An inverse equation
Someone has managed to find a silver lining in the cloud of higher gas prices. It seems that as oil barrels increase in cost, our waistlines could decrease.
A recent study has even put a number to it: An additional dollar per gallon would result in a 15 percent reduction in obesity rates in the U.S. within five years.
According to this study, obesity rates rose between 1979 and 2004 by 13 percent—which is in direct proportion to gas prices falling. Remember those gas lines back in the 70s? Well as gas prices got cheaper, we were all driving along easy street—and expanding our waistlines in the process.
With gas prices on the rise in recent years, you see a shift in people's perspectives to go along with it. The sticker shock of how much it costs to fill the tank has a lot of folks thinking twice about their trips around town, and opting for their bike or their feet instead where feasible.
It seems a lot of people start to remember that they only live just around the corner from the store, and now they'll opt to walk to it instead of drive. Starting the car and wasting the gas seems ridiculous, when you think about how much that little trip will cost you—literally turning your dollars into fumes.
Also, higher gas prices means trimming the budget elsewhere, which translates into folks eating home more rather than driving out to a restaurant for their meals. Frankly, I'm not the world's greatest gourmet chef by any means, but I like to cook and I know I can do better than most of the pricey restaurants I know. (Just ask my wife for a wholly unbiased opinion.) Fresher, tastier and healthier—all at a fraction of the cost.
Don't wait for the gas pumps to dictate how you get around. Sure, it's sometimes more convenient to just hop in your car and drive, but challenge yourself to find a couple of trips that you could do by foot instead.
I have patients who walk to get their groceries several times per week, carrying just what they can shoulder. They tell me that not only do they get their exercise that way, but they're also getting fresher foods because they have to make the trip more often. Fresher foods? Now that's a silver lining I'm willing to leave my car keys on the table for.
