A new Bronx co-op apartment building is designed to help combat obesity.

The building, called the Melody, has a backyard with brightly colored exercise equipment for adults, and climbing equipment for children. It also has both indoor and outdoor fitness centers.

City officials say it’s the first in New York to be built with design elements aimed at countering obesity.

Two flights of stairs feature silhouettes of dancing women and jazz playing through speakers and motivational signs posted throughout the building tout the benefits of exercise.

A sign posted between the elevator and stairs, for example, notes that stairs are a healthy choice.

The 63-unit building houses 63 units and is for families with incomes of $90,000 or less. Fourteen of the units will be owned by Habitat for Humanity’s New York City chapter families who helped build the project.

“Anti-Obesity” Housing Unveiled | NBC New York

Hold this thought: To lose weight effectively and permanently, you need to eat. And eat smart. Happily,  nature designed a lot of delicious edibles to turn up your fat-burning furnace, flatten your belly, and take a big bite out of your appetite. Here are 11 of the get-slim food gems we’re talking about.

11 Foods for Faster, Easier Weight Loss on Shine

With the memory of Memorial Day cheeseburgers and bratwursts still lingering, many of us may be relieved to hear that a new study suggests that a meaty, high-fat, Atkins-style diet can do more than contribute to rapid weight loss. It may also be less unhealthy for the heart than many scientists had feared — provided you chase the sausage with a brisk walk.

“It took people less time to lose 10 pounds” on a high-fat diet-and-exercise program, about 45 days on average, than the 70 days it took for those who exercised and followed a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet constructed using guidelines from the American Heart Association, said Kerry J. Stewart, director of clinical and research exercise physiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and lead author of the report. And at least in the short term, there were no apparent harmful effects. The findings are being presented on Friday at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Denver.

Fat Thanks to Sunita K. for the tip!

Phys Ed: Eating Fat, Staying Lean – NYTimes.com