walk and bike your way to a healthier body

A guest post by Steve

Colleen and I have been talking about some of the goals for her Green Team Project.  Not only is protecting the Earth important, but increasing our physical activity by walking or biking when we can.  Not only will you lower your greenhouse gas emissions, but you'll get more physically fit and this can be great for your health.

A trip to a European city sends the message that people tend to be much fitter.  For short trips Europeans are much more likely to walk or ride a bike than Americans.  Lack of physical activity is not the only cause for obesity, but it is interesting to look at physical activity and obesity in various countries.  

The chart plots the percentage of obese adults in several countries along with the percentage of adults who walk or take a bicycle for short trips.  Obesity is defined as a body mass index greater than thirty.  Recent surveys show over thirty four percent of American adults are obese, compared to numbers in the high single digits or low teens in Europe.  Americas were much lighter, on average, forty years ago and activity levels were significantly higher than now.  It should be stressed that lack of activity alone does not cause obesity, but there is a correlation.  This chart is meant to spur thought. (a more conventional plot appears on my blog)

As Spring breaks out around the country, think about taking a walk at lunch rather than sitting in a cafeteria.  Take that old bike in for an overhaul and ride it to work, school, or to the store.  You don't have to do it every day and for every trip, but it can make a big difference and your strength will improve the more you do it.    

Perhaps it is time to visit a bike store and make an investment in your own health as well as the planet's.  You might be surprised to learn there are practical bikes with comfortable riding positions that aren't made for winning bike races or riding down mountains.  Bikes that are made for errands, commuting and just staying in shape rather than being a bicycle athlete. 

Kids can do this too.  How many of you wait for your parents to cart you around?  Jump on a bike and just do it.  Those of you who are interested in looking good, maybe even sexy, should think about what exercise does for your body.  

If you don't bike, consider walking more.  I walk a fair amount and have come to love that time of the day.  I use an iPod in areas that are boring and take a close look at nature in the woods. You have a different outlook on life when you witness nature and change every day for an hour at a time.  I even had a vulture following me for a few months and the local coyote knows me.  People can be good company, but nature is full of surprises.

bike and walk!

do it for the Earth 

do it for your health

do it to look great!

Colleen will have much more to say on the subject, her project focuses on getting people more active - stay tuned!

___

note: only about one percent of short trips in America use a bike, the rest shown here are walking.   twenty five percent of short trips in the Netherlands use bikes and twenty two percent are walking.

Comments

[Jheri]

Here in København very few kids or adults are overweight. Most people walk or use their bikes a lot. It is a shock to visit the US. Colleen, I hope you can inspire more people.

[Thomas Bailey]

I have been biking nearly every day for about 20 years and sometimes for considerable distances, such as the 100-km ride to Hollister, many 70-km rides to San Francisco and Oakland, also to Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Pacifica, Sausalito, Hayward, and Gilroy. Yes, I am obese. Before that, I often walked. One time I walked to Redwood City and back, about 50 km.

[Seth]

Could I have a source on that chart, I'd like to use it in a blog post.

Thanks

[Statistics Geek]

Arrgh! This is a great idea, but a terrible chart. The X (horizontal) axis is a non-ordered, discrete variable (country), yet X vs Y is plotted with a smooth function. Please plot percent obesity vs percent walking. And compute the Spearman coefficient.

[steve]

This is not meant to be an accurate chart, but rather something to get people thinking. There are not the right sort of data to show this is causal as other things - eating habits and other health factors might be involved. An accurate chart would require all of this to be sorted out and the studies don't exist.

This is meant to make a rough statement of what you see when you visit these countries - namely people appear to be much more physically active for short trips and people are not as obese as their counterparts in the US. On a personal level the point is to think about short trips - if you use your own muscles for them, perhaps this is a good way to improve your physical shape.

[Luis]

I think the statistics presented here reveal, to some degree, the way the cities are desing in different parts of these countries; in some U.S. Cities, for example, would be a real nightmare being without a car, because the distances are long, and there is not efficient public transportation systems, again, in some cities. But yea, I am an advocate of good health.

[tim]

This chart is really difficult to understand. I am interested in the idea, but I don't know how to read the chart. And I've read a lot of charts in my day.

[aion kinah for sale]

I think the statistics presented here reveal, to some degree, the way the cities are desing in different parts of these countries; in some U.S. Cities, for example, would be a real nightmare being without a car, because the distances are long, and there is not efficient public transportation systems, again, in some cities. But yea, I am an advocate of good health.

[l2 adena]

I think the statistics presented here reveal, to some degree, the way the cities are desing in different parts of these countries; in some U.S. Cities, for example, would be a real nightmare being without a car, because the distances are long, and there is not efficient public transportation systems, again, in some cities. But lineage 2 adena, I am an advocate of good health.

[maplestory mesos cheap]

You might be surprised to learn there are practical bikes with comfortable riding positions that aren't made for winning bike races or riding down mountains. Bikes that are made for errands, commuting and just staying in shape rather than being a bicycle athlete.