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Childhood Obesity
Should School Lunch Menus Display Calorie Counts?
A North Carolina school district is testing new technology aimed at fighting childhood obesity. The schools have licensed food boards resembling those at fast food drive-thrus, but in the place of prices are calorie counts.
The school board realizes that providing the calorie counts alone won't do much to make a positive change, so teachers will devise lessons for the classroom to help kids make healthier choices.
Fitness Boot Camp For Teens: Cool or Not?
The FitWit Foundation is focused on combating childhood obesity, but I'm wondering if its methods are both healthy and effective. CNN compares the nonprofit's six-week afterschool boot camp program to the Biggest Loser competition: While Biggest Loser rewards adults with large sums of money for meeting fitness goals, FitWit's competition rewards Atlanta Public School students with prizes like an iPod Nano.
Each week, volunteers lead students (who aren't involved in organized sports) through three 60-minute sessions involving fitness instruction and physical health education, and participants do two at-home workouts between sessions.
Healthy Tech Bits: Flu Spotting and Texting For Child Obesity
I love when the health world overlaps with the tech world; it makes health blogging that much more relevant. Technology is ever advancing, and folks are finding new applications for communication technology in addressing age-old problems in both the public health sphere and individual waist lines. Google and texting are helping the world get a little more healthy.
Dogs Take a Bite Out of Childhood Obesity
We all know that having a dog is good for an adult's overall health, but did you know that it's also good for kids?
Recent research has found that children who play with a family dog have been found to be up to 50 percent less likely to be overweight or obese than those who do not. Unlike adults, children do not even need to walk dogs.
Childhood Obesity Levels No Longer Increasing — Yay!
The bad news is that childhood obesity rates have been on the rise and a large number of kids today are going to end up with heart disease and type two diabetes before they graduate high school. The good news is that the LA Times is reporting that childhood-obesity rates are actually leveling off, aka not increasing — the first time in nearly 10 years.
I wanted to share because it seems that all of our efforts to curb childhood obesity are paying off.
Start 'Em Young, Protect 'Em Against Breast Cancer
We all know that exercise helps protect grown women against breast cancer, but according to CNN, new research has found that exercise during the teen years – starting as young as age 12 – can help protect girls from breast cancer when they are grown.
The best results, they say, are when the girl does regular exercise from ages 12 to 22 because it lowers her estrogen levels overall. What's more?
Fun Fitness Challenge to Do at Your Desk
Today I came across this fun site Kidnetic.com that's geared towards fighting childhood obesity by getting kids up and moving. Being the competitive (and sometimes childish) gal that I am, I immediately played all the games and was drawn to the fitness challenge.
The fitness challenge is 10 challenges/exercises that you (or your kids) complete while being timed (things like run to the bathroom and back, hop on one leg, etc.).
A New Addition to Your Gym . . .
As health clubs across the nation are looking to expand their client base, you may be seeing something new at your gym: kids!
Yes that's right, while there are specially designed kid gyms, other gyms have started to open their doors to tots. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that more and more gyms nationwide are offering services to kids as well as adults.
PE Goes From Dodge Ball to Circuit Training
In an effort to help end childhood obesity many physical education classes are changing their focus in schools nationwide as more gym teachers strive to teach individual activities that students can incorporate into their lives outside of gym class. Sure dodge ball and red rover are fun, but they're not practical ways for kids to keep moving beyond PE. I think this emphasis on general health (and nutrition in some cases) could really help kids implement skills into their future health goals.
Speak Up: Cookie Monster Tossed His Cookies
After my recent poll about mall Santas being forced to lose weight, I was reminded of how in 2005, the folks behind Sesame Street decided that the beloved Cookie Monster needed to kick his cookie habit. Did you know that "C is for Cookie" has been replaced by the slightly less catchy "A Cookie Is a Sometimes Food"?
The Cookie Monster is not the only one who cleaned up his act: Elmo now exercises, and Big Bird washes his hands more.
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