Those who are focused on their own health, naturally tend to think about making resolutions early in the year. In 2009, they may try something a little different. Instead of making a healthy resolution for themselves, they should think a little bit bigger. It's time to put their city on a diet.
For instance, let us hold a magnifying glass up to the quaint city of Burlington, Vermont. With a population of just 40,000 it may not harbor a professional football stadium or a WalMart, but it does have something no other city does. This fall Burlington was dubbed the "Healthiest City in the United States" by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Vermont's largest city is first among U.S. cities in having the largest proportion of people who report that they are in good health (92%). Citizens in Burlington also maintain among the best exercise regimens in the nation, and enjoy disproportionately low incidences of diabetes and heart disease. In short, the federal agency feels this little New England town is getting it right. For those not lucky enough to find themselves snugly nestled in the Green Mountains, however, here are a few tips on how to get every city off its couch and moving in a healthier direction.
As visitors descend down to the city center from any of the three thoroughfares: Main, College or Pearl Streets, they can't help but notice the diamonds shimmering on the surface of pristine Lake Champlain (a picturesque backdrop to the west of the city). The sizeable body of water at 435 sq miles is also the hub of a myriad of activities in, on and around itself. Swimming, sailing, wind-surfing and kayaking is only the beginning. Take into account that what seems like six months out of the year is the winter season in Burlington. While that may be stretching the truth, it is no exaggeration to say that the impressive body of water turns from a wet playground into a solid, frosty ice rink for skating, cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing or even wind-skating (the cooler cousin to wind surfing). Undoubtedly, not all of the physical activities occur at Olympic levels, but it is enough to keep your inner Zeus a lean, mean workout machine.
Where the lake is the party in Burlington, the bike path is the invitation. What you may not notice from the top of Main Street is that the bike path serpentines its way along over seven miles of the scenic waterfront. This is a four season path that beckons residents and visitors alike to walk, bike, stroll, jog or run. Those of you who hearken back to the inline skating craze of the 1980s and 1990s will happily find an occasional Rollerblader, too. It may be the New England attitude manifested in the activities of the residents. They don't care what you think. They just want to get out and be active.
When asked if the bike path helps keep Vermonters healthy, Wayne Gross, Director of Burlington's Parks and Recreation responds: "Definitely it does, it's convenient for people to use including residents and people from all over the region. People are on it, frankly, every day walking or riding."
Gross feels that Burlington's Bike path is unique from other city's. The fact that it runs along the lakeshore is a big attraction. Also, being able to travel from one end of the city entirely on the bike path is appealing to many. Gross also shares that "having so many points of entry makes the path extremely convenient to use."
Along any single mile of the bike path you can encounter the stroller-pushing mothers gabbing away happily while their little ones nap in the cool breeze. Workers either walk the path to and from the city for a healthier and more enjoyable commute or for a break from their job just to stretch their legs during the day. There are ample areas to take a spell if needed, like at the chained wooden swings next to the boathouse boardwalk, which lazily sway to and fro with every breath of the lady lake.
The fact that the city scored high in health is not a surprise to its residents. There has been a progressive approach to city planning from banning smoking in bars and restaurants, banning idling vehicles on the streets, and to being proactive with health care access for all of its residents.
Both the city and state government take health care quite seriously. This little city-less than an hour south of Canada-does its best to emulate its neighbor to the north with as close as one can come to universal health care. The most recent induction, the Catamount Health plan, was designed to provide affordable health care options for all lower income residents. Programs such as Doctor Dynasaur aims to provide health care to the wee ones (up to eighteen years of age) as state legislators believed that it was the right thing to do, and the plan was strenuously supported by former Democratic chairman and former Vermont Governor Howard Dean. To all who supported the plan, it's inarguable that the state instituted programs will provide a better financial return in the long run (investments in prevention have repeatedly shown to result in considerable savings, as opposed to the acute treatment of long-ignored conditions).
Even many retailers focus on filling the healthy niche. Burlington restaurants offer many choices for those wishing to partake of local fare. While there is no shortage of legendary and regional favorites such as Cabot Cheese, Magic Hat beer and Lake Champlain Chocolates, this hometown birthplace of Ben & Jerry's ice cream also has plenty of healthy options, such as vegan fare. There is a heart-healthy and hearty "localvore" movement to support farmers within the communities, and farmers markets abound both in Burlington and in neighboring towns on any given night during the growing season, with organic farm wares ripe for the picking. New winter farm shares have even cropped up to give the farmers another few weeks of offering the best farm-raised meat, bread, cheese and root vegetables. This effort extends their growing season and marketability by a few precious weeks.
While the local town offers the lake (liquid and solid) and the bike path that frames it, health care and healthy food options, perhaps the most impressive factor is the overall holistic approach to healthy living. It's not that the residents are all supermodel ski bunnies and Hugh Jackman-looking lumberjacks; more important is that the citizens patrol the community vigilantly. Recycling is required, and necessary to be a valued member of the private and business communities. Air quality is fantastic given the plentitude of activities, and is taken for granted when local weathercasters give another stellar air quality rating. Visitors from nearby New York City are speechless (if you can imagine that) when they venture outside after dark. Even in parts of the city of Burlington they can gaze up to witness clear skies and a breath-taking cast of thousands of lights in the sky. It's as close as you will get to being star-struck in Vermont's big, little city, the healthiest in the United States.
