Pawz4me Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Our small city has been slowly putting in sidewalks to make it a more walkable city. And yet I see people walking on the road next to the sidewalk. :confused: What is that about?? I see it all the time and it always confuses me. Before I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism I always walked on the road rather than on the sidewalk. My joints were unstable and my balance was off. It was scary for me to walk on a sidewalk since it sloped at every driveway and intersection. Once I was diagnosed and medicated my issues went away, but it certainly made me realize how much easier it is to walk on a road than a sidewalk. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Most of the time when I see people walking in the street, it's because they are in a group of people, and can't seem to bear the thought of walking behind another member of the group - they all want to walk shoulder to shoulder. I think that's a pretty silly reason to walk mere inches away from cars, personally. But I do appreciate that you guys have pointed out some better reasons that people might walk in the street! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Most of the time when I see people walking in the street, it's because they are in a group of people, and can't seem to bear the thought of walking behind another member of the group - they all want to walk shoulder to shoulder. I think that's a pretty silly reason to walk mere inches away from cars, personally. But I do appreciate that you guys have pointed out some better reasons that people might walk in the street! I understand it when the sidewalks aren't shoveled. But otherwise, no I'm not referring to a group. Just weird people walking in the street. Sometimes far from the side of the street! I've come close to hitting people because they do dumbo things like this at night. I crawl up certain parts of the city at night because people do such wacky things. I would die if I hit someone! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 I understand it when the sidewalks aren't shoveled. But otherwise, no I'm not referring to a group. Just weird people walking in the street. Sometimes far from the side of the street! I've come close to hitting people because they do dumbo things like this at night. I crawl up certain parts of the city at night because people do such wacky things. I would die if I hit someone! That is scary. What scares me here are the people jaywalking. It is really bad. I'm not talking about jaywalking in the residential areas, but people who suddenly decide to bolt across a six-lane street where the traffic is moving at 45mph or more. And just so they can avoid walking a few feet to the nearest stoplight! How can that be worth your life?!? I see this All. The. Time. but the absolute worst was, again a six-lane street where the speed limit was 40 but most people go faster, this family with three little kids suddenly ran across the street in front of oncoming traffic. One baby in arms, and two little toddlers being pulled along behind them. And they were about 50 ft from a stoplight and crosswalk. They made it, that time. I sure hope those kids make it all the way to adulthood, but the odds don't seem very good to me. :crying: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 I hated exercise as a kid. Bad, bad humiliating memories of PE classes in public school. My sister and I were allowed to play one sport - softball. That was it. We both hated it and were awful at it, so we both thought we sucked at sports. As a young adult, my husband and I got into long distance bike riding and I loved it. There were people of all ages and body types! It was so encouraging to see. I took up running long distances then to help with my bike training and fell in love with long distance solo running. Fast forward, I had a child with special needs. It was so easy when he fit in a jog stroller, because I could just fasten him in and go for a run. I trained for and ran several 10ks while breastfeeding and running with him in the stroller. He wouldn't sit in the stroller for runs much after age five but wouldn't go into a daycare at a gym. (Sensory overload!) I gained so much weight in those years, plus had a number of health issues. Several years ago, I was diagnosed with PTSD and major depression. DS was old enough by then to be left home alone, so I again took up long distance solo running as a way to overcome my PTSD. I have fallen in love with training for and running half marathons. I ran 4 in the first 15 months of my training. I cannot overstate enough how it has changed my life. I am now constantly looking for new things to push me out of my comfort zone and challenge myself emotionally and physically. I recently tried arial yoga. It was so hard but I can't wait to go back! Yes, almost everyone in the class was uncoordinated and struggled with the moves, but everyone was laughing and having such a great time. I am almost 50 yet feel younger and healthier now than I did wihen I was in my 20s. I loved the video and its message. I don't think it would really get anyone up off the couch if they weren't otherwise motivated to do so. But - for me - the message was powerful. It doesn't matter your size/shape or age or ability level, find something you love and do it. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 (edited) Yeah, because I don't drive we have to choose to live in relatively dense areas that are walkable. Puts a premium on rent. I think this is an often overlooked aspect. The walkability of a town is related to the residents' living choices. If people want to live in 2000+sq ft single family homes with an acre of yard, density is low and walking places is not feasible. We used biking distance to work as the primary criterion in our home search (after minimum size). This eliminated some great properties and the possibility to live outside the city limits, but it was important to us. I realize that it is a privilege to have that choice. We were able to do this in the other cities we lived in as well, sometimes by necessity because I did not have a car. But it is a choice that comes at a price. Secluded country living or far out suburbs won't work. Edited February 27, 2017 by regentrude 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 28, 2017 Author Share Posted February 28, 2017 Yes, in your circle of female college students in the US, they are continuing to benefit from Title IX from 1972, where female education and sport at the college level received equal federal funding as males. Many countries in the world do not have this policy, or if they do it may not have been for as far back as that. Not only did the equality of funding effect female college sports, but it had a positive impact on research and development around many aspects of females and physical activity. College sports are just not a big deal in the UK, male or female. I think the Boat Race us the only one that is televised, one afternoon a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 College sports are just not a big deal in the UK, male or female. I think the Boat Race us the only one that is televised, one afternoon a year. Do Universities in the UK offer scholarships for student athletes? It's huge in the US, much less in Canada as our universities don't have as much money to offer for scholarships. So having equal number of women's teams as men's teams is important in the US. Of course, it's also the source of inequalities, as specific men's sports bring in big bucks (e.g., college football and basketball) with TV contracts. That doesn't exist in Canada at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 2, 2017 Author Share Posted March 2, 2017 Do Universities in the UK offer scholarships for student athletes? It's huge in the US, much less in Canada as our universities don't have as much money to offer for scholarships. So having equal number of women's teams as men's teams is important in the US. Of course, it's also the source of inequalities, as specific men's sports bring in big bucks (e.g., college football and basketball) with TV contracts. That doesn't exist in Canada at all. Not that I know of. There's some fudging around the Boat Race, I suspect - academic scholarships that just happen to go to PhD applicants who are rowers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfknitter.# Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 Not to mention being harassed when you are out running (or walking). "You're going to have to run faster!" "Run fatty, run!" Etc. Yelled at you from the car as they drive by. I know I'm not the only one. ;( I am so sorry this happens to you and anyone else. My pain is being cat-called because of a big busom. For my frame, I am a work in progress. But being endowed with more than necessary brings unwanted attention. I just want to walk in peace. I am not here for your amusement and you do not need to gift me with your unwanted attentions. :eyeroll/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 (edited) Not that I know of. There's some fudging around the Boat Race, I suspect - academic scholarships that just happen to go to PhD applicants who are rowers. Are any competitive sports in the UK linked with the school system (e.g., high school equivalent), or is it all club based? This is another difference between sports in North America and Europe. Europe tends to have their competitive and recreational sports organized through clubs, whereas quite a few competitive sports are through the high schools in the US. Edited March 2, 2017 by wintermom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 2, 2017 Author Share Posted March 2, 2017 Are any competitive sports in the UK linked with the school system (e.g., high school equivalent), or is it all club based? This is another difference between sports in North America and Europe. Europe tends to have their competitive and recreational sports organized through clubs, whereas quite a few competitive sports are through the high schools in the US. Schools have teams and play against each other, but there isn't the intense identification with school sport that I have heard of in the US. There's more of that in private schools. Many people do sports outside school, through local athletic or other clubs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 Yep - I'm lazy. I keep saying that I want to move to a more walkable city, and there are definitely more walking-friendly cities out there than the one I live in. BUT, I could walk more right now, right here but I don't because I'm lazy. The grocery store that I do most of my shopping at: 1.2 miles. Totally walkable. Yet I drive because I'm lazy. The community college where my daughter takes classes: 1.4 miles. Absolutely walkable. Yet we drive because we're lazy (and she would add, because her books are heavy :D ) I really need to start working on this. The thing about grocery shopping is that I don't want to do it every day, so I like to drive and pick up lots of stuff and then bring it all home at once. But, I do live about half a mile from a cute little downtown area with small, cute shops including a bookstore, and if I want to pick up a birthday gift or a book I do walk. In another direction is a park about half a mile away with a packed earth sidewalk around it. Before I got bursitis I used to walk there and then jog around and around the park about 3X per week. That really felt good, but I can't do it anymore. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 The thing about grocery shopping is that I don't want to do it every day, so I like to drive and pick up lots of stuff and then bring it all home at once. But, I do live about half a mile from a cute little downtown area with small, cute shops including a bookstore, and if I want to pick up a birthday gift or a book I do walk. In another direction is a park about half a mile away with a packed earth sidewalk around it. Before I got bursitis I used to walk there and then jog around and around the park about 3X per week. That really felt good, but I can't do it anymore. I live in a usually-hot climate, so I justify my drive to the grocery store by telling myself that the veggies would be wilted and the milk spoiled by the time I got it home, if I walked. Of course, that excuse doesn't really work in the winter, and yet still I drive. I try to do my big shopping trip about once a week, but inevitably I think of something else we need or something comes up that requires another trip. I really should walk for those smaller trips. Your downtown area and park sound really nice! I'm sorry to hear about your bursitis. That's a very slow-to-heal thing, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 (edited) nm Edited March 2, 2017 by Mimm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 It was partly due to this thread that I made a small change three days ago. I've always had a minimum step goal (which I set based on what I can do on bad pain days and then try to beat on good pain days). But often I was trying to get those last steps in at the end of the day. I have been known to take walks at 11:30 at night just trying to get in those last steps. Anyway. . . I decided that it would help my joints and my mood if I started the day with some movement. I have time constraints that make a lot of early exercise difficult but since my goal is to just get things started and lubricated, that's ok. The YMCA is on my way home from the college where I drop ds off and so I stop at the Y for just 15 minutes. On other days I stop at the grocery store which is also on my way home from the college for 15 minutes of shopping and errands which has the double benefit of lessening the stress of figuring out what to make for dinner at night since I decide early. Anyway. . . it's just a small amount but it has been a good thing for me. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 It was partly due to this thread that I made a small change three days ago. I've always had a minimum step goal (which I set based on what I can do on bad pain days and then try to beat on good pain days). But often I was trying to get those last steps in at the end of the day. I have been known to take walks at 11:30 at night just trying to get in those last steps. Anyway. . . I decided that it would help my joints and my mood if I started the day with some movement. I have time constraints that make a lot of early exercise difficult but since my goal is to just get things started and lubricated, that's ok. The YMCA is on my way home from the college where I drop ds off and so I stop at the Y for just 15 minutes. On other days I stop at the grocery store which is also on my way home from the college for 15 minutes of shopping and errands which has the double benefit of lessening the stress of figuring out what to make for dinner at night since I decide early. Anyway. . . it's just a small amount but it has been a good thing for me. :hurray: Very good point about timing of exercise. Glad it's working well for you, and happy you shared with us here. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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