Friday, February 27, 2009

Get Off Your Butt and on Your Feet

Scientists that include a group of paleontologists and students directed by John W.K. Harris of Rutgers University in collaboration with the National Museums of Kenya have found the oldest evidence of a human footprint, one they've dated at approximately 1.5 million years ago.

The New York Times article, Prints Show a Modern Foot in Prehumans, by John Noble Wilford, details the discovery  that  helps to explain that "human ancestors had adapted the ability for long-distance walking and running."

If the recent trends for human activity continue, finding footprints will be harder than ever. In most of the U.S. human kind is spending more time on their butts.

Walking and running were a huge advantage is the evolution of human kind. The best walkers and runners prospered from their improved opportunities being upright and agile. A good stride and the ability to move easily could make the difference between life and death. 

Things have changed. Except for the athletes among us, most Americans are no longer moving their bodies the way they were designed to be moved. We've become a culture addicted to screen-time and the result could be deadly. 

For the first time in America, it's likely that if obesity trends persist, this generation of young people will die at a younger age that their parents. Currently one third of all American's under age 18 are either overweight or obese. Eighty percent of the youth that are obese grow up to become obese adults.

This information is so disturbing that my family supports the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, an alliance between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation to combat childhood obesity. My daughter, Isabella Acosta Barna is a volunteer on the Alliance's Youth Advisory Board and encourages other kids to live a healthy lifestyle. You can read about her activities on her blog.  

I believe strongly that a healthy, strong foot and optimal gait are part of the foundation of a healthy life. I write this blog to help people realize the importance of foot health and how to achieve their best results.

Call for an appointment: 541-389-4547


1 comment:

Orthotics Cranberry said...

Footprints in the sand and footprints remarkably recorded.