Researchers find simpler lifestyle builds fit children

Researchers find simpler lifestyle builds fit children
“When we talk about the obesity epidemic, the solutions put forward always seem to revolve around institutional measures like more phys ed and more sports facilities,” Dr. Mark Tremblay, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, said in an interview.



“But what struck me about the Old Order Mennonites is that activity is embedded into their lifestyles. They don’t change into their exercise clothes and jump on the Stairmaster. They just go about their lives.”

"Research published last year showed that Old Order Amish — a related religious group that also shuns technology — have an obesity rate of only 4 per cent, compared to 15 per cent in mainstream Canada.

Their secret appears to be lots of walking. Amish men walk an average of 18,425 steps daily, and women average 14,196 steps.
Studies done in mainstream Canada show that adults tend to log around 2,000 to 3,000 steps a day.
Both Mennonites and Amish have extremely low rates of heart disease, cancer and other chronic diseases linked to a modern, sedentary lifestyle."


click the link above to read the entire article.