How come Parisians, in particular, are so not overweight?
Eating less, but better? Smoking? Social pressure?
Maybe all of the above – but I think it’s more because of this … exquisitely illustrated in a sweet little video:
.
.
Because the Metro is just below the surface, there aren’t a lot of escalators, mainly just short flights of stairs. And because the system is so extensive, where lines frequently cross each other, Metro users spend a lot of time walking between stations. Add it all up: a lot of calories.
Same in New York City:
.
.
And speaking of walking, it’s time to take advantage of Walk 21 – the international conference on walking and liveable commuities – coming to Vancouver October 3-5. Find out more and sign up here.
Can you link to the video page on vimeo? I would love to see what else they have.
So true…..love the metro in paris, although the long walks can be quiet daunting at times.
If you’ve ever transferred in Chatelet-Les-Halles, serious walking there!
It’s not just that. It is all the four storey walk up buildings without elevators where residents climb the stairs every day.
Some of those transfers in the Paris Metro are epic.. you start to wonder if there are any trains involved, or if you’re just walking to the next station… Diagrams don’t show this… the longest walk in Chatelet-Les-Halles that Colin mentioned is 750 metres, a 9 or 10 minute walk!
You could also consider that, in general, high density cites are better suited to walking. Also, I always had consider that Parisian’s fitness (you could also change that for a lot of other cities) was due to stress. Usually nervous people tend to be slimmer.