The London Workout

Ever wonder why people in big cities are thin? Now, I know.

Here’s a list of the regular “athletic activities” in the daily life of a Londoner:

• Carrying 20lb+ of groceries and supplies back from the market
• Schlepping a 20lb+ briefcase to and from the office
• Walking to the tube… I’ll have to wear a pedometer to give an accurate mile count for my days of walking
• Walking up the escalator if in a hurry
• A key word is WALK — we walk EVERYWHERE
• Carrying furniture back from Ikea (or elsewhere) — good for your arm muscles
• Running to catch the train
• Belsize Park’s on a hill — we walk up and down it at least twice a day. That, alone, is a good workout.

Another adjustment. While we claim to dress for the weather in the US, we don’t, really. In the US we can get by with wearing just about anything because we only have to deal with the weather on the way from the car to the office. Here, you really do dress for the weather. Since you walk outside and are exposed to the elements, you have to look at the weather forecast very carefully before you venture out for the day. If you wear the wrong thing, you’re MISERABLE.

So. Why are people in big cities thin? They get a good workout going out and about by day, and they also eat much less because the less they eat, the fewer groceries they have to carry home :).