[Jimrob1]

Originally Posted by InGateway

Jim, when I go out to eat I like getting something I cant make at home as easily. That being most of the fattening foods that take a ton of extensive labor at home to make the right way such as fried chicken, bbq, eggplant or chicken parm done right. I try to avoid Mcdonalds or BK. But even in Oregon where you lived (you talked to me before) people loved fatty food as evident to all their eateries and foodtrucks with lots of greasy food. Also Portland area was not as fit as people liked to make it especially once you got outside the city area.

But ya a grilled chicken sandwich is real good, but its something even I can make at home here and I don't even have a kitchen but was blessed with 2 bbq grills if I take the time to set them up.

Oh yes I remember the Food Trucks with all their fat food offerings in Portland. I believe Portland is the Food Truck Capitol of the USA. They are literally all over. Yes once out of the city (and even in it) people were not as fit and health conscious as everyone is led to believe.

When I am forced to eat out its a major difficulty. It especially is when I am in unfamiliar surroundings, with few if any choices of where I will eat at. When your a Diabetic and you must count your carbs each day. You have to follow a strict regiment of diet insulin and medication, based on what you have eaten. You get use to a life of that, but when travelling in areas with very poor food choices. It becomes much more difficult to deal with. I don't see how Diabetics, can go out to eat much in the Southern USA. Especially when outside the biggest cities. Even then it seemed difficult at times.

[docdottie]

Originally Posted by Emigrations

I was in Tampa/St. Petersburg/Sarasota about a month ago and was quite surprised at the amount engaging in outdoor exercise, whether it was jogging, people canoeing in parks, biking, etc. Here in Indiana, outdoor activity has been pretty much a no-go since November and will likely be very limited until April. It's either too cold, too soggy, or too snowy to do much of anything outside. There was more activity going on in FL during the winter than IN in the summer!

Today it's in the single digits and windy and will remain that way for the rest of the week. When it's that cold, I am not keen on even getting out of the warm car to go to the gym. I pretty much go to work, go home, and repeat. The weather here really limits physical activity of any kind.

Even in the summer, you can swim in FL and do about everything you do in the cooler months, but you have to be somewhat more careful not to overexert yourself and to stay hydrated. It's not like you're outright prohibited from engaging in many outdoor activities like you'd be up north during the cold months.

Do you think the weather in FL is more conducive to staying healthy and physically active?

Coming from someone living in the frozen hell of Wisconsin I can tell you absolutely 1000% YES it is more conducive to staying or getting healthy. Its one of the reasons my fiance and I will be moving there in the next couple of years. We are unable to do anything outside for up to 6 months a year. So we sit around watching tv and binge eating. When we are on vacation- we usually do a cruise every year and a couple trips to Vegas- we are very active. I think if we are able to have that nice warm weather constantly we will both be much healthier and happier.

[Jimrob1]

Overall No I do not. The state is a car dependent sprawled out mess that lacks sidewalks in much of the state. I would not say the people overall are health conscious fitness enthusiasts. I would not say it's populated by healthy eaters or stores that cater to that clientele. This is my review based on the overall population of Florida. Not that every single resident of the state is going to fit the description.

[Ghaati]

Most areas I've been to are only walkable within the scope of their isolated community. My parents' gated community, you can't get to the nearest store without crossing Boynton Beach Boulevard, a monstrous local 6-lane 45mph main thoroughfare with additional lanes for exiting left, right, and a bicycle lane as well. Obviously if you're over 55, WALKING across that street to the store is not going to be a regular thing. Especially since that just gets you across the street. You still have to walk around 1/4 mile to the store.

If you live in the middle of commerce in an apartment, then sure it'll be walkable. It might not be safe at night, but that's the tradeoff.

Meanwhile, for most of the year in Florida, it's too hot to exercise outside during most of the day and early evening. So if you work for a living, you have to either get up 3 hours before work JUST to get an hour of exercise in (in the dark), or you have to stay awake til 10, do your exercising (in the dark) and then get ready for bed. Not to mention the whole skin cancer situation - walking around coated head to toe in sunscreen, long sleeves, and a hat just so you can get an hour of exercise in the middle of August is not ideal.

So there's nothing about being in Florida that's conducive to outdoor health benefits, that isn't equal to or even worse than outdoor health benefits anywhere else in the country.

Now that we have flesh-eating algae and Red Tide, the beaches aren't even the best option for swimming. Definitely not a health destination there.

There was an organic food store in my area. It lasted a year. You'd THINK all these old people in the Villages would want their last few years to be as healthy as possible. But no. They want the fried fish and 2-for-1 happy hour drinks at the local chain restaurant.

