Tuesday, June 08, 2004

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What About Exercise? NYT article about obesity researcher Jeffrey Friedman. He disputes the existence of a U.S. "obesity epidemic", seeming to claim that weight is more or less a matter of genetic predestination. But some of his data seems to me to undermine his position. He says that in the "midgrange" of population, the average weight is up 6-7 pounds in the last 10 years. That strikes me as a pretty darn significant increase! The number of clinically obese people is up 30% in a decade--pretty big increase, if you ask me. There is another big problem I have with this, and many similar articles: He says "People can exert a level of control over their weight within a 10-, perhaps a 15-pound range," Dr. Friedman said. But expecting an obese person to decide to simply eat less and exercise more to get below the obesity range, below the overweight range? It virtually never happens, he said. Any weight that is lost almost invariably comes right back. First of all, 10-15 is not an insignificant amount. But setting that quibble aside, I agree that willpower is rarely a long-term solution. And that yo-yo dieting is probably worse than remaining heavy full-time. But what about exercise? The preceding quote is the only time the word appears in the article. I believe exercise has got to be the key in weight-control. Instead of emphasizing deprivation, exercise emphasizes something that, once you become hooked on it, is a huge postive. I'm not sure that I have ever known someone who exercised vigorously, 30 minutes, 4 times a week, year-in, year-out, and had a signficant weight problem (I'm sure there are some people who fit this profile, but I haven't met any of them). Finally, he addresses portion size, but doesn't comment on dietary quality. Maybe he believes that calories are calories, doesn't matter about the mix of protein, carb, fat and sugar. But I think decline in dietary quality has got to be a factor, too. I'm no vegan, but 150 calories worth of broccoli is a heck of a lot more filling than 150 calories worth of ice cream. 10:07:45 PM    comment []

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Kids' Latest Gamecube Game I've already noted that the Gamecube has aided sibling bonding. That became even more pronounced when the kids started playing Animal Crossing, a completely non-violent, non-competitive (there is no concept of winning), silly little game, sort of a Sims for elementary schoolers. They just got another game along those lines, Harvest Moon: Its A Wonderful Life, as their collective reward for a very good school year. By sheer chance, I read a review of the game on my Palm, while killing time waiting for a haircut. I happened to mention it to my son, Seth, that night, but didn't remember the name. Well, he went shopping for the new game today, and he saw it at Target and recognized it from my description. He seems to like it so far. It is similar to Animal Crossing, but less whimsical. 9:45:11 PM    comment []

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Pop Etymologies Good article on etymologies as urban legends. The first few paragraphs of the article, I think, apply not merely to folkloric etymologies, but generically to urban legends: "We're suckers for a really good story – it's one way we make sense of the world around us and so turn the unfamiliar into the known and the comfortable. Stories about language must satisfy on a number of levels: they must reassure and convince, but above all they must interest and entertain. Stories that are boring, mundane or inconclusive will not survive." 9:40:39 PM    comment []