Everyday Systems: urbanranger: message 4 of 46

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In a nutshell:

As part of a recent study, 96 members of an old order 
Amish community in Ontario were given pedometers to
measure how much they walked. The men averaged about
18,000 steps a day, the women 14,000. Their obesity
rate was just 4% (2 individuals).

By contrast, even Americans who are dedicated walkers
have trouble exceeding 10,000 steps a day. The average
American manages a mere 2,000 to 5,000. The United
States has an obesity rate of over 30%.

http://walking.about.com/cs/measure/a/amish010704.htm

http://www.harvard-magazine.com/on-line/050465.html

Obviously, walking is just one factor. These Amish
spend hours a day tossing around bales of hay, etc.
But they also really pack it away at meals. I think
this astonishing disparity in walking has got to be
significant. It is also, unlike the bales of hay, more
easily replicable for us "English."

I'm cross posting this to the urbanranger group
(because it's more relevant) and to the nosdiet group
(because it's still relevant and I actually want
someone to read it). My apologies (and gratitude) to
the few who are members of both.

I think I'm going to invest in a pedometer, just to
see how this urban ranger is currently doing...

Oh, and for those who are concerned, "use of the
pedometers and scales did not violate Amish traditions
because they were borrowed." (Harvard article)

Reinhard