Why Missourians don't walk and bike as much as they could--and what we can do about it - St. Louis American: Health News

Headlines are quick hits from media outlets from Missouri and around the world. Follow the headline link for the full story. The source of this headline says:

[O]ne of the key differences I noticed during my stay overseas was the amount of daily movement most Parisians had. They walked everywhere: to the local market, to work, and to their various entertainment activities. I also noticed a lot of bike riders.

Now compare that culture to ours. We barely will walk around the block. We try to find the closest parking space to the door. Instead of taking our children to the park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, we prop them in front of the TV so they can play on the latest electronic gadget they got for Christmas. Instead of encouraging the bike riders in our city, we complain they took driving lanes away to accommodate the bikers.

We have also created communities that make it more difficult to walk to our local restaurants and grocery stores. We are a culture of convenience and our waistlines are greatly expanding because of it.

Change is not happenstance. It is deliberate and intentional. If we do not want to see a generation with worse health outcomes than its predecessor, we must alter the course now.

Link: 

Why Missourians don't walk and bike as much as they could--and what we can do about it - St. Louis American: Health News

MoBikeFed comment: These comments are right on target--and Missouri communities that have worked to make bicycling and walking more easily available have found that people really do bike and walk more, when they can.