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I believe that a terrible way to end up is to be essentially infirm in old age or even middle age. The way to avoid this is start healthy habits early. I can't

by cletus 12y ago

I believe that a terrible way to end up is to be essentially infirm in old age or even middle age. The way to avoid this is start healthy habits early. I can't drive because of an eye condition. Honestly, this has been a bane of my existence for most of my (adult) life. In Australia a non-car lifestyle is possible but very limiting. You have to pick and choose where you live and figure out how to get to and from places. In Europe the situation is much better overall. In London you don't need a car but it's still awkward if you need to go home after midnight. The Tube stops. Cabs are crazy expensive. The night bus is a freak show. Going out of London is a problem and expensive. Switzerland on the other hand was (mostly) amazing from a walker's perspective. Living in a rural town sans car might be problematic but you can get pretty much anywhere in the country by clean, reliable trains. I lived in Zurich and got to all sorts of places are Lake Zurich and Lake Luzern for hiking and the like. I now live in New York City. I have visited a number of parts of the US. In most of the US you are utterly dependent on the automobile in a way that residents of other industrialized nations probably can't quite comprehend. I've stayed with friends in the Midwest who parked their car 8 feet from the front door of the their condo, drove to work where their car was pretty close to the office and often got food through drive throughs. They'd probably walk less than 500 yards a day. Most places in the US aren't just pro-automobile, they're anti-pedestrian and anti-cyclist. Things like: - Limited to no public transport - Public transport that becomes unusable at certain hours - Light changes at intersections that may stop a pedestrian for as much as 5 minutes - Allowing cars to turn right at red lights. This is perhaps the most anti-pedestrian/cyclist law of all. The number of times I've been almost wiped out in this situation is insane. - Low density housing. Even some more pedestrian-friendly places like San Francisco still kinda suck (but SF is a lot better than anywhere else in the Bay Area). NYC is a bit of a pedestrian mecca. As someone who can't drive, I've never quite had the independence and freedom I have right now by living in NYC. Reasons include: - Pedestrian-friendly light changes (you never have to wait more than about 30-45 seconds for a light change) - Subway that runs 24x7 and frequently - Cheap cabs - No turning right at red lights. Some visitors to NYC don't realize this is illegal in the five boroughs. So now I live walking distance to work. The downside is that being able to do so is expensive as a single person and the domain of the wealthy for those with more than 1-2 kids. The thing that really boggles my mind is how blase we as a society are to the 30,000+ people who die every year in the US in motor vehicle accidents [1]. This is the same number of fatalities as 10 9/11 attacks every year. The cult of the automobile simply defies reason. There are a couple of points worth making about walking as exercise: 1. Some is far, far better than none. You need some exercise simply for proper functioning of your body; and 2. Walking, and exercise in general, is not the primary solution to obesity. According to a calculator, a 200 lb man burns 120 calories by walking 1 mile in 20 minutes. Not a brisk pace at all. A 12oz can of soda has ~140 calories in it. Now the relationship between calorific intake and weight gain or loss is complex and somewhat controversial in some circles but, generally speaking, if you consume more calories than you burn you will tend to gain weight and if you consume less than you burn you will tend to lose weight. The body makes some effort to maintain homeostasis so minor changes may result in no change at all. Exercise certainly helps but diet tends to be the far bigger problem. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_U.S._by_year http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in...

parennoob 12y ago
Overall, I agree with, and like your comment, except for this bit. "1. Some is far, far better than none. You need some exercise simply for proper functioning of your body; and 2. Walking, and exercise in general, is not the primary solution to obesity. According to a calculator, a 200 lb man burns 120 calories by walking 1 mile in 20 minutes. Not a brisk pace at all. A 12oz can of soda has ~140 calories in it." I believe this over-simplifies the situation, and undercuts the advantages of walkable communities. I live pretty close to one. On walks, I often run into friends, people I vaguely know and just wave at, and sometimes random strangers. Walking outside in pleasant weather increases your dopamine levels, and gives you a restful night's sleep. It is easier to do this walking if you see more people around you doing it. Where would you rather go for a walk at night, a nice place with cosy cafés and a moderate bustle of people, or your friends' dreary suburb in the Midwest with no one around? Also, consider the opportunity cost. When going on a walk after dinner, you may be burning a measly 100-200 calories, but you are also not consuming the 500 calories that you would have if you were binging on that large bag of kettle cooked chips while binging on House of Cards. That is a net saving of 700 calories.
- pm90 12y ago
  Your point about the opportunity cost intrigued me. Personally, when I lived without a car in Texas, my buying habits were also influenced by that fact. So, I usually bought only the stuff I really needed, as I simply couldn't carry shit. Now I have a car, but luckily I am careful not to buy food that I don't need. I have seen others loading up on all kinds of junk food though
megablast 12y ago
> In Australia a non-car lifestyle is possible but very limiting I take a huge affront to this, as an Aussie who has never owned a car. Sure, you have to live in a city, like 90% of the rest of Australians. And both London and Melbourne/Sydney/Adelaide have night buses.
- RK 12y ago
  I visited Melbourne for about a month a couple of years ago and was excited to use the train to get around, but people there routinely said I was crazy for doing that. People often offered to give me a ride to the train station (usually a few blocks away). I got the overall impression that Australia has a very similar car culture to the US.

by cletus 12y ago

parennoob 12y ago

Overall, I agree with, and like your comment, except for this bit. "1. Some is far, far better than none. You need some exercise simply for proper functioning of your body; and 2. Walking, and exercise in general, is not the primary solution to obesity. According to a calculator, a 200 lb man burns 120 calories by walking 1 mile in 20 minutes. Not a brisk pace at all. A 12oz can of soda has ~140 calories in it." I believe this over-simplifies the situation, and undercuts the advantages of walkable communities. I live pretty close to one. On walks, I often run into friends, people I vaguely know and just wave at, and sometimes random strangers. Walking outside in pleasant weather increases your dopamine levels, and gives you a restful night's sleep. It is easier to do this walking if you see more people around you doing it. Where would you rather go for a walk at night, a nice place with cosy cafés and a moderate bustle of people, or your friends' dreary suburb in the Midwest with no one around? Also, consider the opportunity cost. When going on a walk after dinner, you may be burning a measly 100-200 calories, but you are also not consuming the 500 calories that you would have if you were binging on that large bag of kettle cooked chips while binging on House of Cards. That is a net saving of 700 calories.

pm90 12y ago
Your point about the opportunity cost intrigued me. Personally, when I lived without a car in Texas, my buying habits were also influenced by that fact. So, I usually bought only the stuff I really needed, as I simply couldn't carry shit. Now I have a car, but luckily I am careful not to buy food that I don't need. I have seen others loading up on all kinds of junk food though

megablast 12y ago

> In Australia a non-car lifestyle is possible but very limiting I take a huge affront to this, as an Aussie who has never owned a car. Sure, you have to live in a city, like 90% of the rest of Australians. And both London and Melbourne/Sydney/Adelaide have night buses.

RK 12y ago
I visited Melbourne for about a month a couple of years ago and was excited to use the train to get around, but people there routinely said I was crazy for doing that. People often offered to give me a ride to the train station (usually a few blocks away). I got the overall impression that Australia has a very similar car culture to the US.