Newswise — While his belly may jiggle like a bowl full of jelly, Santa Claus is actually in remarkable health, according to Gettysburg College health and exercise sciences Prof. Dan Drury.
"If you put Santa through an extensive battery of physical assessments, you would not believe your findings. He is actually in great shape and an electrocardiograph stress tests would reveal the heart of a marathon runner," Drury said.
Drury suggests that Santa trains all year by carrying huge sacks of toys up and down stairs, a form of aerobic exercise. This functional approach to building muscle and stamina is unorthodox to say the least, yet is effective in building the muscular endurance necessary for serious gift delivery, Drury said.
"Despite the fact that he suffers from a genetic propensity to store fat in the abdominal region, his circulatory system is a fine-tuned machine," Drury said. "Recent reports from the Cooper Institute for Aerobics and Fitness in Dallas have confirmed that it's better to be fat and fit than to be thin and sedentary."
But don't let Santa's diet fool you.
"People often think Santa survives on cookies and milk. The truth is that Santa maintains a balanced diet for most of the year and only splurges around the holidays," Drury said. "He takes numerous supplements and eats five or six small meals each day. This approach keeps his cholesterol and triglycerides in check while keeping him in top shape for his grueling training regimen" .
"Rest assured that Santa's health is in tact and will be around for many Christmases to come."
Drury has been teaching at Gettysburg College since 2001. He graduated from Frostburg State University, Md., with a bachelor's in health and fitness, received a master's in exercise science from George Washington University, D.C., and earned a doctorate in exercise physiology at Springfield College, Mass.
Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences. With approximately 2,500 students, it is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to Gettysburg National Military Park. The college was founded in 1832.
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