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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters walk 5 miles a week instead of driving, in a year we'll eliminate the CO2 created by 240 cars.
COCKTAIL FACT
In the United States, 25% of trips are under a mile, but 75% of those trips are made by car.
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home › tip library › Fitness Walking
Does beating the pavement make good horse sense?
The Bite
You bet your money on the bobtail nag, it does. Walking short distances instead of taking the car means big savings on gas and less air pollution.The Benefits
- Better health. Even at a slow pace, you'll burn around 100 calories per mile, and consistent exercise from walking reduces the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
- Better air quality. Walking instead of driving 10 1-mile trips each week averts 500 lbs of CO2 emissions per year.
- Pocket change savings. Walking 1 mile instead of driving will save you about 15 cents on gas.
- Connecting with neigh-bors. It's easier to interact with other people when you're not stuck behind the wheel.
Personally Speaking
When Jen moved from Atlanta (land of highways) to NYC and sold her car, she lost 7 lb (whoa, Nelly!) in a month from all the short trips she made on foot.Wanna Try?
- Um, well, walk. Just remember to stay hydrated (with the help of your Biter bottle).
Jun 11,2007
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Percolating Pixie Dust
Lately, I've been walking through my days, feeling like I was being followed by a magic cloud of pixie dust. My life is punctuated by these periods of time - weeks and months of magic contentment and a toe-curling love of life. When these moments show up, I almost hold my breath - bubbles in the top of my belly percolating up my neck and down my fingers - and I take long drives and listen to too-loud music, and I can't believe I am so, so, so lucky.
Nothing really ever causes it. It's not like I fall in love or get a great job or move to a fabulous place. In fact, usually those things happen as a result of the pixie dust feeling, they don't create it.
However, once, years ago, I know precisely when the magic dust showed up. I was living in LA, driving absolutely EVERYwhere. And for some reason, one sunny-but-cool afternoon, I decided to walk the whole seven blocks to Blockbuster to return my rentals. Seven. Whole. Blocks.
On way there, all I could think was how insanely lucky I was that I could do that - could walk to the store in the sunshine - healthy and fed and fit. I was lonely as hell during that time of my life, and all it took was a solitary walk for about 5 minutes to make me feel grateful, and for that magic cloud to start to follow me.
Maybe that is what it is for me this time, too. Walking the hills of SF and the streets of NYC... Life is just - quite simply - GOOD.
Give it a try. Maybe it's the magic formula, and the pixie dust will show up for you, too.
-Heather... off to walk to my local store, The Good Life (so aptly named for today...)
Nothing really ever causes it. It's not like I fall in love or get a great job or move to a fabulous place. In fact, usually those things happen as a result of the pixie dust feeling, they don't create it.
However, once, years ago, I know precisely when the magic dust showed up. I was living in LA, driving absolutely EVERYwhere. And for some reason, one sunny-but-cool afternoon, I decided to walk the whole seven blocks to Blockbuster to return my rentals. Seven. Whole. Blocks.
On way there, all I could think was how insanely lucky I was that I could do that - could walk to the store in the sunshine - healthy and fed and fit. I was lonely as hell during that time of my life, and all it took was a solitary walk for about 5 minutes to make me feel grateful, and for that magic cloud to start to follow me.
Maybe that is what it is for me this time, too. Walking the hills of SF and the streets of NYC... Life is just - quite simply - GOOD.
Give it a try. Maybe it's the magic formula, and the pixie dust will show up for you, too.
-Heather... off to walk to my local store, The Good Life (so aptly named for today...)
Biter Comments...
As I sit at my loom, gazing out over the bay, doing what I love to do in my free time as I absorb the wonder of this place, I realize that the moment I found this apartment was when pixie dust showed up for me.... thanks for the reminder!
Thank you for sharing such a beautiful story about your experience with walking! I have found walking not only practical, but meditative as well.
In addition to the benefits listed in todays bite are the too-many-to-list-here benefits of just plain s l o w i n g d o w n. Slowing the pace of daily life helps us discover and regain a rhythm that fosters deeper connections with ourselves, our communities, the ways in which we decide to live.
The two-mile morning walk from home to my woodshop is a joyous time of noticing old and new things along the way, reflecting on life, getting my mind focused on the day's work. I am more productive--and safe--just from starting the day slowly and with purpose. Taking the time to cook a nice lunch is good, too.
I love walking. Sadly, I feel I can only do it around the neighborhood as to walk anywhere close to my errand points would surely make me road kill. This country is so addicted to cars that it has made walking or riding a bike unsafe in most areas. Oh, well. Sticking to the neighborhood isn't all that bad; it allows for more opportunities to be social. Thanks for the bite.
A few years ago my partner and I walked the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage route that traverses the north of Spain. We walked nearly daily for 6 weeks and although the journey was difficult, I think if it as the best vacation I've ever had...and to be honest, on more recent travels, I've even resented the vehicle time a little... walking was just such a liberating, patient, peaceful way to experience a foreign country!
Heather,
I always love your writing but this piece especially. If you ever run short of pixie dust - just come home to Montana. You know I always keep an extra vial of pixie dust. Besides, I miss you.
It is so true how much walking or riding a bike to get somewhere makes you feel better. Yesterday I got my two kids in the car to go drop off a couple of bills in town. As I rounded the corner leaving my neighborhood I thought to myself, why didn't I put them in the Burley cart and ride my bike? My kids love it and it helps entertain us for longer periods during the day. I'm going to use the bicycle trailer for more trips around town.
I live in Tehachapi, Ca and not many people here are very green. We were originally going to move away but couldn't sell our house. Now we've decided that we must be the change we wish to see in this beautiful but not so green place that we live. Want to know where Tehachapi is...go to www.WheresTehachapi.com
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Pascal Gillon, BASc | June 11, 2007 at 01:47 AM