5/9/2008

The Oregonian

On Tuesday morning, this bike-proud city celebrated an honor that recognizes its efforts to better accommodate bicyclists: the coveted Platinum designation as a bike-friendly environment. League of American Bicyclists bestowed Portland as the first major metro area to earn the designation.

5/9/2008

Philadelphia Inquirer

As she does nearly every day in good weather, Hilary Armstrong pushed off from a dock on the Schuylkill and used her powerful arms, legs and torso to begin rowing her four-person boat. That in itself is a miracle.

5/7/2008

Philadelphia Inquirer

Some of the fattest people in America are among the poorest. And with food prices rising, the problem is likely to get worse.

5/6/2008

The Star Ledger

Students at Bridgewater-Raritan High School in New Jersey are protesting after the principal refused to accept a new bike rack as a gift from the school's environmental club.

5/2/2008

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

An estimated 14.2% of the population spends less than 10 minutes a week on moderately intense activities, such as walking and vacuuming, or vigorous ones, such as running, according to 2005 statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A quarter of Americans say they're not performing any physical activity during their free time.

4/30/2008

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The secret? Play the game you love.

4/30/2008

Detroit News

In communities with an abundance of fast-food outlets and convenience stores, researchers have found, obesity and diabetes rates are much higher than in areas where fresh fruit and vegetable markets and full-service grocery stores are easily accessible.

4/30/2008

Indianapolis Star

The brains of people who are overweight or obese may age faster than the brains of those who are normal weight.

4/28/2008

Seattle Times

By laying stakes on their weight-loss goals, John Dirks and Adam Orkand have stumbled upon a method — and a healthy hobby — that keeps them in shape.

4/25/2008

The News Tribune

In an age where people can accomplish many daily activities from home using computers, they use public spaces for optional activities such as leisure shopping or urban recreation. But people will only use those spaces if they are inviting, high-quality places.

4/25/2008

Seattle Times

As the credit and housing crises rattle Wall Street, pressures over bigger workloads, job security and shrinking nest eggs are upending diets and fueling unhealthy habits across the country.

4/23/2008

Seattle Times

For the first time in generations, life expectancy for large numbers of Americans is stagnating or falling as more people pay for obesity, high blood pressure and other chronic conditions with shortened lives.

4/21/2008

Toronto Star

In Bremen, Germany, 60 percent of trips are made by means other than car.

4/18/2008

New York Post

With no subway service and just a couple of bus lines, Brooklyn's Red Hook is looking to become the city's most bike-friendly neighborhood.

4/16/2008

Indianapolis Star

During a spring break trip in college, I hiked about 60 miles of the Appalachian Trail with friends. It wasn't enjoyable because the weather was awful and none of us knew what we were doing. But that kind of set off my thinking to hike the entire 2,175 miles from Georgia to Maine at one time.

4/16/2008

Philadelphia Inquirer

Bob Rodgers, 78, great-grandfather of seven, homered, tripled, and made an unassisted double play at first base yesterday as the Royals smoked the Bobcats, 12-1, on opening day of Philadelphia's Over-70 Senior Softball League.

4/14/2008

Detroit News

More active, stimulating recreation and group activities are what help us feel connected and content.

4/14/2008

Philadelphia Inquirer

There are close to 1.5 million people living in Philadelphia, and every one of them is a pedestrian at one time or another. Yet City Hall sometimes seems surprised to learn that people travel on two feet.

4/11/2008

Indianapolis Star

If your family car is wearing a groove in the drive-through lane at the local fast-food joint -- and that's the only time you sit down for dinner together anyway -- check out a new program designed to make families healthier.

4/7/2008

Detroit News

Five Philadelphia elementary schools replaced sodas with fruit juice. They scaled back snacks and banished candy. They handed out raffle tickets for wise food choices. They spent hours teaching kids, their parents and teachers about good nutrition.

4/7/2008

Reuters.com

Teenagers with a bedroom television tend to have poorer diet and exercise habits and lower grades in school than those without one, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

4/4/2008

Reuters.com

In research published in the Journal of Urban Economics, researchers found that people's weight did not change as they moved from one neighborhood to another. Rather, people who are inclined to be heavy are choosing to live in particular types of neighborhoods because they can more easily move around by car for example.

