A recent MSNBC article proposed your neighborhood may be to blame for making you fat. The comment section was flooded with folks up in arms, critical over how "fat people blame everyone but themselves." The thing is, once you made it through the sensationalized headline, the meat of the article had some good information. A University of Utah study found that people living in 'hoods built before 1950 were slimmer than folks living in more modern communities (the former tended to be built with pedestrians as the focus and not automobiles--lending itself to a more conducive walking environment). Sure, it's not rocket science, but yet something we may tend to not consider.
For instance: when I was living in the heart of NYC I walked to the neighborhood park, without fail, twice a day (2 miles total). While at the park I had our baby in a baby carrier on my chest and I was chasing around a rambunctious 16 month old. Usually I walked to a small grocery each day (yes I literally picked up 1 small bag of groceries nearly everyday--I actually kind of liked it). I walked to kid's music class, I walked to playdates, I walked A LOT. Now that we have just moved to a more suburban 'hood I noticed I am a lot less active--sure I hit the gym 6 days a week, and I am up and down the steps 30+ times/day--but this certainly does not equal the 3+ miles I was walking everyday before (on top of my daily trips to the gym).
So, I am going to add a daily walk with the kiddos to my day. This is not to replace the gym, but just for some fresh air and to promote an overall active lifestyle (after all I think if I have to watch another episode of Blue's Clues, Diego, or Dora my head may explode!).
What can you do to be more active in your daily life? Park at the back of the parking lot? Take the stairs at work? Take the stairs instead of the escalator? Take a walk during lunch?
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