I can attest to that - regarding the internal switch.
Two years ago I got a serious foot injury that took 2 years to heal completely and I got out of my gym routine and gained 15-20 kilos in 6-8 months, because I couldn’t walk more than very short distances.
Almost the second I started going to the gym again, I go there 3 times a week, it was like a switch that turned on again immediately. I burned the fat away in less than 3 months.
It’s weird that some of us seem to have a switch we need to activate for us to start coming back into shape.
BTW - the use of Ozembic has quite dramatically increased in Denmark, especially off-label for weight loss. Looks like too many people in Denmark are eating also too much and not moving enough
Not offended at all. But since you participate regularly in online discussions, you might be aware that tone is almost impossible to read, especially coming from complete strangers
Considering a lot of Americans don’t live within walking distance of anything that would be considered a large enough town, this is kind of a tough argument to make. If you live in the farmlands of Kansas or the mountains of Colorado, walking to the next town could take days. So…
Look it was a written as a joke - and I know sometimes it can be hard to tell online on a forum, but it was a joke.
Do we also have obesity issues in Denmark ? Of course.
With that said - if you take a stroll in the city I live in - Copenhagen, Denmark - and look at the people in general and take the same walk in Chicago, Houston, New York or LA you’ll notice quite a big difference in how slim the average person is. You see really HUGE people in the US and it’s not height wise and there are a lot of them.
But as said my comment was written with a smile on my face, it was just a joke with some truth to it.
With the advent of remote work, in many urban areas like Manhattan, SF, DC, Boston, etc. (to name just a few off the top of my head where I have stayed and/or familiar with) you can easily get by without a car if you either have a bike (manual or electric) or use rentable electric scooters like Lime, especially when there are services like Uber/Lyft for longer distance commutes and Amazon for large purchases.
Even in car loving cities like LA, I know many people who work remotely and live in the city center (Downtown LA) and have no need for a car. Scooters, Uber/Lyft and Amazon and good old “walking” takes care of all of those commuting needs.
How about…the overwhelming majority of Americans need a car.
There are exceptions to every rule, but this one is mostly true.
I live in a major MSA yet the closest grocery is 3 miles away. In August, when the air temperature AND the humidity are at 95 (F, and yes, thats almost 30C) you have exactly zero chance of getting home from the grocery with cold items, even with a cold pack and a cooler.
Add to that the lack of bike lanes (and drivers with zero consideration for bicyclists) and the fact that there is literally zero public transportation option, and driving is literally the only choice.
Ive lived in several regions in the Eastern half of rhe US and this rang true for every one of them (with a few subbing ice and snow for heat and humidity)
Even in Orlando…theme parks and Mecca of vacations…theres public transit available, but the schedules are unreliable and the buses are subject to rhe bullshit traffic that results from urban sprawl and congestion…and too many people and not enough public transit.
It’s a problem that plagues every city and every state…and aside from the small (in square miles) areas that you named, not having a car is severely limiting.
(And before anyone starts…yes, Ive lived and traveled in Europe and loved not needing a car…we had one, but I didnt drive it for daily errands…but itnjust doesn’t work for most US folk.l
You are 100% correct about the heat. Living in the desert – I know heat!! I do have a few tricks that I use, so I can use my bicycle year round. First off, I have an insulated soft cooler to keep items cold for the trip home (from the grocery store). I keep a 2 liter bottle (ice) in my chest freezer. It fits nicely in this cooler and keeps everything cold for my ride home. The cooler fits nicely in my bicycle cargo trailer.
As for keeping me cool on those hot days, I’ll try to get all of my errands runs early in the morning. If something is scheduled in the afternoon (doctor’s appointment, etc.) – I’ll wear my cooling vest, which I’ll wet and refrigerate the day before. It works like a portable evaporative cooler and keeps my core cool/cold.
When I get to my destination, I’ll change out of the cooling vest and put on a dry shirt. The night before I’ll freeze two bottles of water, (which will mostly melt into water) one to re-wet my cooling vest for the ride home and one to drink on the ride home. This solution has worked – for me.
I will say that my town has invested in bike lanes and most of the streets have a designated bike lane. I’ve found as long as the drivers can go around me, they are courteous.
I did make the mistake of donating a pint of blood at a local blood drive and trying to ride my bicycle home from it. I got quite light headed. After that, I’ve always driven to the blood drives.
I’m not saying that cycling is for everyone, but thought if some posters could benefit from my “trial & error” solutions, they could enjoy the freedom of not using a car (as much).
