Podcast: Dr. Richard Jackson on Built Environment and Public Health

This week I'm joined by Dr. Richard Jackson who talks about how public health is connected the the way we live.  We talk about trees, the Surgeon General's suggestions about walking, indoor air quality, social capital in the age of the internet and climate change.  Hope you join us.

Public Transit Keeps You Fit

I would tend to agree with this. Especially considering my own experience that I walk much more than when I lived in Austin because I'm not just walking to my car and driving somewhere but walking to the store and taking transit to work.

The researchers say that the fact that transit trips by bus and train often involve walking to and from stops increases the likelihood that people will meet the recommended 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day, five days a week.

According to them, people who drove the most were the least likely to meet the recommended level of physical activity.

Heart Attacks

Just to note, I'm never ever stressed on the train ride home or to work.

New research from Germany shows that people who had heart attacks were three times more likely than not to have been sitting in traffic an hour before their symptoms began.

Step away from the automobile.

A Commercial I Enjoy. In The Sun...

The subway steps they are walking up are right in front of my office. They were filming one day and I didn't know what it was for. Now I know, and I like the result. More biking = healthier lifestyle.

What's Not to Like?

Losing Weight, Saving Money and Taking Transit. The COTA Challenge.

I was walking more, to and from the grocery store for example, and walking to the bank, the hardware store, library or Blockbuster rather than taking the car and I shed twenty pounds within five months. When I found that most of my pants were too large, I walked to the new thrift store and bought a new ones.
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Frankly, the high cost of gas has improved my life.