Whadya Say We All French?

Find pleasure in balance, lately? The reason this site exists is to reach out and find like-minded individuals: people who want to live the good life – la dolce vita, if you will – guilt-free. Is such a thing possible? Certainly – it’s all about balance. Just ask the French.

I recently read an article on WowOWow: The Women on the Web by Mireille Guiliano, entitled Hate the Gym? How very French.  If you love good food but hate going to the gym as much as I do, I strongly suggest you read it.

Ah, the French – nothing phases them. They tend to eat very well, pamper themselves, seem generally nonplussed about body hair (I truly love them for that) while they continue to remain healthy, less stressed, height-weight proportionate individuals. And it’s not just the French; Europeans in general are the same way.

Why is this?  Is it merely the difference in the genes? No. And we know it’s not that they’re eating low-calorie foods (I also love the French – and their food – for that). It’s because their societal structures and cultures are vastly different from the typically dichotomous, puritanical, guilt-laden ones found in North America. Although admittedly Canadians are far more European than their cousins from the United States. (Must be their ongoing ties to Great Britain – they really do love their tea, after all, and aren’t willing to dump it into the sea.) Canadians are also not as obese; their obesity figures are closer, on average, to that of Europeans than to their cousins to the south. (The OECD just released its OECD Health Data 2009 report on July 1st.  It reports that the United States has the highest adult obesity rates among adults – 34.3% in 2006 – more than twice the OECD average of 15.1% – with Canada 15% in 2007 and France 10.5% in 2006.)

So what’s Europe got that we don’t?

The answer is simple: a radically different lifestyle. One that is supported by city cores that encourage pedestrians and “pedalists” (cyclists) and regions that focus on trails and trams over solo vehicle drivers taking on miles and miles of highways. The solution is quite simple: the more you incorporate physical activity into your daily life – and the less you have merely the two modes of  “sit ‘n’ spin” that Mireille Guiliano quite accurately mentions in her article linked above – with unfortunately a lot more sittin’ than spinnin’ in North America – the healthier you’ll be. And here in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest we have every reason to be more active, so you have no excuse.

Now go take a nice, long walk or cycle to the bakery so you can treat myself to a delicious pastry, French or otherwise.

Au revoir et bonne chance, mes amis!