Location & Wellness

Written by Donna Marcotte

When it comes to sound real estate investments, experienced professionals identify three important factors for success: location, location, and location. The same can be said for health and wellness.

Location includes many factors, such as climate, seasons, and natural resources, which have a big impact on our general health and feelings of wellbeing. For those of us fortunate enough to live in Huntingdon County, we have an abundance to be grateful for—recreational resources and natural beauty that contribute to good health and wellness.

My husband and I recently returned to Pennsylvania, moving to Huntingdon after living for 15 years in Houston, Texas. So we’ve had a chance to experience first-hand two very different locations and their impact on our health and wellness. Let’s look at a few important factors associated with location and how they can affect us.

Climate, which we typically think of very broadly as “hot” and “cold,” can influence our health and ability to function. Scientific research confirms some interesting facts that many of us know from experience. We tend to move a bit more briskly in the cold weather because we know movement gets our blood flowing and warms us. Conversely, we tend to move a bit more slowly and drink more water in the dog days of summer to minimize the affects of heat and humidity on our bodies.

Place of birth or genetic factors influence a body’s preference for and ability to handle hot and cold climates. Over time, our bodies do adapt to new climates. For example, we begin to sweat more quickly with increased exposure to very hot temperatures.

Both our attitude towards the condition and our behavior have a big impact on our perceived level of comfort. For example, Eskimos living in their native Arctic climates rarely complain about the extreme cold. For them, sub-zero temperatures are simply a fact of life, and they alter their behavior by wearing heavier clothing.

Houston, which is located about 1500 miles southwest of Huntingdon near the Texas Gulf Coast, has four seasons, sort of. Winter lasts about 3 months and is typically delightful, with temperatures in the 50 to 60 degree range, with rare dips below freezing. These mild temperatures translate into low heating bills and the ability to golf year round. But for this “Yankee” who never had the time or inclination to take up golf, Christmas never quite felt like Christmas, and I missed having a legitimate reason, like a cold, snowy day, to spend a lazy day inside curled up by a warm fire.

Spring and fall are typically short, uneventful bookends on the long, hot, humid summer that dominates Houston from April to October. I used to tell people that at least I didn’t have to shovel the heat or scrape it off of my car like I did the winter snow up North. But for me, the summers grew to be relentless and draining. No matter how much I tried to modify my behavior, getting through them was difficult.

Here in Huntingdon we experience the four distinct seasons. Winter usually feels the longest, but aren’t spring and summer that much more appreciated and spectacular after the grayness of winter? And aren’t the weeks of fall foliage a special colorful treat before we settle in for the winter? Perhaps I’ll feel differently when shoveling the driveway for the first time in 15 years, but right now the changes are both familiar and exciting.

Another important environmental factor closely related to climate and seasons is the amount of daylight in a twenty-four-hour period. As winter approaches, we are all aware that the hours of sunlight are dwindling. Here in the Northern hemisphere, the farther north of the equator you are, the shorter the days, with areas above the Arctic Circle plunged into complete darkness from November to February.

During this time of diminished sunshine, many people experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD), becoming somewhat depressed and sluggish because of decreased exposure to sunlight.

SAD is physiological, with scientific studies supporting its existence and therapies, such as increased exposure to artificial light with specially designed light boxes, to help alleviate its effects. However, attitude and behavior also play a role.

People who live in northern, rural villages adapt their behavior to the decreased daylight. For example, they stockpile food for the winter so that there is less daily work during dark days. Most of us, however, maintain the same schedule year-round, required to conform to “artificial” cultural conventions, such as a nine-to-five work day, that don’t allow us to adapt our behavior to the seasons.

A third key environmental factor is proximity to nature. It seems that modern work and life in the hustle and bustle of the big city or suburban sprawl can wear on us, causing mental fatigue. Many aspects of modern living, such as working indoors, noise, pollution and traffic, contribute to our tendency for making errors and to our irritability and fatigue.

But it seems that being outdoors, experiencing the sights, sounds, and smells of nature, does a lot to alleviate the ill effects of modern stressors by calming and restoring us.

After 15 years in the suburban sprawl of Houston, the fourth largest U.S. city, living in Huntingdon is a real breath of fresh of air. So the next time you’re feeling stressed or tired, get yourself to Raystown Lake, one of the many local parks, or just step out in your own backyard and take a deep breath.

To find out more about this fascinating subject check out the book, The Power of Place by Winifred Gallagher, HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. 1994.

The Huntingdon Health and Wellness Association makes no medical claims or recommendations. Check with your doctor about your specific health care needs.