Bush urges parents to get kids outdoors

No, no, no.

"President Bush said Thursday that childhood obesity is a costly problem for the country and puts stress on American families.

'One way for this nation to cope with the issue of obesity is to get people outside — whether it be through sports or hiking or conservation,' Bush said while meeting with business leaders working to encourage exercise and healthy food choices through advertising."

"Exercise" is not the cure for obesity.

If you are 5 pounds overweight and it is fatty weight, you have to run the equivalent of 175 miles to burn it off, assuming you eat nothing. For each 100 Calories you absorb, you have to run one more mile.

But 5 pounds overweight is not obese. Let's try 20 pounds.

Then you have to run a mere 700 miles or its equivalent.

Not much time for homework.

"Exercise" is the LEAST efficient way to lose weight.

Just like the insipid DGA 2005 exercise recommendations, this one is also loopy.

There are other, better reasons to be outdoors and active. But to control obesity, only the recommendation is a loser, not the exerciser.