Conflicting information

Recently in the news have been all sorts of new ideas about how to be healthy. Of course they all conflict with each other. HEre are two pairs:

- The first article appeared a few days ago, 'Fatty Foods may be addictive'. Then this morning has a new article that Eat Chocolate to prevent heart issues'. So basically eat a small amount of chocolate daily but don't eat fatty foods (isn't chocolate fatty?) and don't get addicted (even though you are eating it daily) and you can reduce your risks of heart issues (as long as you don't get fat).

- The first article on new exercise guidelines that women need to 'Exercise one hour a day for weight control'. Then there was another article that said short periods of interval training are just as good or better than longer periods of regular training. But today has an article clarifying the situation - by saying ignore the new guidelines and stick with the existing ones. These are based on the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines from the Department of Health & Human Services. (Thank goodness the government is involved here - I am sure they can write concisely and clearly, and they have a blog.)

I started reading these guidelines - which is many pages so I admit I went right to the part in chapter 4 on what's recommended for adults. It starts off by saying that 30 minutes/5 times a week or 2.5 hours a week are all that's necessary. A few paragraphs down it changes to read:

"Not all health benefits of physical activity occur at 150 minutes a week. As a person moves from 150 minutes a week toward 300 minutes (5 hours) a week, he or she gains additional health benefits. Additional benefits include lower risk of colon and breast cancer and prevention of unhealthy weight gain."

So that's it. I need to exercise more. But wait I do. I go for a walk about 5 or 6 times a week and most are close to an hour or longer. Unless my math skills are gone (with my chemo brain) that equals 300 minutes. So what's with the cancer and weight gain? (And doesn't 300 minutes equal five hours of exercise a week, or one hour five days a week - like the article they told us to ignore? If you aren't confused yet, you should be.

Maybe I'll just go back to eating chocolate, in small quantities of course.

Today I am going to work. Walter is away on business so I am here with the cat. I didn't set the alarm clock because I figured I can sleep a little later and wake up when I want instead of with the damn alarm clock. I forgot to calculate in the cat alarm clock. At 4:56 am, he decided it was breakfast time and sat on me to tell me about this. I am therefore up earlier than I normally get up. But I will go to work and then be done earlier so I can go for a walk in the sunshine - after days of rain.