Friday, July 6, 2007

Time to Dust Off that Jogger-Stroller

The NYTimes today explores some research published by the Univ. of Pittsburgh this spring. The study tracked exercise habits of 525 men and women over two years. To no one's surprise, exercise decreased more among those who had children compared to those who didn't. What was an interesting find, however, was that new dad's exercise habits were affected more than new mom's. How did that happen?

Dr. Harvey B. Simon, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School suggest that Americans have an all or nothing attitude towards exercise. "If they can’t find a 45-minute window to bike, they don’t substitute by strapping on a BabyBjörn and taking a stroll". Another expert suggests that others use parenting as their excuse not to exercise at all.

So what to do? Take the bugger with you if you can! If not, try this: find another new mom or dad who's also looking for 2 hours of free time and trade off. Leave your little one with her while you go get some cardio in, and watch her little one for an hour while she catches up on whatever she needs to. Free and every one is happy.

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