I got a real surprise when I was reading Dr. Andrew Weil’s newsletter a couple of days ago.  Apparently, the New York Health Department released a report in 2007 that said a person born in 2004, living in New York City could expect to live to be 78.6 years old.  I know, we hear every day of people who live much longer than that.  Most of us probably know some of them personally.  However, the national average for life expectancy is 77.9.  New York isn’t a long way ahead of that, but the amazing thing is that people living in what may be one of the most stressful, polluted environments in the U.S. are even surviving as long as the national average, much less longer.

Dr. Weil says there are three reasons for it.  The city-wide smoking ban has lowered smoking related deaths by 10%,  New York supplies a wide variety of healthy food options, and New Yorkers WALK.  Not only do they walk more than most of us, they appear to do it faster. Wandering slowly in New York City quickly marks you as a tourist.

In New York, there are many people who don’t even own cars.  Most people, whether they own a car or not, take the subway or the bus as close to their destination as possible, then walk the rest of the way.  ( Read more )