Where I’m staying in India, there are parks nearby. I can go for an hour’s walk at a time that suits me. I had similar access where I lived in the US.
That has made me think about Nairobi. We tell people to walk more, but how easy have we made it for them to do that?
Someone might have an hour available after work. Having a park or a decent walking route nearby makes a difference to what they can do with that hour.
If getting there takes most of the time they have, the advice becomes harder to act on. The same is true if the route feels unsafe, the pavement ends, or the space is closed by the time they finish work.
The details change what is possible.
When we talk about access, I want us to be specific. Can someone get there easily? Can they afford it? Is there lighting? Somewhere to rest? Can a person using a wheelchair use the route?
For people who walk to work, to the shops or to public transport, these conditions are part of an ordinary day. For someone trying to add more movement to their week, the same conditions shape what is realistic.
My experience in India and the US is personal. It does not describe every neighbourhood in either country. It has helped me notice something I want us to take seriously wherever we live: what is available around us affects the choices we can make.
Before asking someone to change their routine, can we ask what that change would require?
And we need to be honest about obesity.
The World Health Organization describes obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease. Biology, behaviour and the environment interact in ways that make it far more complex than a single habit.
That matters to this conversation. Better places to move are part of a supportive environment. A person living with obesity may also need continuing clinical care, including treatments appropriate to their circumstances.
Physical activity has health benefits beyond its effect on weight. That is another reason to care about making it accessible.
This is the conversation I want to have.
Over the past twenty years, I’ve lost weight and regained it several times. I’m bringing that experience into my coaching, with a focus on health and sustainable habits.
I want to understand the support someone needs when a routine becomes difficult. I also want to understand what could make that routine easier to sustain in the first place.
I want us to pay more attention to this when we talk about health. We give people advice about changing their lives. We also need to think about the places where they’re expected to make those changes.