Road Cycling - America's fattest states have the fewest bicyclists

http://www.examiner.com/x-2429-Bicycle-Transportation-Examiner~y2009m7d7-Americas-fattest-states-thin-on-bicycle-commuters?cid=exrss-Bicycle-Transportation-Examiner

The US states with the highest obesity rates are Mississippi, Alabama, and West Virginia.
According to the US Census, these are also the states with the fewest regular bicyclists.
And, Alabama and West Virginia are the least bicycle friendly states in the League of American Bicyclists rankings.

What a coincidence, because there's clearly no relation to being fat and not exercising. It's all genetics.

Correlation does not imply causation.

But in this case I wouldn't be surprised if that's one of the causes of the obesity rates.

The states with the lowest obesity rates still have a population that is hovering near or above 30%! "Figures don't lie but people can figure."

When you have a massive population convinced that they can step on a stair-climber for 1 hour, burn 300 calories, and then down a burger with 500 calories, yet look like the supermodel on television selling them some crap they don't need, it's pretty obvious what the result is going to be.

Americans in general are obese because they eat too much. Consider it a blessing. This has little if not nothing to do with bikes. Nice try though. :thumb:

They're not fat, they're just Big Boned, so they need special equipment not available in those areas!

too much fast food and work hours leading to not enough physical activity and obesity. Am I right? do I get a cookie if I was?

too much food and not enough physical activity. Am I right? do I get a cookie if I was?

I tend to agree.

A co-worker of mine in Colorado went down to Alabama for a week. He came back, and reported, "No wonder those people are all fat! It's too hot to exercise! I jogged down to the end of the block and was soaked in sweat when I got there!" I did find it was much much easier to get exercise in in Colorado than in Texas.

they seem to do fine in Cuba.

A co-worker of mine in Colorado went down to Alabama for a week. He came back, and reported, "No wonder those people are all fat! It's too hot to exercise! I jogged down to the end of the block and was soaked in sweat when I got there!" I did find it was much much easier to get exercise in in Colorado than in Texas.

with observations like that, i hope he calls you boss.

North Carolina demands a re-weigh.

As an Alabama resident, I will give you that there are lots of fat people here, including lots of fat cyclists. I don't know exactly how they decided we were one of the most cyclist-unfriendly states, though. I have generally had good luck riding here for the past four years, few problems with drivers, and the roads tend to be in good shape. More problems with dogs than drivers. It is hot though, most of last week had heat indexes over 100 degrees.

Americans in general are obese because they eat too much. Consider it a blessing. This has little if not nothing to do with bikes. Nice try though. :thumb:
I dunno. I eat three times as much as someone I know who is on Weight Watchers and still has about 30 lb to lose. It's not just eating, but rather intake vs. output. Of course, bikes don't have to be a part of that equasion, but they can be.

Fat rednecks.

Go figure.

I tend to agree.

no cookie for you. have a piece of celery.

A co-worker of mine in Colorado went down to Alabama for a week. He came back, and reported, "No wonder those people are all fat! It's too hot to exercise! I jogged down to the end of the block and was soaked in sweat when I got there!" I did find it was much much easier to get exercise in in Colorado than in Texas.

I did some co-op terms at a defense contractor in Ft Worth when I was in college.
The biggest problem I had in maintaining my running habit,
was trying to figure out how to *comfortably* carry enough water for the distance I was running.
I finally resorted to choosing my routes based on where there was water available.

Processed foods are the norm for most people so if they're consuming a large amount of foods high in fat and carbs plus leading a sedentary lifestyle weight will be a problem. Being a cyclist won't matter much in regards to fitness if you're wolfing big macs combo meals everyday and pootling along on a bike to get it.

Happy Alabama Jubilee, those boys enjoy their b'bque !

http://www.examiner.com/x-2429-Bicycle-Transportation-Examiner~y2009m7d7-Americas-fattest-states-thin-on-bicycle-commuters?cid=exrss-Bicycle-Transportation-Examiner

The US states with the highest obesity rates are Mississippi, Alabama, and West Virginia.
According to the US Census, these are also the states with the fewest regular bicyclists.
And, Alabama and West Virginia are the least bicycle friendly states in the League of American Bicyclists rankings.

I've not had any problems cycling here in Alabama but I do most of my riding out in the country. "Bicycle friendly" usually means a lot of bike lanes in the cities.

I also wouldn't put too much faith in using Census numbers with regards to cyclists. I would be surprised if Alaska really has more regular cyclists than Alabama or West Virginia. Same for the other states with much smaller populations, like Wyoming or North Dakota.

One word: McDonalds

What about us cyclists who ride and are fat? Which way do we tip the equation?

North Carolina demands a re-weigh.

+1

Bojangles is so good.

Southerners deep fry everything. And save bacon grease for seasoning their greens. Macaroni and cheese is considered a vegetable.

But they do not put mayonnaise on their french fries.

