In northwestern Europe, nestled between Belgium and Germany, just a ferry ride east of England, is a wonderful, yet fairly small, country called the Netherlands. If you are wondering "How small?" - the answer, in American terms is this: If the Netherlands were a state in the US, they would be ranked number 42, about midway in size between West Virginia and Maryland.
If you spend some time traveling around the Netherlands, especially outside the traditional foreign tourist spots, several things become quite clear in regards to the Dutch: They are very tall, they are very fit, they are very active, they love their bicycles and they love their sports.
Football (as in "soccer" to Americans) is a passion. But they not only cheer their favorite teams (their national team played in the World Cup finals in South Africa in 2010), but they can also be found outside actually playing the game. They prefer better weather, of course, for their games... but neither rain nor snow keeps them off the pitch.
Another passion is ice skating, and most specifically speed skating. A fat reduction review can help you establish a clear outline of what you require to focus on to achieve your fat loss goal if you're a beginner; or serve as a reminder for those who are at an intermediate or more enhance phase of their weightloss strategy. Following are seven steps that can serve as tips for your special weight loss program. The first thing that one must understand is that losing weight and losing fat is not exactly the same thing. Many weight loss applications have tricked people into believing that it is the same, but most diets and weight loss programs only work by resulting in a person's body to burn more muscle tissue and water than actual body fat, more help please visit The Fat Loss Factor. In fact, the Netherlands not only boasts some of the best speed skaters in the world, but is also home to the famous "Elfstedentocht" speed skating race. The name translates to "11 cities tour" and is only held in years in which the weather is sufficiently severe that thick ice covers the 200 kilometers (120 miles) of canals, rivers, and lakes between 11 cities in the Province of Friesland. While 200 elite skaters actually race, more than 15,000 skaters make the rounds when the Elfstedentocht is held. Locals here will tell you that the race is such a big deal that the country basically "shuts down" when or organizers of the race determine that ice conditions will allow the race to be held. Even though the last race was held in 1997, thousands of Nederlanders train each year in order to be ready on the chance the weather will allow the race to be held.
All passionate sporting events aside, the thing that best demonstates the Dutch is their devotion to riding bicycles. Amsterdam is widely considered the most bicycle friendly city in the world. Of course, that only compares Amsterdam to cities in countries other than the Netherlands. The rest of their own countrty is equally devoted to their bikes. By comparison, Boulder, Colorado is considered one of the most bike friendly cities in the US, and the number of bicycle riders there on any given day is but a drop in the bucket to what you see in the Netherlands. The author has made his home in Boulder for nearly 30 years, and has also spent several months living in the Netherlands in a small community called Ede. Even though Ede is much smaller than Boulder, you will see more bike riders in a day around Ede than in a month in Boulder.
History and geography lessons aside, the thing that sticks out about the Dutch people is how active they are. They are avid gardeners and they bike everywhere (it seems), even those who look to be in their 70s or 80s or even older. Heck, another thing you frequently see is those who are physically handicapped cruising down the bike paths in their electric mobility scooters. It seems that these folks are bound and determined to be active even if they cannot walk. It is quite impressive.
So, it is obvious that the Dutch are very active physically. Is that enough to keep them thin? Or do they only eat what is considered to be "healthy food" too? You might be surprised. In the US, we have this idea that you have to "eat good" and "exercise" in order to be fit. Unfortunately, the time we devote to exercise is severely outweighed by the amount of time we are sedentary. If we spent as much time on our bikes as we spend using the remote control for our televisions, then Americans might start to be as svelte as the Dutch.
Activity certainly seems to be the key to the Dutch being in good shape. When it comes to food, the Dutch seem to break all the rules we think we know in America. They love their breads, and they love sandwiches. Pancakes have been brought to a whole new level in the Netherlands. They love meat, especially all types of sausage. They love fish (that's good for you, right?) They love their cheese. They love beer, and usually buy it by the case. Lots of wine, too. And deep fried foods? They love french fries literally drowning in mayo. Really. Lots of deep fried little cakes, too. And don't even mention the chocolate or ice cream. Oh, and one other thing, they smoke a lot of cigarettes. Even while they are biking.
So what gives? How can they look so good while eating, drinking and smoking things that are supposed to be bad for you? The answer is that they do it on the go. They are active all the time. And they don't overdo the bad things (at least when it comes to calories). They seem to be much more interested in high quality food than they are in quantity. They are also much stricter in their rules as to what is allowed to be in their food. And much more strict in what is allowed to be given to the animals that they eat.
But mostly, and most importantly, the Dutch keep active enough that they burn the calories that they choose to eat. Americans, on the other hand, tend to eat more calories than they need. That is why 2 out of every 3 American adults is overweight, with 1 in 3 considered to be medically obese.
Another interesting thing about the Netherlands is that even the heavy people are still much more active than would typically be found in the US. Even if they are overweight to the point they are technically obese, they are still out there riding their bikes like everyone else. It starts when they are young. Dutch kids are usually riding bikes by the time they are three or four at the latest. Before that they have spent a great many hours riding in a bike seat with their parents. The feeling of being on two wheels is ingrained in them, as well as the idea of being active. This, more than anything else, is the key to the Dutch staying so slim.
NOTE - Laughter is good too, so take a look at this YouTube video taken from Austin Powers in Goldmember featuring Mike Myers, Michael Caine and Beyonce Knowles. Smoke and a pancake?
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