IRAQ: The battle of the bulge, Baghdad-style

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Baghdad’s electric company may have hit on the magic to better fitness: power outages. For millions of weight-conscious Americans, this could be the solution they’ve been looking for. The only problem is they’ll have to come to Iraq to try it.

Here is how it works. Turn on your DVD player and insert an exercise program — ideally one that runs for about 45 minutes and includes a variety of exercises. About 20 minutes into it, you are virtually guaranteed a power cut. The DVD machine shuts off. After the power kicks back in, the machine restarts, but the DVD has to be reloaded.

Instead of fast-forwarding to where you were when the power went out, start over. This guarantees a far longer workout than one gets with an interrupted flow of power. On a good day, you might have to restart the program three times for a full 90-minute sweat fest.

This unscientifically tested method is particularly effective on a treadmill. Once the power cuts and the treadmill stops, whatever program you were using ends. When the power comes back on, start your jog from the beginning. Before you know it, you’ll be running half-marathons each morning.

— Tina Susman in Baghdad