Hello, I just wanted to say I lived in Brocton,NY for 15+ years and than moved To Indianapolis In. When I moved here at the end of Aug. I weighed 265 lbs. now I weigh 251lbs. Iam not at 60 minutes walking just yet but real close. In Brocton I lived by a really big highway & now where our appartment is located there is all types of areas to walk. Walking really does work!!! I need to speed my walking up a bit but I had not excerised in years and I am starting to feel much better and I believe my bloodpressure issues will resolve itself after I take more weight off. Thanks for your column your very motivating.
Actually YOU"RE very motivating!! it just takes the motivation to adopt even one new habit that you persist at - and clearly walking is the habit - AND it is working for you. I do want people to realize that no matter what financial place they are in and no matter how educated or uneducated we are - we all share the same -emotional/denial issues - so I work with some of the smartest people and yet - I can't convince them that all the money they make will simply be there to pay medical expenses and a nurse fulltime - if they don;t make their health a priority!!
Glad you are a walker and a a loyal reader - I'm also hosting a new weekly radio show - HealthBeat at Voice America - the #1 internet radio - catch me live - Wednesday at 10am PST - or listen to the archived shows. If you'd like daily motivation, you can sign up for my daily health pearl at www.healthgal.com.
Good luck!!
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SAN FRANCISO, BERKELEY IN N BAY , PASADENA IN LA, ARE STEEP AND FOR THE MANY WITH PAIN CONDITONS AND INJURIES RARE SECTIONS ARE WALKABLE. UC BERKELEY IS NOT . BAY HAS HAS TOURIST AREAS THAT ARE WALKABLE. AND CONVENIENT.
IF YOU NEED A WALKER OR A CANE ,HAVE CHRONIC PAIN UNLESS YOU HAVE A LONG RANGE SCOOTER THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF PLACES TO STAY AWAY FROM!
GOOD LUCK PARKING EVEN IF YOU LIVE THERE. ALSO FOR LIVING GROCERY AND NECCESSITY ITEMS ARE SPREAD ACCROSS COUNTIES SO TRANSPORT IS NEEDED FOR DAILY LIFE NEEDS. WHOLE BAY AREA THERE IS ALMOST NO ACCESSIBLE PARKING. DISABLED?- THEY HAVE FREE METERS -IF YOU CAN FIND IT.
and to consider -these places are some of the most unaffordable housing and healhty food costs in bay/ la /ny/chicago are out of sight.
I can appreciate that for people with "problems" these may not be ideal cities and though the article suggests these would be great walkable cities to live in - I personally love going from S. california up to San Francisco BECAUSE of the challenging walking experiences it offers - so my hope is that people simply get the message to find ways to enjoy walking in whatever city they live in - because it is a great exercise and if you already live there - the excuse that exercise costs$$$ doesn't apply to walking.
If we don't start embracing daily physical activity, in the form of walking, then the current figures of 2/3 adults and between 25 and 32 million kids being overweight or obese will continue to rise. We are not walking, moving, exercising enough and so the "walkable city" concept is a wonderful piece of information to at least know about.
glad you can do all that traveland are neither typical senior or limited by income or disability or other health needs
living there is the problem fro many of the less fortunate.
id hate to see more people make the mistake of thinking these places are physically or financially accessible.
like i said these places are fro the healhty and wealthy and are tourist walkable
but not very livable.
not livable foromost seniors middle income or below or many disabled- most of who you unfortunately seem to consider " the problem".
If you are "homebound" or limited, Leslie Sansone has some great video/DVDs that allow you to "walk at home" as they say - there are also some great opportunities online to google "chair and home exercising" and use very inexpensive elastic bands. I grew up "quite poor" so I was always forced to think out of the box - which in this day and age is vital to "living on a budget" or dealing with physical limitations - so again, even one flat street is walkable with music to accompany you or just a good attitude. I can appreciate day to day difficulties - the idea is to "creatively defy them." I hope you can.
Many seniors and disabled have a different definition of walkability than you do . it would be nice if in the future on walkable cities you include if accessible walkablity.
since i was, while mulitple disabled, also homeless at that time your response was too much. i didnt repsond then.
Coming ot the bay area where claims of all sorts of access abound and the lack of access and accessiblity really made things a more painful horror for me.
We are a huge population who needs correct information.
Please consider and include to needs of disabled and seniors in your walkability.
thank you.