Alabama is one cool state, even though its hot. I went to an Alabama game in the 60s when they were ranked #1 and the entire stadium genuflected when the Bear walked across the field. Those people know how to party..They party Friday night, Saturday morning, at the game, Saturday night, Sunday morning. I understand when they play LSU or Auburn they party near the whole week. You gotta like a place where college football is THE most important thing going. So what if theyre a little heavy. Here in Jersey kids are getting fatheads and butts from Ipods.

Southerners deep fry everything. And save bacon grease for seasoning their greens. Macaroni and cheese is considered a vegetable.

But they do not put mayonnaise on their french fries.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys/southern-creamed-corn-recipe/index.html

The Bacon Grease makes this side. It's awesome...or variants of it are also awesome.

this is why you're fat (http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/)

although, I would at least attempt to eat almost anything on that page.

These southern states are low on bicycle commuters, which is a different thing from roadies or recreational cyclists.

They are low on commuters, because the roads are set-up in a very bike-unfriendly way. Check here for a list (http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/bicyclefriendlystate/pdfs/09state_ranking_list.pdf). (Alabama comes in last on this list. I saw another one where Florida is last.) E.g. there are no bike lanes or bike paths, drivers aren't used to driving along cyclists, etc. etc.

Many Southern states have pretty active road scenes. E.g. Georgia.

Our mayor is very bike friendly and is working with the cycling community to increase awareness of bikes by the cars, more bike lanes, more share the road signs, etc.

Kiplinger rated Huntsville #1 city in the U.S. and it probably wasn't due to the barbecue or the Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

I've commuted to work a few times but I wear my cycling gear to work, then cool down/clean up back in the warehouse and change to work clothes. If I rode to work in my work clothes, I'd be drenched with sweat by the time I got there. But I can commute in the spring, fall and winter without much trouble.

Alabama is a spread out place for the most part so commuting by bike just isn't an option for a lot of people. There is a small movement back into the city centers as people get fed up with rush hour traffic but if you work in downtown Birmingham, you'll need a place to shower before starting work. or carry a box of wet wipes and clean up in a closet or bathroom stall somewhere.

I dunno. I eat three times as much as someone I know who is on Weight Watchers and still has about 30 lb to lose. It's not just eating, but rather intake vs. output. Of course, bikes don't have to be a part of that equasion, but they can be.

Spanish teacher?

Coincidence, the culture and diet in those states and region has more to do with their fat index than bicycles. Those states are also some of the lowest income states, and the people there eat lard instead of lettuce.

Southerners deep fry everything. And save bacon grease for seasoning their greens. Macaroni and cheese is considered a vegetable.

But they do not put mayonnaise on their french fries.

their loss.

I... "Bicycle friendly" usually means a lot of bike lanes in the cities...

Very accurate observation. I find the urban-bias in bicycling studies and advocacy to be an annoying distraction. The single best ride I ever enjoyed was in the rural Midwest, a hundred miles from the nearest bike lane.

http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/2/spock_orly.gif

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys/southern-creamed-corn-recipe/index.html

The Bacon Grease makes this side. It's awesome...or variants of it are also awesome.

SOUTHERN CREAMED CORN

Ingredients

* 8 ears corn, husked
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1/2 cup cold water
* 2 tablespoons bacon grease
* 1 tablespoons butter

I nearly choked when I read the ingredients. I'm Asian and grew up basically without butter. To this day, I use a sliver of butter on bread. The thought of eating so much grease and fat just makes me want to gag.

I would be surprised if Alaska really has more regular cyclists than Alabama or West Virginia. Same for the other states with much smaller populations, like Wyoming or North Dakota.

You have to remember the percentage of urbanization. In AK, most of the population lives in the Los Anchorage area and in small cities in the SE, plus Fairbanks. There are a lot of cyclists in Anchorage, including a lot of commuters and some car-free folks like me. Yes, even in the winter. The city has several hundred miles of bike paths and lanes, and under a new plan will be putting in a lot of true bike lanes. Whether the state is high or low on the bike friendly lists depends on whether you're looking at some rural highway from hell or the urban areas.

That said, according to the BMI charts I'm still obese even after losing a bunch of weight. You can't really trust those to tell you much. Some of us really are enormous by nature. That's one reason cycling in -20 f. doesn't bother me. If you want to find out true health you have to look at percentage of fat, heart rate variation, BP, and other vitals. When you dig deeper a lot of skinny people are extremely unhealthy while some of us man-mountains are quite unexpectedly spry.

I love the MUPs here - I can get thoroughly lost in areas I've never been for well over an hour (hey, I barely started this!) while only occasionally having to cross well-set-up crosswalks. Given that my boss's daughter was just hit by a car (not while on a bike though) I appreciate that.

And mac & cheese pizza rocks.

SOUTHERN CREAMED CORN

Ingredients

* 8 ears corn, husked
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1/2 cup cold water
* 2 tablespoons bacon grease
* 1 tablespoons butter


I nearly choked when I read the ingredients. I'm Asian and grew up basically without butter. To this day, I use a sliver of butter on bread. The thought of eating so much grease and fat just makes me want to gag.

I'm Asian too. And believe me, this is actually really good. You've got to give it a try.