My Idea Of An Active City

I always get thrown off a little bit by the “Most Active Cities” in the U.S. lists. I’m fascinated by the mix of urban areas and “hip” suburban places that seem to have the fittest, most attractive and most single young people. As a less-than-fit, but very single person who’s interested in living a more active lifestyle, I sometimes find myself believing that living in these places with lots of active folks is just what I need to get back outside and back into shape.

I’m more careful about that assumption these days though. I plopped myself into a city that is supposedly quite active, but I’m starting to see the dynamics of who is active, why they’re active and why I seem to still struggle to get in my car and drive several miles to an uber-gym. Madison, as a city, is as close to bordering suburban lifestyle and mindset as I’ve seen. I wonder if it’s a Midwest thing?

I lived in Boston for a pretty long time and took public transportation during most of my time there before I needed to move out of the city limits for financial reasons. As I recall back through the peaks and valleys of my life and the levels of physical fitness I was able to achieve, I recall my best physical shape being when I was working and going to school in the city and using my feet, my bicycle or even public transport to get around. I had basically the same diet, the same drinking habits and an even better social life than I’ve had in some time.

The simple incentive to get off my ass and walk out my door into my neighborhood probably enabled me to burn more calories than I could by going to the gym 2 times a week and doing light cardio. No matter where I’m living, the levels to which I’ll go stir crazy in my residence is alarming and when I start dreaming up things to do to stay busy, the options are usually a) unhealthy and b) expensive.

I know there’s a lot to be said for skiing or snowboarding as an active and fun thing to do, or going hiking for a half day to burn off energy. Those things both sound amazing to me actually. However, growing up I simply didn’t do much of the getting in a car and driving off someplace at least a half hour away to have fun.

I grew up in a city and tended to go outside and walk to the park and mess around there. Snowboarding is something I’ve been trying to pickup for years because I always felt like I was missing out on something growing up when all my friends were doing it. While we really couldn’t afford  that sort of recreation, my mom took me and my sister around the city a lot to do fun things and that’s where I find myself most comfortable.

So, my point is that if you’re already active, have a car and enjoy driving a distance to go and have your fun outside, certain cities will be better than others. If you’re foot or bike bound, like I want to be, simply walking around the city and having an easy access to green space is the kind of active area I’m looking for. If I can get to work, the grocery store and most other places safely via foot or bike as well, PERFECT!