Given the dangers, we might as well stay cooped up inside, right? Wrong. Getting outside is one of the best things you can do to get rid of your Toxic Belly Fat. Science shows there is a direct relationship between access to the outdoors and the size of our bodies. Those who live where they can bike, walk, or take public transit are slimmer and more fit than those who don't. And people who live in counties where homes are spread apart and far from shopping (that old sprawl thing), walk less and weigh more than others.
In fact, the odds you'll be obese rise 10 percent with every 50-point degree of sprawl your home is on the sprawl index. Sprawling counties are spread-out areas where homes are far away from other destinations (like offices and stores), which are generally only accessed by highways where it is dangerous to walk or bike. And guess what? There's even a strong relationship between high blood pressure and greater sprawl. How come? People in sprawling counties walk less for exercise. But they also walk less for errands because there is nowhere for them to go. Distance from recreational facilities, feeling unsafe from crime and traffic, and unattractive neighborhoods are all linked to obesity. So is living in a very isolated area with no access to stores, churches, or schools--nothing to do but eat.
One study of national park attendance found that it grew steadily from the 1930s to 1987 but has dropped by 25 percent since then. What's causing the drop? Over 97 percent of it can be directly attributed to increased screen time--movies, video games, TV, and the Internet. In other words, we're too busy watching nature programs to get up off our rear ends and get out there and interact with the real thing.
Being Environmentally Fit to Live includes other factors besides access to nature. It also includes minimizing the chemicals we're exposed to in our homes from air fresheners, toilet bowl cleaners, mothballs, and other deodorizing products. And what about the biggest indoor polluter of all? Yep. Cigarette smoke.
When we want to become Fit to Live, the environment is a key to helping us achieve our goal. This includes the physical structures we live and work in, the air we breathe, the amount of light we're exposed to, the noise, the smells, and the visual stimuli we experience each day.
