Here's a random-sounding connection: The older your house, the healthier you are. Confused? I know what you're thinking: How does one factor have anything to do with the other? Don't worry; there's a perfectly reasonable explanation.

It's not so much about the age of your house--it's about the age of your neighbourhood. You see, old neighbourhoods tend to be more walkable, whereas newer neighbourhoods tend to be built around this unfortunate habit we've developed of driving everywhere. And not so surprisingly, how walkable a neighbourhood is has a direct impact on the levels of obesity in the area.

So next time you're in the market for a house, consider buying into a older neighbourhood--or at least one where you can walk to the store.

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So, I admit to faltering big time on workouts lately. By the end of winter, facing the gym or even another day in the cold just gets to me. But now, spring is here! And the neighbors' trampoline is open for business!

It often happens on nice days. All the neighbor kids get off the bus and the siblings come out to greet them and everyone ends up staying outside romping around and enjoying the sun and air. In our neighborhood, the kids invariably end up piling into the trampoline in the back yard of one of our neighbors. They got it as a big family Christmas gift a couple of years ago. And boy has it gotten some use since then.

Every so often, the parents join in at their own risk. Jump. Kick. Twist. Turn. Fall. Laugh. We're rewarded for the courage by burning a few calories while we spend some good old fashioned quality time with our kids. And it almost feels like we've found a little fountain of youth. Almost.

It's odd to hear that a scent could invoke the feeling (and diagnosis) of cancer, but in Houston, Texas, that is precisely what has happened.

A lingering stench in a part of Houston is being looked at in the mysterious diagnosis of leukemia in a 6-year-old, Valentin Marroquin. Is there something in the surrounding environment that is not only smelly, but has contributed to a case of leukemia?

The family in question lives right next to the Houston ship channel, which is home to the largest petrochemical complex in the country. It's pretty obvious to see where the smell comes from -- but is there something in the air that could cause cancer when inhaled (or perhaps ingested)?

That is unknown -- but chemical companies are spewing tons of waste into the air each day there, including benzene and other pollutants. After reading about the environment in the Manchester area, I'm in no hurry to go there.

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Here at That's Fit we give out a lot of advice on incorporating exercise and physical activity into your everyday activities to save time and make it less of a conscious effort. A big part of that is walking more often when you may have driven before, i.e. parking at the far end of the parking lot and walking to a nearby cafe for lunch instead of driving to the restaurant across town. So how walk-friendly is your neighborhood? Walkscore.com will give your address a score based on the proximity of businesses like restaurants, post offices, parks, schools, theaters, you name it. It even lists everything on a map so you can get a clear picture of what's where.

My neighborhood didn't do so well, scoring only a 34, because I'm right smack in the middle of a large residential area with hardly any businesses. Great for walking the dog, but not so great for walking errands.


Via Lifehacker

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If you live in certain parts of New York City you may find yourself struggling even more than most to eat healthy. A recent survey shows that Harlem, for example, lags behind "swankier" neighborhoods when it comes to healthy shopping options for its residents. Fast food restaurants largely outnumber grocery stores selling fresh produce and low-fat dairy products, and 1 in 6 of the restaurants are fast food. The affect on the health of the population seems clear, as the Harlem population is up to 4x more likely to be obese or have diabetes than people living in more upscale areas with healthier shopping.

Harlem isn't the only neighborhood dealing with these challenges, and the survey did result in some recommendations that will hopefully make a difference. It makes me think of my own neighborhood, and I wonder if I'm fighting against convenience to eat better. How does your area stack up?

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In a recent study, men living in "walkable neighborhoods" were found to have fewer symptoms of depression than those living in less pedestrian friendly areas. Although moderate exercise has been shown to help with depression, the experts in this study believe the results are a combination of increased physical activity and the men feeling more connected to and part of their community. With depression becoming a bigger and bigger issue in society every day, especially in the aging population, results like these could have an impact not only on where people choose to retire, but also where buildings like senior centers are located.

Interestingly, the same results did not hold true for women.

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One Small Step is our attempt to show you all how easy it can be to improve your health, and the health of the planet. Each week, we'll take one more little step and encourage you to take it with us. This week, I've finally agreed to listen to my husband and:

Get ultra-local.

Yes, I love the concept of the Eat Local Challenge, but this isn't just eating -- it's drinking coffee, and going to the dentist, and buying my favorite books. I guess you could call it "shop local." So today, when I went to get my hair cut, I didn't go downtown to the chic Aveda stylist where I got my hair done for my wedding (and the one who usually cuts my hair oh so well). Instead, I went to the corner barbershop -- literally, on the corner two blocks from my house. No energy was expended in getting there, and Tammy (along with "Bip", her partner) lives in the neighborhood. She gets her coffee at my favorite coffee shop -- she's about as local as you can get.

It was my husband's idea. I'd been encouraging him to go to the dentist about a mile up the street, instead of the one several miles away we'd been seeing; we've heard such great things. He went even further.