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Show mi THE DAILY HERALD, Hone Expo, Pravo, UaA, Wdntdiy, March 25, Page 12 H iTt F ''MPT '-- ' Study shows yorkouts at home better than going to the gym j -" Ey MARTY ROSS Universal Press Syndicate By IRA DREYFUSS Associated My husband and I keep a pair of old sash windows in the basement for that fine day which never seems to come when we will make a sturdy cold frame for the garden. What we really need in the interim is a nice assortment of handy, glass shelters to take the sting out of spring, to protect seedling marigolds, to encourage the parsley to germinate and to fool a couple of young tomato plants into thinking summer is well on its way. There are several such practical and charming devices designed to fit over a plant or two set out in the garden some weeks before prudence would otherwise allow. Not incidentally, these simple little inventions also give the garden the feel of kitchen garden, an meticulously tended by someone who has more time than most gardeners today can actually muster. In the 19th century, gardeners coddled plants with bell jars. These graceful blown-glas- s domes, often with a great knob of glass a t the top, were set over seedlings to trap warmth and moisture. Glass is an excellent insulator, and young plants thrive under the domes, but they have to be closely watched. On sunny days, the jars must be propped up on a stone or a brick to vent the heat that can build up in them. Bell jars were sturdily made, but they were, of course, relatively fragile, and authentic antique specimens are hard to find. New bell jars, made of recycled glass, are practically indistinguishable from those used 100 years ago. You don't even have to put them to work to appreciate them. Their voluptuous curves look good in the garden, and they're pretty indoors, too, on a countertop in the kitchen or on a dining-roobuffet. Bloomsbury Market sells a line of garden , products that reflect the style and tastes of the Bloomsbury group, a circle of artists and writers who flourished in London in the 1920s and '30s. Sotera Tschetter, the market's owner and designer, was looking for a combination of form and function when she traveled to England for inspiration, and she came home with plans for a collection of miniature conservatories called hand lights. The company's charming hand lights are, in effect, little greenhouses, about 2 feet tall, with removable roofs topped by s finials. You can take good-lookin- g, "Folks who start Press Writer .1 WASHINGTON Workouts at home may do even more good than workouts at a gym, a study has found. Women who exercised at home lost more weight and got in better shape than did women who did similar exercise in a X 1 plant-pamperi- :. i. 7j t we m v. found. "Sedentary obese women can effectively initiate and maintain a program of aerobic exercise in their home," said the i "ft. in the American report Association's Psychological Journal of Consulting and i Clinical Psychology. The study could be good news for people who find it's too much time and trouble to make it to a health club, the scientists said. "Our research showed that, in the long haul, folks who start old-wor- ld Hi I 4 - i - i1 t $ - X 1 exercising in home formats because of the convenience are more likely to keep going with their exercise program, and keep up their weight loss, than folks who had to go to some artificial facility," said researcher Samuel F. Sears. The University of Florida researchers studied 49 obese, sedentary women averaging about 190 pounds and close to 49 years of age. All were instructed to walk an hour a day at a moderate pace, five days a week. They were given weight-los- s counseling, diet plans and encouragement to keep exercising. i i t t setting, researchers e gym-typ- ' f r: S More help Bloomsbury Market photo Kitchen garden: Miniature glass conservatories are sturdy enough to put outside, yet pretty enough to use indoors on a table. "I'm anti-Victori- I an. don't want the m gar- den to look like a whole junkyard of items." Sotera Tschetter the roof off on balmy days, and put it back on if high winds or low temperatures threaten. The sturdy steel and glass hand lights are pretty, but not at all prissy. "I'm Tschetter says. "I don't want the garden to look like a whole junkyard of items." Nevertheless, she considers four or five hand lights in the yard highly decorative. The company also makes a line of hand lights for table-todecorating. In the 1970s, the backyard ," half-size- d fleur-de-li- p gardener's hand light was not quite so stylish. My father made his own portable greenhouses from gallon milk jugs by cutting the bottoms out. In the spring his garden looked like a colony of plastic igloos, each protecting its tender tomato plant. The milk jugs were an elementary form of much more elaborate designs to follow.The Wall o' Water, invented in the 1980s, was a flexible plastic cone with a number of tubular reservoirs that can be filled with water. It traps heat