This is not likely the first time that you have heard that watching TV may not be good for you. Over the years I have shown many customers of mine the value of time and that the time they spend in front of the TV is detrimental to their health.
Recently I read an article from the wholefood farmacy about a Harvard research that was done.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Children’s Hospital Boston found that kids who spend more time watching television also eat more of the calorie-dense, low-nutrient foods advertised on television.

Previous studies had demonstrated that children who watch more television are more likely to be overweight, but this is the first time a research team has found evidence for a mechanism explaining that relationship. The study results appear in the April 2006 issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent medicine.

“We’ve known for a long time that television viewing is a risk factor for overweight, though the common perception is that this is due to the fact that it’s a sedentary use of time,” said Jean Wiecha, the study’s lead author and a senior research scientist at HSPH. “This study provides evidence that television is effective in getting kids to eat the foods that are advertised, and this drives up their total calorie intake.”

The results of the study showed that each hour of increased television viewing over baseline was associated with a total energy increase of 167 calories — just about the amount of calories in a soda or a handful of snack food, said Wiecha. Each additional hour of television viewing was also independently associated with increased consumption of foods commonly advertised on television, and these foods were shown to be responsible for much of the calorie increase. Viewing time seemed to have the strongest connection to additional consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.

Twice as many children and almost three times as many teens are overweight today compared to their counterparts growing up 20 years ago. Overweight young people are more likely to become overweight or obese adults who are at risk for diseases like diabetes and heart disease. The results of this study bolster a longstanding recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics to limit children to less than two hours of television each day to both lessen sedentary time and reduce exposure to content associated with negative consequences.

It is a personal mission of mine to help change the momentum of the health crisis in America. I feel that reaching the children is one of the very first “calls to action” and we need to take it more serious. With that being said, we all need to lead by example.
Each of us are leaving a path behind us that others will follow. What kind of path are you leaving?

Are you interested in helping with my Health Crisis Call To Action Plan? CLICK HERE and ask what you can do to help.

Middle school students who perform more vigorous physical activity than their more sedentary piers tend to do better in school, according to a new study done by researchers from Michigan State University and Grand Valley State University . The research is published in the August issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

The science is also crystal clear on another issue with making your kids healthier!

Children who eat a healthy breakfast before school are healthier, more alert, have more energy, exhibit better behavior and get better grades. A recent State of Minnesota Breakfast Study found that students who ate breakfast before starting school had a general increase in math grades and reading scores, increased student attention, reduced nurse visits, and improved student behaviors.

How’s your kid doing? Let us know!

So, how is America Living up to facing the health crisis? Let’s take a close look at where we are finishing out 2007…..according to U.S. Health: State of the union

First off, americans are living longer. Actually they are living 3 years longer in 2004 than in 1990 for men, and 1 year longer for women. Here is the crazy part, during those longer lives, Americans are also getting more chronic diseases, meaning more Americans are living with pain and disability.

Obesity rates for adults have leveled off, with 33 percent of men and 35 percent of women reported as obese in a 2005/06 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up slightly from 31 and 33 percent respectively in the 2003/04 survey. I guess that’s a good thing….”leveling off?”

That is by far statistically insignificant though, but it is still a lot better than the 15 percent rate seen in 1980.

Childhood obesity , however, is still climbing, and recent studies have shown something that shouldn’t be all that suprising, Obese children are at risk of future health issues, particularly coronary problems!

What are we doing to our children? Our future of this country!

This is not okay!

Healthy Kids = Happy Parents

As a parent, it’s one thing to enforce healthy eating, habits, and exercise time on your children, but it’s another thing altogether for them to want to do it on their own.  If your child, like most, is not naturally inclined toward cauliflowers and cardio, there are some sly ways you can encourage your child’s healthy habits without seeming too obvious.

-Games.  If you have time, designate one day a week to family game time, and I don’t necessarily mean board games here.  Take your kids to a park, laser tag, or if it’s summertime, the nearest water park.  Besides the obvious family bonding, these activities are fairly active and require some type of physical exercise.  But because they’re thinking about who they’re going to laser tag next, your children are probably not going to be complaining if they’re a little out of breath.

-Snack time.  The key word is entertainment here.  If you take a little extra time to turn your fruit plate into a friendly caterpillar, chances are your kids are going to be a little more intrigued by it.  Another idea:  get them involved!  If you help your children make a fun snack that they made “all by themselves,” they’re probably going to be a lot more interested in eating their healthy creation than not.  Some ideas – snack mix, smoothies, or mini pizzas.

-Educate.  It couldn’t hurt to make sure your child knows that you love him/her and explain why it’s important to eat healthily, exercise, and take care of your body.  In addition to getting the point across, you’re also facilitating a healthy parent/child relationship, and isn’t that pretty much the most important part of a healthy childhood?

Bodybuilding for men has been a competitive sport since the 1800?s. Women got involved in the mid 1900?s. The newest addition to the mix is teen bodybuilding. One advantage is teens involved in this sport learn about discipline and how to set goals for themselves. Both of these are great attributes that they can apply to any area of their life.

Proper training is very important for teens involved in bodybuilding. Their bodies are still growing, so it is important not to lift too heavy. Injuries occur if they attempt to lift too much. This is likely to happen when they think with their ego rather than their mind. Most teens in this sport get involved in basic weightlifting at home or at school in physical education class. They then choose to take it to the next level. With proper training, it can be a great physical investment.

Teen bodybuilders should only train 3 to 5 days per week. The body needs to rest because it is still growing. Training more that that will make bodybuilding a harder process. It will actually work against you. These work out sessions should never exceed 60 minutes. It is recommended to train each part of the body only 1 time per week. Compound exercises such as bench pressing, squats, shoulder press, rowing, and deadlights will yield the best benefits. The key is to balance volume and intensity. The higher the volume, the lower the intensity should be. If you are working at a high intensity level, then the volume should decrease.

Teens can become frustrated with the slow process of bodybuilding. It is important that they are educated in the effects so that they won?t do damage by over working or give up because they feel they aren?t going to be successful at bodybuilding. Teens will gain strength before they gain size. Over time, their size with then begin to increase as their strength increases. Diet is not a huge issue with teen bodybuilders because most have a high metabolism. However, it is recommended that they eat balanced meals and eliminate many sugar filled items including soda. Lean meats, apples, vegetables, yogurt, and peanut butter are some healthy foods to incorporate into the diet of teenage bodybuilders.