How much do you walk?

The average person walks less than 6,000 steps per day which is less than 2 miles. Doctor's recommend at least 10,000 steps per day to maintain cardiovascular fitness.

It's hard in a sprawling car-friendly city like Calgary, but the benefits are clear:

• People in walk friendly neighborhoods weigh 7 pounds less on average
• They tend to be more active (and interactive) in their community
• They tend to support local businesses (because they walk to them)

Momentum works both ways. Right now, Calgary just keeps growing outwards endlessly, promoting rising infrastructure costs for roads, utilities, schools, police, transit etc. It all means that Calgary gets more expensive, and the further out you go, the more you have to drive, the more pollution you create - more more more.

Think about moving inwards - it creates higher population density, which promotes better use of infrastructure (roads, ulities, schools, police, transit, etc) and creates a stronger local economy with a thriving, lively center. There is a reason people want to move to Vancouver.

Check out www.walkscore.com for walking information and your city's walking score.