Authors: Deborah Blumenthal
Fat Chance (25 page)
ENOUGH OF MY TRICKS!
You're on your own from here. Just remember, shave 3500 calories from your diet (or burn that much through activity) and you lose one pound. Get creative! Just switching from a can of Pepsi each day to a bottle of mineral water will save you 150 calories a day and net you a one-pound weight loss in just over three weeks.
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EXERCISE
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I'm not going to pretend that this part was easy. At least not at first. But I don't have to tell you about the dividends: A stronger heart, a thinner body, reduced risk of osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease, even some cancers.
Start slow and get clearance from your doctor first, before beginning any exercise plan. This is vital.
And forget about no pain, no gain. The easiest way to start is with brisk walking. I graduated to the NordicTrack, slowly building to an hour a day, Monday to Friday, with weekends off. If you're out of shape, start with just your legs. When you've built up your
aerobic
capacity (and you're not huffing and puffing), add the arm
movement. I also added a set of sit-ups to the aerobics every day, working my way up to forty-five crunches, and an additional thirty-five crunches to work the obliques (muscles around your waist). And remember, start every exercise slowly so that your body warms up first. Never stop abruptly, slow down little by little, over the course of a few minutes so that your heart rate slows down gradually.
I can't write a whole exercise plan in the space of this column, but it's sufficient to say that in addition to the benefits of regular aerobic exercise, your body will benefit from sit-ups and weight-lifting to tone and firm muscles. Wanna know my advice: Go to your local health club and book a session or two with a trainer to assess your condition and get you started. Once you're taught the proper exercises, you can buy some light weights and do the workout at home.
Here's a quick list of how many calories the average 150-pound person burns in one hour:
Biking (moderate exertion): 572
Jogging: 501
Weight Lifting: 107
Aerobics: 429
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And, wanna laugh? You'll enjoy this. It takes
* 2 hours and 44 minutes to walk off a 9 oz. slice of apple pie
* 35 minutes to run off a 9 oz. bowl of ice cream
* 47 minutes to run off a 9 oz. slice of cheesecake
* 59 minutes to run off a 9 oz. brownie
* 4 hours and 39 minutes to walk off the brownie
* 1 hour and 55 minutes to bicycle it off
Bottom line: Keep your sense of humor. Unfortunately, I
couldn't find statistics on how many calories you burn when you laugh. But whatever, it's good for your soul!
First edition March 2004
FAT CHANCE
A Red Dress Ink novel
ISBN: 978-1-4592-4614-0
© 2004 by Deborah Blumenthal.
All rights reserved. The reproduction, transmission or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without written permission. For permission please contact Red Dress Ink, Editorial Office, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, incidents and places are the products of the author's imagination, and are not to be construed as real. While the author was inspired in part by actual events, none of the characters in the book is based on an actual person. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental and unintentional.
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