There goes the neighborhood
walking, obesity
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Do you live in a neighborhood that was built before 1950? If so, you run less risk of being overweight, according to a study reported recently on MSNBC.
That's because older residential areas were built before the automobile took over the country, and homes were usually built within walking distance of stores, schools, railroad stations and other places you needed to go. After 1950, with suburban sprawl, subdivisions were built so far away from any of these amenities that you had to drive everywhere.
According to the study, men who live in newer neighborhoods weigh an average of 10 pounds more than those who live in older neighborhoods.
I grew up in a smug, affluent Connecticut suburb that was zoned entirely residential, except for a tiny commercial strip along the border of the city where everyone worked. There was no downtown to speak of. The nearest store was two miles away, and the city fathers were doing everything in their power to put that store out of business and have the property revert to residential use.
I now live in an older New Jersey suburb which is less affluent, but as far as I'm concerned it's a far better place to live. I can walk to church, the hardware store, a pizza parlor and several other restaurants, the railroad station and a package store, among other places. My son was able to walk to school.
It's ironic that so many parents move to the outlying suburbs "for the children." When they move to places where the kids have to be driven everywhere, they're not doing them any favors. Not only do kids get more exercise when they can walk places, they become more self-reliant.
The MSNBC story contains a link to a website called Walk Score, where you can enter your address and find your neighborhood's "walkability score," based on its distance from stores, schools and other facilities. I was su... read entire entry
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on 8/10/2008
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4.5
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Just one week to go!
biggest loser, weight loss, healthy eating, walking, jumping rope
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The Star-Ledger's Biggest Loser Challenge is nearing the end!
The final weigh-in will be next Tuesday, and then we'll know who the winner is! Right now Tom Feeney and Pat Turner are just about neck-and-neck in terms of percentage weight loss.
Today about a dozen participants took part in the walk around the building at lunchtime. They walked around the block five times for a total of a mile. Then we gathered for a healthy lunch of salad and wrap sandwiches.
After yesterday's weigh-in I got a small group together on the parking deck for a jumprope session. Those who joined me were amazed at how much exercise you get from jumping only 30 seconds!
Our cumulative weight loss is now 382.4 pounds! The winners for the last two weeks were Vinessa Erminio, 5.2 pounds, and Beverly Reid, 2.4 pounds. Way to go gals!
Let's see if we can break 400 pounds at the final weigh-in next week!
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on 6/26/2008
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4
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Biggest Loser club hears from a real winner
weight loss, biggest loser, walking, spinning, nutrition
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"Biggest Loser: Couples'' contestant Jenn Widder shared her experiences on the NBC reality show Tuesday with participants in The Star-Ledger's Biggest Loser Challenge.
Jenn revealed that although her weight loss was officially placed at 65 pounds on the show's finale, she has actually lost 85 pounds, down from her starting weight of 254. She said she has gone from a size 24W to 12. She says she's got about 40 pounds to go to reach her goal.
Jenn got off to a slow start on the show because in the past she had tried all sorts of crash diets, which really messed up her metabolism. She finally reached her stride in the fourth week of the show, and started losing five and six pounds a week before she was voted off the show.
Since her elimination, Jenn has been working out full time, doing a program of mostly cardio exercise with some weight training. Asked what she recommends as the single best exercise for weight loss, she said "Walking, walking walking." She also enjoys spinning classes at her gym.
Jenn follows a diet of 1,400 calories a day six days a week, but allows herself one day to indulge to kick up her metabolism. She eats mostly organic food because following that regimen helps to keep her in the right frame of mind, although she says it's not absolutely necessary to follow an organic diet.
Jenn and her best friend, Maggie King, constituted the Purple Team on the show. They met a decade ago at Camp Shane, a camp for overweight children. Jenn will be returning to Camp Shane this summer as assistant director. She is also pursuing a career as a personal trainer so that others can benefit from her experience.
About 40 Star-Ledger staffers turned out for the meeting, and Jenn fielded questions from a number of them. She stayed afterwards to autograph pictures of herself.
Congratulations to The Star-Ledger's biggest loser of the week, Brian Levy, who lost five poun... read entire entry
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on 5/1/2008
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14.9
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