Halfbacks & +20

I do crave a warmer climate.  All the gains I made in Thailand losing weight and feeling alive, reversed in a month.  I love everything about Asheville, but the long winters.  - piece of an old e-mail

Funny thing is that Asheville's winters are very mild compared to places that really experience them.  However, if you were in a more tropical environment or just deeper south, the winter months would be way more pleasant where you are - temp-wise.  That's also assuming you don't like cold weather and snow.  Some people love it!

Thailand's peak weather is from Nov - March.  If you could imagine our most perfect spring day, summer or fall day, that's what it's like there during that period.  Other seasons in Thailand, it's very hot and very wet.  Back to the USA for a sec.  Some Northerners ("Yankees"), when they can, get far south before winter rolls in.  Those who are retired and have the money and the desire, make a permanent move.  Those who can "Snow Bird" it, do so for those months.  Florida has always been warm climate to crave along the East Coast.  Charleston and Savannah are also popular.  A place like Asheville, even though we have our winters, is also a big relief for those wanting to escape the harshness of Northern winters.  We get "snow birders" here, too.  I see cars from Vermont, Maine, New York - and all the time.

Year-round living conditions is another thing.  And this explains Asheville's popularity - part of it anyway.  For more months in a year, Asheville's weather is more pleasant than both the Northern climates with their great summers but long winters, and places like Florida that are super for 3-4 months - maybe six - then get into unbelievable hot weather.  And when you start comparing intense heat and intense cold, you tell me which is worse.  This reality explains the Halfback movement:  Northerners who were craving the opposite of the cold, moved down to Florida or Charleston, only to discover that for several months the heat was just as bad - perhaps worse.  For some, those who desired, rather than go all the way back north, found places like Asheville to be a happy medium.  They went halfway back - "Halfbacks."  

Then you have those who were born and raised in much hotter climates like Florida, Texas or Southern California who, maybe at retirement or at younger age even, want some new scenery and more suitable weather throughout the year - or the obvious change of seasons.  A place like Asheville fits that bill.  I have met so many Floridians who made Asheville a second home or their new permanent home.  It's crazy.

My original statement, to start this post, was about Thailand's climate vis a vis Asheville, and how maintaining a healthier body weight gets factored in.  In bustling Bangkok, you're walking more - to and from skytrain stations, to the metro, out at markets, etc..  And, as long as you stay hydrated, this heat and humidity create sauna-like conditions.  You are sweating.  That heat and activity are making it less likely you are packing on pounds.  Florida gets hot, as does Southern California, but the car culture in the US, combined with cities that are designed for walking, means you're in a comfy air-conditioned car, and just not moving your body.  And, of course, we know how we even eat in our cars - and not the best foods.  Bangkok, on the other hand, gives you an easier way to stay slim.  I have said many times that the USA is a +20 environment.  Even through hard exercise, you're going to be twenty pounds heavier.  Other than walking in Bangkok, I never exercised.  And I ate all I wanted.  And we are - Americans - much more obese.  Not everybody, but certainly on average.  Something to think about.

Another aspect of my statement is Seasonal Affective Disorder.  I will address that later.