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It’s 5:15 p.m., and I glance down at my fitness watch. 947 steps! What, only 947 steps?! How is that possible in 10 waking hours?
Is my watch battery dying? No, it’s not. It’s my new reality.
How is that possible? Let me tell you how it is possible. It has been bitter cold here in Pennsylvania, with temperatures of -7 degrees Fahrenheit and -25 degrees windchill. It’s not exactly inviting out there.
We have entered the “hibernating culture,” as we call it. We have adopted a sedentary lifestyle.
“Cold Days” and “Snow Packets”
That particular day—with only 947 steps in 10 hours—was a “cold day” here.
Our boys had two “cold days” in a row. This is different from a “snow day” when school is cancelled because there is too much snow on the ground and the roads are treacherous.
A “cold day” means that the temperatures outside are dangerously cold, too cold for children to be walking to school or standing at bus stops.
School was cancelled—two days in a row.
Our boys don’t like “cold days” nor “snow days,” because they have to complete school “snow packets.” This is “home” work assigned to the students ahead of time in anticipation of cancelled school days.
Doing “snow packets” eliminates the need to make up cancelled school days at the end of the school year. In cold and snowy places like Pennyslvania, numerous “snow days” throughout the year could result in kids having to go to school until mid-June or July, rather than getting out at the end of May. Thus . . . the reason for “snow packets.”
These types of days don’t thrill the kids, and they don’t thrill the parents.
Housebound
We can’t get outside to play and make a snowman. It is simply too cold—dangerously cold, and we are stuck at home.
We have entered the “hibernating culture,” a very sedentary lifestyle compared to what we knew in Europe. We are like grizzly bears. All we want to do is curl up under a warm, heating blanket in front of the fire, sip hot chocolate (with miniature marshmallows please!), and vegetate. We are lazy, and we don’t want to do anything!
It’s so different from our life in Europe.
In France, my fitness watch would regularly vibrate at the celebratory 10,000 steps (recommended for a health lifestyle)! It was pretty much a daily occurrence, as my lifestyle was very active, busy . . . full of natural exercise and walking everywhere.
What’s the Difference?
European lifestyle is conducive to walking.
We don’t have drive-through banks, drive-through pharmacies, drive-through coffee shops, drive through everything. Rather, we have to physically get out of our vehicles, walk into the bank, and walk out. We are naturally walking more!
My regular errands would consist of parking my car in the town square parking lot and then walking to the pharmacy, the bank, the post office, the optical store, the outdoor market, the clothes store, the doctor, the grocery store, the phone store, the hair salon, etc.
I would “run” all of my errands on foot. Well, I didn’t actually “run,” but I walked.
In fact, most cities and towns in Europe have rues piétonnes (“pedestrian streets”) where cars are not allowed. These are usually located in the downtown areas with the concentration of stores.
If cars aren’t allowed, you have no choice but to walk.
In fact, you don’t even NEED a car. Public transportation is amazingly advanced in Europe, with buses, trains, metros, bike paths, etc. readily available. Believe me, if you take the metro, you will walk a lot in the subway system! People who take public transportation are typically very fit physically.
Statistics show that 86% of Americans travel to work by car, as opposed to 35% of people in London, England or 37% of residents in Berlin, Germany. The remaining percentage of people commute with public transportation, on foot, or by bike. An exception in the U.S. is any large urban center that is pedestrian-friendly, like New York City, with only 23% of its residents commuting by car.
Here in Pennsylvania, we have no choice but to drive everywhere. There is no public transportation, and everything is spread out. It would take me hours to walk to the grocery store—in the snow and bitter cold!
Climate differences
Our past seven years in France were spent in the beautiful southwestern region of the country, near Spain. The climate was mild and pleasant year round. I can recall a few times getting a “dusting” of snow, and the entire city was paralyzed. It was much more inviting to go outside. We actually “lived” outside to some degree.
