Children are certainly not exempt from this frightening trend. Skateboards, bicycles and roller blades are replaced by go-carts and Segways. Traditional children’s toys requiring self-propulsion like the pogo stick and the bicycle now have motorized counterparts. Pocket bikes and mini-bikes take the leg work out of riding a bicycle. A little bit less than watered down motorcycles, these bikes require no more caloric expenditure than it takes to turn the wheel to park in front of your favorite ice cream shop.
A team of Harvard economists blames technological advances for obesity, but not in the way that you might think. They proposed a theory that new and varied convenience foods are the culprit. It’s no longer necessary to dig up a few potatoes to make mashed potatoes, just open the box of flakes and stir with some water. Fewer calories are spent to make the meal. Along the same lines, advances in commercial transportation allow these items to make it to our grocery store shelf faster than ever.
The popularity of the Segway shows that Americans are more than comfortable letting machines move them around. Sales of Segways reportedly increase 50% year over year.
Do all advances in personal transportation make us fatter? Some improvements are keeping the physical activity in, like the Trikke for example, a 3-wheeled cambering vehicle that relies on good old-fashioned leg power. It works much like a scooter or bicycle, with better balance and control, and can be propelled without touching the ground.
Popularity: 11% [?]
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
