I know a lot of really sedentary people, but my dad sets the bar. As a young man, he thought nothing of walking miles up and down the hills of Pittsburgh on errands. He even told the story of walking nearly 20 miles to get to the dance. His father tended to exaggerate his story, but he claimed that his car broke down and he didn’t want to disappoint his mother by going to see her at the dance. I doubt his 20 miles, but he accepts a range of 5-8 miles, which is still plenty.
Throughout his life, my father maintained a weight of 180 pounds and a height of 6 feet 2 inches. And he had no health problems, no medications, no hospitalization. He then retired from Westinghouse at the age of 65, declaring he needed rest, and from that point on his life revolved around a recliner and a TV clicker. This sedentary lifestyle soon started to take its toll and a big potbelly emerged. As a child, I remember how fast he walked and how hard I had to try to keep up. But now his gait had no spring, instead he walked slowly and then he began to limp.
