I just got back from the gym. Every time I am in this situation, I think "I feel so much better now that I went: I should go more often!" But I know that tomorrow when it's time to go to the gym, I will feel extremely unwilling and will feel as if I am walking through maple syrup on my way there. I go fairly regularly, if only because 1. I am not working (free time) 2. I have no children or other family responsibilities 3. I have a very motivated exercise partner 4. I am relatively young and in good shape, so it's comparatively easier. Also my gym is really nice and large, so there is always space at machines I want to use. Of course most people are not in my situation, so they exercise very little.
The average American drives everywhere and does sedentary work (and thus must make an effort to exercise). But I was surprised to see how little exercise people actually get: it seems that the average American takes somewhere between 5000 and 7000 steps per day, while Americans over 65 average a truly pathetic 3700 steps per day. To put this in context, the recommended 10,000 steps is equivalent to about half an hour of walking, spaced over the entire day. So most Americans walk only about 15-20 minutes a day!
In a way this isn't so surprising. When going places with others, I have noticed that many people begin complaining of their tiredness after a brief walk: when traveling, this is especially annoying since then it's difficult to see much if you can't walk for more than 20 min. without tiring.
But it is really pathetic. The thought of a whole nation of people who can't comfortably walk more than a mile or two without exhaustion depresses me. It's another reason that cars are evil, I suppose.
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