There are times when I feel like I should be living somewhere else. As a runner, I've gotten strange looks from neighbors over the years who think I'm crazy for running in the rain or running while 8 months pregnant. Where I live in the suburbs, I wouldn't say that regular physical activity is the norm. Unfortunately, it's probably the exception. I've always been aware of this in my hometown, but became even more aware when I moved away. My husband and I moved to Memphis, Tennessee for three years. If I felt like the exception at home, in Memphis I felt even stranger. I lived and worked with so many people who had never exercised a day in their lives. The fact that I was training for marathons and getting up at 4:30 a.m. to work out each day made me quite an anomaly. Of course, there were others like me. But the general culture was one of good, Southern eating (fried foods, lots of yummy desserts) and not much exercise. That's why I wasn't surprised to read that Tennessee residents were some of the least likely in the nation to be active. Don't get me wrong- I met some wonderful people during my time in Memphis, I learned a lot about myself and wouldn't trade the experience for anything. I worked at a YMCA, and every day was able to help someone new start on a path to a healthier lifestyle. It was a very fulfilling feeling. But it was difficult to ignore the toll obesity was taking on the health of many Memphis residents. According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 29% of adults in parts of Appalachia and the South reported getting no physical activity other than their job. Coincidentally, these areas have the highest rates of diabetes and obesity. The West Coast, Colorado and parts of the Northeast reported the highest levels of leisure-time physical activity among adults. Sometimes I think that’s where I'm meant to be- where running, walking or spending time exercising outside are a typical part of most people's days. How do you begin to change the mentality of residents in these sedentary areas? How do you start making an active and healthy lifestyle the norm instead of the exception? If you live in one of these areas, are you seeing any shift in thinking? |
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