Minnetonka is one of the suburban cities located just outside of Minneapolis, MN. It has lots of parks and open spaces, and offers a peaceful place for anyone to live in.
You’d think that living in such a quaint little city would be free from problems, but you might be living in a place that could be sabotaging your health.
The health risks of living in suburbs
In a recent study, doctors have discovered that people living in the suburbs have a higher possibility of developing chronic health problems like heart and lung issues, arthritis, and diabetes. This is because of ‘suburban sprawl’.
Planners often design suburbs in a way that you don’t get to walk from place to place as much as you need to. This decreases your chance of becoming more physically active by walking. Also, most of the one-stop shops and convenience stores scattered throughout suburbs favor quick meals and fast food over healthy eating.
The researchers said that the best way to solve this problem is to build suburbs where the streets and sidewalks let you walk around easier. For a suburb that’s been around for quite a while, however, this could take a lot of renovation work.
What you can do
Before you think about moving out of the suburbs to save your life, you can try another simpler solution. You can reduce your risk of developing chronic health problems if you make a few simple changes in your lifestyle. You can choose to be more physically active–even twice-a-week exercise sessions in personal training studios like Strength Studio will do.
Running outdoors might not be the best option, but you can always choose to work out with a trainer who can design a personalized exercise program suited to your needs and lifestyle. This way, you can make the most of your workout sessions, and still lead a healthy life even if you’re living in the suburbs.