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Does where you live influence your weight & fitness?
Replies
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To be honest, I do not enjoy being outside in areas with a lot of people, traffic, pollution, trash, noise, crime, etc.
I walk a lot, but it's not really an efficient form of exercise for me.
That's why I said I personally would be more active if I lived in a more rural place, with peaceful natural areas that would encourage me to spend more time outside.3 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Suburbs are generally not friendly to walking, cycling, or being alive. Let's not confuse them with the city, though. If a city is a family run Indian restaurant, the suburbs are Olive Garden.
Ha, that metaphor.... So, technically I live in a place that functions as a bedroom community but I do have a plethora of "family run Indian restaurants" in walking distance, as well as all the usual Olive Garden-esque chains. We call this area "the suburbs" here but it really isn't the endless sprawl that you see in a lot of North American cities; it is arguably more liveable but still has some of the negative traits! The Greater Vancouver region overall is geographically too small and boxed in by mountains, sea, and essential farmland to allow proper distance between rural, suburban, and city center spaces to form. I can drive 8 minutes and be in agricultural lands (ride horses, pick blueberries, visit wineries, walk in the watershed or beaches), or I could go in another direction for the same time and hit more residential sameness, or drive a little longer and hit one of many urban centers. Not sure if Portland or Seattle have similar patchwork layouts, despite sharing some geographical characteristics.
People tend to be healthier and less obese in this region than other provinces in Canada, and I believe the abundance of choices this location offers + the (comparatively) mild climate plays a role in that. But people are generally pretty fit and healthy in rural BC communities too, despite the distances they need to travel; a lot of small towns here are rooted in labour-intensive primary sector jobs (forestry, mining, energy).
Occupation (hours, physical intensity, commute time, etc) and socioeconomic factors play a huge role in shaping health and fitness. Work is where most of us spend the majority of our waking hours and the environment there is maybe just as important as the layout and limitations of the specific geographical location you reside in.2 -
richardgavel wrote: »SuzySunshine99 wrote: »MikePfirrman wrote: »Interesting article related to this thread. Didn't know so many drunks in TX and WI. Wow.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2018/05/15/the-drunkest-and-driest-cities-in-america/34901003/
Oh yeah, in Wisconsin, bars outnumber grocery stores 3-to-1.
Add in the cheese and bratwurst, and it's probably not the healthiest of states.
We love to vacation there, though...there's some beautiful areas...just stay off the roads on a Saturday night.
That said, I think I'd be healthier if I lived in Wisconsin...I enjoy outdoor activities, and there's more opportunity for that there as opposed to the dense urban environment in which I currently live.
Now I think the opposite to some degree when it comes to dense urban environments. I live in downtown Chicago and the short distances encourage walking or biking for everyday stuff as opposed to getting in a car. And I kinda think your day to day burn is more important than one off deliberate exercise.
I mean, I could see how that would make an impact, having lived in Chicago myself for 4 years (Lakeview area). However, my job requires me to use my car for some of it, so taking a train wasn't even an option. I rarely used my car for non-work reasons in the city if I could avoid it, though.
In my case, living in the city didn't raise my TDEE, and if it did, I was eating and drinking more because of all the plentiful restaurants and bars within walking distance (especially since I was in my early-mid 20's and single when living there). I now live in a far-northern relatively small suburb that isn't necessarily conducive to walking to restaurants and shopping, even if it was plentiful nearby. However, there are lots of walking trails, forest preserves and paths for more recreational walking and bike riding...including one just across the street from my back yard, that connects to multiple paths. It's not one of those overly crowded suburbs, and my kids' school is right by farmland. Because of my overall lifestyle choices AND more emphasis on healthy/less eating, smart strength training and more consciousness to raise my TDEE, I'm in much better shape than I was when I lived in Chicago 20 years ago.1 -
As a Seattle dweller, it's easier to walk than it is to find parking, and it takes less time thanks to traffic.3
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NorthCascades wrote: »As a Seattle dweller, it's easier to walk than it is to find parking, and it takes less time thanks to traffic.
