Today’s article brought up two questions. A
link on the Around Town section of NBC’s local Washington, DC news site about walking lessons
led to an article in the New York Times about walking lessons... in New York City. While some local residents may be interested in taking or offering walking lessons after reading the article, it seemed a little odd to include an article about a class in New York City in a section about the DC area.
The linked article explored walking lessons
in yoga classes offered by Jonathan FitzGordon at Yoga Center of Brooklyn. They sound similar to the classes by Amy Matthews at the
Breathing Project referenced in
an article seven months ago in New York Magazine about walking barefoot. Unlike this earlier article, the New York Times article does not mention one of the most obvious culprits for bad posture and walking-related health problems: shoes. More specifically, shoes that are known to destroy people’s bodies, such as high-heeled pumps.
I thought this was particularly interesting since the picture on NBC’s site for the article includes four women in what could be a dance studio, three of whom appear to be wearing three to four inch heels.
Would you take walking lessons to allow you to continue to wear uncomfortable shoes, or would you switch shoes first? Do you think FitzGordon didn’t mention shoes because he figured it would be easier to get New Yorkers to take lessons without having to convince them to give up their heels?
And, do you think “local” articles should always refer to things happening in and around DC, or is it okay to have one that’s actually for New York City?
