Riki, Research Editor

It doesn’t surprise me that I walk between 2.5 and 3 miles a day. I live in the city without a car. I walk to the subway, to work, to get lunch, to take a break. I have a dog that gets a walk three times a day. Every errand requires at least a two or three block trek. And, I while away most weekend days walking around and discovering what new sites and stores have sprung up in my neighborhood when my head was turned.

What did surprise me was how little walking I did when I visited my parents in suburban Pennsylvania over a few days during Passover. One day, I did less than half a mile. At the end of the day that’s exactly how I felt: apathetic and tired. I didn’t feel like walking my dog or doing anything physical. So my second day, after my mom asked me what I wanted for lunch, I decided to walk to the local shopping center for some sandwiches instead of driving. It was not a long walk by any means. But the lack of people out that day was testament to how little exercise people get in the suburbs. It was about 80-degrees, and a Sunday. I didn’t see any kids playing outside, and only saw one or two other walkers and bikers. After returning to my mother’s house with the sandwiches, she told me she forgot to ask if I would pick up some groceries at the same shopping center. I could have taken her car. It was about a half hour walk to and back, but less than a 5 minutes drive. It was so beautiful that I decided to walk again. I clocked much less than 2 miles that day—and that was when I made an effort.

Taking a look at how much I actually walk on a daily basis these past few months may not have increased my walking by much. But now whenever the city gets under my skin and I wonder if maybe I would be happier with a driveway and a car, I know exactly what will happen: I’ll walk a whole lot less. I enjoy walks around my neighborhood too much for that to happen.