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How Your Environment Affects Your Fitness

I just got back from taking the family to Savannah for a long awaited vacation getaway.
We wanted a place that was quiet, laid back, and had an abundance of walking areas… Man, did Savannah deliver. We had an incredible time.
It was sort of a culture shock for us because we came from Orlando which was once rated the worst city for pedestrians to Historic Downtown Savannah which was incredibly pedestrian friendly. Vehicles were stopping for people crossing the street even in high traffic areas and I kept thinking to myself how that would never happen back home.
There were parks everywhere and people where walking and jogging as if it was a lazy Sunday afternoon.
I began to wonder how fit the city was and how much of an effect the environment had on people’s motivation.
I did some research and according to an article on Yahoo, Minneapolis-St. Paul topped the list of the fittest cities in the United States for the third year in a row, despite it’s very cold winters.
That’s very surprising because you would figure that the healthiest city would be in some place sunny and tropical.
Further in the Yahoo article, I started to understand the reason why Minneapolis-St. Paul residents are so fit.
Knowing that they would be buried in snow for parts of the year, the city has been proactive to prepare and make sure that there are many indoor exercise facilities. For the parts of the year when snow isn’t a challenge, there is an abundance of dog parks, golf courses, baseball diamonds, and of course they have their lakes.
There are many triathalons that are held and because there is a lake every five miles, there is windsurfing and kayaking. Water can be a huge motivator when it comes to fitness.
For those who are water-shy, there are bike trails to explore.
So, what is the point of talking about Minneapolis-St. Paul?
Well, if you are serious about changing your life and becoming healthier, your environment is one of the things that you will want to account for.
Minneapolis-St. Paul is a great example of how motivation can be nurtured through preparation of your environment.
I’m not saying that we should all move to the Land of 10,000 Lakes but I am suggesting that we be proactive and plan.
If you are thinking about moving, start looking for places that encourage an active lifestyle.
If you aren’t planning on moving, look for ways to change your home. Move furniture around so that you can have space to do a DVD exercise program or buy equipment that you can use. Just make it convenient and easy to do so that you can become consistent.
Instead of accepting the challenges of your environment, see what you can do to change your surroundings for the benefit of your health.
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