Can confirm.
My daughter in law is legally blind. And this is exactly the reason why my son and her have decided not to live in Podunk Olympic Peninsula, but in the Seattle Tacoma metro area. Ease of access.
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NorthCascades wrote: »As a Seattle dweller, it's easier to walk than it is to find parking, and it takes less time thanks to traffic.
That's usually the case in Chicago as well. It's also why public transit is normally preferable to driving for a commute IME.2 -
Our subdivision on the edge of town in a 150k person university community is set up pretty nice for activity. There is one main road through the center (not super busy, mainly subdivision traffic and people going out to the country), with 2 big loops off of it surrounding a municipal golf course, about 5 miles total around the loops. There is a sidewalk on one side of the street though the whole neighborhood, traffic light in the subdivision, just residents, visitors and deliveries. As you exit the subdivision you can cross a road and access a paved multipurpose trail that is about 45 miles in total throughout the community.
Pretty bike and walker/runner friendly for exercise.2 -
Theoldguy1 wrote: »Our subdivision on the edge of town in a 150k person university community is set up pretty nice for activity. There is one main road through the center (not super busy, mainly subdivision traffic and people going out to the country), with 2 big loops off of it surrounding a municipal golf course, about 5 miles total around the loops. There is a sidewalk on one side of the street though the whole neighborhood, traffic light in the subdivision, just residents, visitors and deliveries. As you exit the subdivision you can cross a road and access a paved multipurpose trail that is about 45 miles in total throughout the community.
Pretty bike and walker/runner friendly for exercise.
Bike friendly helps a ton. I moved from Cincinnati to Tucson, which has a 50 mile "Loop Trail" that connects nearly the entire city and is off the road if you don't feel safe biking the roads. And around here, with all the older folks driving, it's not a bad idea to stay off the roads.
Cincy was terrible on the streets, but they also had a nice bike trail (actually a great one, though weather only allowed its use like five months out of the year) through town. I never used it as much there, because it was further from my home.2 -
I haven't read the thread so sorry if I'm repeating anything.
I'm in the UK in a small city with a lot of green space etc ..
It is unusual to see very obese people here - the majority are of a normal weight.
Of course fast food is available but it is balanced with a lot of healthier options because there is a high demand for it.
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Walkywalkerson wrote: »I haven't read the thread so sorry if I'm repeating anything.
I'm in the UK in a small city with a lot of green space etc ..
It is unusual to see very obese people here - the majority are of a normal weight.
Of course fast food is available but it is balanced with a lot of healthier options because there is a high demand for it.
Hey. I have a question.
I live in the US. I’ve lived in a few different areas over the years. And even in the urban areas there were few parks compared to where I lived in British Columbia.
What parks there are will have a running track, usually. But as far as exercise equipment? That’s about it.
OK soccer fields and tennis courts exist.
But not balance beams and chin up bars, like I saw frequently in BC.
Also? In BC there was a little neighborhood park everywhere as far as I could see. In the urban and suburban areas, anyhow.
I developed the idea that since healthcare was paid for by the government, it was in the best interest of the government to provide as much opportunity to exercise as they could.
So. My question: Are there little parks within easy walking distance in urban and suburban areas in the UK? Parks with things like chin up bars and balance beams?1 -
I haven't read through all the comments, though I may later.
I think it does, absolutely but i think theres more to it, too.
Education, income (means), time (to shop/ prepare meals), availability of goods all factor into it.
Take where I live. Chase City Virginia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chase_City,_Virginia) - If you want a snapshot into the armpit of nowhere....
Very small, southern, rural town. It should just be called Chase because there is no city here.
population (including outlying areas, like where I am - just shy of 2500 people. Average FAMILY income - $32K. Makes our income of $100K look like the freaking Rockerfellers. I have multiple degrees. Hubby moved from Canada a couple of years ago to marry me (bless him for that sacrifice lol) and is a union sheet metal foreman. We have a small farm on top of that.
