Lead a Fit and Healthy Life
Posts tagged kids
Kids are Getting Fatter!
31 month ago
Kids are getting fatter, and many will have to do some serious calorie cutting to avoid that fate as they grow up.
That’s the grim news from a new study that looks at how children have become heaver since 1971. It’s not news that the number of obese children has doubled since the 1970s, with 1 in 6 now officially obese.
What’s new is that these researchers calculated just how much less a child would have to eat on average to stop the trend towards obesity.
Let’s do the math.
According to this new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, children and teens need to cut their calorie intake by 41 calories a day, to stop the weight gain trend. Otherwise, children and teens will weigh about four pounds more across the board.
Read more at NPR: Kids Will Have To Cut Serious Calories To Halt Obesity Trend
Get Your Kids Outside and Moving!
11 month ago
Too Few Kids Getting Outdoors With Mom or Dad
Nearly half of all U.S. preschool-age children don’t get outdoors at least once a day for parent-supervised playtime, researchers reported Monday, causing concern among experts who say early exercise habits could protect children from obesity later in life.
Many children might not be getting enough outdoor exercise because of barriers faced by single parents and families with two working parents, said Dr. Pooja Tandon, a pediatrician with the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute, who led the research.
…The good news, Tandon said, is that “these young children are naturally programmed to be active if given the opportunities.”
Tandon’s study, which appeared online Monday, on the website of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, was based on parental surveys from a national study of nearly 9,000 U.S. children, a sample size representing about 4 million children. The children, all born in 2001, were followed for several years and their parents, usually mothers, were interviewed several times, including the year before their children entered kindergarten.
Along with finding that 49 percent of children were not getting outdoors with a parent at least once every day, she and her colleagues from the research institute and the University of Washington found that those youngsters whose parents took them outdoors to play tended to be boys, children with lots of playmates and those whose parents were exercisers.
Children more often fell short of recommended exercise if their mothers were Asian, African-American or Hispanic, although the study didn’t delve into the reasons. “Being physically active is good for your brain, for your learning,” Tandon said in an interview.
Previous research, she said, has found that hyperactive kids with wandering attention do better after they have had nature breaks, which seem to make it easier to return to class, sit down and refocus.
When you Know Better, you Do Better!
02 months ago
by Stephy
in Parenting/Family
Here are 2 articles aimed at us parents! We give so much of ourselves making sure our kids have the right education, the right extra activities — how about we start with making sure they get exercise and eat healthy? Pay special attention to the 2nd article and the 4 things many of us are doing wrong when it comes to helping our kids learn to eat properly. I am guilty of those things myself — awareness is the first step in fixing it….
Proven: Kids Get Smarter Just from Doing This One Simple Thing
An extensive review of relevant research has demonstrated that the more physically active schoolchildren are, the better they do academically.
Researchers analyzed 14 studies, ranging in size from as few as 50 participants to as many as 12,000.
All of the studies involved children between the ages of 6 and 18.
Education For Parents: 4 Things You Are Doing Wrong
One of the advantages of being an adult is that you can make choices by yourself, to decide what is good about you an what isn’t! What happens if despite of your desire to change, there is something stuck, somewhere deep inside your unconsciousness, which is resisting the positive transformation? Why is that unconscious denial? No will? Bad goals? Or maybe, truth is somewhere far away in our past, dug in our childhood?
If we realize it or not, most of our habits and the following behavior are formed in our childhood. Our unconscious is a powerful “engine”, which controls our reactions, feelings and behavior! Could we influence our unconsciousness, so it could be under our control, but not vice versa?
Probably you couldn’t guess what is on my mind, and because I do not want you to get bored, I will get more specific! More often than not I meet parents that decided to lead healthier life. That is a wonderful thing, but what bothers me is their approach to their children’s nutrition! How often do you hear “ Oh, I do not eat pizza, but I am taking one for my son!”; “ I just cooked a delicious healthy dinner, but now I have to prepare some fries for my children!”; “ I love eating fruits and vegetables, but my children consider them tasteless, that is why I have to prepare some cookies for a dessert!”…
Parents are those that are supposed to educate their children. When you habituate them to be good,caring and honest to treat others well, you could try harder and teach them to respect and love themselves and their own health! It is a fact, that the habits from our childhood, accompany us throughout our entire life. A change is always possible but it is a really hard thing to do!
