The majority of Minnesotans, according to a digital magazine survey, won’t walk a mile to get somewhere.
The survey was completed by the Gear Hungry staff, which reviews new tech products for readers.
Recently they surveyed 2,200 Americans ages 18-65 to find out how many would be willing to walk a mile as a mode of transportation.
Some of the survey results show how sedentary our lives have become:
•A third of the respondents would take an elevator rather than walk up one flight of stairs.
•Almost half of those 35 or younger couldn’t remember the last time they ran a mile.
•More than one in 10 of those surveyed would not exercise even if their lives depended on it.
The longest the average Minnesotan would walk is 16 minutes or 0.8 of a mile. They would rather jump into their cars and drive to a destination instead of putting one foot in front of the other.
Residents from other states won’t walk much farther.
Idaho residents top the list of most energetic. They indicated they would walk 28 minutes or 1.4 miles before calling it a day.
•Nearly 30 percent of respondents say they regularly avoid doing any kind of exercise.
I am among them —sort of.
The reason we don’t exercise regularly falls into a category: time. Seventy-seven percent told surveyors they were too busy to exercise.
The reason I don’t join a gym or work out in front of a television is boredom.
For me, exercising just to lose weight or stay in shape is similar to watching paint dry.
I would rather approach exercise in a more practical manner.
I continue to be an animal owner.
At home, each morning and again at night, I complete animal chores.
The practice gets me moving around before starting or ending my day.
If I don’t go outside, I feel guilt-ridden with some pretty sorrowful dog eyes and shrill whinnies from the horses when I finally do emerge from the house.
They count on me to feed them and I hear the childhood mantra in my head: You feed the animals before you feed yourself.
Cleaning stalls and carrying hay to the bunks twice a day burns a lot of calories and, for me, is better exercise than sweating in a workout class.
And at the completion of a good job well done, I am also rewarded with the few horse and dog kisses, too. You can’t get that with a gym membership.