The sliding glass doors in our home were always open. No, we did not have air conditioning in France! The kids and the dog would naturally roam in and out. The back patio and yard were a natural extension to our home and the place where we would enjoy many of our evening meals next to the fire pit.
We were always getting fresh air and sunshine. Our very active boys weren’t stuck inside all day—every day—because it was too cold to go outside to play. That makes for happier kids and happier parents! Get that energy burned off outside and not in the house! Our yard was full of soccer balls, soccer goals, a swing set, bikes, a trampoline—play items that could be used year round.
The weather invited us outside.
Accessibility
We lived in a small village, in the countryside, near a forest. Everyday, after school, I would take the youngest boys, David and Pierre, on walks. They would either get on their little quad, and I would walk rapidly next to them with Bernie. Or, we would all get on our bikes and go for a 30-minute ride. It was so refreshing and so good for our minds, souls, and bodies!
In our home in Pennsylvania, located in a remote area, there is no place to walk. Everyday after school, Pierre, Bernie, and I stroll down our paved driveway to the mailbox in order to get our bodies moving. We will often walk around the yard a bit, just to extend our step count from 947 to 2000! However, our house is located on a busy, country road, with no sidewalks. It would not be safe to walk on it.
This requires a lot of intentionality and motivation to leave my house and to go to the gym. Thankfully, there is one nearby, and Vincent and I try to go several times a week.
Finding an Alternative
I have also resorted to “Walking at Home” in Pennsylvania since I can’t very easily “walk outside.” I have to actively fight against my sedentary lifestyle.
While living in Morocco years ago, my friends and I found a life source with Leslie Sansone’s “Walk at Home” videos. We would either gather together in one of our homes to exercise together or we would “Walk at Home” alone. Either way, it was a great work out. We could choose either 1 mile (15 minutes), 2 miles (30 minutes), etc.
That evening before dinner, on that bitter “cold day,” when I saw my dismal step count of 947, I turned to Pierre and said, “Hey, do you want to do an walk exercise video with Mommy?” He was so excited!
We pulled out the “Walk at Home” video and did a 2-mile walk together for 30 minutes. We had so much fun together, laughing and dancing to the music, and my step counter rocked at 3,078 by the time we were done!
Still a long way from my days in France of 10K or more, but we are making progress! We have to actively fight against this sedentary lifestyle.
“A Very Interesting Discovery”
The other day, Pierre, Bernie, and I went on our daily walk to the mailbox. There was still a lot of snow on the ground, but the temperatures had increased significantly. We could go outside without our nose hairs freezing! (By the way, my “knitting friend” recently made me a “nose warmer”! I thought it was a joke, but they actually exist! I have now requested one for Pierre and Bernie for our afternoon strolls through the snow.)
When we walked through the snow in the yard, we had fun identifying deer hoof prints and rabbit paw prints. Then, we made a “very interesting discovery,” as Pierre says. We found giant paw prints in the yard. I am not a wildlife expert, but my uneducated guess would be “BEAR”! I took pictures and have asked a number of Pennsylvania folks. They confirm that it could be a bear.
Maybe a polar bear?
Kinda scary, huh? My first question was, “It’s winter. Don’t bears hibernate in the winter?
I have concluded that even bears have to crawl out from under their warm, heating blankets, make their way out the doors of their cozy caves, and take a nice winter’s walk for some good ‘ole exercise and fresh air!
—The Cultural Story-Weaver
MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—“THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
Let’s Weave Cultures!
What is the culture where you live? Is it a sedentary lifestyle, a “hibernating culture,” or an “active culture”? What do you do to stay active during the cold winter months? If it’s cold and snowy where you live, bundle up like a grizzly bear (don’t forget your nose warmer!) and take a stroll today or find a “Walk at Home” video. Grab your kids—they are great motivators! Inside or outside, keep moving! It’s so refreshing!
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures!” Write about them in the comment box below.