in the daytime and releases it slowly at night. The technology allows gardeners to plant up to two months early in some situations. A botany professor in Kansas has invented a similar product called a "plant house," a three-parigid plastic cone that is larger and more durable than the Wall o' Water. Of course, cardboard boxes or bushel baskets can be placed over the crops in a pinch, and they give the garden a certain insouciance. They don't let light in, though, and must be removed during the day. Spun fabric row covers (Reemay is one brand name) can also be laid over early or late crops to protect them from a light frost. rt devil-may-ca- re Women who have trouble driving down their weight may need help even a trainer can't provide, such as diet counseling and psychological advice, Sears said. "Having someone contact you, keeping you on pace and on track, is very important in behavioral maintaining change," he said. On exercise, the women were split into two study groups. Members of one group worked out on treadmills at a facility in a shopping center. Members of the other group walked in their neighborhoods. After six months, both groups were about the same in lost exercising in home z' formats because of the convenience likely to keep z going with their exercise program, and keep up their weight loss." iBMt are-mor- Samuel F. e Sears, researcher 38 percent of their assigned exercises, compared with 62 propercent for the home-base- d gram. After months, the home participants lost about 25 pounds on average, compared with about 15 pounds for those in the group program. 15 No time Most of those who dropped out said the program took too much time, and the researchers noted that people who had to travel to the exercise site more commonly dropped out. "High attrition and relapse rates in group exercise pro- grams are common problems that may be minimized in home-base- exercise programs," d the study said. The study's strong point is that "it does show there is value in home exercise," commented exercise physiologist Richard Cotton, a spokesman for the American Council on Exercise. Having to go to a gym or a health club is too inconvenient for many people, he said. However, health clubs commonly have staffers who encourage new exercisers to keep coming back. People who exercise at home may have to go it alone. And having support can be crucial to keeping people exercising, Cotton said. There' is research to show that, when you don't have support in your exercise program, you are more likely not to take part and adhere," he said. This doesn't mean home exercise works for everyone. Some people are psychologically more attuned to exercising by themselves, while others prefer a group, commented another researcher, independent Charles T. Kuntzleman, director of the Blue Cross-Blu- e Shield of for Youth Fitness Michigan weight, exercise participation and fitness, the researchers reported. However, after a year, the d group had pulled ahead on sticking with the program. Project. And after 15 months, the And the money spent on home program participants also exercise machines might had lost more weight. encourage some people to keep' There were seven dropouts in working out at hornet the group exercise program and Kuntzleman said. If the' d one in the exercise machine is expensive enough, "I 12 Those am bloody well going to use it after months. program ' in the group program completed he said. home-base- home-base- AGA says natural gas heaters reduce annual operating costs ating the unit. Although electric from the faucet located at the of its automatic cycle; the hotter water heaters are often less bottom of the heater several water will sanitize dishes. Keep the burners clean. expensive to buy, operating a times a year. cost will If the pilot light goes out, about water Set the water heater heater at gas half as much as operating an "normal," or about 120 degrees, follow the appliance instrucelectric water heater, depend- in order to save energy. tions and relight it. If any diffiHowever, you may wish to set culty occurs, however, turn the ing on local utility rates. To select a unit to meet a the water heater at 140 degrees controls off and call a plumber home's hot water needs, look at if your dishwasher does not have or heating dealer. If you smell the first hour rating on the a water heating booster as part gas, call your local gas company. label. This shows the most hot water that can be supplied in a r period. CREATIVE AND DESIGN To get maximum efficiency from a water heater: GFFETiS HEW SOLUTIONS Drain a pail or two of water Natural gas water heaters provide more hot water faster and less expensively than electric water heaters, according to the American Gas Association. Comparing the annual operating costs before buying a water heater can pay off in substantial savings, AGA says, because the water heater is the second biggest energy user in a typical home, after the heating and cooling system. 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