Staying active: More reasons than ever to be fit

How much exercise would you say you do during a typical day? Most Americans hardly do any, as demonstrated by the rising numbers in obesity as well as the rising number of overweight reality TV shows. Everyone knows they need to get out and walk around, but the New York Times has another reason why you should: Prevention of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Biking is a great form of exercise.

In a study done at the University of Missouri and published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers found that volunteers who kept up a daily exercise routine of at least 10,000 steps per day (about five miles) did not have their blood sugar levels spike after eating meals, as opposed to eating the same meals but cutting exercise in half.

Sure, sometimes it's hard to get in all that walking when your job entails sitting at a cubicle for eight hours. But there are plenty of things you can do to get your blood moving. Here is an article about some stretches you can do right in your chair, if you don't mind the possible strange looks from your coworkers.
Other things you can do include:

• Taking the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible.
• Taking frequent breaks for water or the restroom--make sure to walk to the one that's furthest from your desk.
• Instead of ordering in lunch, walk to the burger joint or cafe to pick it up.
• Walk or bike to work, if possible. You'll save on gas, too.

Don't fret if you don't have time to go out for a two-mile run after lunch, however. The study also found that blood sugar levels returned to normal once physical activity resumed. And scientists added that the levels only become concerning when inactivity is the norm. According to the NYT article, Dr. John P. Thyfault, an associate professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri who conducted the study, said, "We hypothesize that, over time, inactivity creates the physiological conditions that produce chronic disease," such as heart disease or diabetes.

Basically, if you haven't moved in a while, get up and walk around. It's just the healthy thing to do.

Slim Away: too lazy, even for Americans

I just watched an infomercial for something called a Slim Away, which looks like a corset you wear to help you lose weight. It's supposed to help you sweat off your weight while making you look slimmer and trimmer. 

  The comments on this are especially amusing.

Before I completely discount the validity of that idea, can I just say how incredibly lazy this is? With the obesity "epidemic" that is happening in our country, this only adds fuel to the fire. How bad does your mindset have to be to want to lose weight but not want to get off your ass? I mean, seriously. 

What would Bob Harper have to say about this? It takes hard work to lose weight, not just wearing a belt and hoping for the best. But we're so dependent on having everything handed to us on an technology-laden platter that the usual diet-and-exercise plans are no longer good enough. Now we can simply sit back, relax and let the Slim Away fix our metabolism, eating habits and genetics for us. Hooray!

(PS: Many of the comments on this video say you can't just sit around with Slim Away and expect it to work; it doesn't work like that. Gee, who knew?)