Dan's Plan

Today we review three recent stories from the NYT times on food, movement, and sleep – read them online for free while you still can…

1) Food. Mark Bittman writes about six things that we can feel good about with regard to the changing landscape of food. They include: greater political organization and power around food issues; changing practices among large food retailers (Wal-mart and McDonalds); the growth of farmers markets, food co-ops, and CSAs; an increase in community gardens and urban agriculture; the increased number of small farms (particularly farms being started by younger folks); and the efforts to improve the quality of school lunches.

2) Movement. Gretchen Reynolds describes a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in which exercise (running) appears to have extended the lives and improved the health of mice that carry a (mitochondrial) mutation that results in accelerated aging. In this study, mice who were genetically prediposed to age faster than normal mice and who were forced to run for 45 min three times a week lived longer and exhibited better signs of health as compared to similar mice who were not forced to run. This study suggests several biological mechanisms by which exercise might help slow the aging process.

3) Sleep. Paula Span describes a paper published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in which providing a group of 79 senior citizens who had insomnia with four simple rules for sleep significantly improved their sleep patterns. So, what were the four rules? 1) reduce the time spent in bed (to your sleep time + 30 min, but not less than six hours); 2) get up at the same time every day; 3) do not go to bed unless you are sleepy; and 4) do not stay in bed if you cannot fall asleep.

Have a great weekend folks.

Snowman_Slide_Puts_Normal_Sledding_Hills_to_Shame.flv
Watch on Posterous

We’ve talked before about how it can be difficult to muster the effort (and sometimes the courage) to get some physical activity when the weather isn’t great. Well, this video makes me want to get out in the snow right this minute.

Now, I have to warn you, that what you are about to see just might be the most kick-ass snow slide you have ever seen. I grew up in Michigan, so having built and sledded upon many a snow slide, I feel I have some basis for comparison and some standing to speak on the matter – but really, check this thing out!

It looks so fun and awesome that you might not even think about how many “stairs” those folks are doing as they keep going back for more. Spend all day on the stairmaster? No thank you sir. But, spend all day on this thing? You bet!

Slate.com has an interesting piece titled, “Fitness for foriegners” that details how people from different cultures tend to work out or get their exercise. What was interesting to me is how unique the indoor gym seems to be to industrialized countries like the US, and how common group and outdoor activities are in other countries. In fact, individuals from some countries claim to not exercise at all, but rather play badminton, cricket, or soccer for fun or when bored. I very much like the idea of including movement or exercise in one’s life without it feeling like a chore or an item on the to-do list.

Another idea that I really like is the outdoor gym. You might not imagine that a country like Sweden, which hosts temperatures close to freezing for most of year would think to build outdoor gyms. However, the people of Sweden are accustomed to socialized public health benefits, and providing low-cost, low-maintenance exercise equipment to the general public is a smart way to afford all people access to a gym. In any case, take a look at some of the pictures of the equipment in the park in Sodermalm here, here, here, here, here, and here. It looks stylish and functional and like something I would love to have at the park near my house. Perhaps, I’ll bring this up with my city council…