Sedentary Lifestyles

I'm reading a pretty interesting book called "I'm a Stranger Here Too" by Bill Bryson. It's actually a collections of columns he wrote for a British newspaper. He had lived in the UK for 20 years with his family and then returned to the U.S., where he now lives in a small New Hampshire town called Hanover, best known for being home to Dartmouth College. The columns are about his re-adjustment to American life and are pretty funny. One of them hit home last night. He was writing about how an astonishly high percentage of Americans are considered to live sedentary or extremely sedentary lives, and that the average American only walks something like 1.4 miles per week. That's pretty sad. And that some 93% of trips outside the home are made by car. I think I'm more active than most, but this made me think about how my lifestyle lately (the last two weeks, I suppose) has been very sedentary, with the vast majority of my time spent sitting on my butt on my chair at work, in front of the computer (like right now!). I decided to do something about it and walk to work today. I threw on my sweats, packed my backpack with an outfit, shoes and my lunch, and took an urban hike through midtown and downtown to make my way to the office. Along the way, I was able to notice things I've never noticed before. First of all, spring is a beautiful time of year in Sacramento because the trees are all incredibly lush and green. I don't think you truly notice the beauty of the trees in this area unless you slow down and walk around. I walked around the Crocker Art Museum and could check out the sculpture outside and appreciate the beautiful architecture. By the time I arrived at work, I felt great knowing that I had already gotten my exercise for the day. Then the realization hit me: oh yeah, I'm going to have to walk home, too. Four miles in one day: that's apparently how far most Americans will walk in a month!