Ancient Paths & Modern Health

When I read about historical modes of travel, I'm thankful for the relative smoothness of planes, trains, and automobiles compared with surreys, stagecoaches, and the like. But one form of travel that remains constant is bipedality. There's nothing like taking a walk, especially on a nice day. One thing I like to do is to go down to Palisades Park in Santa Monica and walk on the gravel paths overlooking the blue Pacific and enjoying the breezes.

Today, we have sidewalks and asphalt paths in addition to the ever-present dirt and gravel paths that have been around for decades. Yet when I visit cities like Boston, I view the cobblestones and I get to thinking about the shoes of yesteryear and how uncomfortable it must have been.

Well, that was before I read a story today in the San Francisco Chronicle, discussing the possible health benefits of walking on cobblestones. According to the article, cobblestone paths still exist in China, and the researchers garnered inspiration to conduct a study after observing pedestrians there. While this is fairly preliminary, it's rather interesting that perhaps despite our medicines, vaccinations, nutritional studies, and general overall improved health and life expectancy, that our ancestors might have reaped the benefit of such things as cobblestones. In today's world, where obesity is increasing rapidly in industrialized nations (but nowhere more so than the United States, natch), I think back to pictures, old movies, and descriptions of people long gone, and realize that individuals of certain hefty sizes were rare back then. Today, people, yours truly included, are packing just a wee bit too much on the frame. Cobblestones or no, I think a lot of this is due not just to poor eating habits, but to transportation. Too many of us jump in our cars just to go a mile or two down the road. My own sister had a nasty habit of insisting on either driving or being driven to high school-- my parents live five blocks from the high school. In all the time I visited my parents, I don't recall my baby sister walking to and from school. I, on the other hand, biked to and from school daily, and on occasion walked if I had to. Today, I'm not as good about pushing myself outside. Part of it, of course, is living in the most car-crazy town in the country.

It'll be interesting to see what further studies show about the benefits of cobblestones. While I doubt there'll be a general call for the return of cobblestones to our streets and alleys, it may encourage those towns and cities that still have them to keep and maintain them for reasons other than historical veracity.