Post 4B

I included in my previous post some interpreatations about Americans having sedentary lifestyles. It has become a larger part of the memoir, and I think it needs to be talked about again. Bryson expressed that most Americans walk less in one day than an Appalachian hiker does in twenty minutes. WOW!, with a gaping mouth was my expression when I read this. Obviously Americans rely much on their vehicles, and have remote controls for just about everything, but could their total movement in leg strides be reduced to under a mile? I thought about it for a while and decided that a "blue-collar" worker, like a telemarketer might wake up, walk to the shower, then to the kitchen, and then to their car. After that, they find the closest parking available, sit in a chair for hours on end, only to get back in their car, pick up some fast food, and sit back to watch some TV. After thinking about it, I thought, "Yeah that adds up to about a mile." Although Americans should obviously be more active, making the comparison to an avid hiker is a little to extreme. I think it would be much more feasible and acceptable to run or even walk for twenty minutes in a day. Although I am on the cross-country team, and am a hiker, I don't think many Americans can or want to do such extreme exercise. A little exercise every day is better that none.