Education here is poor. GOOD jobs here... rare. Plenty of jobs, but most in retail or food service. Go a bit further out from our town (I'll give a 45 minute radius) and you have more opportunities. But even when there are good jobs... people here, don't want to work. Solar farms are being installed outside of town and they had a job fair to hire workers. Good pay (for the area). $15-20/hour. over 4 days? 2 people showed up. TWO.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand.
Here in town we have ONE grocery store. A Chain store. nothing special. walmart is 30 minutes away. Go in. All you see, and I am quite serious when I say this, is overweight people with carts full of frozen prepared foods, hamburger helper, and sodas. carts literally overflowing with sodas. hanging off the sides. and beer. dont forget the beer. very very few people of 'normal' weight.
The first thing you see when you walk in are displays of junk food that are on sale. And then you see junk food highly visible throughout the ENTIRE store.
The produce section is TINY. And... sad. truly. the quality is sad. I get most of my produce from my best friend's garden, honestly. What I can't get from her, we take day trips to a larger town (we call it going to 'civilization') to go shopping for things we can't get locally. But many, if not most, people here can't afford to do that. They don't have cars, or can't afford the gas, or can't afford the time, or simply can't afford the higher prices in cities (or suburbs of them, where we go) like Raleigh or Richmond (we are halfway between the two).
The store, I am sure, focuses on what SELLS. They are in it to make money. We care for a gentleman who has celiac and the GF section is abysmally small. I can find much more in the larger cities for him. Finding gourmet items of any kind? Nope. Not gonna happen. I cant even buy BEAN SPROUTS here. I am not joking.
If you compare our household and my best friend's - so two families with similar income and education (College educated and ~$100K) to those in the area with an 'area typical' education and income (which would be HS diploma and under $35K for a family) - I am pretty sure you would find that how they shop, cook, and live in general would be vastly different. my best friend and i make almost everything from scratch. it is cheaper to do so in most cases and is better for you (which is really why we both do it). we are both very active. she is like... super mom even though our kids are in high school and i have the farm that keeps me busy. then we both have the local theater that is the bane of our existence. we dont buy sodas ( i admit i used to but dont now- a med im on make them taste horrible lol), we dont buy much in the way of prepackaged foods other than snacks for our teen boys- but certainly not for meals, we dont do hamburger helper type stuff, etc). We dont watch hours of television every day, etc...)
I obviously can't speak for how active people are that I dont even know, but I do know that the other active people i know (who also typically eat reasonably healthy, as best I know, anyway) are of similar socioeconomic backgrounds as us.
i hope my rambling nonsense made ... sense. But I do think that where we live can influence how we live but maybe more so than that, who we are AROUND can influence how we live. Active people tend to gravitate towards active people. Those who live a healthier lifestyle tend to want to be around those who live a healthier lifestyle. It's if nothing else, a shared interest thing.
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callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »I haven't read through all the comments, though I may later.
I think it does, absolutely but i think theres more to it, too.
Education, income (means), time (to shop/ prepare meals), availability of goods all factor into it.
Take where I live. Chase City Virginia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chase_City,_Virginia) - If you want a snapshot into the armpit of nowhere....
Very small, southern, rural town. It should just be called Chase because there is no city here.
population (including outlying areas, like where I am - just shy of 2500 people. Average FAMILY income - $32K. Makes our income of $100K look like the freaking Rockerfellers. I have multiple degrees. Hubby moved from Canada a couple of years ago to marry me (bless him for that sacrifice lol) and is a union sheet metal foreman. We have a small farm on top of that.
Education here is poor. GOOD jobs here... rare. Plenty of jobs, but most in retail or food service. Go a bit further out from our town (I'll give a 45 minute radius) and you have more opportunities. But even when there are good jobs... people here, don't want to work. Solar farms are being installed outside of town and they had a job fair to hire workers. Good pay (for the area). $15-20/hour. over 4 days? 2 people showed up. TWO.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand.
