Well, I have come to the end of my Europe tour. What is more appropriate than finishing up in Amsterdam? From a fitness prospective, I found a couple yoga studios but not much else in the sense of "traditional" gyms. By far Amsterdam has been the biggest bicycling city I have visited (see picture of commuter bike parking). To be fair, I didn't notice much "working out" aside from cycling. I don't think many people think fitness when thinking about Amsterdam. It is a very nice city with many canals and great architecture. It was fun walking around the winding streets. The favorite "thing to do" it seems is sitting at a coffee shop. Unfortunately, the goal at the coffee shop doesn't seem to motivate people to be active. I gave in and decided this leg of the trip was more for relaxation and site seeing.
It has been fun trying to discover new fitness trends around Europe. However, I have concluded that the U.S. seems to be ahead of the curve when it comes to fitness. Now, if we could only get the majority of Americans to use the fabulous fitness and nutrition options we have available, maybe we could do something about the over-weight and obesity statistics.
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People still bicycle a lot over there. And generally in European cities, there is less of a need for driving. That might explain partly why fitness is not as much as a priority than in the US. Although I hear about more and more Parisian friends among others who go to the gym just like in America. These are generally professionals leading a similar lifestyle than some New Yorkers for example.
ReplyDeleteAnd to your point about the US over-weight and obesity statistics, again the lifestyle should be considered. Fitness and nutrition are definitely important. But again the tendency in the US is to eat when one is hungry which was fine when we were still hunters going after some wild animals. But with settling down, our emotional needs have increased. And providing those should be part of our nutrition process. There is, in my opinion, a direct connection between nurturing sitting-down meals at regular hours, which provide a nurturing environment and decent-sized portions, and a lean body that knows when to eliminate and when to stock its food...
I look forward to hearing more about your European adventures around a great meal in the big apple or the windy city very soon :)