Archive for March, 2007
Exercise should be part of every child’s daily routine. Just like children should eat breakfast everyday, they should exercise daily. You already know that exercise builds strong muscles and bones. Last week I wrote about how exercise releases those hormones called ‘endorphins’ in the brain and through the central nervous system to give children an all around good feeling. Today, with the support of Newsweek ( link ), I want my readers to understand that exercise could help your children potentially do better in school.
Snip…..”researchers are realizing that the mental effects of exercise are far more profound and complex than they once thought. The process starts in the muscles. Every time a bicep or quad contracts and releases, it sends out chemicals, including a protein called IGF-1 that travels through the bloodstream, across the blood-brain barrier and into the brain itself. There, IGF-1 takes on the role of foreman in the body’s neurotransmitter factory. It issues orders to ramp up production of several chemicals, including one called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF. It fuels almost all the activities that lead to higher thought. With regular exercise, the body builds up its levels of BDNF, and the brain’s nerve cells start to branch out, join together and communicate with each other in new ways. This is the process that underlies learning: every change in the junctions between brain cells signifies a new fact or skill that’s been picked up and stowed away for future use. BDNF makes that process possible. Brains with more of it have a greater capacity for knowledge.”…..Snip
Higher intensity exercises will definitely benefit the cardiovascular system, but moderate exercise will stimulate brain activity and growth. A simple family walk will accomplish this. If an individual can burn approximately 100 calories by walking a mile, you can make great strides with your children both physically and cognitively. In the past, many skeptics have asked, “where is the proof” with regards to exercise and brain power. As more and more studies like this come out, these skeptics will change their views.
March 29th, 2007
by Len Saunders
Just a quick note regarding an article in the Toronto Star ( link ) stating something mentioned many times in this blog. “The childhood obesity ‘epidemic’ is so disturbing that today’s children may well become the first generation in history to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.” The article continued by stating the parents are to blame because they are “in a state of denial.” “Recent data indicate that 26 per cent of Canadians aged 2-17 are overweight or obese – up from 15 per cent in 1978.”
This report is very serious! It is alarming that obesity is now going to overtake drinking and smoking with regard to its impact on health care. It is obvious that parents love their children to ‘death’, but let’s not take this literally. Getting your children to eat properly and watch less TV is really showing them the love they deserve. We want our children to be around for a long time, so let’s educate them on leading a healthy lifestyle.
March 28th, 2007
by Len Saunders
One popular question or topic that always comes up in the fight against childhood obesity is, “how much” activity is needed? Most reports will tell you that young children should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity everyday. New reports are now coming out that state 15 minutes a day of activity may be the answer in the ‘overweight’ epidemic facing the youth of the world.
The Herald Sun ( link ) out of Australia states, “JUST 15 minutes a day of kicking around a ball or swimming might be enough to keep children from becoming obese, British and US researchers said today. A study of 5500 children who wore a motion sensor device showed that those who exercised more were less likely to be obese – and that short bursts of intense activity seemed to be the most helpful. Children who did 15 minutes a day of moderate exercise – equivalent to a brisk walk – were 50 per cent less likely than inactive children to be obese, the researchers reported in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Medicine.”
This is good news, but not a surprise. Children do need to be active….period. This has been stated many times in this blog. Forget about time restraints or reports. Get your children out playing whenever you have a free moment. Find a safe environment and just let them play. Also, take into account the type of activity. Of course, the higher intensity activities will have better results in keeping kids lean. Brisk walking opposed to a slower walk will have a larger impact.
In conclusion, the researchers stated, “These associations suggest even a modest increase of 15 minutes moderate and vigorous physical activity might result in an important reduction in the prevalence of overweight and obesity.”
March 23rd, 2007
by Len Saunders
Here are the results of the survey I took last week. Please keep in mind, this was not an actual study, since the study group was only 41 families. It also does not pertain to any one particular age group of children, nor did gender play a role. It was just a response from 41 families volunteering information to the three questions posed.
I felt that most children were home around 4pm, and most kids start to settle down around 8pm, which is why I was curious to know the activity level of children from 4-8pm.
The results with regards to how the 4 hours were used:
44% of the time, children participated in technology
31% of the time, the children were participating in sedentary activities
25% of the time, the children were active
Realistically, it is fair to add the 44% and 31% together and claim the time to be inactive. This means the children were active for 1 hour, and inactive for 3 hours. The chart below shows the results.
