What criteria do you use to judge the quality of a day?

For me, it’s a simple question: Did I do three fun physical activities today?

I call it my Principle of 3 Fun Things. And, it was something that I stumbled upon in my early twenties.

No matter what other circumstances are going on, if I can tally doing three different types of exercise, than it was a stellar day.

We’re not talking, crazy off-the-wall activities either. I’m not living the Point Break lifestyle out here in Portland. BASE jumping, motorcycle racing, and big wave surfing, aren’t my thing.

It’s much more mundane than that.

Did I walk the dogs with my wife? Did I hang on my gymnastics rings? Did I kick about on my skateboard?

Any combo of movement will do the trick.

It could be going for a morning jog, hitting the bouldering gym after lunch, and then doing some yoga at night. Biking to the store for groceries, messing around on the parallettes, and then stretching during a movie could work too. Often, it’s jamming through a garage workout, walking through the neighborhood, and then doing mobility drills after dinner.

Of course, the Principle of 3 Fun Things doesn’t rely on any sensors or digital counters to log the movement. It’s 100% analog.

The activities are never planned out strictly. They just happen organically. How I’m feeling that day, and what else is going on in life generally determines what type of movement occurs.

To be honest, hitting the goal of three fun things rarely happens on a daily basis. In fact, it probably only occurs a handful of times per month. I end up doing at least one, often two, different types of movement or exercise each day, but three is often a stretch.

If I’ve done two different activities, and there is still time in the day, a little mental alarm goes off:

You still have time! Jam over to the park to train some plyometics. Work on your front lever progression. Do some kettlebell swings.

Squeeze in ONE MORE type movement, and TODAY WILL HAVE BEEN A KICK-BUTT DAY!

I know it probably sounds like I’m an obsessive exerciser, but it’s not like that.

Like many of you, I simply love to move.

Life presents so many barriers to how and when you use your body. You get trapped behind a desk. You get stuck in traffic.

Before you know it, you’re suffering from movement poverty.

Don’t think about the Principle of 3 Fun Things as a fitness ultimatum. It’s not meant to help you lose weight or get in better shape. There is no shame in failure for this one.

Think of it as a lifestyle goal. Our bodies crave movement. Giving in to this craving is one of the best pleasures we can enjoy.

There are already so many other exercise guidelines out there, and there is no need for you to be bogged down by another one. Instead, let the Principle of 3 Fun Things sit on a shelf in the back of your mind. Let it whisper to you, encouraging a diverse and entertaining take on fitness.

Let’s see if we can do 3 fun physical activities today.

The public health community uses the term “food desert” to describe neighborhoods that lacks easy access to fresh fruit, veggies, and other items that constitute a healthy diet. These are places where you can’t readily walk, drive, or take the bus to a nearby supermarket or well-stocked grocery store. If you’re hungry, you’ll have to buy food at a convenience store or a fast food chain – not your best options if you are trying watch what you eat. Not surprisingly, if you live in a food desert, your health is at risk especially due to diabetes and obesity.

The concept of a food desert is a useful tool for understanding how your environment and nutrition fit together. It’s time we apply the same framework to the intersection of the environment and your level of physical activity.

5 Signs of a Physical Activity Desert

1. Automobile dominance

   Multilane roadways and high car volume aren’t conducive to pedestrian traffic. In such places, just trying to cross the street on foot or on your bicycle can be a life or death experience. It’s hard to be active if you’re constantly worried about being run over!

2. Broken sidewalks

   Rolling your ankle or being pushed out into traffic don’t make great incentives to walking or jogging. And, in low-income neighborhoods, poor sidewalk conditions are associated with higher rates of obesity. Access to safe walkways is one foundation to frequent physical activity.

3. Lack of parks and other recreation facilities

   This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but children living in areas without access to parks or recreation facilities are less active than those in other neighborhoods. Remember food deserts. Proximity and access to safe movement opportunities are essential if you want to be more physically active.

4. Bad lighting and nowhere to sit

   The built environment might not have as profound an influence on your health as food security, employment, or other stressors, yet it’s still a piece of the puzzle. Without good lighting, exercising at night isn’t as safe. Without park benches and other places to sit, children and older adults don’t have a place to rest when they’re tired. What’s the result? Less physical activity.

5. Urban blight

   Abandoned buildings and empty lots don’t make for an attractive environment. People are drawn outside when an area is well maintained and lined with trees. It’s not just an aesthetics thing either. A street’s appearance provides clues about the safety of a neighborhood. The threat of crime is a powerful disincentive to your fitness routine.

I’m sure that you could come up with additional environmental markers, but these five categories are the big ones that stand out in the literature. Whether or not you live in a neighborhood that looks like the one described above, consider its effect on the physical activity of its residents.

Imagine what it must be like to live in an area like that, and be told over and over that a healthy lifestyle requires more frequent exercise. It would be incredibly frustrating, wouldn’t it?

We’re not just talking about how physical activity relates to diabetes and obesity either. Think about the implications on healthy aging. As a physical therapist, I often recommend that older adults establish a daily walking program. Yet, if the environment outside one’s front door isn’t conducive to walking, that’s not a reasonable goal is it?

If you work in healthcare or fitness, and you want improve the health of a population, then efforts at behavior change alone are not sufficient. You must also promote local laws that make neighborhoods safe for exercise. After enough effort, perhaps we can transform physical activity deserts into robust, movement-rich jungles. Let the work begin.