Here in town we have ONE grocery store. A Chain store. nothing special. walmart is 30 minutes away. Go in. All you see, and I am quite serious when I say this, is overweight people with carts full of frozen prepared foods, hamburger helper, and sodas. carts literally overflowing with sodas. hanging off the sides. and beer. dont forget the beer. very very few people of 'normal' weight.
The first thing you see when you walk in are displays of junk food that are on sale. And then you see junk food highly visible throughout the ENTIRE store.
The produce section is TINY. And... sad. truly. the quality is sad. I get most of my produce from my best friend's garden, honestly. What I can't get from her, we take day trips to a larger town (we call it going to 'civilization') to go shopping for things we can't get locally. But many, if not most, people here can't afford to do that. They don't have cars, or can't afford the gas, or can't afford the time, or simply can't afford the higher prices in cities (or suburbs of them, where we go) like Raleigh or Richmond (we are halfway between the two).
The store, I am sure, focuses on what SELLS. They are in it to make money. We care for a gentleman who has celiac and the GF section is abysmally small. I can find much more in the larger cities for him. Finding gourmet items of any kind? Nope. Not gonna happen. I cant even buy BEAN SPROUTS here. I am not joking.
If you compare our household and my best friend's - so two families with similar income and education (College educated and ~$100K) to those in the area with an 'area typical' education and income (which would be HS diploma and under $35K for a family) - I am pretty sure you would find that how they shop, cook, and live in general would be vastly different. my best friend and i make almost everything from scratch. it is cheaper to do so in most cases and is better for you (which is really why we both do it). we are both very active. she is like... super mom even though our kids are in high school and i have the farm that keeps me busy. then we both have the local theater that is the bane of our existence. we dont buy sodas ( i admit i used to but dont now- a med im on make them taste horrible lol), we dont buy much in the way of prepackaged foods other than snacks for our teen boys- but certainly not for meals, we dont do hamburger helper type stuff, etc). We dont watch hours of television every day, etc...)
I obviously can't speak for how active people are that I dont even know, but I do know that the other active people i know (who also typically eat reasonably healthy, as best I know, anyway) are of similar socioeconomic backgrounds as us.
i hope my rambling nonsense made ... sense. But I do think that where we live can influence how we live but maybe more so than that, who we are AROUND can influence how we live. Active people tend to gravitate towards active people. Those who live a healthier lifestyle tend to want to be around those who live a healthier lifestyle. It's if nothing else, a shared interest thing.
This is also true for my area.
Another factor is that when the job you can get pays very little you often have more than one per person, and 'opposing hours'. So in addition to financial cost of getting to better supermarkets you have a time sink in getting to those further afield stores and the time cost of cooking the food.
Which means it may be doable but painful and exhausting, especially if you have small kids - and are working 2 jobs at strange hours and aren't all that healthy (due to finances to pay for the medical care, time to go, and/or what you've been eating).
Stuff's hard.2 -
MargaretYakoda wrote: »Walkywalkerson wrote: »I haven't read the thread so sorry if I'm repeating anything.
I'm in the UK in a small city with a lot of green space etc ..
It is unusual to see very obese people here - the majority are of a normal weight.
Of course fast food is available but it is balanced with a lot of healthier options because there is a high demand for it.
Hey. I have a question.
I live in the US. I’ve lived in a few different areas over the years. And even in the urban areas there were few parks compared to where I lived in British Columbia.
What parks there are will have a running track, usually. But as far as exercise equipment? That’s about it.
OK soccer fields and tennis courts exist.
But not balance beams and chin up bars, like I saw frequently in BC.
Also? In BC there was a little neighborhood park everywhere as far as I could see. In the urban and suburban areas, anyhow.
I developed the idea that since healthcare was paid for by the government, it was in the best interest of the government to provide as much opportunity to exercise as they could.
So. My question: Are there little parks within easy walking distance in urban and suburban areas in the UK? Parks with things like chin up bars and balance beams?
I'll let someone else answer your UK question, but wanted to comment on this.
I'm in an urban/suburban area in the U.S. There are some parks near me that have those exercise stations like you describe. I have never, ever, seen anyone using them. Lots of people are exercising in the park, but they are walking, running, biking, rollerblading, etc.
