Summer provides many of us with the opportunity to spend longer hours outdoors due to increased daylight hours and pleasant weather. These same factors may help us cut down on the calories we consume. After all, we're too busy having fun outside to eat as much as we might in winter, when our natural tendency is to hibernate at home, sipping hot chocolate and chomping cookies. But even with longer days in the sun, staying fit takes effort. As much as we may not like it, there has never been an effortless way to stay in shape.
Most experts recommend a balanced diet and a regular exercise regime.
It is especially important for children and teens to get into good habits now because people tend to get plumper as they age. If you look at groups of Americans studied over the last several years, you will see that statistically, we are all getting chunkier. The rise in obesity over the last decade crosses all age groups, education levels, races, and both sexes. Look at some figures reported in 1999 by the Journal of the American Medical Association. Pulling the Plug Imagine getting into shape without having to exercise.