4/3/2008

CNN.com

At 5 a.m. on any given day, Anne Mahlum could be found running the dark streets of Philadelphia -- with homeless men cheering her on as she passed their shelter. But one morning last spring, she stopped in her tracks.

4/2/2008

Toronto Star

Kelly Perkins accepted her donor heart while standing atop the world.

4/2/2008

Reuters.com

Endurance events at the Beijing Olympics could pose a health risk if they are staged on heavily polluted days, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday, although it was prepared to reschedule such events.

3/31/2008

The Vancouver Sun

A majority of British Columbians say rising gasoline prices are causing financial hardship in their households, according to an Angus Reid Strategies survey. British Columbians lead Canada in turning to bicycles, public transit or selling their cars as an alternative to paying more on gas.

3/28/2008

San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco bicyclists would be able to ride on 34 miles of new bike lanes - routes that would, in some cases, mean a loss of curbside automobile parking and traffic lanes, under a plan being circulated by city officials.

3/26/2008

East Valley Tribune

The main tool cities have used to demarcate bike lanes has been paint. There’s the white line for the lane, and sometimes a bike icon painted in the lane. But as bicyclists complain that drivers aren’t paying attention, cities have gotten very bold with paint — slathering over the entire lane with green, blue or red.

3/26/2008

Cleveland Plain Dealer

D.J. Gregory is going to another PGA Tour event this week in New Orleans. He will walk every hole of every round at the Zurich Classic, just as he has done the previous 12 tournaments, and will do the next 24 tournaments until his amazing journey ends at the Tour Championship. Gregory, 30, has cerebral palsy, which he refers to more as an inconvenience than an ailment.

3/24/2008

Streetsblog

Why Americans don't cycle in the cold and rain, and why they do in Amsterdam.

3/24/2008

Long Beach Press-Telegram

The city of Long Beach, California, has initiated a bike sharing program for city officials. The program consists of 16 shared bikes, usable by city employees for short trips and errands around the city.

3/24/2008

Reuters.com

The problem of obesity cannot be reduced simply to genetics and it also cannot be blamed solely on our environments or learned behaviors. Media coverage should highlight that the obesity epidemic is the result of a variety of factors, and that change requires a comprehensive approach that tackles the problem from all sides.

3/21/2008

Detroit News

Experts blame a mix of on-the-go lifestyles and bad habits -- daylight-saving time, Starbucks ventis, late-night snacks and late-night TV -- for growing sleep woes. And when it's time for bed, doctors say bodies don't always shut down when we turn off the lights.

3/17/2008

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

What would our streets look like if they were redesigned, building-to-building, to first accommodate walkers, bicyclists, the disabled and surface transit? The days of living at the margins are over: the Complete Streets revolution has begun.

3/17/2008

Chicago Public Radio

In Paris, there's a landscaped, elevated bikeway more than a mile long, reclaimed from old railroad property. Another has just opened in Manhattan. Now, community organizers around Bucktown and Humboldt Park say there should be one in Chicago too. They envision biking, Rollerblading and jogging for three miles without a stop sign. The city of Chicago and some powerful funders are teaming up to help make it happen.

3/17/2008

Reuters.com

Overeating disrupts entire networks of genes in the body, causing not only obesity, but diabetes and heart disease, in ways that may be possible to predict, researchers reported on Sunday.

3/12/2008

Indianapolis Star

We all know that certain foods are good for us -- fruit and vegetables, whole grains, certain types of fish. But now a growing body of research suggests that some of these foods may be even better for us if eaten in conjunction with each other.

3/12/2008

The Oregonian

As part of the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C., Earl Blumenauer will announce Wheels4Wellness, a program to provide up to 30 bicycles around the Capitol Hill complex for U.S. House employees to check out.

3/12/2008

Globe and Mail

Bicycles may be the best weapon we have for the long campaign to make livable cities in the 21st century.

3/6/2008

Detroit News

This is a story about running shoes, and don't let anyone like Bart Yasso, chief running officer of Runner's World magazine, hear you give them any other name.

3/3/2008

Reuters.com

Couch potatoes who complain they are tired all the time have an easy solution -- a little light exercise. Regular, low-intensity workouts such as a leisurely stroll can boost energy levels by 20 percent and decrease fatigue by 65 percent, a team at the University of Georgia found.

