MSN recently released an animated map of the US that shows, over the years, which states got fatter (read: had higher BMIs) and when. Check it out. It’s interesting to see where obesity became a problem early in terms of both states and regions.

The Surgeon General has just released a statement, based on comprehensive research from many studies on secondhand smoke, that “Only smoke-free buildings and public places truly protect nonsmokers from the hazards of breathing in other people’s tobacco smoke.”

Moreover, there is no risk-free level of exposure to someone else’s drifting smoke… a conclusion sure to fuel already growing efforts at public smoking bans nationwide.

This isn’t exactly new news, but I’m glad the Surgeon General decided to make this statement. I wrote an article about smokers needing to step away from buildings while smoking a while back, and got blasted on the comments as usual. One of the main gripes about my article was that “it’s not going to hurt you if you just walk by and breathe in a little.” Well more and more studies are coming out - many of which were used to make this statement - that prove that there is no such thing as a “safe” amount.

I continue to support a smoking ban, and a requirement that smokers step away from buildings while smoking so the smoke does not end up inside with the draft.

Did you know that 80% of all trips less than a mile in length are made by car? Now you do. I was just reading a post on one of my new favorite blogs, Get Rich Slowly, entitled: “How to Walk for Fun and Profit.” This article discusses all of the various benefits you get from walking a mile instead of driving it.

I know a man who drives to work, even though he lives half a mile from his office. Why does he drive? Because he may need the car for some errand during the day. How many errands did he run during the workday last week? None. The week before? None.

I have a family member who will spend time circling a parking lot, looking for the perfect space. In the time it takes her to find these utopic spots, she could usually have parked farther from the entrance and burned some calories by walking a few hundred feet to the store.

Another friend lives just over a mile from her brother. She never walks to see him, but always drives. Why? Because walking would take too long. (The drive takes five minutes because of the road layout; walking takes less than twenty minutes.)

For those of you who know me, you know that in the past I have had a lot of trouble sleeping. In the past three months or so, I have conquered those problems, but I know there are many people out there who are having trouble sleeping. For those of you interested, I stumbled across a very interesting page entitled: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sleep. This is both a good guide for how to get to sleep, and a good lesson on all of the interesting facets of sleep.

Some interesting facts include:

• Humans used to have very different sleep patterns than we consider “normal” today
• All humans tend to sleep more during the winter than during the summer
• Our body temperature is lowest an hour or two before waking and highest an hour or two before sleeping. (now I know why I feel really cold when I have to wake up early!)
• Taking melatonin pills can be tricky because you can trick your body into thinking it is winter and have a “fake” seasonal affective disorder and feel depressed (weird!)

The following suggestions are given to make it easier to sleep at a “socially acceptable” time:

According to the American Journal of Public Health, obesity surgery has increased by about 600% in recent years. In 1998 14,000 people received gastric bypass surgery, compared to 82,000 in 2002. Insane. This is not a good thing. First, obesity surgery is incredibly risky for the individual. Although techniques have improved, there is plenty of chance that something could go terribly wrong, and there is a decent probability of at least some complications afterwards. Furthermore, if I do remember correctly from a nutrition class I took, it’s fairly difficult to get all the nutrients you need so many patients need to get injections afterwards. Secondly, obesity surgery costs everyone else in the country - through taxpayer dollars or increased health insurance costs. From an ABC News article:

There are several reasons for this increase, such as increased coverage from insurance companies… … not everyone can afford the cost of these operations, which is about $30,000, according to Business Week… … But in February, Medicare started to cover obesity surgery, which will likely expand the patient pool even further, and surgeons hope that other insurers follow Medicare’s lead.