We’ve been back from China for over a month now, and I’m really trying to hang on to the feel of what it was like to be somewhere so different from home. I want to savor and incorporate the life lessons learned while there.
Shanghai is a city of 26.3 million (the largest city proper population in the world). If you’re doing the math, that’s a whole lotta people. Obviously, not everyone can own a car there. Fortunately, public transportation is insanely good and affordable. But that’s not the only way people get around. Many, many (many) people ride scooters (electrically-charged, not gas-powered, so as to not contribute to the very poor air quality), or they pedal bicycles or walk.
Daily life provides plenty of healthy movement for people in that country. Going to the gym is not a “thing” there. Mostly, daily life is all that’s needed for healthy activity. I’ve recently read the book Blue Zones, by Dan Buettner, which outlines the factors that contribute to the highest rates of longevity in cultures around the world. One of the key things these long-living people have in common is not Jane Fonda workouts or triathlons or body building, but movement centered around their natural, daily life. They walk… a lot. They garden. They ride bikes for transportation.
So that was me recently. I had a slew of errands to run and decided to ride my single-speed bike, much like the bikes in China.
Now Boise is a decently-sized city of 226,000 people. But it’s no Shanghai. So it’s easier to get around. Boise is very bicycle friendly; it’s hip to bicycle commute here. The day was mostly sunny, I had a few hours open, so I decided to go for it.
After my second stop, I came back out to my bike and it was raining. Grrr, not in the plan. It ceased quickly, however, and I set out for my next few stops. But my crowning achievement was grocery shopping by bike.
I brought a backpack (the same one I used to travel to China) and placed it in my shopping cart as a size reference. I bought a lot of good stuff and was able to fit almost all of it in my pack. I put a few items in the store’s plastic shopping bags, so as not to squish them or rip the thin plastic bag full of bulk foods.
After finding my balance on the bike while carrying a heavy pack (tricky), all was well and good making my way home through the city… until I noticed a little white trail of flour I was leaving. Ooops, one of the bags caught in my spokes. But I repacked, shuffled things around, and was fine.
I got home and took pics because I was impressed with all the backpack could hold. I felt proud of myself for having tried this experiment. I used no gasoline, and got some natural exercise. Win-win. But will I make this a habit? Will I walk or use my bicycle when it’s not so convenient and the weather is not so good? Will I learn to pack so I don’t leave a trail of flour?Time will tell.
HOW ABOUT YOU?
What ways can you find to fit more natural movement into your day?
