Is London a healthy city?

Following my previous questions on positive effects and benefits of exercise - or even just physical activity of some kind- I came to wonder whether London was actually a fairly healthy city. In comparison with other British cities it may seem congested, dense, polluted and constantly busy, but London organises an array of sporting events - not to mention the upcoming Olympic Games. The city is host to hundreds of charity runs, sports groups, clubs, and probably the widest choice of activities from rock climbing to taichi and yoga. London also seems to have picked up the cycling bug, with a 400% increase in cyclist in the past 4 years. I see joggers out at any time of day or night, all over town - from early risers on a chilly Saturday morning to night runners in Hyde park- and I believe London may just have the highest concentration of fit, healthy people in the country. Is this a fact? What about other cities? I hear that in Birmingham health levels are deteriorating, with obesity being a serious issue. So serious in fact that stairs in one of the inner city shopping malls are branded with signs stating how many calories can be burned by using them instead of lifts! They've reached the point where any form of activity -even walking up a few stairs- is crucially needed. In this case, London rates much higher. I see escalators often being ignored in favour of old fashioned stairs, which many magazines advocate as an excellent 'mini step' class - no better way to tone and lift those buttocks. Hmm, not quite I had in mind, but the thought is there. I can just picture those lovely ladies, determinedly going for stairs in hope of a better bottom. No matter what, the activity bug is there, firmly rooted in our psyches - and today this can only be a good thing. When one lives in a built up, busy city, what better way to move your limbs, clear your head and relieve stress, than a daily dose of exercise. And I believe London isn't too bad at encouraging this.

Running shoes on

What a wonderful way to start the weekend - so I heard many people say. Out of dozens other events happening in London that very weekend, two thousand tree lovers, enthusiasts, gym bunnies and yummy grannies chose to take part in a very unique event - an annual 5k run for trees round Battersea Park. And what a beautiful morning it was -perhaps even too warm for a mid September day, but who really cared? Most seemed delighted to start their day - their weekend- with an early run round Battersea park. But why? As a friend rightfully told me, 'because it feels great'. Right, so the actual running might be ever so slightly tiring, painful, even a drag for some, but if half an hour of slightly tiresome, strenuous work makes one feel so wonderful for an entire day, then it can only be worth the effort. Seeing so many glowing, happy faces - both before hand and after- confirmed this fact. It is true that the atmosphere of an event of this kind adds to the buzz - it gives a sense of community, mutual respect, a positive feeling of all supporting the same cause - a bond even, but much of the happy faces can be plainly explained by the benefits of exercise and the release of endorphins.
I found wikipedia has a great answer to what they call a 'runner's high':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorphins#Runner.27s_high

So exercise demands some kind of effort and whether one enjoys the actual strain of dynamic activity, it makes one feel great - both physically (increased strength, stamina, better body tone etc) and mentally (partly a consequence of the latter, increased confidence, stress relief etc). And this seems to be a widespread, highly publicised fact - how many ads, posters or press articles have I read along the lines of 'exercise, feel great'. So why don't we all get out there, ditch the car, get walking, jogging running, and moving our limbs? I would see so many more happy, glowing and relaxed faces if everyone did.

happy bunny

I'm kind of a happy bunny today. Birthday - a quiet one- lots of cards (an unusual thing nowadays), texts and emails, afternoon yoga class, bike ride through busy central London, chocolate, a sugar high and a busy weekend ahead, yeay!
Tree-Athlon on saturday and I'll be going to this on sunday (hopefully...):
http://www.visitlondon.com/events/detail/1125847

If not, I'll be staring at the sky for the Thames Festival celebrations, or being nosy during open house weekend! Looks like a busy one!
http://www.thamesfestival.org/
http://www.openhouse.org.uk/london/home.html

Matcha yummies

ooh, yum! Some aimless internet browsing his evening brough me to this site: http://www.lovescool.com/archives/2007/05/15/best-bakery-recipe-finalist/#more-388%20
Japanese matcha cookies, just how I love them! Not only do they just look beautiful, I now just want to throw on my apron (which I am yet to own) and start baking. I am thoroughly drooling....