1.14.2010

letter to the editor

Someone put the an issue of Time Magazine on my desk at work. I was delighted to read something new at work, until I saw the front cover:


I flipped to the article titled: Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin. You can read it here, if you'd like. I should warn you though, its a load of crap (but I kind of expected that since it's in Time). The author, John Cloud, talks about working out (which I don't believe he does), over-indulging after working out (which I'm sure he does) and about experiments where women gained weight because of working out at the gym (I'm thinking they were either anorexic to start out with OR the gym was located between a Bojangles and Wendy's).

In short, the article fails to address that health and fitness are directly related to what you eat (quantity and quality) and working out (quantity and intensity). So, I had to write a letter to the editor. I had six different drafts. Seriously. I was so fired up about this article. But then I starting thinking; if I was an editor of a large publication I'd appreciate a witty and concise letter. Let the bullet points begin! I had eight bullet points total, complete with lots of opinion and sarcasm (two of my better qualities)

I think this is my best part from the letter:

Congratulations!! You have officially released them [obese and gym-phobic] from any guilt they may have felt about a lack of exercise. Of course its about what you eat, but it is definitely about exercising too. Could you please show me the person you found that was healthy and "in-shape" from just watching what they eat and didn't exercise? Can't wait to meet them (and bring them to spin class with me.)
exercising and not eating the blueberry smoothie protein fat blasting smoothie,
Blair
Shelby, NC

1 comment:

chelsea said...

hahaha! i saw this article in time recently in a waiting room and only got a little ways in to it. it's annoying the way they take things out of context. obviously if i eat an entire roll of cookie dough and then go work out i'm not going to lose weight. doesn't everyone understand that? i feel that the media is totally cool with making the overweight and unhealthy contribute to the billion-dollar quick-fix weight loss industry, rather than do the right/healthy thing and work hard.
kudos to you for calling them out.

 
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