BikeMonkey Guest PostPalMD, Isis the Scientist and Dr. Charles have been talking a little bit about restarting fitness and dieting regimens, a topic in which I have a small interest. The cover of the August 17, 2009 issue of TIME magazine insists that “Of course it’s good for you, but it won’t make you lose weight. Why it’s what you eat that really counts.” Turning to the feature article on Health penned by John Cloud, all I can note is that the stupid not only burns, but it incinerates all logic and sense for a five block radius. I had trouble getting past the second paragraph:

As I write this, tomorrow is Tuesday, which is a cardio day. I’ll spend five minutes warming up on the VersaClimber, a towering machine that requires you to move your arms and legs simultaneously. Then I’ll do 30 minutes on a stair mill. On Wednesday a personal trainer will work me like a farm animal for an hour, sometimes to the point that I am dizzy — an abuse for which I pay as much as I spend on groceries in a week. Thursday is “body wedge” class, which involves another exercise contraption, this one a large foam wedge from which I will push myself up in various hateful ways for an hour. Friday will bring a 5.5-mile run, the extra half-mile my grueling expiation of any gastronomical indulgences during the week.

30 minutes? Maybe “an hour”? Four workouts per week for which the only one potentially useful for acute weight regulation purposes is the single 5.5 mile run? And from this the article claims that “exercise” is not useful for weight management?

AAAGGGGGGHHHH!!!!!11!!!!!!

Read the rest of this post… | Read the comments on this post…