What do you do to lift your spirits when you’re down in the dumps? Watch TV? Listen to music? Cry and eat a pint of ice-cream? Perhaps a better solution is to simply sit outside. A connection with nature may actually help to make us happier and healthier individuals. Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “an…
How urgent would your work feel if you knew you were saving lives? Healthy community advocates often tolerate pushbacks and delays on new sidewalks or needed crosswalks as we talk about how improved physical environments enhance health, create a sense of community and even have economic benefits. But let’s remember that we are also preventing…
Travel often means a break in fitness routines. After all, not all hotel gyms are inviting (limited equipment can be a problem). But a number of properties around the world are now offering more compelling workout programs. Matt Roberts, a trainer whose clients have included David Cameron, the British prime minister, and the model Naomi…
Tempted to press snooze? Don’t. “Exercising early in the morning jump-starts your metabolism, keeping it elevated for hours and energizes you for the day,” says Jennifer Sherman, a Certified Indoor Cycling Instructor and Head Coach at Peloton Cycle in New York City. And while you may be tempted to sleep in, there are ways to…
Crowds pack the crosswalks, weaving around cars that nose through to make right turns. Men pull food carts and women push strollers toward the Metro Rail station, accompanied by the strains of pop music from cars and businesses. This is the kind of dense, transit-oriented neighborhood that Los Angeles officials say the car-clogged city needs…
These communities are helping residents take steps towards healthier lives by making walking a priority. 1. Albert Lea, Minnesota (pop. 18,000) In 2009 citizens of Albert Lea adopted a wellness plan inspired by Blues Zones, a book by National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner, which examines places around the world where people are the healthiest and live…
Historically in America, towns and cities were built on a framework of walking. From center-city Boston to pioneer towns out west, people set up centralized areas for work, shopping, recreation, and living. As the automobile boomed, however, we began to systematically engineer walking out of daily life. In 1969, walking made up 40 percent of…
Shopping malls: While a pillar of U.S. capitalism, they’re not usually associated with healthy habits and physical fitness. But an activity known as mall walking is transforming the local retail center into a fitness track—at least for a few hours before the shoppers arrive. Federal health officials appear to be taking notice of the growing…
Why people of all ages need to be able to get around on their own two feet A street that’s made safer for an older adult to cross is also safer for a child walking to school, a parent pushing a stroller, a bicyclist, a jogger, a commuter, a shopper. In other words, a walkable…
In just one day, 1,000 people will gather in Union Square Park for the biggest Vision Zero event in history. Will you be there for this historic event? WHAT: Vigil for Vision Zero WHEN: Tuesday, July 14 at 7 pm WHERE: Union Square Park North Rain or Shine On this historic night, activists, politicians and…