One hour of activity for children may not be a terrible thing. Most recommendations of childhood daily activity suggests 60 minutes. This survey also does not ask what type of activity the children were doing, which would be important in a real study. The bottom line, parents need to reduce the amount of technology time with their children.
Author’s note: As stated, this survey was not an actual study. It was done just for fun and informational purposes.
March 20th, 2007
by Len Saunders
Spring is around the corner, and that means Project ACES. I hope that many of the loyal visitors to this web site will consider participating in ACES on May 2nd. ACES is an acronym for All Children Exercise Simultaneously. On May 2nd. millions of children from all 50 states and almost 50 countries exercise together to promote children’s health and fitness. For more information, visit the ACES web site.
To mark the 20th anniversary of ACES, a new program will be launched in 2008 called PACES Day. This program will motivate families to exercise together on the weekends. Feel free to sign up your family now for the event by visiting the PACES web site.
Of course, you can visit my homepage to learn about more children’s health and fitness events taking place. I hope you will take place in my small survey posted this week (posted 3/10) to see if children are sedentary. I will post the results shortly for all of you.
Thanks for visiting The Children’s Health & Fitness Website.
March 16th, 2007
by Len Saunders
I would like to post general information about the sedentary or active lifestyles of children (all ages). I am going to perform a mini study with your feedback. If you could use the convenient contact form provided on this page, please email me the following information about your children between the hours of 4-8pm:
- How much technology do they get involved in? This includes TV, computer, video games, telephone, or listening to music.
- How much time do they remain sedentary during this time not including technology? This includes snacking or eating dinner. This may include reading books and doing homework
- How much time do they remain active? This may include after school enrichment programs such as karate, basketball, baseball, walking, or just playing outside.
If you could send me this information within the next 2 weeks, it would be greatly appreciated. Results will then be posted here. Please round off your time to the nearest 30 minutes.
Thank you for your cooperation.
March 10th, 2007
by Len Saunders
We all know that children will be healthier if they exercise and eat properly. It is also important to note that children who exercise or play frequently have an all around good feeling about themselves. They have lower amounts of stress and depression. Numerous studies have also confirmed that exercise also enhances cognitive skills. What causes this? A substance called ‘endorphins.’ Endorphins are chemicals in the brain that are responsible for positive moods. They are the body’s own natural painkillers.
The Asbury Park Press ( link ) states, “Exercise improves blood flow to the brain, it helps the body detoxify, it puts you on a better cycle of physical behavior, and it leads to decreased stress. It also improves thinking and mental function and decreases your tendency toward addiction. Aerobic exercise such as running or swimming can lead to a healthy release of the body’s natural opiates, neurochemicals called endorphins. These are natural stress-busters.”
Inactivity can lead to stress, while exercise can give you a physical release of tension.
March 7th, 2007
by Len Saunders
Should the government get involved in ad campaigns marketed to young children promoting junk food? This has been a hot debate over the years. There are many who feel the manufacturers are enticing young children to eat unhealthy by using popular characters in their product. There are others who feel this is not contributing to the worldwide childhood obesity problem.
Today’s article I am writing about is simply called, “Don’t Blame SpongeBob for Child Obesity”, from the CATO institute web site. This article ( link ) states, “Should manufacturers of so-called “low-nutrition” foods be allowed to market their products to children? The answer, according to many food scolds is no. The Institute of Medicine — a private group with funding from the Center for Disease Control — held hearings in Washington, D.C. recently to ask various food industry executives why they are marketing harmful products to children. This came on the heels of a media blitz by the lofty-sounding Center for Science in the Public Interest, which issued a plan calling for restrictions of junk food, including a complete ban on cross-promotional campaigns – think SpongeBob SquarePants Cereal. “Ideally,” the CSPI press release proclaimed, “only healthful foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain products would be marketed to kids.”
The article went on to say that “ad bans make for bad public policy for a number of reasons.”
- Ad bans have failed everywhere they’ve been tried.
- There’s no correlation between ad exposure and childhood obesity.
- You’d need to ban ads in adult programming.
- The ban would cripple children’s television.
- The cause of childhood obesity lies elsewhere.
The article concluded by stating several recent studies have suggested that the single best indicator of a child’s health, diet, weight, and activity level is the health, diet, weight, and activity level of that child’s parents. Children of active parents tend to be active. Kids tend to eat what their moms and dads eat.
What’s your opinion? We’d like to know!
March 1st, 2007
by Len Saunders