| I have a (wholly unsurprising,
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| | farther than the space between our
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| considering my profession) confession to
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| | parking spots and our chairs. It's not
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| make, dear readers: I'm overweight. Not
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| | entirely our fault; while smaller
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| alarmingly so, like the rotund McDonalds
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| | European cities make walking everywhere
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| victims we see on television or the huge
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| | easier, an American in, say, Phoenix may
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| guy creating his own Lake Mead of sweat
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| | find geography working against him. Who
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| next to you on an airplane, but I do have
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| | has time to spend an hour walking to and
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| a belly on me. And unfortunately it's
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| | from the grocery store these days?
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| only getting bigger.
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| | Solution:
|
| But hey, I'm not alone! A striking 67
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| | We all need to drive at some point, but
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| percent of Americans are currently
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| | take a long, hard look at your daily
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| overweight, and of those people almost
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| | commute and determine when a car is truly
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| half are obese-that is, their Body Mass
| |
| | necessary and when you're just being
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| Index is over 30. We're all aware by now
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| | lazy. If the store's a couple miles away,
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| of the dangers inherent in obesity: high
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| | ride a bike. If it's a mile or less away,
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| blood pressure, heart disease,
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| | walk-this goes double for folks in the
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| depression, and other general nastiness;
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| | warmer areas. A Minneapolis resident in
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| according to the U.S. Surgeon General, it
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| | winter has an excuse to drive that short
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| kills 300,000 people per year. To put
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| | hop to the store; a Boca Raton resident
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| those numbers into perspective,
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| | does not. And while you're at it-take a
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| cigarettes kill between 400-500,000
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| | brisk walk a few times each week anyway!
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| Americans per year. When our eating
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| | Portion size.
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| habits are killing us almost as much as
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| | Ideally, dinner should be the lightest
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| tobacco, it's time to think about our
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| | meal of the day, as the human body stores
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| lives.
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| | calories more efficiently at night
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| And while other countries are having this
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| | (energy burns faster earlier in the day).
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| problem, too, they're nowhere near as bad
| |
| | However, while most Americans eat minimal
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| off as the US of A. Why? Why us? Of
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| | breakfasts and often small lunches,
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| course names like "McDonalds" and "Burger
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| | dinner is usually a smorgasboard,
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| King" immediately come to mind, but fast
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| | particularly when we dine out. And we're
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| food is only one part of a much larger
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| | dining out a lot. Everywhere around the
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| collection of problems; everything from
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| | country, people are hitting up
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| our biological wiring to the size of our
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| | restaurants more than ever before.
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| country itself factor in, creating one
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| | Increasing culinary sophistication and an
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| big overweight whole.
| |
| | ever-growing group of foodies are both
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| Biology.
| |
| | factors, but as usual it all boils down
|
| This one isn't unique to America, but it
| |
| | to time. Americans are busier than ever;
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| is especially problematic in the
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| | many families dine out or order in up to
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| industrial First World. Human beings just
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| | three times per week rather than slaving
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| aren't wired to consume as few calories
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| | away in the kitchen for hours after work.
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| as possible; epochs of evolution have
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| | Solution:
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| conspired to make us awesome at saving
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| | For starters, follow your mom's advice
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| calories and lousy at losing them. It's
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| | and chew your food. We've all heard it a
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| much easier, after all, to eat 100
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| | dozen times, but it bears repeating: your
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| calories than it is to burn them off. It
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| | body doesn't automatically know when it's
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| may be a curse now, but if you're a
| |
| | full. It takes the brain a good ten
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| starving hunter-gatherer and there's no
| |
| | minutes to send the "stop eating" signal,
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| commercially-available food for another
| |
| | and you can scarf a lot more strip steak
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| several thousand years, you want every
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| | in ten minutes. On the same track, drink
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| bit of nutrition you can glean from your
| |
| | plenty of water. Good-old H20 takes up a
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| dinner. The human body can survive for 8
| |
| | lot of space in your belly, meaning the
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| days without any food; imagine how long
| |
| | "I'm full" response will hit you quicker.
|
| you can go on a little. And in America
| |
| | And finally, if it applies: stop dining
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| especially, a little is never enough.
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| | out so much. You'll feel less compelled
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| Solution:
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| | to eat everything in sight when you
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| There isn't one, really. You can't change
| |
| | didn't pay someone else to make it for
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| millions of years of evolution with
| |
| | you. On that note, here are some
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| willpower alone. What you can do is
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| | delicious, healthy, and quick recipes to
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| restrict your calorie intake and increase
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| | ease the restaurant withdrawal!
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| your calorie use, making this little
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| | Chicken Mediterranean Salad
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| biological stumbling block irrelevant.
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| | Encrusted Walnut Chicken
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| Transportation.
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| | Broiled Lemon Fish Fillets
|
| The world's love affair with cars has
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| | Cream of Roasted Walnut Soup
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| plenty of detrimental environmental
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| | Bean and Cheese Enchiladas
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| effects, but as it turns out there are
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| | Barbecue Pork Skillet
|
| some physical problems, too. Americans
| |
| | Armed with these recipes and more from
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| especially drive everywhere, foregoing
| |
| | our Quick & Easy and Healthy
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| bicycles or their legs in favor of
| |
| | sections, take a crack at our nation's
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| shorter trips to the store or to work.
| |
| | obesity problem--whether you do it by
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| The Surgeon General's office recommends
| |
| | shedding some pounds yourself, or helping
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| 30 minutes of intensive exercise at least
| |
| | out someone else you know. If you're
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| three times a week or 20 minutes of
| |
| | concerned about your health, check your
|
| moderate exercise daily, and in the
| |
| | Body Mass Index. After that--maybe I'll
|
| Information Age most of us rarely walk
| |
| | see you at the gym!
|
