The Chinese tend to be thin. Some people attribute this to heredity and a diet low in sugar and fat, but I suspect it has more to do with lifestyle. They walk more than Americans. And even now, most Chinese use bicycles for everyday transportation.
The semester I taught in Weihai, I walked three quarters of a mile four times a day getting to and from classes; I usually walked another mile and a half each evening to a restaurant or grocery store. Sometimes, I rode my friend's bike. I lost 15 pounds that winter, though I gained a lot of it back when I returned to the States and reverted to the American practice of using a car.
I was never a very good driver due to poor peripheral vision, and when last August I came close to killing a bicyclist, I decided I ought to quit, though no one was hurt. Since then, I've been walking close to five miles a day and now weigh less than I did in my twenties. Culturally, we're obsessed with reducing diets. My experience is that with healthy eating and walking, weight takes care of itself.
Unfortunately, the Chinese have been copying our bad habits. Middle class people in China are now buying cars in record numbers. In Beijing along, thousands of cars are purchased each month. This results in mammoth traffic jams, and since car ownership is possible for only ten per cent of the Chinese population, life is harder for the walkers and cyclists.
In addition, the Chinese have developed a taste for our high fat foods, though they don't eat as many sweeets. KFC is a favorite treat for the youngsters and college students. Predictably, some Chinese are putting on weight.
1 comment:
I completely agree with much of what you've written here. Walking is incredibly good for you, while going cold turkey on particular foods usually leads people to binge eating. My wife and I wish that Johnson City was a more pedestrian-friendly place. After living in Columbia, Mo for 4 years, we got used to all the trails, sidewalks, and bike lanes. And as she grew up in S'Pore, pedestrians were put first and you can see many very nice crosswalks (complete with planters and mosaics) over almost every street.
Your personal story of walking and changing your body is something I've witnessed and share with others. Rarely do you see people of retirement age (I just read your retirement blog post from last year) or any age, for that matter, make such drastic and positive changes on their own. I admire your self-discipline and perseverance. It really is an inspiring story.
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