As you probably know, I’m spending a couple of months in Spain. I’m quite fascinated by several distinct differences in culture and lifestyle between here and North America – differences that could have an impact on health – some positive and some not-so-positive!
This is at the top of Gibraltar. We took the cable car up then walked all the way back down, visiting interesting caves, monkeys and remnants of armies of the past as we went. I had sore muscles for 3 days after but saw and experienced so much it was worth it...
First, I’ve noticed that people use public transit much more than we do in most areas of Canada and US. Streets in old European cities are extremely narrow (many cars have dents!), and parking is hard to find and often expensive. We’ve seen cars parked in the strangest places… Many city apartments simply don’t have parking, leaving tenants with cars to park on the street, wherever they can find a place. The old section of Marbella, where we are staying right now, actually allows only delivery vehicles in the narrow streets. We had to pull our suitcases along cobbled walkways to get to our apartment as our taxi had to drop us off outside the Casco Antigua de Marbella (the Old City of Marbella)!
Besides the obvious decrease in pollution from car exhaust, though, using public transit means you are walking a lot more – even if it’s just to the bus stop, and then from the stop to your destination. This can build a significant amount of exercise into your day, without needing to think about it.
Cities here tend to be more densely populated, and every neighbourhood has its grocery store, bakery, fish shop etc. so you can easily walk to do your errands. Many people, especially the elderly, have shopping bags on wheels to take their purchases home easily, pulling them behind as they walk. Neighbourhood stores are busy because a lot of people live nearby and support the convenient local shop. It seems like cities are set up so you really don’t need or even want a car!
This contrasts sharply with home and with many North American vacations we’ve taken, where it’s too far to walk to any type of shopping. While I’m sure our winter weather in Canada and northern US encourages us to use cars more, we also tend to have only a few large grocery stores that serve an entire city rather than many smaller local neighbourhood shops that service a small area. The result is, we drive everywhere rather than fitting our exercise into our daily routine, then need to add in exercise time. Sometimes we even pay to be able to get our exercise!
Of course, this stretch of land on the southern coast of Spain, the Costa del Sol, is so beautiful with the Mediterranean on one side and the mountains (that block the cold northern winds, creating a warmer climate) on the other. We enjoy simply wandering around, soaking up the beauty of the area, people watching and sight seeing. We’ve visited several neighbouring cities, travelling there by bus, and spent the entire day walking… often up small mountains it seems, then back down again, of course!
The tourism office nearby has been very helpful in sorting out bus schedules and stops, and we haven’t had any problems getting where we want to go. Choosing a vacation in a place like here, with comfortable temperatures that encourage you to be outside walking all day, may mean you will go home in better physical shape than you were when you arrived. I know I will!
Ronda, Spain, high up in the mountains
Another interesting tradition in Spain is the siesta – many stores close in the afternoon for several hours. I still haven’t quite figured out whether the siesta time is the same for all businesses, but have been caught walking to a store to make a purchase, only to find them closed. It seems that the siesta is such a long-standing tradition that many stores don’t post the hours they open and close in the afternoon – only posting the morning opening and the evening closing times – while other stores no longer participate in the traditional siesta at all, and just stay open.
But this tradition is all about lifestyle and is good for workers (especially those who are running a small business themselves, and trying to offer service to morning shoppers as well as the evening crowd). It gives them time to relax, spend time with family, and eat a healthy meal during the day while still being open for the busiest parts of the work day. Mid-afternoon is also the hottest time of day and probably the quietest for business. However, tourists beware! Better indication of hours of operation would certainly help visitors like me to accommodate but regular customers seem to have adjusted to the system without problem.
On the “down side”, I am amazed at how many people, especially young people, still smoke here. It’s made me realize that policies that ban smoking in restaurants, vehicles and in public places make a difference in how acceptable it is to smoke, effectively “denormalizing” it, in North America. Here in Spain it is normal to see people smoking everywhere, and it seems strange compared to Canada where the activity is banned in so many public places. It is easy to see that passing these types of laws, making smoking much less acceptable, results in fewer smokers overall and certainly decreases exposure to second hand smoke that has been shown to affect the health of non-smokers. While actual smoking rates are lower in US and Canada (approximately 16-17%) compared to Spain and France (at 24%) and even higher in northern Europe, the additional difference in where they are allowed to smoke makes smoking appear even more prevalent.
So, what I’ve learned so far from this experience in Spain (besides quite a few Spanish words), is that working to build activity into every day, rather than thinking of activity as a “task” that you need to find time for, may be a better approach to staying fit. The design of cities and neighbourhoods, and the laws we pass (like those for restrictions in smoking) can make a difference in the behaviours and the health of the entire population. Comparing lifestyles in different countries, can help us to gain new perspectives and ideas to incorporate into our own communities, helping to create a healthier population.
Can you think of ways you can change your lifestyle and your community to make it easier for you and your neighbours to stay healthy and fit?
Reference for smoking statistics: Tobacco in Australia
