exercise in the wizarding world

[joanne0012]

No: HPFGUIDX 31129

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "catorman" <catherine at c...> wrote:

> The other point about exercise - we have discussed on this list 
> before, in relation to the heaviness of the traditionally British 
> Hogwarts food, that it is a wonder that all the children aren't 
> grossly overweight.  It was surmised by a few people that performing 
> magic, and the concentration it requires probably takes a great deal 
> of physical as well as mental energy, thereby making the need for 
> exercise of a more traditional kind redundant. 

We also know that these kids cover a lot of ground in a day, traipsing from one 
class to another in that big castle, and that in particular they spend a lot of 
time going up and down  the staircases!  

Also, they seem to have limited access to between-meal snacks and have no 
opportunity to become couch potatoes.  In sum, both their food and their 
lifestyle are similar to the pre-TV era when overweight was much less of a 
problem.  Despite what Fleur says, it's not the type of food that matters so 
much as the quantities eaten (i.e., total calories); if the kids are left to their 
own devices (e.g., nobody nagging them to clean their plates), they're 
apparently less likely to overeat.