Walking

I recently read that one can lose 13 pounds after one year by walking - at a good pace - anywhere you go within a one mile perimeter.

This sounds pretty sweet because those 13 pounds are what is hanging from my neck and my middle. Could I even experiment with walking everywhere within a mile of where I live? Or of where I work? I don't know.

For our family of five it is probably easier said than done. There would have to be some big time shifts in schedules and in the way that we as a family hunt and gather. The biggest issue I have with this walking thing is the time it takes, because the daily pace for which we set ourselves up is somewhat frantic. Surely folks from around the world would call us crazy.

I did wonder though - "what is within a mile of my home that I or my family could frequent more often via walking or biking?"

My initial thought regarding this was about mouths to feed - and in our familia, as mentioned earlier, there are five mouths. There is no local market (besides convenience stores) within walking distance from our home. There is a dollar store, but what true nourishment might that offer? A pack of Mickey's doughnuts? How about a Bruegger's bagel or a cup of Caribou every morning for breakfast?  (Can you imagine the cost after one week to feed five?) I have no idea what it would be like to walk with a smaller bag of groceries to our home as a daily regimen.... with fresh produce or meat - to arrive home and then climb five flights of stairs to a residence after a hard day's work. Part of me longs for it though... exercise and real food.

local grocery store in St. Paul

There used to be smaller grocery stores at many of the nodes in our Minneapolis town, however many of them went away as prices got cheaper at the big box grocery stores. We recently attended a neighborhood store in another part of town before a soccer game to grab bananas and some sport drinks. The kids walked inside and were amazed - primarily because everything they could want was right in front of them, in one smaller room. Videos, snack cakes, little trinkets, stuff every kid could want within a small visible space.

So, what else is within a mile of my home?

Actually there are a couple of saloons and restaurants, a theater, a book store, an ice cream shop, a couple gas stations, a fencing place where you practice - fencing? The only really necessary place, the hardware store, closed recently. My dental office moved but the new location is still within a mile. Imagine walking back from there after a dose of gas, although I'm sure its been done before. There is a church or two, though I am not certain they are still being used as churches, people have seemingly found them to be unnecessary.

I'll admit, I have been trained (though not currently employed) as a city planner. A person who plans cities, much to the chagrin of developers, engineers, anti-government types and property rights advocates. My biggest issue with city planning was/is the lack of pedestrian friendly developments - or developing for the sake of developing, taking great farming land out of commission for finely watered exurban lawns. But then of course the urban land that our home resides upon was once an apple orchard... surrounded by low lying marshland, all dredged and packed into neat homely rows.

One walking opportunity I miss is our church's Crop Walk. We used to walk every year, but lately we have chosen to contribute cash to sponsor a person who is walking. We will walk again once the kids can handle the trek. In my American mind, it is extraordinary to think that people walk anywhere from 1 to 5, 10? miles to get - water - daily.

My wife knows and is often annoyed by the fact that I already often park in the furthest space that is convenient. Notice the italicized disclaimer. I won't park in the closest of spots, I appreciate a few extra steps... as I have driven nine miles to pick up groceries at Costco to feed my five mouths.

If interested, here is a recent article about city planning and development: click