Apple cores and a stylish killer

Speaking of Summer, one of my routines is taking the bus to work. I enjoy it. Not only I get to have someone else do the driving - especially during rush hours - but it’s economical; the employer pays for my ki'eki'e pasi, so why not?  I also am able to read a book, take a nap, contemplate something or just watch and observe people. Oh and these buses also have free Wi-Fi ...sweeet!

This morning, at one of the stops, a guy boarded the bus munching an apple. Instead of taking a seat, he stood in the aisle holding on to one of the metal supports with one hand and apple in the other. He was in the center of everyone’s forward gaze, especially mine, now that I’m impressed with his healthy demeanor. (I considered him a friend since I had an apple too, but in my backpack.) At the next stop, amazingly, a woman boarded with a protein shake and she too stood in the aisle next to my apple friend; mind you, there were empty seats still. Could standing be considered a healthy habit? Well it must be since sitting - in the sedentary sense - has been reputed as a health risk (re: quotes below). If so, then the two standing passengers must have contributed to Utah’s top ranking as the healthiest/fittest state in a recent national survey.

vi and core (Spondias dulcis)

Now back to my apple friend. The woman did not drink from her shake, meanwhile, I was waiting for the moment the driver was going to remind Johnny Appleseed about the “no eating on the bus” rule - he (driver) did not.  Johnny continued in the usual circular munching pattern until he had only the core left. My interest then shifted to how he would dispose of the core. For a couple of quick seconds, he seemed to have looked for a trash repository, then he did the unthinkable, at least from my perspective as an apple lover and core hater (no pun intended, hahaa).  He took the first bite and then the second and the core was gone. I winced but was not totally repulsed. In fact I quietly convinced myself that there actually are people who eat apple cores. Come to think of it, I would love to give my friend a vi (Spondias dulcis) and see if he would eat the core too; though I have seen kids in Samoa who would chew and reduce the vi core to pulp then spit it out.

And then the researches/studies on the risks of sitting from which these quotes are taken:

“You might be pleased with that cool looking Aeron chair your buns are nestled in —— but it’s nothing but a stylish killer. Recent studies have shown that the amount of time you spend sitting raises your risk of dying. Sit more, die sooner.  An Australian study of 8,800 people over a six year period found that for each hour spent sitting increased the risk of death from heart disease by one-fifth.”

So standing is better?

“Better yet, stand part of the day. Research done by Dr. Mark Benden of Texas A&M University, suggests that standing at least two hours a day improves energy levels, productivity and can even assist in weight control. Standing two hours a day can burn up to 280 calories daily....”

If my bus ride was two hours, I would consider standing, like my two bus mates.  A’o Samoa la, a ka ku, ua ka le mafaufau, fai mai loa le faa-sitoe: “Sole gofo i lalo, o le kagaka e ku e vave a ga palasi” .....Koea’iga fia malosi!...LOL!