By John Steinbach

Physics 101: “In the absence of force, a body at rest will stay at rest.”
– Isaac Newton

If the body is your body and you want to move it someplace, you could walk, run, pedal or paddle using caloric energy from the food you eat. Human-powered transportation was the only means of transportation for most of human existence. We moved around using caloric energy and were healthier because of it.

Relatively recently, our society has come to rely a great deal on other forms of energy, largely fossil fuels, to get us around. Instead of calories, we burn energy we measure in BTUs (British Thermal Units). The calories once used for movement are now stored as fat. That could be part of the reason 31 percent of Americans are obese.

There are still many opportunities to use calories instead of BTUs. Change your energy source and save your health, your money, your national security and your planet. Burning fat stores puts no greenhouse gases (okay, a little methane) into the atmosphere and doesn’t rely on depleting sources of oil from unstable parts of the world. Get your calories from locally grown organic food, and you’ll be even more efficient.

Look for a time when you can walk to do a couple of errands. Ride your bike to a friend’s house instead of hopping in the car. Take the stairs instead of relying on electrical energy to ship you up and down by elevator. And at drive-through establishments, park and walk in instead of idling in the drive-through.