Average American Male's Body Compared To Bodies Of Men From Other Nations (PHOTOS)

This is the average American male in his 30s.

He doesn't look too bad, right? Well, here's how he stacks up against his international peers from Japan, the Netherlands, and France.

America's expanding waistline may not be new news, but throwing the average American male's body into a line-up spotlights America's obesity epidemic, which is exactly what Pittsburgh-based artist Nickolay Lamm did when he created these visualizations (which obviously deal only with body size and not ethnicity or skin color).

"I wanted to put a mirror in front of us," Lamm told The Huffington Post in an email. "Americans like to pride ourselves on being the best country in the world.However, it's clear that other countries have lifestyles and healthcare better than our own."

Here's a look from the front.

And a side angle -- Oof, not the most flattering comparison for the American.He's second on the left.

Lamm constructed the 3D models based on body measurements collected from thousands of men by universities and government agencies -- including the CDC, the Netherlands' RIVM , and France's ENNS . The average American male has a body mass index (BMI) of 29 -- significantly higher than Japanese men (who have a BMI of 23), men in the Netherlands (who have a 25.2 BMI), and French men (who have a 25.55 BMI.)

Lamm said he used BMI charts and photos for visual reference, and ran the models by Dr. Matthew Reed , an expert on body shape measurement, for accuracy.

"I chose the Netherlands because they are the tallest country and are clearly doing something right there," Lamm said. He chose Japan because it is well-known for its longevity , and France because, he said, "a lot of Americans like tocompare themselves to that country ."

So what are the Dutch and Japanese doing right?

Experts suggest it has to do with a complex combination of genetic, environmental and social factors. A good healthcare system, better nutrition, and more active lifestyles have been cited as reasons for the towering Dutchmen and long-lived Japanese.

(h/t The Atlantic )

Study Shows the Benefits of a Brisk Walk Over a Slow One

We all know that walking is one of the easiest things you can do to keep yourself healthy, but if you want to increase those benefits without a lot of work, The New York Times suggests picking up the pace. P
It has generally been assumed that walking, no matter how fast, is beneficial. If you're walking slowly, you just need to walk further to get the same benefits as someone walking at a pace of around 15 minutes per mile. However, according to one large scale study , it looks like the pace might actually matter more than we initially though:P

Unexpectedly, the death rate remained high among the slowest walkers, even if they met or exceeded the standard exercise guidelines and expended as much energy per day as someone walking briskly for 30 minutes. This effect was most pronounced among the slowest of the slow walkers, whose pace was 24 minutes per mile or higher. They were 44 percent more likely to have died than walkers who moved faster, even if they met the exercise guidelines.
One important inference of these statistics is that intensity matters, if you are walking for health. "Our results do suggest that there is a significant health benefit to pursuing a faster pace," Dr. Williams said. Pushing your body, he said, appears to cause favorable physiological changes that milder exercise doesn't replicate.P

The solution? Walk faster:P

So check yours, your spouse's or perhaps your parents' pace. The process is easy. Simply find a 400-meter track and, using a stopwatch, have everyone walk at his or her normal speed. If a circuit of the track takes someone 6 minutes or more, that person's pace is 24 minutes per mile or slower, and he or she might consider consulting a doctor about possible health issues, Dr. Williams said.P

So, maybe even when you're not in a hurry it's worth picking up the pace a bit to get where you're going. P
Why a Brisk Walk Is Better | The New York TimesP