Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Americans typically exercise more in the spring and summer and less in the fall and winter. Frequent exercise usually drops to its lowest point in December of each year and beings to improve again in January.
After living 30 years in Chicago yes definitely winter makes you lazier. For several reasons:
-Everything is more of a hassle. For example I workout at 6am in the weekdays. In the summer I wake up, put on my shorts and t-shirt walk outside and just start running. In the winter? Ha. I wake up put on my t-shirt, shorts, track pants, boots, jacket, scarf, hats gloves. And no I don't go run outside, I got to the gym during the winter because its too cold. I then have to go to my car sit there for 5 minutes warming it up. Oh and it's still dark as **** outside! I get to the gym and have to change out of all that clothes and lock it all up. But all the snow from my boots soaks the locker so I have to carefully place my clothes in there. Then pull the same routine when I am ready to leave. Of course if it snowed the night before I have shovel out my car. One is much easier to do than the other. From April-October I religiously work out. November-March it becomes a lot more difficult and I probably only work out half as much as I do during the warmer months.
-I eat more. It's depressing when you leave for work and it's nighttime, leave the office and it's also nighttime or close to it, it's cold and everything is dead. Then the little daylight you do get it is completely overcast and grey which is just depressing. If you get the uncommon clear sky and all sunny, guess what it's going to freaking cold! So you have pick your poison. Either sunny and extremely cold or mild but overcast completely.
People who say they are more active in winter I highly doubt it. Chicago for example has much less streetlife, people are at home more, people really don't ride their bikes around in the city nor do you see as many people out and about in the winter. When it's warm there are people everywhere! People are on bikes everywhere, people running outside, walking their dogs, being out and about, the dynamic and activity level changes completely. So yeah, sorry if winter energizes you more then you are definitely in the minority.
People who say they are more active in winter I highly doubt it. Chicago for example has much less streetlife, people are at home more, people really don't ride their bikes around in the city nor do you see as many people out and about in the winter. When it's warm there are people everywhere! People are on bikes everywhere, people running outside, walking their dogs, being out and about, the dynamic and activity level changes completely. So yeah, sorry if winter energizes you more then you are definitely in the minority.
What I read on CD is sometimes mind boggling. But I think it's just boosterism, because their city has a cold climate, they're trying to pretend it's desirable.
Anyways, I know some people who enjoy 4 seasons, and for winter it's always explained as "snuggling besides a warm fire and reading a book", in other words, a lazy activity.
Obesity rates are higher in the South and the summer in the South is near unbearably hot and humid and you don't feel like doing anything but swimming and sitting in an air conditioned room. It is not fun. The falls and springs are amazing thou not as cold as up north, I say this as a citizen that has lived in AL, FL, KY and TN now.
People are obese for different reasons though. It's more cultural than weather related. More to do with car centric culture, food is less healthier and they are poorer states (sometimes significantly) where people aren't as educated.
Chicago is a cold city. The people on the northside, that tend to be middle class and upper class tend to not be as obese. The poorer people however definitely tend to be more obese. The south, especially the deep south tends to be poor and the poorest part of this country. Unlike the north where that is the opposite. It has more to do with culture and socioeconomics than hot summers.....
The fattest city in the country is Detroit, you have to compare these cities on the basis of adjusting for socioeconomics to get the true effect of the weather. I'm sure in Jackson, Mississippi, while still an obese city, is less obese than Detroit.
The fattest city in the country is Detroit, you have to compare these cities on the basis of adjusting for socioeconomics to get the true effect of the weather. I'm sure in Jackson, Mississippi, while still an obese city, is less obese than Detroit.
Right, and Detroit is probably the poorest major city in the U.S.
The way I see it, it's either cultural or it's socicoeconomics. Sometimes it's a mix a both. But because it's hot outside?! I can see if it was an inferno from February - November where every day is 100 degrees and high humidity. But come on, because it's unbearable May-August in Houston that is why there are fat people there? Give me a break. There is a lot more to it. That hot summer has very little to do with it. I would say it has more to do with Houston being unwalkable and Texas food generally is known to be very unhealthy there and most people don't seem to care either. Everything is bigger in Texas right?
Same goes for winters. Winter doesn't cause obesity, yes it makes being active more difficult IMO, but when it comes down to it obesity is due to people not being educated, social class, the culture of the place and how the physical aspects of the city help people get out and be more active. Because you have 4 months of frigid cold or burning hell does not account for a place to be obese. Yes, nice weather definitely helps and is a factor, but imo it's a small factor when looking at the obesity epidemic.
Even in Houston, I'd say people got more exercise in the summer months than their winter months, though it's more even then places like Detroit or Chicago or Minneapolis.
In Houston, in their summer, people were outside eating at restaurants, on the beach in Galveston, or going fishing or kayaking or BBQing. And I'd say Houston is nowhere near as fat as Detroit, just by common observation of people in both cities.
go outside and do some running on a -40F with windchill... When it's cold, you just get exhausted really quick because it's harder to breathe
Go for a run when it's 98 and over 90% humidity.
It always makes me laugh when some people think when the temps drop, people in colder climates stay inside their homes for months and don't do anything outside. Believe it or not, there are plenty of people that love when it's cold and snows as they do a wide range out outdoor activities. Ice fishing, alpine skiing, cross country skiing, riding (snowboard), snow shoeing, ride snow mobiles, play outdoor hockey, etc.
People are obese for different reasons though. It's more cultural than weather related. More to do with car centric culture, food is less healthier and they are poorer states (sometimes significantly) where people aren't as educated.
Chicago is a cold city. The people on the northside, that tend to be middle class and upper class tend to not be as obese. The poorer people however definitely tend to be more obese. The south, especially the deep south tends to be poor and the poorest part of this country. Unlike the north where that is the opposite. It has more to do with culture and socioeconomics than hot summers.....
I agree with your point on culture and socioeconomics that def is the majority of it but hot summers do make people lazy and not want to work out. Still not an excuse for me because I have an indoor gym I can work out at. I do agree that Southern people in general do eat more unhealthy than the rest of the country but we do have a lot of health nuts as well. Southern belles that are smoking hot here watch their weight. No doubt almost all the fattest states are in the South, fried chicken and BBQ is a way of life in the South
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