Oddly enough, the seniors in my area appear to be much more fit than seniors anywhere else I've ever been, on the whole. Dementia hits them before physical disability does. They're playing golf twice a week well into their 80s, playing pickleball and walking their dogs, and dancing in the town squares every night. Obesity is minimal here. But they spend most of their daytime hours inside, in air conditioning, except when they're playing golf or pickleball. Even the shuffleboard courts are shaded. Mine is a unique community though, and "fit" doesn't necessarily equate with "healthy." Most people here have a direct line to their dermatologist and are in varying stages of healing from Mohs surgery.

[Corrie22]

I take it you guys don't have big yards that have to be cleaned every day.....plants to be watered and fertilized....bug spray....weeds to pull....plants to replace

[achtung baby]

No. Not from my observation.

A lot of people just sit in their lanai drinking and eating. Or go to any restaurant with the tiki bar drinking and eating. There were a lot of baggy tops and shorts, a lot of unfit people. Even on the beach so many people just sit there.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by ainsley1999

No. Not from my observation.

A lot of people just sit in their lanai drinking and eating. Or go to any restaurant with the tiki bar drinking and eating. There were a lot of baggy tops and shorts, a lot of unfit people. Even on the beach so many people just sit there.

That pretty much describes a majority of Americans, not just Florida. In the northern areas (like Indiana where DH is from) I am shocked at the amount of really lazy obese people. There are only "pockets" in America where people are active, healthy and fit. These are just my observations.

Here in central Florida where I live it seems to be about half and half. Lakeland has a lot of great parks and recreational facilities, and lots of shade trees everywhere, so you do see many folks out being active. But too many others prefer to gorge on pizza and wings and watch TV, etc. and it really doesn't have anything to do with the weather, sorry to say.

[achtung baby]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

That pretty much describes a majority of Americans, not just Florida. In the northern areas (like Indiana where DH is from) I am shocked at the amount of really lazy obese people. There are only "pockets" in America where people are active, healthy and fit. These are just my observations.

Here in central Florida where I live it seems to be about half and half. Lakeland has a lot of great parks and recreational facilities, and lots of shade trees everywhere, so you do see many folks out being active. But too many others prefer to gorge on pizza and wings and watch TV, etc. and it really doesn't have anything to do with the weather, sorry to say.

Could it be an American lifestyle?

But unfortunately living in Sarasota for one year that’s what I saw.-I can’t stand sedentary lifestyle so I can’t “relax” by just sitting and eating and wearing unfit clothes, lol.

My teenage daughter was often the only one jogging and running on the beach when we lived in Sarasota. The beaches in Southern CA (where she grew up, where it’s extremely fit-conscious and outdoors-friendly.) were always filled with people playing volley balls, jogging, flying kites and surfing so it’s a culture shock to go to, say, Anna Maria or Nokomis Beach (both are extremely beautiful by the way.) and see most people just sitting there.

[beachmouse]

Originally Posted by Corrie22

I take it you guys don't have big yards that have to be cleaned every day.....plants to be watered and fertilized....bug spray....weeds to pull....plants to replace

One of the things we did after paying off the house was to get a lawn service.

It’s worth every penny during the spring when the live oaks drop their leaves- we’ve got enough trees in our yard that we’d gather up 100+ bags of leaves every March and April over multiple weekends.

As for fitness, we bought ourselves a smart treadmill a few years back and it’s way easier to get motivated to run when you’re not dealing with summer humisery or the annual six weeks of winter. And I can run further in summer inside- no more worries about migraines from electrolyte depletion from sweating too much when the dew point is over 75F.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

I was in Tampa/St. Petersburg/Sarasota about a month ago and was quite surprised at the amount engaging in outdoor exercise, whether it was jogging, people canoeing in parks, biking, etc. Here in Indiana, outdoor activity has been pretty much a no-go since November and will likely be very limited until April. It's either too cold, too soggy, or too snowy to do much of anything outside. There was more activity going on in FL during the winter than IN in the summer!

Today it's in the single digits and windy and will remain that way for the rest of the week. When it's that cold, I am not keen on even getting out of the warm car to go to the gym. I pretty much go to work, go home, and repeat. The weather here really limits physical activity of any kind.

Even in the summer, you can swim in FL and do about everything you do in the cooler months, but you have to be somewhat more careful not to overexert yourself and to stay hydrated. It's not like you're outright prohibited from engaging in many outdoor activities like you'd be up north during the cold months.

Do you think the weather in FL is more conducive to staying healthy and physically active?

I think you have more opportunities to live a healthy and active lifestyle in Florida than most states in the cold. However, laziness is widespread in people, so just because you have the opportunity, doesn't mean most people will take advantage of that. People who live in urban environments tend to have a healthier lifestyle, so people who live in NYC will have a healthier lifestyle than people who live in Tampa (generally speaking) and the simple reason for this is most people can't afford to own a car and drive everywhere in NYC... so they are forced to walk. When I'm visiting Tokyo, I average almost 10 miles a day of walking. It's easy to walk around. Interesting to walk around. When I'm visiting Los Angeles, I probably average 2 miles a day because I'm driving place to place and only walk at my destination such as a mall or a popular street, etc.