Why New Yorkers Live Longer

re: Why New Yorkers Live Longer

GISELE1254 — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 19:38:02 GMT

Air pollution is a problem all over the world and in larger cities it's more prevelant. I believe the answer is to clean up the exhaust emmisions of the vehicles. Go to my website to find out a solution to pollution.

www.FrugalRider.myffi.biz

Darlene

re: Why New Yorkers Live Longer

curious7 — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 21:51:51 GMT

Exercise, exercise, exercise. Need we say any more. Couple this with a good diet, water, proper rest, sunshine, and a good spiritual posture, and you got it.

re: Why New Yorkers Live Longer

Fred Potter — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 21:55:52 GMT

The self-selection issue is important. However the issue that arises despite this is: are we now saying that speed and excitement are more important than relaxation? I read recently that high emotion is more important than meditation. Something to meditate on Fred

re: Why New Yorkers Live Longer

pbpace — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 20:38:27 GMT

Huh

re: Why New Yorkers Live Longer

Mr.AK — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 17:27:17 GMT

Let's not make too much out of living LONGER; I'd rather live pain- and medication-free for however long I do live and not care so much about how long I live.

re: Why New Yorkers Live Longer

Mr.AK — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 17:27:15 GMT

Let's not make too much out of living LONGER; I'd rather live pain- and medication-free for however long I do live and not care so much about how long I live.

re: Why New Yorkers Live Longer

Islander — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 14:47:24 GMT

I think this is true of any city that has an efficient public transportation system (New York, Chicago and Boston come to mind). There is a disincentive to drive into the city - but to use the subway, people have to walk several blocks to and from, and go up and down stairs. Do that to and from work every day, and you have practically met your aerobic goal for the day! My NYC daughter has a friend who bought a car. In her first year of car ownership, she gained 15 pounds!

re: Why New Yorkers Live Longer

samurai — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 13:59:03 GMT

I have an obese and obnoxious neighbor, Pamela Elliott who actually gets in her car to drive her child to school 3 blocks instead of walking. Deplorable.

re: Why New Yorkers Live Longer

KH-Austin — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 13:58:43 GMT

I'd have to look at the study used but in most cases these "longer life" studies are using statistics that don't pan out to mean what they imply. On average I thought we were ALL only living to be around 76 or 78 - not much different than what our grandparents, great grandparents or even great great grandparents lived.

Are New Yorkers suddenly living to be 85 or something? Or do they simply have their birth death and childhood death rates down so the "average" number is slightly higher?

re: Why New Yorkers Live Longer

eniewendorp — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 12:47:55 GMT

Walking fast is great exercise and I've done that alot here in NY and enjoyed it. The subway strike forced me to walk home from work two years ago, across the Williamsburg Bridge - gorgeous. I've done that many times since.

But at the same time, walking fast in this environment can create more stress for me. I find I have to make myself slow down sometimes so I'm enjoying life in the moment and not worrying how I can weave between the person in front of me and the person coming towards me.

New Yorkers have so many things available to them. I eat and exercise here just as well as I did as a kid on my parents farm. I am part of a CSA. The conflict that is starting to arise in me, like others have mentioned, is the pollution and toxic substances that abound everywhere. My office has such horrible air. I think I'd like to live in NY in the fall and spring and the country winter and summer :)

re: Why New Yorkers Live Longer

joeday — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 12:41:24 GMT

In Manhattan, car owners are a minority. Too many out-of-towners drive into Manhattan every day clogging up tranffic. No point in spending money on cars to stand in traffic. So newyorkers walk to bus stops or subways or just walk to work. Walking fast is a cultural thing.

Joeday

re: Why New Yorkers Live Longer

dchadnea — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 12:35:49 GMT

I read this article with great interest since, only last week, it occurred to me that the centigenarians celebrated in the news ALL lived in the North!! Not in New York. I thought, perhaps, this article would explain why Northerners categorically lived longer than us Southerners. However, this article didn't explain why living in a much colder climate, and having four seasons prolongs life span. Does anyone know if any serious research has been done along these lines??

A Texan

re: Why New Yorkers Live Longer

bagarino — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 10:20:17 GMT

You can see this effect in many capitals (especially economic ones where they differ from the administrative ones). I think the main reason is that the population profile is different, richer, both culturally and financially, better educated and more responsive to positive health messages on issues such as diet, smoking, exercise and preventative medicine. The education authorities (school boards) also often have more funding from local taxes. London, Milan, the Paris basin... in many cases people are living longer than their country cousins who, although living in cleaner environments with (perhaps) easier access to fresh food, lacked the get-up-and-go to get up and leave. I can't speak for the US, but many rural areas in Europe are hotbeds of boredom and inactivity, often associated with high levels of alcohol abuse.

re: Why New Yorkers Live Longer

Rommel — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 09:48:11 GMT

Basically, wherever I go from Australia to UK, I am fond of walking a long way. And in my travel to the City that Never Sleeps, I was accustomed to walk a long stretch, even one time, I was in Chinatown, and decided to walk with a fruit juice in my hand and some bread, I walked all the way until I reached Central Park passing straight to the 5th Avenue. It was a winter time though, but I felt good. And I feel very energetic whenever I walk. When I went home to Manila, that habit was already embibed through my subconscious, even when I walk, I also eat, which most people in the university where I work are not used to it. I walk so fast, my friends would sometimes remind me that I walk fast and they are left behind me. I said walk like a New Yorker, it will keep you healthy. Imagine Manila is one of the polluted cities in the world. I agree that brisk and fast walking are contributor to a great health and added some long stretch in our life on this temporal world of ours. Of course, I do not drink nor smoke, and even taking coffee, because If I do, I get dizzy. So everynight when I go home to catch a ride to my place, and I took my ride in Mall of Asia (the biggest mall in Asia), I spent an hour to walk around window shopping every night before I finally catch my ride. I am picky of eating foods. There are times that we have to control our cravings because our stomach, this way we discipline our eating pattern. Reading Dr. Mercola's comments in any aspects on consumers' health, it gives me informative things the do's and dont's. I am an avid reader of Dr. Mercola, and usually shared these readings to my friends. For Dr. Mercola, cheers!, more power and long life, and you are the best for me as a medical educator for the good of humanities. Yes, finally, wherever we live, the choice is yours, in a non-polluted or polluted areas in any abode, just live a healthy lifestyle, don't be a couch potato. Don't be a glutton think of your health.

re: Why New Yorkers Live Longer

steelj — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 17:32:05 GMT

Anyone who tries to say New Yorkers don't walk faster than other Americans can't see the plain truth.

I've been all over the country and always blow by everyone on the street, except in Manhattan. I LOVE those people. Like it said in the article, there seems to be a social compact to not get in each others way and slow each other down.

By contrast, in my hometown in Indiana, people seem to delight in stopping right in the middle of congested walkways to have conversations. These are the same people that complain about New Yorkers being rude because their own rude behavior is not tolerated there!