I think when people go to a park to exercise outside, most aren't looking to do chin ups and balance beams. Given how infrequently they are used (in my observation), I always think they were a waste of the park district's money and don't do anything to encourage exercise.
It's a nice idea, in theory, but I'm just not sure how effective it is in improving the health of a population, no matter who is paying for their healthcare.
Open spaces with recreational trails, though? Yes, I think access to areas like that can make a difference in the health of a community.6 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Suburbs are generally not friendly to walking, cycling, or being alive. Let's not confuse them with the city, though. If a city is a family run Indian restaurant, the suburbs are Olive Garden.
I think it depends. Greater Albuquerque is crap for being pedestrian friendly or cycling friendly. The only places that are walkable to anything are the university/Nob Hill area and downtown. In these areas you can walk or bike to a plethora of restaurants and bars and other shops. The rest of the city is urban sprawl personified. Albuquerque does have a great multi use trail system though...but most people have to drive to an access point to use it. And there's great mountain biking in the foothills as well as a bit further north in Placitas.
I live in a small village suburb of Abq that is plenty walkable and bikeable as well as horse rideable. We regularly walk or bike to main street and "downtown" to hit up a restaurant or the Ex Novo brewery. "Downtown" consists of about 5 restaurants, the brewery, several galleries, a corner store (which interestingly sells some really good fresh produce), and a few other odds and ends shops. We rode to Ex Novo last Saturday night for our anniversary to have a couple beers and some Tikka food truck food and another couple road up in their horse and wagon and I could only think...only in Corrales.1 -
MargaretYakoda wrote: »Walkywalkerson wrote: »I haven't read the thread so sorry if I'm repeating anything.
I'm in the UK in a small city with a lot of green space etc ..
It is unusual to see very obese people here - the majority are of a normal weight.
Of course fast food is available but it is balanced with a lot of healthier options because there is a high demand for it.
Hey. I have a question.
I live in the US. I’ve lived in a few different areas over the years. And even in the urban areas there were few parks compared to where I lived in British Columbia.
What parks there are will have a running track, usually. But as far as exercise equipment? That’s about it.
OK soccer fields and tennis courts exist.
But not balance beams and chin up bars, like I saw frequently in BC.
Also? In BC there was a little neighborhood park everywhere as far as I could see. In the urban and suburban areas, anyhow.
I developed the idea that since healthcare was paid for by the government, it was in the best interest of the government to provide as much opportunity to exercise as they could.
So. My question: Are there little parks within easy walking distance in urban and suburban areas in the UK? Parks with things like chin up bars and balance beams?
It depends where you live
I live in the Shires so there are a lot of green spaces, cycle paths and parks with exercise equipment like you mentioned.
Even in Central London there are parks and green spaces - these things are accessible for most people as most places are a short tube or bus ride away.
The Government also offer subsidised gym memberships for people on low income.
I think there are a lot of reasons people are very overweight and having the 'right environment' is a poor excuse.
Fasting is free , exercising at home or outside in nature is free.
Walking or cycling to the shop that sells fresh food is free.
A fast food habit to sustain a 300 lb person is probably more expensive than buying fresh food.
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I don't usually post but this caught my attention. I'm also in the UK. I live in the countryside but even the nearest village has 2 parks. The smallish towns have at least 3 each. Urban and suburban housing areas usually have at least a children's play area within walking distance.
Going back to the OP, I find the topic really interesting. I'm not so sure precise location defines weight and fitness, but definitely the social environment can. Not via peer pressure, but I think more due to, as already mentioned, the human desire to "belong" and the herd mentality. I know subconsciously I pay more attention to my weight and fitness if I hang out with slim friends, or others watching their own weight. (no of course I don't choose my friends like that, it's just sthg I've noticed). I recently moved work location (same job) to a base where keeping fit and maintaining a healthy weight is more the norm amongst the workforce, and noone bats an eyelid if I refuse a slice of cake etc. Of course nothing forces anyone to give into temptation, but it's a lot easier when there are more like minded people.
