BY: GARRY BLAIN
GERMANY
U.K.
ROMANIA
HOW THE
EUROPEANS
DO IT
FRANCE
AUSTRIA
TURKEY
PUBLIC SPACES
Secondary to the stroll phase is the
relaxation phase: the sit. Pedestrian-designated areas create great spots for
the public to sit and relax, interact with
one another, drink and people-watch.
Often, in our fast-paced North American lifestyle, we forget that fitness
includes a fit and relaxed mind as well.
GARDENING
In North America, our backyards are
typically grass-carpeted, but in eastern
Europe, most of the area behind the
small houses is vegetable garden, a
situation mandated by economics - the
minimum wage in these is countries
is equivalent to 200 Euros (about $280
CDN) per month. Their living environment
encourages economy as well as exercise:
bending, squatting, kneeling, pulling,
digging, hoeing and raking. The need
to garden provides multiple benefits.
The Big Picture North America’s dependence on technology has changed our
living environment. Where once our ancestors depended on physical exertion,
we now touch a button or flip a switch. For us in North America, our lifestyle has
created a challenge; our living environment makes it difficult for us to exercise
naturally. It’s difficult for us to abandon our dependence on technology, but for the
benefit of the general public and next generations, we need to find exercise that
is indigenous, incidental, integral and naturally part of our living environment.
GARRY BLAIN
GARRY BLAIN IS A LIFELONG LEARNER WHO, AFTER TEACHING SECONDARY
SCHOOL FOR 31 YEARS, CHANGED HIS FOCUS FROM ACADEMICS TO FITNESS. A CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER AND FITNESS INSTRUCTOR, GARRY
FIRMLY BELIEVES THAT “IF YOU DON’T LOOK AFTER YOUR HEALTH, YOU’LL
LOOK AFTER YOUR ILLNESS.”
fall
wo magazine
magazine || ##
11
fall 2015
2014 || wo