10/13/2026
Our series on US healthcare continues with this article addressing how some environments and spaces — that we as a people have created — affect our health. Please read …
Health with the Hamels
US healthcare — Week 3: healthy spaces
By Clara and Justin Hamel
The Source Newspaper
Last week, we discussed how dramatically our lifestyles have changed and the toll those changes are taking on our health. This week we are looking at what we can do about it.
Let’s start with some pretty big questions. First, if it is fair to say that our health is one of our greatest assets, why aren’t the environments where we spend most of our time intentionally designed to protect it?
For example, research has found that classroom-based physical activity can improve attention, on-task behavior and academic performance. In one two-year study of nearly 500 elementary students, children who participated in physically active math and spelling lessons showed greater academic gains than those taught through traditional lessons, and there are many more studies that support the same conclusion. Yet what does the traditional classroom look like? Children sitting at desks for hours, often being asked to remain still while their brains are expected to stay engaged.
The pattern continues into adulthood. We move from desks in classrooms to desks in offices, where many people spend their day sitting in front of screens. Again, research suggests that regular movement supports cognitive processing and may improve employee performance, while decreasing multiple health risks.
This leads to our second question. What if we designed these environments differently?
Schools could incorporate movement breaks throughout the day, walking discussions, active lessons, and outdoor learning, while utilizing opportunities for children to move more naturally. Workplaces could normalize walking meetings, standing desks, movement breaks, and meeting schedules that provide time to stand, stretch, and have a mental reset between tasks.
Rethinking what we consider productive may be the key, because sitting still does not mean a child is learning, and sitting at a desk does not mean an employee is working effectively. In fact, it may be quite the opposite.
Now that we have covered movement, let's move onto our next question: What about food?
The nutritional value of the food available in many school and workplace cafeterias leaves much to be desired. While nutritional guidelines establish minimal standards, that is what they are — minimal. Foods in school and work cafeterias are often highly processed, full of added sugars and refined carbohydrates. In addition, there is often limited access to fresh, nutrient-dense options.
In some ways it is understandable, schools and employers often face financial constraints limiting the resources to obtain high quality, unprocessed food. After all, feeding hundreds or thousands of people affordably is difficult. Perhaps we need to look beyond the immediate price tag and consider the long-term costs.
Which brings us to our fourth question: Can we afford not to make these needed changes?
What appears inexpensive initially becomes extraordinarily expensive on the back end. If environments contribute to poor nutrition, inactivity, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic pain and other preventable health problems, society eventually pays for those choices through healthcare costs, absenteeism, disability, lost productivity and diminished quality of life.
Now for our fifth and final question: What if schools taught children not only math, science and reading, but also how to prepare simple nutritious meals, understand food labels, manage stress, prioritize sleep, regulate emotions and incorporate movement into everyday life?
What if employers reinforced those principles instead of creating environments where sitting for eight hours, eating quickly at a desk and pushing through exhaustion are normalized?
If we truly want to change the trajectory of health in America, we have to change the environments shaping our health. If we want healthier people, we need to start by building healthier places.
*Dr. Justin Hamel and Clara Hamel have a combined over 30 years of experience in health fields. Reach them at 1° Performance & Longevity, located at 46 N. Central Park Plz., Suite 101, in Jacksonville, on Facebook or by phone at 217-243-6358.
