??? 另一條好建議是：設置切合實際的期望值。“企圖減去40磅就有點像決定出門賺100萬美元一樣不切實際，”梅奧診所營養學和預防醫學專家唐納德?韓斯魯德博士說。“相反，應該集中精力，每次堅持減掉1磅重量。”

????這本書就如何鍛煉進行了詳盡的說明，但它也將其濃縮為一項可快速實施的方案：選擇喜歡的鍛煉方式，鍛煉時專注于感受良好的一面。作者提供了一些有助于戒煙和管理壓力的戰略。吸煙和壓力有可能引發血壓、膽固醇、藥物治療、器官移植、心臟分流、心絞痛、冠狀動脈疾病、血管疾病、心律失常、中風、心肺復蘇術等疾病或治療方式。

????這本書包含了與心臟病有關的所有問題，其中有一個章節還專門介紹了一些促進食欲、對心臟健康有益的食譜。特別令人愉快的一點是，《健康心臟好生活！》的每一頁都把讀者當作成年人對待。比如：“如果你感到灰心，放棄一下也沒關系。誰都有偶爾失敗的時候，但是請記得重新振作起來，不要忘記自己的目標。”

??? 在探討這個主題的時候，我還翻閱了兩本信息量豐富、讀起來妙趣橫生的新書。盡管書名中帶有感嘆號，但查克?魯尼恩撰寫的《鍛煉真討厭！》（Working Out Sucks！）為那些很難把屁股從沙發上挪開的人提供了一系列可靠的指導性建議。第二本書是《咖啡有益》（Coffee is Good For You），作者羅伯特?J?戴維斯。這本書穿透各種相互沖突的食物信息形成的重重迷霧（事實上，燕麥對身體有益，低脂肪的餅干通常無益），給我們當中的美食家留下了許多可供咀嚼的好東西。

????然而，倘若我們稍稍具備一點常識的話，我們就沒必要把寶貴的時間浪費在這類書籍上。一份知名期刊最近發布了一篇歷時22年、針對42,880名男性健康專業人士（年齡在40歲至75歲之間）軟飲料飲用習慣的研究報告。在剔除吸煙、鍛煉和家族史等因素后，研究人員發現，一天喝一瓶含糖飲料的人患上心臟病的可能性要比不喝軟飲料的人高出20%。廢話？我實在不想這樣說，但我實在不明白，這個消息為什么就成了重磅新聞！

????—勞倫斯?A?阿莫爾是《時代》（Time）、《財富》、《貨幣》（Money）和《體育畫報》 （Sports Illustrated)等雜志個性化內容的副主編。

??? 譯者：任文科

??? Another piece of good advice: Set realistic expectations. "Trying to lose 40 pounds is a little like deciding you're going to go out and make a million dollars," says Dr. Donald Hensrud, one of the Mayo gurus on nutrition and preventive medicine. "Instead, concentrate on losing one pound at a time."

????The book contains detailed instructions on working out, but it also cuts to the critical quick: Choose exercises you enjoy, and focus on how good you feel when you exercise. The authors offer strategies to help quit smoking and manage stress. They cover blood pressure, cholesterol, medications, transplants, and bypasses, along with angina, coronary artery diseases, vascular disorders, arrhythmias, stroke, CPR, and more.

????It's all there, including a chapter with some appetizing, heart-healthy recipes. What's really nice is that every page of Healthy Heart For Life! treats the reader like an adult. Example: "It's okay to give up if you're feeling discouraged. Everyone fails once in a while -- just get back up and don't lose sight of your goals."

??? While we're on the subject, I've run across two new paperbacks that are informative and fun to read. Despite the exclamation point in its title, Chuck Runyon's Working Out Sucks! provides a series of solid how-tos for those who find it hard to move their butts off the couch. The second, Coffee is Good For You, by Robert J. Davis, cuts through the maze of conflicting food information (turns out oatmeal is good for you, low-fat cookies usually are not) and leaves the foodies among us with lots of interesting items to chew on.

????However, we wouldn't need to waste valuable time on any of these books if we used a little common sense. A well-known journal recently reported on a 22-year study of the soft-drink habits of 42,880 male health professionals, ages 40 to 75. After adjusting for smoking, exercise, and family history, the researchers found that men who drank one sugar-sweetened drink a day were 20% more likely to have had a heart attack than non-drinkers. Duh? Hate to say it, but it's hard to see why that's breaking news.

????—Lawrence A. Armour is deputy editor of custom content for Fortune, Time, Money and Sports Illustrated.