Working Off The Extra Fat Isn’T All Bad

Did we really eat this much? Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, the average American gains from 5 to 8 pounds. Let’s do the math: A pound of fat is about 3,500 calories, that means to return to pre-holiday weight, the average American needs to burn up as many as 28,000 extra calories.

What to do? Well, just about anything helps. For example, a 130-pound woman can burn off 250 calories by walking for 1 hour, 12 minutes; swimming, jogging or kickboxing for 26 minutes; cycling for 36 minutes; using the Stairclimber for 42 minutes; doing aerobics for 51 minutes; or having active sex for 56 minutes. There are, of course, many other possibilities. (From February Marie Claire)

* Life from different perspectives: While many women’s magazines discuss issues such as new nail polish colors and skin care, men’s magazines tackle subjects such as what to do when your vehicle or snowmobile breaks through the ice and falls into the lake or river.

An interesting, and very male topic. Apparently a surprising number of men drive their vehicles or snowmobiles out onto the ice to test it. Eighteen percent of the snowmobiling deaths are from drowning. The guidelines: Ice needs to be 4 inches thick to hold 200 pounds, 6 inches for 2,000 and 8 inches for 2 tons. (From February Men’s Journal)

* Be in charge of yourself: Researchers have long known that depression is greater among women, but they didn’t know why. Now a new study says it’s because women have less sense of control over important areas in their lives and they chronically and passively think about their feelings.

The researchers say women in the study were under chronic strain from “the grinding annoyances and burdens that come with women’s lower social power. Women carried a greater load of the housework and child care and more of the strain of parenting than did men.” And the women felt less appreciated by their partners than men did.

Also, they said, constantly worrying about how they feel drains women of motivation, persistence and problem-solving skills to change their situations.

Researchers concluded that “failing to do what one can to overcome stressful situations such as an unfulfilling marriage or an inequitable distribution of labor at home perpetuates these situations.” (From the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology)

* Checking in on paycheck equity: When the U.S. Census Bureau first looked at pay equity in 1961, it found women earned 59 cents for every dollar men earned in this country. It’s true that the wage gap has decreased. In 1998, the Census Bureau found women earn 76 cents for every dollar a man earns.

But here’s the rub: It’s not that women are earning more money, rather, the correction is a result of men making less money. Downsizing and the closing of manufacturing plants have forced thousands of men to take lower-paying jobs.

This is not the type of equality any of us had in mind. (From December/January Ms.)