Lazy lazy us

So I admit, I have gotten lazy over the years - as have most people I know. When I was younger I would play outside everyday all day. Being inside was boring. There was nothing to do. Outside was where all the fun was!

But not anymore. After I hit my teen years I locked myself indoors. It started with MTV and VH1 Classic (I was a music video addict) and now it’s the internet. It’s so convenient having everything at my fingertips. Google answers all my questions and social sites let me interact with others. But sitting around on my butt all day isn’t healthy.

And I’m not the only one who sat down in my teen years.

Kids who were averaging three hours of moderate to vigorous activity when they were 9 barely manage to get more than a half-hour of daily exercise by the time they reach 15, according to a study in the July 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. [Health Day]

When I think about it, it’s kind of sad. I used to be outside riding bikes, playing games, swimming, and running around. It would keep me entertained all day. I was rarely bored.

So what is it that brings us inside in the first place? Do the games start to bore us?

For me, I think it’s the lack of stimulation outside. I used to live in a social neighborhood where kids were always outside playing and everyone hung out together at the pool.

Now I live in a neighborhood where I don’t even know who lives next door and pretty much no one is outside. No one to talk to, no one to do anything with. Being outside by myself is pretty boring.

I also live in an area where there is no where to go. We have lots of neighborhoods, grocery stores, gas stations, and other such places. No where to go for entertainment. No where for kids to hang out.

In fact, after school the kids go across the street and hangout at the library. Yes, the library is the hangout spot. But not for reading or studying, they just hangout and chitchat while they wait for parents to come get them. And they hangout there because there really isn’t anywhere else to hangout.

I noticed that in areas with more to do (and more people) kids seems to be more active. Heck, people in general seem to be more active.

For example, the park near us is almost always empty. The only time there are people there is when there is a baseball (softball?) game.

When I went to California in 2006 we went to a park/garden and there were all kinds of people wandering around. It made it more fun. I ran around with my cousin for awhile as we fake-sword fought.

There was also a lot to do in the area. There were stores and zoos, resturants, skate parks, and so on. Tons of places to meet up and hang out.

I think if areas offered more stimulation then people would be more willing to go outside more often. Going to the grocery store was only fun back when I was 6.