How To Choose A Healthy Place To Live

My wife and I are looking for a new place to live these days. Our lease on our apt is about to expire at the end of June, which means we want to find a new place to move into by the end of May. I’ve been talking to a number of friends about their housing options and they all seem to have made their decisions based on the following aspects:

• Schools for their kids
• Price
• Commute time

Price and schools seem to be the most important items for most people with commute time coming in a close third. However, I have to ask, where is health in all of this?

Healthy Living In The News

There have been a number of recent articles that have discussed the impact of home location on health. From Science Daily is an article about how tree lines streets can help childhood asthma. From the Dallas News come this article about the connection between obesity and easy access to fast food. Along the same topic is this article from the LA Times which discusses the link between poor health and poor eating options in a neighborhood. Finally, From Reuters, comes this article about how walkable towns reduce health problems and pollution.

With all of this evidence, plus numerous other articles that discuss the benefit of walkable streets, quality food sources and non car commutes, I find it difficult to believe that health should not be part of a housing decision.

Our Criteria

My wife and I are looking at housing with a number of different criteria.

Money - Yes, money is a factor in a housing decision, but money doesn’t just mean the rent.  For example, our current housing complex has a nice gym which I use on occasion.  Losing that would cost us an extra $50 a month in gym fees.  So that factor goes into the cost of a new house.  At the same time, we’re looking for a house with hardwood floors that would be easier on my wife’s allergies, so that’s another health factor that changes cost.

Commute - Commute is important.  That’s why we’re looking for a home within biking range of the train station.  That would allow me to continue my bike / train commute which is healthy, cheap and good for the environment.

Yard - We want to raise our own vegetables because it’s cheaper and healthier, so we’re looking for a place with a backyard as opposed to a small balcony.

Walkable - We want somewhere that is walkable so we don’t have to take the car everytime we want to go shopping for groceries or out to a restaurant.  That lowers our fuel costs while also adding a healthy walk to our daily routines.

The Health Factors

Notice how health subtly changes each one of the criteria for housing.  For example, health tends to go hand in hand with reducing cost.  A healthy home ends up costing you less in terms of groceries (raise your own vegetables), fuel (walk to store, bike to work) and overall medical care (less allergy medication, lower weight).  However, if you looked at rent or buying price alone, you might not notice this.

It’s also good for your kids.  Numerous studies have shown a connection between health and school performance.  So that park close by or the daily walk to school isn’t just about health, it’s also about their education and mental development.

Even the commute factor is changed by health.  It’s no longer about how close you are to work but how close you are to public transportation, and that gives you a much larger range of housing areas to look at.

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When you look for a home you worry about your commute, your wallet and your kids education.  Shouldn’t you also be worried about your and your kids’ health?

It’s 1:45pm, Do You Know Where Your Walk Is?

It’s 1:45pm here in California.  I just came back from a beautiful 30 minute walk.  How about you?  Have you had your walk for the day?  If so, then good for you.  If you haven’t, why not?

I don’t have time for a walk

That’s a pretty poor excuse.  During my 30 minute walk, I made two business calls and one personal call which I had to make today.  If I wanted to, I could easily fill up the 30 minutes with business calls.  Heck, I could go walking during any number of conference calls and still contribute.  Besides, everyone needs a break once in a while.  How about spending it walking instead of sitting on your butt?

It’s too cold outside

Take a jacket.  Besides, the cold will do you good.  Cool air forces your body to spend extra calories in order to keep warm.  Unless there’s a snow storm outside or you’re somewhere like the Arctic, then it’s not too cold to walk.  And if there is a snow storm outside then find a place where you can walk indoors.

It’s too warm outside

Take your jacket off, or just walk a bit slower.

What’s the point of walking anyway?

It’s good exercise, it keeps you active and it’s a refreshing break from work that will allow you to be more productive when you come back.  In fact, a simple walk every day is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself.

I have uncomfortable shoes

So fix that.  Buy shoes that look good enough for work and are comfortable enough to walk in or bring an extra pair of shoes to work that you can put on for your walk.  Stop letting your clothing make your decisions for you.

I’m too busy

Really?  If so, why are you spending time reading this site?  We all waste quite a bit of time every day.  Why not use some of it productively by taking a walk?

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Stop coming up with excuses and start living a healthier life with a daily 30 minute walk.  Now why are you still reading this site when you should be out there walking?

The secrets of walking

Walking, it’s one of the best exercises options we have.  It’s easy, can be done almost anywhere, requires virtually no equipment and has little risk of injury.  I’d recommend that everyone get at least 30 minutes of walking per day.  Here are a few ways to maximize the efficiency of your walking time.

Walk on an uneven surface - Uneven surfaces burn more calories because we need to engage more muscles to keep us stable.  So trails are better than pavement and soft surfaces like sand are even better.

Get your whole body involved - You don’t have to jump around, but you should get your arms moving.

Keep your back straight - Don’t slouch.  Walking is about feeling better.  So straighten out your back and walk tall.

Use your time wisely - Walking is time that can be used very productively.  Bring along an iPod and listen to a podcast, learn a new language as you walk, listen to the news or bring a coworker and have a walking meeting.  Remember, walking engages your body, not your brain.  So get some brain exercise as well.

Walk faster - You don’t need to jog or even power walk, but there’s a fine line between walking and strolling.  Enjoy your walk, but do keep up a good pace.

No weights - You may have seen people walking around with weights.  Well, forget that.  Weights don’t really add much except injury risk.  Keep the weights in the gym and enjoy your walk weight free.

Make it a social activity - In the South SF Bay Area where I live, we have a large population of Asian immigrants.  One of the health habits I most admire is this population’s tendency to go out and walk as a family.  Every evening you see dozens of Indian, Chinese and other Asian families strolling around the neighborhood.  Just think, as opposed to sitting in front of the TV, they’re out there walking and chatting.  It’s healthier for your body and your social ties.

Walking as transportation - Remember you legs?  You know what their original function was?  I’ll give you a hint, it wasn’t to press the gas pedal.  Your legs are the original human mode of transportation.  They’re very efficient at getting you places.  Unfortunately, most people seem to have forgotten about this.  If you’re going to the store down the block, will it really be faster to get the car out, drive over, find a parking spot and then go in?  Will the five minutes you save that way make up for the money you spent on gas, car wear and tear plus the healthy benefits of the walk you could have taken?  Use your legs to get places.  Unlike your car, they’ll never run out of gas.