FitSugar

Should School Lunch Menus Display Calorie Counts?

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0700

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. Crest Middle School principal Amy Jones commented, "We really don't want to make them afraid to even pick up anything and put it in their mouths, but we also want to make them educated, that's our job."

It's important for kids to understand how their food choices affect their bodies, but I can also see how providing calorie counts for kids could be sending a confusing message. What's your take on this experiment?

Fitness Boot Camp For Teens: Cool or Not?

FitSugar — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:15:00 -0800

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. FitWit instructor Ben Thoele said, "After six weeks, all participants have an increased total fitness ability. We averaged over 40 percent improvement in total fitness in our first program last spring. It's common to have a participant double their fitness ability."

I have no doubt participants leave the program with increased fitness levels, but I'm wondering if a six-week competition with prizes is the best way to influence kids to be healthy in the long-term. What do you think of the way the program is set up for students? Is it cool or not?

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Healthy Tech Bits: Flu Spotting and Texting For Child Obesity

FitSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:00:00 -0800

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.

Along with searching their medicine cabinets for symptom relief, victims of the flu are also searching the Internet to verify their symptoms. By tracking these queries. Google.org, the philanthropic arm of the search engine giant, has been able to spot flu outbreaks more quickly than the Centers For Disease Control, by as much as two weeks. Advanced warning like this helps hospitals and public health officials plan for outbreaks or those flu epidemics we keep hearing about. There is a bit of skeptecism though about the accuracy. You should check out their up-to-date graphs at google.org/flutrends/, as well as a US map of flu activity by state.

To see how texting can benefit kids, just read more.

Although many parents complain about the texting habits of their children, the texting habit might just pay off when it comes to self monitoring food and exercise habits for weight loss. Both adults and children are often poor at tracking their healthy changes and weight loss efforts. Keeping a food journal has been shown to help keep adults on track, but kids these days have moved beyond pen and paper. A recent study conducted by the UNC Hospital found that texting and receiving feedback via texting helped children ages 5 to 13 effectively monitor their behavior. The message on texting is that it is "gr8 4 kids" and weight loss. Not much of a surprise, but good to know we can experiment with communications technology and harness them for healthy purposes.

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Dogs Take a Bite Out of Childhood Obesity

FitSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:00:00 -0700

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. Just the mere act of playing with them can help children maintain a healthy weight. If you have a dog, encourage your kids to turn off the TV and play with him more. As a result, the dog will be happier and so will your kids. If you don't have kids, your dog loves to play and it's certainly not going to hurt your waistline to play with your pup a little more.

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Childhood Obesity Levels No Longer Increasing - Yay!

FitSugar — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:30:00 -0700

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. So keep at it if you're a parent, a sibling, an aunt, a babysitter, a teacher, or anyone that influences a child's health positively. Feel like weighing in on the matter? Check out this poll on Citizen.

And bravo!

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Start 'Em Young, Protect 'Em Against Breast Cancer

FitSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:00:00 -0700

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? Exercising early can also help reduce a girl's risk of obesity and increase her self esteem. If you're already over 22 and have been sedentary most of your life, don't worry: Starting exercise at any point helps your overall health significantly.

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Fun Fitness Challenge to Do at Your Desk

FitSugar — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:30:00 -0700

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.). Sure it's for kids, and your coworkers may think you've lost it, but I felt great after doing it. I did mine in 2:31 seconds - I could have been faster but the bathroom is really far away from my desk here at Sugar HQ. Can you beat my score? I bet you can't.

Not acceptable to do at your workplace? Try it at home. If you have kids, pass it along to see if you can beat them.

A New Addition to Your Gym . . .

FitSugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:30:00 -0700

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. The average gyms, who formerly closed their doors to those under 13-years-old, are now offering everything from specific classes for children to carving out times to allow kids to use gym equipment (often during slow hours) and even work out with a personal trainer.

Though it does kind of sound like corporate America's version of the good old YMCA or community recreation center, doesn't it? I am guessing a family membership at the Sports Club/LA is way more pricey. Me, I like my adult time at the gym. I love my girls, but I love my hour of peace as well (as I am sure does every other parent there), plus I prefer them to exercise by running around the backyard and riding their bikes. I know you guys weren't too pleased about women bringing their babies to group classes so what you think about kids working out on the treadmill next to you?

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PE Goes From Dodge Ball to Circuit Training

FitSugar — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 02:00:00 -0800

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. It sort of reminds me when schools started adding yoga to their curriculum, which many of you did not agree with.

What do you think? Should gym class maintain a focus on sports and games or should all PE classes shift to this new structure of functional fitness for kids?

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Speak Up: Cookie Monster Tossed His Cookies

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:30:00 -0800

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. I'm surprised they haven't stuck Oscar the Grouch in a recycling bin and gotten Count von Count to see a shrink for his obsessive compulsive disorder.

I never warmed up to this idea. I loved the cookie monster growing up, and I can't say that it ever inspired me to eat as many cookies (along with inedible objects) as I could, but that is just me. What do you guys think about this? Do you think that changes such as making Santa skinny or taking cookies away from monsters will actually help to lower the rate of childhood obesity? Or do you think they should go ahead and give the Cookie Monster back his cookies?

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