Walking hard for many exercisers

Reference

Associated Press. (2007, Sep 7). Walking hard for many exercisers. CNN.Com./health. Retrieved September 09, 2007, from
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/09/07/walkable.neighborhoods.p/index.htm.

This article described the research in Atlanta, which was done by Lawrence Frank. Frank is the chief of connecting living environment and health. His studies showed that built environment is related to human health. Recently, his research finds that walkable communities make people drive less and have lower obesity rate, no matter whether they are exercisers or not. This means that community sidewalks linking to stores, transportation or other destinations can increase walking opportunities and decrease driving possibilities because it’s easier and more convenient to walk. Although people know that living in walkable communities is healthier, it costs more. This article lays stress on the fact that the communities you live in becomes an important factor in influencing physical activity and health.

I think that most community environments in US are walkable. There are many sidewalks connected and cars would stop in crossroads until pedestrians pass by; however, the land in US is too big to walk by foot. In the light of the situation, residents can take a walk or exercise around their neighborhood but not traveling or shopping. Suburban neighborhoods usually do not have enough daily resources for residents, so they have to drive downtown. On the other hand, people who live in walkable communities can get what they want by public transportation easily without driving. In order to build a walkable community, mixed-use environment appears to be the vital issue.
Although we know that walkable communities are benefits for humans’ health, the results aren’t significant. Providing walkable communities would let people have the equal chances to get health, which is standing on the passive side, but healthy or not depends on your choices, which are on the active side. In other words, people may be healthier in walkable environments than people living in unwalkable environments; nevertheless, it’s not an absolute outcome. You can be healthier in unwalkable environments, if you try to exercise more or understand how to keep healthy.