Exercise For An Hour A Day, Seven Days A Week

Excerpt from The Journal of the American Medical Association, March 24/31. 2010:

“Objective: To examine the association of different amounts of physical activity with long-term weight changes among women consuming a usual diet.

…Participants: A prospective cohort study involving 34 079 healthy US women (mean age, 54.2 years) from 1992-2007…

Conclusions: Among women consuming a usual diet, physical activity was associated with less weight gain only among women whose BMI was lower than 25. Women successful in maintaining normal weight and gaining fewer than 2.3 kg over 13 years averaged approximately 60 minutes a day of moderate-intensity activity throughout the study. “

I read this report with mixed feelings.

Insurance-Defying Fitness: In Praise of Marilyn Moffat

Gina Kolata’s recent article, “Treat Me, but No Tricks Please,” in the New York Times, brought on a firestorm in response.  In the article, Kolata questioned whether there was “rigorous evidence” to show that physical therapy was effective and asked, “With all that voodoo physical therapy out there, though, how can you tell if what you are getting is helping or useless?”

Music to Jog By (The Beatles Remastered)

My younger sister laid claim to the Beatles first.  My idea of popular music back then was Henry Mancini's movie scores and Nino Temple and April Stevens crooning Deep Purple.  When Ed Sullivan brought the mop-headed boys into our living room, I more than feigned indifference—I really didn’t see the point.