The ol' spare tire

So I guess I have reason to be lucky I haven't actually gained any weight in the past three years. (read it now because the link only works as long as the Times offers free access otherwise you'll have to pay or, gasp, go to the library and look it up) Another option is to Google this: "Physical Activity Study" Hull Pittsburgh The first several hits are stories about the study.

Otherwise, here's a summary from the Times. "Parents have long griped that having children sidetracks their best-laid exercise plans. Now they have evidence. A first-of-its-kind study released in May by the University of Pittsburgh concluded that parenthood demonstrably reduces physical activity, while marriage has only a negligible effect. Just how big a hit do active parents take? Roughly 525 participants were tracked for two years, as part of a 17-year study called the University of Pittsburgh Physical Activity Study. Those who remained childless lost only a half hour of physical activity per week, while those who had children lost about three and a half hours. Men, in particular, were affected. Women, who exercised on average four hours before children, lost about 90 minutes a week once they became mothers. New fathers, who used to log just under eight hours of activity weekly, cut back a whopping four and a half hours." Which begs question: what about dad's who stay home with the kids?!

Fortunately, there is this caveat to the study: "Only parents of newborns and toddlers took part, so the researchers don’t have data to suggest the same would be true of parents of teenagers."

So there's hope that if I start practicing soon, I'll still be able to outrun them in the future. Stay Tuned.