Fast Dance, Fast Food, and Slow Food Thanksgivings

Today, I braved snow (something we should be used to, in this, one of the coldest counties in the continental U.S. – looking at average annual temperatures), to attend a jazzercise class. Jazzercise is, arguably, the fast food of dance – corporate dance at its best BUT it holds a huge allure to many folks; an allure I appreciate. The class is fast-paced and economical (costing a dollar-something a class, depending on how many weekly classes you take), completely without guilt (you can stroll in late without anyone making a peep), replete with current tunes and themes, and loaded with people trying to take care of themselves – the good energy and hormones pulsate through the room – in an utterly positive environment. The amount of energy that can be expended with just a deepening of a knee-bend or placement of the arms is astounding (for some of the science behind this, see work at http://www.iadms.org/ or my own book, Finding Balance). Yet, I also enjoy my $15 ballet classes and do appreciate their value!

Somehow, I think here there also is an analogy to fast food. We might ask: What, if any, place is there for fast food – something to think about especially as we busily prepare for a “Slow Food,” nutrient-dense Thanksgiving. In the coming weeks, I’ll be blogging on the topic of saturated fat’s seemingly unlikely role in health and weight loss. Until then, look at MIT researcher Stephanie Seneff’s diet-related essays at: http://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/. If Seneff is right, then perhaps Thanksgiving is the perfect time to try and change the low-fat, low fat-soluble-vitamin diet that is the menu de jour for millions in this country. For more provocative ideas, also see: Fat Head (the movie). Happy Thanksgiving!