These days though, social environment does not have to be physical. Websites and community forums can, to a certain extent, replace an "unhelpful" physical environment. I am a member of an online running community where it's totally normal to run 15-20 miles, or more, a week. That's not normal amongst any of my real life friends, so it gives me that sense of normality and motivation. Reading stories and posts here does similar for calorie counting and weight loss.
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I agree with Turtlemummy that herd mentality is definitely an influence.
I just read an article from a newspaper that stated people in the States consider a 30 minute walk too far!
I find that unbelievable and no wonder obesity is an epidemic there!
I'll try and post the link.2 -
@callsitlikeiseeit You live in a metropolis! My town is population 1200. For a while I lived outside of "town" with no cell service and 25 miles from the nearest traffic light. Lots of obesity but access to great produce. The Mennonites have a farm market here.
Pre covid I hiked the Cotswolds in the UK. Afternoon tea was a delight. The baked goods were delicious but much less sweet and better tasting than what is available in the U.S.
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@callsitlikeiseeit You live in a metropolis! My town is population 1200. For a while I lived outside of "town" with no cell service and 25 miles from the nearest traffic light. Lots of obesity but access to great produce. The Mennonites have a farm market here.
Pre covid I hiked the Cotswolds in the UK. Afternoon tea was a delight. The baked goods were delicious but much less sweet and better tasting than what is available in the U.S.
I think in town limits the population is 600 something. 2 stoplights. Don't know that either one is actually needed. LOL1 -
I have lived in 8 or 9 different areas and I always stayed fat!6
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Walkywalkerson wrote: »I agree with Turtlemummy that herd mentality is definitely an influence.
I just read an article from a newspaper that stated people in the States consider a 30 minute walk too far!
I find that unbelievable and no wonder obesity is an epidemic there!
I'll try and post the link.Walkywalkerson wrote: »
Sure, an article about a social media thread is the ideal way to find out what everyone in a large, diverse country does and thinks.
The last two paragraphs are the only useful ones: Something more like research suggests the average USAian walks 1200 fewer steps on the average day than the average UKian.
I (USAian) agree that many adults where I am seem oddly averse to walking, possibly even in circumstances where walking is viable. My guess is that those more inclined to walking might spend less time on social media describing or defending not walking.
Just a guess, though, no research . . . kind of like all but the last 2 paragraphs of that article.7 -
Walkywalkerson wrote: »I agree with Turtlemummy that herd mentality is definitely an influence.
I just read an article from a newspaper that stated people in the States consider a 30 minute walk too far!
I find that unbelievable and no wonder obesity is an epidemic there!
I'll try and post the link.Walkywalkerson wrote: »
Sure, an article about a social media thread is the ideal way to find out what everyone in a large, diverse country does and thinks.
The last two paragraphs are the only useful ones: Something more like research suggests the average USAian walks 1200 fewer steps on the average day than the average UKian.
I (USAian) agree that many adults where I am seem oddly averse to walking, possibly even in circumstances where walking is viable. My guess is that those more inclined to walking might spend less time on social media describing or defending not walking.
Just a guess, though, no research . . . kind of like all but the last 2 paragraphs of that article.
Don't worry - I doubt anyone has taken an article from a newspaper too seriously 🤣
Just like I take comments on this forum with a pinch of salt.
It's a very aggressive unwelcoming place.
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Walkywalkerson wrote: »I agree with Turtlemummy that herd mentality is definitely an influence.
I just read an article from a newspaper that stated people in the States consider a 30 minute walk too far!
I find that unbelievable and no wonder obesity is an epidemic there!
I'll try and post the link.
In USA a pedestrian is a person who just parked their car.7 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Walkywalkerson wrote: »I agree with Turtlemummy that herd mentality is definitely an influence.
I just read an article from a newspaper that stated people in the States consider a 30 minute walk too far!
I find that unbelievable and no wonder obesity is an epidemic there!
I'll try and post the link.
