14 DAY TRIAL // Most of us who live in urban areas firmly believe that our town or city environment is at least partly responsible for the fact that we don't get as much exercise as we'd like to. And indeed, walking the crowded streets in high heels, or prowling the interminable supermarket aisles in search of various purchases doesn't exactly make us feel like we're actually making any physical effort at all - not to mention the fact that pounding the treadmill at the gym eventually ends up feeling like the most boring thing in the world. However, rejoice, all you urban dwellers out there: studies indicate that we are, in fact, exercising a lot more than our friends who live in the greener side of the world - the countryside.
The fact is, modern townies are no longer complaining about being away from the green grass at home and have taken matters into their own hands: they go to the gym a lot more, walk and cycle "substantially more" than people who live in the countryside. What is more, studies also indicate that living near green spaces has little or no influence on the amount of exercise we do every week. Of course, when you're hurrying to work on a crowded street on a rainy day, it's hard to suppress that idyllic vision of walking your dogs on an open field, running and walking for hours on end - however, it turns out that the modern obsession with staying fit has made us less romantic and more pragmatic.
The study in question indicated that despite the fact that an open country lane or a riverside are much more pleasant to walk than a grimy city street, few of those who live close to such spaces are actually taking advantage of them - to the point where countryside residents spend about an hour less walking each week than urban inhabitants. The simplest explanation for this phenomenon is that due to bigger distances to places such as schools, work or the local supermarket, people who live in the countryside rely much more on their cars than on walking or cycling. Studies have shown, however, that living closer to nature does help relieve stress better than urban life.