3/3/2008

Reuters.com

Teenagers who regularly eat breakfast tend to weigh less, exercise more and eat a more healthful diet than their breakfast-skipping peers, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

3/3/2008

CNN.com

Lois Fletcher started taking the subway to work nine months ago to save money. It turned out to be an excellent way for her to lose weight -- more than 30 pounds to be exact.

2/29/2008

Toronto Star

Thousands of pilgrims find kindred souls, and themselves, on Earth's long and winding roads.

2/29/2008

Scotland on Sunday

Prince Charles has initiated an effort to build the world's first "trim town" -- a city form that aims to improve the health of its residents by creating walkable environments.

2/25/2008

Indianapolis Star

A series of surprising findings about some of the most widely accepted assumptions in medicine has renewed debate about how aggressively doctors use drugs to prevent and treat some of the nation's leading health problems. More emphasis should be placed on improving risk factors through lifestyle changes, such as eating better, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising more.

2/22/2008

Detroit News

Organization's strategy is to target nation's 'lifestyle health crisis' with new programs.

2/20/2008

Indianapolis Star

Reality: Actually, the opposite is true.

2/20/2008

Reuters.com

Endurance runners' strenuous training can erode their immunity and make them more vulnerable to catching colds, but a daily dose of "good" bacteria could bring their immune systems back up to speed, Australian researchers have shown.

2/18/2008

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Call it a scientific food fight. The incoming president of the nation's leading group of obesity researchers has sparked a debate among his colleagues by taking the restaurant industry's side in a court case to limit obesity.

2/15/2008

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Odds are, if you're 50 or older, you know you should be exercising. But in all likelihood, you're probably spending more time on the couch or in the car than on the treadmill or hiking trail.

2/15/2008

Seattle Times

Being obese or even overweight may increase a person's risk of developing up to a dozen types of cancer, European researchers report in a new study.

2/13/2008

Seattle Times

"It's not just luck, it's not just genetics. ... It's lifestyle" that seems to make a big difference, said lead author Dr. Laurel Yates of Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital. "It's get your shoes on, get out there and do some exercise," she said. "These are some things you can do" to increase the chances of a long life.

2/13/2008

The Guardian

London is likely to become one of the most cycle-friendly places in the world, with a series of two-wheeler superhighways cutting a swath through traffic and congestion. Plans for the super-cycleways will be unveiled next week as part of an initiative to stimulate a 400% increase in the number of people pedalling round the capital by 2025.

2/13/2008

AZ Central

Bicycles may soon become as important as typewriters and desks as the City of Tucson launches a bike sharing program. Soon, employees may be riding to meetings or even to lunch on company-owned bikes.

2/13/2008

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

People who exercise regularly are up to nine years younger, biologically, than sedentary people of the same chronological age, according to a new study by a team of British researchers.

2/11/2008

Chicago Sun-Times

Mayor seeks fines of up to $500 for reckless drivers.

2/11/2008

Indianapolis Star

The human heart undergoes an inevitable -- and inexplicable -- shrinkage at the half-century mark, a phenomenon that its Long Island, N.Y., discoverer is calling the "age 50 effect," a mysterious development that affects both genders.

2/8/2008

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Strapped to the knee, it could use energy generated by walking to run medical and other devices.

2/8/2008

Reuters.com

"Exercise capacity" is one of many important prognostic factors measured during an exercise treadmill test, a simple procedure often performed in doctors' offices.

2/8/2008

Toronto Star

Diet and lifestyle play a far smaller role than genetic factors in determining whether a child becomes overweight, according to a British study of twins published today.

2/8/2008

enRoute

From Paris to Bogota, urban spaces are undergoing a radical transformation with one thing in mind: your well-being.

2/6/2008

Seattle Times

"Right-hook" collisions, as riders call them, are among the most common risks of urban cycling. A bike enters an intersection going straight and gets hit by a right-turning car. It's a problem that cities such as Seattle must solve as they encourage thousands of people to switch from cars to bicycles. Mayor Greg Nickels has set a goal of tripling bicycle use within a decade.

2/6/2008

Detroit News

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the United States. Since February is National Heart Health Month, you'll probably hear a lot about ways for men and women to lower their risk of heart disease. But the problem often begins in childhood.

2/4/2008

Governing.com

Will more people who can afford suburban privacy be attracted to the noise and bustle of the urban street?