In USA a pedestrian is a person who just parked their car.
There’s an interesting history to that:
https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2015/1/15/7551873/jaywalking-history1 -
Walkywalkerson wrote: »Walkywalkerson wrote: »I agree with Turtlemummy that herd mentality is definitely an influence.
I just read an article from a newspaper that stated people in the States consider a 30 minute walk too far!
I find that unbelievable and no wonder obesity is an epidemic there!
I'll try and post the link.Walkywalkerson wrote: »
Sure, an article about a social media thread is the ideal way to find out what everyone in a large, diverse country does and thinks.
The last two paragraphs are the only useful ones: Something more like research suggests the average USAian walks 1200 fewer steps on the average day than the average UKian.
I (USAian) agree that many adults where I am seem oddly averse to walking, possibly even in circumstances where walking is viable. My guess is that those more inclined to walking might spend less time on social media describing or defending not walking.
Just a guess, though, no research . . . kind of like all but the last 2 paragraphs of that article.
Don't worry - I doubt anyone has taken an article from a newspaper too seriously 🤣
Just like I take comments on this forum with a pinch of salt.
It's a very aggressive unwelcoming place.
I dont find that at all - isnt unfriendly or aggressive IMO
This is debate section - where quality of sources matters and claims can be civilly refuted or challenged - as yours was.
I dunno - if you dont intend your source to be taken seriously, or are going to be upset that it is not, debate section probably isnt place to post it.
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NorthCascades wrote: »Walkywalkerson wrote: »I agree with Turtlemummy that herd mentality is definitely an influence.
I just read an article from a newspaper that stated people in the States consider a 30 minute walk too far!
I find that unbelievable and no wonder obesity is an epidemic there!
I'll try and post the link.
In USA a pedestrian is a person who just parked their car.
Sometimes I resemble that remark. Often, actually.
A thing I think is relevant to that, as a US/UK comparison, maybe: I won't look at the whole of the US - which would be even more extreme as a comparison, but at my state, Michigan.
The UK (according to Google) has a land mass around 93,628 square miles (England alone, 50,337 square miles).
My state, Michigan, has a land mass around 96,716 square miles, so a tad bit bigger than the whole UK. Yes, some of the the UK land masses are separated by water. So are 2 big parts of Michigan and some small islands, though in a different arrangement, of course.
The UK population is about 66.6 million people (England alone, 55.9 million).
Michigan's population is about 9.9 million, about 15% as many people, in about the same land mass. Yes, population density varies city to rural, along with access to needful commercial enterprises, which complicates comparison. Here in the upper Midwest US, the cities sprawl sideways, more than they grow upwards. Things are quite spread out.
Without considering anything else, though, it seems like these geographical differences would contribute to a walk vs. drive tendency, or to a drive then walk approach to walking. I live close in to commercial areas, for this part of the US, though not in an actual urban setting (it's a suburb comparatively near commercial areas). Only other people's houses/apartments are within half an hour's walk of where I live. The nearest groceries (at a gas station convenience store) are 54 minutes (Google maps estimate) away, by street or footpath (one way, so just under 2 hours, round trip). Nearest real grocery, hour and five minutes one way. Nearest drugstore, an hour and 5. Bike is more viable, but any of the commercial entities I mentioned involve some high-traffic roads.
Yeah, I drive a lot, or drive, park, then walk, when it comes to daily life. Walking for exercise? Sure. Through residential areas or trails, just for the enjoyment of walking, departing from home or from other places I've driven to for some reason. Walking as the exclusive transportation mode is not routinely practical for errands, from home. When I've lived closer to the commercial areas, I've done errands on foot, and would do again. Most people don't live that close to the commercial areas, I'm thinking.
Recently, as examples, I've gone to an event at a park, then walked all around the area to get take out food, explore a bit (2.3 miles per Garmin); taken my car in to get a new windshield, walked while waiting (explored, got takeout lunch, walked to a park to eat, walked to brewpub; 1.82 miles). Even my recent intentional-exercise walks have been at a park I drive to after rowing nearby, then walk 5ish miles. So, yeah: I'm a pedestrian who just parked her car, often.6 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Suburbs are generally not friendly to walking, cycling, or being alive. Let's not confuse them with the city, though. If a city is a family run Indian restaurant, the suburbs are Olive Garden.
