subject: Why San Diego Is Place That Promotes Wellness [print this page] San Diego wellness is easy to see as locals are inspired by the warm climate, the waves, the sandy beaches, and the beautiful landscape, encouraging those living in San Diego to be more physically active and to have a deeper respect for the environment. Many studies have shown a positive correlation between warm climate and health, wellness, and happiness. San Diego is an ideal location to those seeking a healthy lifestyle, if desired, below are few reasons why.
There is an abundance source of natural, organic and healthy food. Stores such as Trader Joes, Henrys, and Whole Foods are easily found in most San Diego communities and often times are quite affordable. There are farmers markets happening every day of the week throughout San Diego county, in locations such as Coronado, Mira Mesa, Carlsbad, North Park, Oceanside, Imperial Beach, Mission Valley, Del Mar, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, La Jolla, and Hillcrest. There are local farms that are apart of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) programs where sustainable, local and organic vegetables are delivered to you from the farmers.
There was also a study done showing a correlation between happiness and commute time. The conclusion was that those with longer commutes times, 30 minutes or more, were generally less happy with their life. Heavy traffic is rare in San Diego and it is unusual to have to drive more than 30 minutes to get to most major places of interest.
San Diego public university, UCSD, (University of California San Diego) has created a wellness center with a variety of wellness programs, courses, resources and community involvement, showing the dedication San Diego has towards promoting health and wellness. UCSD has a commitment to social wellness was recently rewarded by being ranked the #1 university in the nation by the Washington Monthly "based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs), and service (encouraging students to give something back to their country)".
The temperate climate of southern California increases the amount of physical exercise and outdoor activities residents participate in. San Diego county is considered one of the most popular surf destinations however, one obvious reason being the warmer ocean temperature. Warm weather allows for activities such as hiking, mountain biking, cross country running, skate boarding, surfing, kayaking, snorkeling, or swimming to be much more convenient and hobbies that involve physical exercise are encouraged which in turn result in physical wellness.