Do you remember how hard it was for you to give up on soda or your grandmother’s pumpkin pie? What about the pop corn in the cinema? Or the ice cream after the hard day at school or at work? Is that what you’d like for your kids? Do you want to condemn them to a similar future? Do you want them to feel the way you did, when you were trying to get rid of the bad habits? I doubt it!
If your child is eating junk, don’t blame commercials, or “the better tasting” ice-cream, pizza or you name it. The fault is all yours! Yes, you read it right-YOURS! There are always side factors, which are making an influence, but as you could educate your child to respect people, even when there are a bunch of arrogant and bad people out there, you could also teach them to love tasty, real, nutritious, healthy food!
The Young with Cancer
06 months ago
Cancer’s most isolated patients
For decades, the needs of adolescents and young adults with the disease have been slighted. That’s beginning to change. Physicians and researchers acknowledge that for decades, the needs of adolescents and young adults with cancer have been slighted. They frequently receive inconsistent treatment and follow-up care, and clinical trials and research focused on this age group have been scarce, according to oncologists and a report by the National Cancer Institute.
More than 72,000 adolescents and young adults — defined by the cancer institute as ages 15 to 39 — are diagnosed with cancer each year. For many, the disease is detected late for various reasons: Patients don’t recognize the symptoms or have no health insurance, or the cancer is initially mistaken for something else.
That may help explain why there has been very little improvement in cancer survival rates among adolescents and young adults, even as the rates for childhood cancers have risen steadily over the last few decades.
On top of the physical burdens of the disease, many young adults feel a painful isolation.
Physicians and researchers acknowledge that for decades, the needs of adolescents and young adults with cancer have been slighted. They frequently receive inconsistent treatment and follow-up care, and clinical trials and research focused on this age group have been scarce, according to oncologists and a report by the National Cancer Institute.
More than 72,000 adolescents and young adults — defined by the cancer institute as ages 15 to 39 — are diagnosed with cancer each year. For many, the disease is detected late for various reasons: Patients don’t recognize the symptoms or have no health insurance, or the cancer is initially mistaken for something else.
That may help explain why there has been very little improvement in cancer survival rates among adolescents and young adults, even as the rates for childhood cancers have risen steadily over the last few decades.
On top of the physical burdens of the disease, many young adults feel a painful isolation.
Call us Urban!
0
I got the kids ready for school – drove them in the pouring rain came back and got ready to go to a 930A CrossFit class. It’s fun to mix it up but normally I’m at work so I can’t make a 930A class.
Last night, I took Hannah and Nate to CrossFit Kids — I just loved watching Hannah so focused and determined. She won the plank hold competition 2x. You could tell just by looking at her that she was not going to break plank until the last athlete did. Gotta love her. Nate loves to go on the mat and do all sorts of breakdancing/hip hop moves. I will never forget the time I put on a hoodie for him and he tells me he has to have the hood up because it’s hip hop! Well duh of course! My kids are so darn urban.
Warmup
Drillsx2
InchWorm
Walking Lunges
Bear Crawls
Skip Jumps
Skill
Squats! Squats! Squats!
WOD
For Time: 800 m Run Tabata Bottom To Bottom Air Squat 800 m Run
total: 12:52
It was pouring rain & that just added to the fun of running. Gotta Love CrossFit.
Two For One
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I took my kids to the CrossFit Kids class at CrossFit Impavidus this evening. I am so beyond thrilled that both my kids are getting into it and talking about their squats and rounds. It warms my heart.
While they were working out, Coach Marc was there preparing for his workout and asked if I wanted to join him. How can I refuse Coach Marc? So I joined in and did my 2nd workout of the day. It was a good, fast workout!