This may be the best thing I have ever read on this website.
This has been touched on several times in the thread, which I've read with interest and partially agreed and disagreed with a lot of posts, but one thing I keep thinking is that anecdotes and statistics are both important but for different reasons. Statistics can point to trends and changes at the population level, but one limitation they have is they don't tell you about individual people and their stories. That's not their job, but I think it's important to remember that just because stats can give you some information about a population as a whole, it wouldn't be fair to then assume that it applies to each and every individual in that area in the same way.
I may be especially sensitive to this because I live in an area that gets stereotyped in a very particular way by people who do not live here, and it annoys the heck out of me. I also belong to a particular subculture within this area that is not well represented by regional or national statistics, so to look at those feels a bit like erasure if someone were to look at, say, my zip code, and assume what kind of person I am and what my interests are or what my health history must be.
At the same time, anecdotes can't provide that trending, population-level information because they're so self-selecting. I think a lot of us don't have a good sense of just how narrow our experiences can be and how much disparity there can be within a particular family or houses along a street. I grew up in a variety of regions in the US, some stereotyped as more health conscious than others, but to get back to @NorthCascades 's reply I always lived in new growth suburbs and my experience did not markedly change. My family culture, and the culture of those places, did not seem to vary much whether it was in the PNW, the Midwest, the Northeast, or even the South. But those "communities" were mostly made up of people who likewise had not grown up in the region they currently resided in and they had no intention of staying long term. My experience of those local cultures was mostly limited to how heavy my winter coat was and maybe a few food items.
Basically, to answer the OP, I'd have to say, sure it can play a role, but there's a lot of interplay between factors. I think it's a very human tendency to say, "Aha! I have a hammer, and now all of these things are nails," but it's usually a LOT more complicated than that in the details.
6 -
Somebody describing working for Uber. This reminded me of the question of whether Americans walk. This isn't a fair answer of it's because of a heat wave, but still.
I had a particularly unpleasant experience once when I received a call for a mall pickup. It was in the summer and it was hot. When I arrived, four teenage girls piled into my car and had me drive them across the parking lot because it was too hot for them to walk to their car. The entire ride was not even a minute. They then gave me a low rating because I took too long to get to them and didn’t provide them with bottled iced water. I made $2.00 on a ride, got a lower rating which could cost me my job, and spent almost half an hour of my time on the ride.3 -
MargaretYakoda wrote: »Walkywalkerson wrote: »I haven't read the thread so sorry if I'm repeating anything.
I'm in the UK in a small city with a lot of green space etc ..
It is unusual to see very obese people here - the majority are of a normal weight.
Of course fast food is available but it is balanced with a lot of healthier options because there is a high demand for it.
Hey. I have a question.
I live in the US. I’ve lived in a few different areas over the years. And even in the urban areas there were few parks compared to where I lived in British Columbia.
What parks there are will have a running track, usually. But as far as exercise equipment? That’s about it.
OK soccer fields and tennis courts exist.
But not balance beams and chin up bars, like I saw frequently in BC.
Also? In BC there was a little neighborhood park everywhere as far as I could see. In the urban and suburban areas, anyhow.
I developed the idea that since healthcare was paid for by the government, it was in the best interest of the government to provide as much opportunity to exercise as they could.
So. My question: Are there little parks within easy walking distance in urban and suburban areas in the UK? Parks with things like chin up bars and balance beams?
Do you think parks having chin up bars and balance beams would affect the obesity rate? I really don't, and I grew up near a park (in the US) with lots of exercise stops (although not specifically those things). I don't think it added to just having running/walking/biking areas (which this place had a ton of) in effect.
Where I live in the US there are tons of parks and it is very walkable/runnable and there are easily accessible bike paths.0
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