Living a Healthy Lifestyle in Houston?

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Upon arriving in Houston as a newlywed, I was eager to find the nearest health food store, park, bike path, and hiking mountains so that I could continue my quest to live a healthy lifestyle. Little did I know the challenge I faced!

For such a large city, I thought for sure there would be many people with the same desires as I to exercise, eat healthy, and enjoy the great outdoors. I'm sure there are many people with these desires, but Houston seems to swallow people up in a busy working world where the daily commute takes 1/2 the day and the other 1/2 is spent at work, leaving little time to focus on taking care of oneself.

Houston is probably one of the flattest places in the whole country, with the nearest mountains being about 3 hours away in Austin (and I'm told these aren't even real mountains), so hiking on a regular basis was out. In fact, it is hard to just find a place to go walking since sidewalks are almost non-existent!

Bike paths may exist somewhere in Houston, but I have yet to find one. Not only that, but most roads are too dangerous to bike on because they don't even have shoulders! Who planned this place anyway!

Public parks were another disappointment. They don't seem to exist in Houston either. Certain subdivisions have them for their residents, but they are not for everyone. This makes me feel rather suffocated in the city without a place to "get away from it all" and get some fresh air.

Fortunately I did find several health food stores where I can run for herbs and other supplements when I need them, but they are few and far between and don't always keep in stock the products I need.

One good thing about Houston is there are gyms! At least gyms exist in Houston! At the gym I can run, jog, walk, hike uphill, ride a bike and even lift some weights. Even though it's not exactly the same as doing the real things, at least it gets my heart pumping and leaves me tired at the end!

Another life saver here in Houston is grocery stores with cheap produce. Vegetables are my favorite foods and having them readily available at affordable prices helps out our monthly food budget tremendously, as well as keeping us healthy!

Therefore, although Houston is not the most conducive place to living a healthy lifestyle, it is not impossible if you look in the right places and adjust your habits a little.