So last Saturday it was pretty chilly out. Though we were originally planning on going to the beach, we decided instead to go climb the tallest of the foothills surrounding Adelaide, Mt. Lofty. What an exciting adventure! And it was my first taste of the Australian "bush" (though Jon says a suburban, tame bush).
I had a lot of fun climbing the mountain, but I was struck by how out of shape I was. My goodness! I was huffing and puffing and sweating all the way up. The worst part was seeing how many people on the trail with me were having an easy go of it. There were more than a couple older couples out walking as if it were a Sunday stroll. All this to say, the Australians seem to be an immensely fit people who love their exercise and being active. It is an important part of their culture I guess. I certainly need to work on this while I am here, getting better in shape and perhaps even losing some weight. This will be easier than at home because the Australians also eat much less and better. No McDonald's everyday for them! I have almost never eaten to the point where I would say I was "full" since I got here. They just enjoy their food more and don't need a lot of it.
Perhaps I will lose weight.
As for the trip to Mt. Lofty, the scenery was gorgeous and the view from the top breathtaking. From the top of the hill I could see all of Adelaide spread before me...it was quite stunning. The bush is full of very interesting flora and fauna. The trees and plants especially are very unlike Michigan. It is breathtaking. Also, Jon says the summer here has been more wet than usual, so there is still a lot of moisture and green everywhere. This made the hike even more enjoyable.
I'll put up a couple of pictures.
In Christ,
Chris
I suspect you're witnessing the results of self-selection. In any country I've been in, most people using hiking trails are relatively fit. If one's not in good shape, walking for hours is not going to draw you out for an afternoon. Go to Pokagon, or Warren Dunes, or the Collserola and you'll see a demographically disproportionate number of trim folks.
ReplyDelete(Statistics from the Australian government and WHO ranks Australia and the US and the two most obese countries in the world, both at roughly 60% of the population).
I suspected as much actually. Especially because someone here recently told me about that statistic. I honestly think it is the type of people I am hanging out with. They are friends partly because of their similar fitness interests. So the idea of self-selection makes a lot of sense. Of course, it could be a matter of proportion as well, no? 60% of America is going to be a lot more people than 60% of Australia. That means I am more likely to see it there than here I would imagine. Of course, there is also the reality of my of self-consciousness--perhaps I see more thin, athletic people because I feel insecure. Given my personality, I would imagine it is a combination of the first and the third. (And now that I have attended a few concerts and shows here in Australia, I have seen that there are more obese people than I had noticed before).
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