By Christy Filby, Activate Quad Cities
There is a magic that comes with spring days. I witnessed an example of this “spirit of spring” recently when two of my officemates donned their tennis shoes and left on a lunchtime walk. I turned down the offer to join them (too many deadlines), but found myself later wondering if I had made the right choice. Would the fresh air have cleared my mind? Would the physical activity have given me more focus for the afternoon? Would my spirit have been enriched by the color of spring flowers? Yes – was the resounding answer, yet I had chosen my desk chair and computer over a refreshing spring walk.
Unfortunately, I am not alone in my choice. Many people in our community do not take advantage of the little ways we can work physical activity into our lives on a daily basis and it is showing.
The 2010 Quad Cities Community Vitality Snapshot shows that nearly 2 out of 3 adults in Scott and Rock Island Counties are overweight or obese. How did we get this way? Well, although I am a believer in personal responsibility, a large part of the blame can fall on the shoulders of a cultural shift over the last 30-50 years. This shift can be traced to a number of environmental factors – our love affair with the automobile, suburban sprawl, the pressure of the 50-60 hour work week and the tendency towards “convenience” in every aspect of our lives. Today, 40% fewer children walk or bike to school than when I was growing up and many of our trips by car are within a mile of our homes.
How do we change this culture? I suggest we start with one walk or bike trip at a time. We take our tennis shoes to work and take that walk during our lunch hour. We volunteer to be part of a “walking school bus” and walk with the neighborhood kids one day a week to school. As for me, I’m thinking about dragging the old “Burley” bike trailer once used to haul the kids, and instead use it to haul the groceries home from the store.
We also don’t have to do it alone. A number of organizations in the Quad Cities are coming together to promote walking, biking and transit use. QC in Motion Week (May 14-21), sponsored by Trinity Health Systems, is a week of opportunities dedicated to active living – whether that is just getting out and walking or utilizing active transportation (biking, using transit).
The week will focus on promoting ways of incorporating physical activity into your daily routine and increasing awareness that a healthier environment leads to a healthier community. You can take part in a number of special activities at local parks, such as disc golf or a scavenger hunt, ride the Loop bus and experience local art offerings during the “Loop d’Arte” event, ride your bike to work or school, or take part in a walking group at your place of work and join other organizations as they walk on May 20th. Many more activities will be taking place – all with the simple goal of getting us moving.
Working together and taking small steps, we can change our culture to one that is healthier for all of us. Tomorrow I think I’ll take that walk at lunchtime and trade my screen saver for a view of the river and my stress for warm sunshine on my face.
For more information on QC in Motion Week, visit www.activatequadcities.org
Download a Quad Cities in Motion flyer
