Kids & Teens
Exercise for Young Athletes
What type of training will help your child improve at the sport he or she plays? Here’s what Brett Klika, director of athletic performance at Todd Durkin’s Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, says, based on research and his extensive experience.
California School Nutrition Mandate Is Paying Off
Five years ago the state of California mandated stronger nutrition standards for its schools by limiting the calorie, fat, saturated-fat and sugar content of snacks sold on campuses. In July 2009, the state banned the sale of soda and other sweetened beverages in high schools. As with most investments, the dividends took some time to accrue, but today they seem meaningful.
DanceDanceRevolution Gets Schooled
This fall, Konami Digital Entertainment’s popular DanceDanceRevolution will arrive in various schools across the United States.
A developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties, Konami has partnered with organizations like the American Diabetes Association®,
The National Foundation on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition and Let’s Move in School to encourage physical activity with Dance
DanceRevolution Classroom Edition.
Teenage Overweight and Obesity
In another study published in the February 20 issue of the Medical Journal of Australia (2012; 196 [3], 189–92), researchers explored the prevalence of overweight and obesity among students aged 12–17. They also wanted to understand factors associated with carrying the extra weight.
Active Video Games Not as Beneficial as Previously Thought
Scientists and fitness
professionals have spent plenty of time looking
for ways to encourage improved activity levels among children. To appeal to tech-minded youth, one possible
means for improving
fitness is active video gaming. However, a study published recently in Pediatrics (March 1, 2012; 129 [3], 636–42) suggests that this may not be as effective as previously thought.
Kid Pointzsm for Healthy Habits
Use Kid Pointz behavior charts to help instill healthy behaviors in kids. The charts are created by Martin Goodman, father of four, who struggled to help his own kids develop good habits and improve their behavior. Parents print the free charts from the Kid Pointz website and encourage their children to log daily physical activity levels. There are also charts designed specifically for nutrition.
Chefs Move to Schools
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) and the Chefs Move to Schools program—part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative—recently partnered to support SNA member schools’ efforts to promote healthy school environments.
Go Screen-Free!
Turn off the tube and enjoy some quality time with your children during Screen-Free Week (April 30–May 6), an annual event in which families, schools and communities leave all screens dark. Reports suggest that preschoolers spend an average of 32 hours a week in front of the television or a computer screen, and older children spend even more time there. Excessive screen time can lead to poor school performance, childhood obesity, attention problems and reduced creative play.
Making Kids’ Food More Appetizing
Kids adopt their parents’ preferences on many fronts, but when it comes to how food is presented on a plate, children have definite opinions, and these impact what they eat. According to a study published in the January issue of Acta Paediatrica (101 [1], 61–66), the nut definitely falls far from the tree when it comes to plating.
Mindfulness Practice: Empowering Fragmented Teens to Become Whole
When 18-year-old K. attended an Insight Meditation Teen Retreat, she was seeking answers, reaching for help, trying to make sense of her pain and suffering. A college-bound Caucasian student from a comfortable middle-class suburban setting, K. had begun self-harming. Knowing it was wrong and starving for guidance, she immersed herself in an intensive 4-day residential mindfulness meditation program.
Childhood Obesity and Overweight Rates Drop in California
Plenty of focus has been placed on the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents. But it appears that in California the scales have tipped in the other direction—if only slightly.
Teen Diets:Fiber Over Fat
A recent study concludes that higher intakes of dietary fiber—but not low intakes of saturated fat or cholesterol—are related to lower risk of metabolic syndrome in adolescents. The authors suggest that to reduce metabolic syndrome—a collection of risk factors that include high blood pressure and a large waistline—it is more important to emphasize fiber-rich, nutrient-dense, plant-based foods than to focus on restricting foods high in cholesterol or saturated fat.
When Children Sleep Impacts Health Outcomes
Getting enough rest at night not only helps kids feel rested and alert; it contributes to better health as well. But a recent study suggests that when children sleep can also impact health and physical activity levels. A study of 9- to 16-year-old Australians found that adolescents who were “early to bed and early to rise” were less likely to be obese than night owls who woke up later. Night owls logged 2.9 times more television and computer screen time. They also replaced about 30 minutes of physical activity with 30 minutes of inactivity, compared with early sleepers.
Initial Research on Mindfulness Programs for Teens Shows Promising Results
Emerging research suggests that mindfulness is feasible and acceptable for youth and may also be beneficial to them (Burke 2010). Qualitative, quantitative and randomized clinical trial studies show that teens accept mindfulness-based programs and do not experience any adverse effects from them. Studies also show that mindfulness approaches are producing benefits in teens in the form of more feelings of well-being, less anxiety and worry, and less emotional reactivity (Burke 2010).
The Workout Kid
Another individual who has undertaken the challenge to Inspire the World to Fitness® is affectionately referred to as “The Workout Kid.” At only 10 years old, CJ Senter has joined the ranks of fitness professionals in helping kids his age find the fun in fitness. He even has his own DVD fitness series that consists of two 40-minute workouts.
Sports Participation Improves Behavior in Boys
A positive introduction to sports at a young age can set the tone for a healthy life. According to findings presented at the Renata Adler Memorial Research Center for Child Welfare and Protection Conference, hosted in Israel by Tel Aviv University, boys who play sports see improvements in self-control and discipline. The 24-week study included 649 children, in grades 3–6, from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Half the students participated in a sports-based afterschool program, the other half in a nonsports afterschool program.
children’s cereal labels mislead parents
Not everyone has impeccable food knowledge, so when a sugary cereal touts itself as being whole grain, fortified with essential vitamins or otherwise good for your child’s health, you may believe it, toss the box in the cart and move on with your shopping trip with some assurance that the product must be okay. Not so fast.
Teens Avoid PE
Fitness professionals are well aware of the many threats that obesity poses to the health of our children. Traditionally, we could count on schools to help curb this problem by providing daily physical activity through physical education (PE) classes. Times have changed, however, and we may need to start looking for other avenues for upping daily exercise for teens. According to the Adolescent Physical Education and Physical Activity in California report, only 42% of the 6 million students enrolled in California schools participate in daily physical activity.
Physical Activity Recommendations for Toddlers?
The United Kingdom recently released its public health guidelines for physical activity. For the first time, the publication includes recommendations for those under 5 years old. The guidelines are based on research that supports the benefits of adopting healthy behavior in early years.
According to the report’s authors, “These guidelines reflect a growing awareness that early life experiences impact upon future health outcomes, and draw on notable recent advances in the science of physical activity and health.”
high-calorie and high-sodium items most prevalent in kids’ fast-food choices
Kids may like the food, and parents may appreciate the convenience, but are the poor nutritional consequences of fast food worth it? A recent study by University of California, San Diego (UCSD), pediatrics researchers showed that fast-food lunches accounted for 36%–51% of a child’s daily caloric needs, with fat contributing 35%–39% of the calories. The meals also provided more than 50% of the recommended total daily sodium intake for most children—and as much as 100% of sodium levels recommended for preschoolers.