Bike to Work Week
First, this is National Bike to Work Week, and Friday is Bike to Work Day!
I didn't go to work Friday. I could tell Thursday night that I wouldn't be able to wake up in the morning, so I emailed in sick and enjoyed the sheer bliss of sleeping as long as possible, on a weekday. The weekend afforded good times riding the local hill, a fact to which my sore legs can readily speak to today, however the feeling is good, it is a sign I use my body.
I was reading some statistics recently that I would like to share:
1. 60% of Americans lead completely sedentary lifestyles (1998 report of the American Medical Association)
2. About 40% of all trips are shorter than 2 miles - a 10-minute bike ride or a 25-minute walk (1995 NPTS)
3. Air pollution contributes to the deaths of 60,000 people nationwide. In urban areas with poor air quality, asthma is becoming a more significant health concern. (Harvard University School of Public Health).
4. The cost of operating a car for one year is approximately $5,170, verses $120 for a bicycle (AAA Mid-Atlantic)
5. Approximately 70%, or 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million obese, and 9 million severely obese (AOA, 2002)
So, according to empirical studies, 70 percent of American adults are overweight, and 60 percent are completely sedentary. I should, for the sake of clarity define what the common definition of 'sedentary' is: activities which do not result in an elevated heart rate, increased perspiration, or increased respiration. Basically, a sedentary life involves nothing more than sitting, and maybe brief periods of walking (most likely to the car or fridge). Clearly there is a correlation between the 60% of Americans who live sedentary lives and the 70% who are overweight, the causal connection is at first obvious,
and under closer scrutiny undeniable; If you don't use your body, there is a very good statistical chance you will get fat.
Well anyway, I'm happy with the new site design so far, I just gotta keep dumping content into it.
I didn't go to work Friday. I could tell Thursday night that I wouldn't be able to wake up in the morning, so I emailed in sick and enjoyed the sheer bliss of sleeping as long as possible, on a weekday. The weekend afforded good times riding the local hill, a fact to which my sore legs can readily speak to today, however the feeling is good, it is a sign I use my body.
I was reading some statistics recently that I would like to share:
1. 60% of Americans lead completely sedentary lifestyles (1998 report of the American Medical Association)
2. About 40% of all trips are shorter than 2 miles - a 10-minute bike ride or a 25-minute walk (1995 NPTS)
3. Air pollution contributes to the deaths of 60,000 people nationwide. In urban areas with poor air quality, asthma is becoming a more significant health concern. (Harvard University School of Public Health).
4. The cost of operating a car for one year is approximately $5,170, verses $120 for a bicycle (AAA Mid-Atlantic)
5. Approximately 70%, or 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million obese, and 9 million severely obese (AOA, 2002)
So, according to empirical studies, 70 percent of American adults are overweight, and 60 percent are completely sedentary. I should, for the sake of clarity define what the common definition of 'sedentary' is: activities which do not result in an elevated heart rate, increased perspiration, or increased respiration. Basically, a sedentary life involves nothing more than sitting, and maybe brief periods of walking (most likely to the car or fridge). Clearly there is a correlation between the 60% of Americans who live sedentary lives and the 70% who are overweight, the causal connection is at first obvious,
and under closer scrutiny undeniable; If you don't use your body, there is a very good statistical chance you will get fat.
Well anyway, I'm happy with the new site design so far, I just gotta keep dumping content into it.
Labels: Commuting
posted by Joel at
9:11 PM
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