Cindy wrote:
When I handed out the new Dietary Guidelines to the students in my
~classes two weeks ago, I think the biggest shock to them was the
~exercise component. Most of these students are traditional college
age,
~but many are working and going to school. They have no clue about
how
~to fit in that amount of exercise into their schedules.
~
~Cindy

and Maxine wrote:

>In 10-15 minute increments. When my husband was going to school, I'd
>hear him agonizing about not being able to do the work. So I'd drag
>him kicking and screaming (two very good exercizes<G>) away from his
>homework and feed him a light snack and make him join me for a walk.
snip
>I had joined a study that tried to see what the effects of 1/2 hour a
>day of exercize in 10-15 minute increments would have on the body.
>I'm not a good dieter, but lost about 5 pounds, dropped my cholesterol
>30 points, and got to buy clothing a size smaller.

I'm with you, Maxine. I still think the real reason why Americans are
fatter is that our lives are designed to make walking an "exercise"
that we have to find time for, instead of a natural part of getting
around. When I had no car, first in New York City and then in the Bay
Area for three years, I never worried about my weight. No reason to. I
usually walked a mile and a half a day just getting to transit and
back. Long walks all the time for fun, or because I got sick of waiting
for a bus. This only works in safe urban neighborhoods. Where I live
now, I can do some walking to shop, and there's plenty of nice
neighborhood walking for exercise and pleasure, but in order to get the
kids from school/shop for clothes or office supplies/see my parents
etc. I have to get in the car. If I lived farther out, in a more
upscale neighborhood in the further suburbs, I wouldn't even be able to
get my groceries on foot, the way I can now.

Modern American life, with freeways and far flung suburbs, is designed
to make us fat.

I like this increments idea. Saw something about changing your diet
this way - just fix one thing -eat one less french fry for a while,
then cut down by two, etc. Or switch to whole wheat bread. This is
what I'm doing lately. I'm in chemotherapy so for a week out of every
three I eat "white" food - rice and potatoes and saltines. But the
other two weeks I'd been eating all kinds of crap, in quantities to
make up for the week of saltines. Gained 10 pounds in the first 6 weeks
(some of that is just the chemical imbalance, the MD says). Now I'm
just trying to moderate without making any big rules for myself.
Walking a little more, putting on music and dancing, eating a little
better. Still eating treats, just not so darned many! The weight is
normalizing. Last thing you want when you're bald and hormonally
challenged is to put on extra weight, too.

Ob Food: pressure cooker chili beans tonight. This batch didn't come
out as tasty as the last one - I made it blander because it's for a
kiddie birthday party. Big green salad with Meyer Lemon vinaigrette
(neighbor's lemon tree); some bittersweet chocolate - antioxidants! -
and an orange for dessert.

Leila