2/4/2008

Seattle Times

Some health experts say communitywide changes are required to curb the obesity epidemic.

2/1/2008

New York Times

You know what is supposed to happen when you grow old. You will slow down, you will grow weak, your steps will become short and mincing, and you will lose your sense of balance. That’s what aging researchers consistently find, and it’s no surprise to most of us. But it is worth remembering that the people in those studies were sedentary, said Dr. Vonda Wright, a professor of orthopedics at the University of Pittsburgh.

2/1/2008

Detroit News

Physically active people have cells that look younger on a molecular level than those of couch potatoes, according to new research that offers a fundamental new clue into how exercise may help stave off aging.

1/30/2008

Seattle Times

As if gray hair, brittle bones and wrinkles weren't bad enough, scientists say that as you age the very DNA in your trillions of cells starts to fray, unravel and disintegrate. Now there may be something you can do to slow the inevitable: exercise.

1/28/2008

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Faced with the twin problems of widespread obesity and lack of health insurance, West Virginia is taking an innovative approach to addressing both conditions early in life.

1/28/2008

Indianapolis Star

"A little bit of exercise goes a long way," said Peter Kokkinos, lead author of the study. "Thirty minutes a day, five days a week of brisk walking is likely to reduce the risk of mortality by 50 percent, if not more."

1/28/2008

Eugene Weekly

With their trees and landscaped open spaces, urban parks improve air quality, reduce stormwater runoff, collect carbon dioxide and provide much-needed habitat. Because urban parks make urban living attractive to a broader cross-section of people, these parks have additional environmental value associated with greater residential densities and reduced driving that results when people live downtown.

1/25/2008

CNN.com

How's your cholesterol? Here's a guess: If you're healthy, you probably have no idea.

1/23/2008

Detroit News

A city agency voted Tuesday to revive a plan to force chains to post calorie counts for their foods on the menu, hoping the fat-filled truth will shock New Yorkers into eating healthier.

1/23/2008

Indianapolis Star

You exercise an hour a day and then sit at your job all day. Not good. Even exercising that long isn't enough to reverse the effects of sitting the rest of the day, say University of Missouri-Columbia researchers.

1/23/2008

Reuters.com

Work really can kill you, according to a study on Wednesday providing the strongest evidence yet of how on-the-job stress raises the risk of heart disease by disrupting the body's internal systems.

1/23/2008

Pasadena Star-News

Checklists in hand, more than 100 volunteers will fan out across downtown Saturday for the first evaluation of the city's "walkability."

1/21/2008

The Philadelphia Inquirer

The idea that Philadelphia, with its oppressive traffic, reckless drivers, rampant thieves, vandals and other assorted miscreants, would behave honorably enough to sustain such a system may seem dubious. But cities with problems as bad as Philadelphia's have pulled it off.

1/17/2008

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

You're not alone: a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that about 25 million U.S. children and adolescents are overweight or nearly so.

1/9/2008

Seattle Times

Kay-Tee Khaw, of the University of Cambridge, and colleagues calculated that people who adopted these four healthful habits lived an average of 14 years longer than those who didn't.

1/7/2008

Detroit News

To lose those three to five pounds that D.C. dietitian Rebecca Mohning says many folks gain over this festive stretch, skip the gym and instead take your body on vacation.

1/5/2008

Toronto Star

The team chosen to redesign Toronto's waterfront has big plans for updating the area with a better balance of car and foot traffic. Architecture critic Christopher Hume looks at the plans as a model of development the rest of the city should follow.

1/5/2008

Seattle Times

Spokane County is struggling with a ballooning waistline — a stubborn problem that health officials hope to remedy with a resolution of brisk walks along safe sidewalks and trails. With a $150,000 state grant, the health district and community planners hope to turn a handful of policy ideas into an initiative for neighborhood walking areas, complete with crosswalks and new sidewalks.

1/5/2008

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It isn't the food we eat that's (mostly) making us fat, says a report by the Center for Consumer Freedom.

The driving force behind Roadtrip is the belief that a little motivation to get someone running or walking will do wonders for their health, their fitness levels, and their outlook on life. This philosophy has led to the tracking method of applying an individual's daily walking or running miles to a real point-to-point journey on a map such as Route 66, or Daytona Beach to Miami Beach, or Edinburgh to London.