed to provide new or better supports for healthy behaviors. In the case of physical activity it might mean new sidewalks or signage supporting the usage of stairs. (North Carolina Blueprint for Changing Policies and Environments In Support of Increased Physical Activity, Eat Smart, Move More, North Carolina, NC Dept. of Health and Human Services)

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Increased physical activity by our community's residents can help with community wide goals. For example, if a person walks instead of drives, they are being more physically active, and have also contributed to a reduction in traffic congestion, air pollution, and ozone and carbon monoxide particulates in the air. There can be an impact on other issues including global climate change, crime reduction and an increase in community service. (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Healthy Places, Healthy People. Promoting Public Health and Physical Activity Through Community Design, Report of an Expert's Meeting, 2000)

We don't walk or bicycle as much as we used to, partly because our communities, designed around the automobile, lack walkways, bikeways, and opportunities to use transit that would accommodate and encourage such activity. Even where facilities exist, features that support driving, such as wide roads and intersections, large parking lots and drive-through businesses, create an environment that is uncomfortable and unsafe for non-motorists.

Spread-out, isolated destinations typical of car-oriented suburban development also discourage walking and bicycling. For many people, it is no longer possible to walk to the grocery for milk or to walk from work to a restaurant for lunch.

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Individual behavior is influenced by many factors and sectors of society. In order to change behavior we need to address it within multiple sectors and on multiple levels. For example, how we design new neighborhoods, where we locate schools and other community facilities, and how we build new streets and sidewalks all affect our ability to engage in daily physical activity. Look for ways to get involved! If more citizens became involved in public hearings and planning meetings, there might be a way to encourage development and systems that encourage physical activity. If you support policies that are activity friendly, you might consider seeking placement on a local board or in an office that has the decision-making power to affect these changes.

Active living communities encourage and accommodate routine daily physical activity, especially walking and bicycling. Active living communities remove barriers to and provide opportunities that support physical activity as part of normal, daily routines. Our community can be made more activity friendly through approaches to
    Transportation facilities and services
    Land-use planning and development
    School sites, facilities, and policies
    Recreation facilities, parks and trails
    Safety, security and crime prevention
    Programming that promotes active living

(Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Leadership for Active Living, A Primer on Active Living for Government Officials)

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Changing and enacting policies to support physical activity may include working with many different departments and government leaders including:
    City Council
    County Commissioners
    Planning Commission
    Lincoln and State Board of Education
    Department of Parks and Recreation
    Planning Department
    Transportation Department
    Lincoln/Lancaster County Health Department
    Lincoln Police Department
    Lincoln Public Schools
    Lower Platte South Natural Resource District Board
    NE Department of Roads

The transportation department plays a major role in the way our roadways accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists. A balanced transportation system makes it possible for residents to walk or ride a bicycle to a store, school or work. The way communities are designed and built influences residents' ability to engage in routine physical activity. Compact neighborhoods with connecting streets and sidewalks and a mix of uses make it easy for residents to walk or bicycle to their destinations. Education officials influence children's physical activity levels in several important ways. Where schools are located plays a large part in whether or not children can walk or bike to them. School curricula can educate children about the health benefits of active living and enable daily opportunities for physical activity. Neighborhood parks that are within walking and biking distance of a person's home or work can promote greater physical activity. Trails that link homes, work, commercial centers, public transit and community facilities provide safe and attractive thoroughfares for pedestrians and bicyclists. In order to create an environment that fosters active living, a community must reduce crime and fear of pedestrian and bicycle injuries related to traffic. (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Leadership for Active Learning, Leadership Action Strategies)

Lincoln in Motion encourages you to take a look at the policies and environment in your community and engage in ways to make them more encouraging of physical activity.

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