4 RFT
10 KB Snatches (1st round, Right side)
60 jump ropes
20 sit ups
20 goblet squats 35lbs
10 KB Snatches (Left side)
60 jump ropes
20 Russian Twists
20 goblet squats
repeat round 1
repeat round 2
time: 6:22
A girl’s gotta do what she’s gotta do!
09 months ago
It’s been a crazy busy day. I skipped my usual workout to help out CrossFit Impavidus Kids at the Family Fun Fest at Dulles Town Center. We want to get the word out about CrossFit and CrossFit Kids. We had some of our own kids and some of our athlete kids come by and did some demo workouts for the parents to see. We had a great time but boy am I wiped out.
My friend Jason took this pic of HB and I — and he said to me “look at your arms”. I have to admit I look pretty darn strong. I am definitely not a small girl — I am strong and fit looking tho.
I’m meeting some athletes at the box tomorrow to get in a coaching session. I have been struggling with a few things and need a coach to help me figure out what my problem is. Kipping Pull ups in particular. So – I am taking matters in my own hands and scheduled time with Sven — who has been a CrossFit coach for years. A girl’s gotta do what she’s gotta do!
Unplug and Reconnect with ‘Real Life’
09 months ago
It’s important to take time to remember the things in life that make it special. That sometimes means leaving all the digital stuff and being present in the moments you have with your family. Our roadtrip to Monticello, Williamsburg and Busch Gardens was so fun. We had a lot of laughs, got to know our kids better, wore each other out, got on each others nerves, had ice cream every day — The things you should do on a vacation.
As much as I love doing my blog, it’s important to not have it take over your entire life and get in the way of spending real valuable time with those you love. You never get this time back, so don’t get too wrapped up in what’s online. Learn to unplug and reconnect with ‘real life’.
Restaurants helping combat obesity, or are they?
010 months ago
Restaurants to offer more-healthful fare for kids
It’s something but is it really enough?
Nineteen chains — including Burger King, Denny’s, IHOP, Chili’s, Friendly’s, Chevy’s and El Pollo Loco — have agreed to participate in the Kids Live Well initiative as worries increase about the role of fast food in childhood obesity.
French fries, slathered with ketchup and washed down with a pint of soda, are a favorite part of fast-food lunches and dinners for millions of American youngsters.
But taking a cue from nutritionists, a group of 19 restaurant companies are pledging to offer more-healthful menu options for children at a time when concern is growing over the role of fast food in childhood obesity.
Burger King, the second-largest burger chain, for instance, will stop automatically including French fries and soda in its kids’ meals starting this month, although the items will still be available.
Instead, the company said Tuesday, its employees will ask parents whether they prefer such options as milk or sliced apples before assembling the meals.
“We’re asking the customers to specify what they want,” said Craig Prusher, the chain’s vice president of government relations. Fries and soft drinks are “no longer a default decision,” he added.
Kids and Fitness
010 months ago
Yesterday, I received an email from someone who had read my most recent blog post in the Ashburn Patch about getting kids into fitness. I fully believe there is no reason that is good enough to not be on top of this issue as parents. It’s part of our job to not only lead by example, but also find ways to get your kids’ moving. And as I have said – – it doesn’t have to be a concerted effort like an organized sport but sitting around all the time can not be an option. We are the ones in charge — turn off the tv, go for a walk with them, do some water sport — just get them in the habit of moving! You are doing them a huge favor, even if they don’t recognize it now. I am very serious about this issue too — after spending the weekend meeting teens at YouthFest in Ashburn — it became even more clear that this is a serious issue among the young kids today. After all the work I have done to set the example, I have little patience for parents that make excuses. There are very few excuses that would explain and ok the lack of attention and effort that many parents show towards this issue.
We met a new lady today at CrossFit Impavidus — Diane. She was tough and I didn’t do the prescribed weight (Rx’d) –
Warmup
20 Double Unders
10 Push Ups
10 Good Mornings
10 Squats
10 Pass thrus
10 Lunges (each side)
Skill
band stretch
HSPU (hand stand push ups)
WOD
Diane
21-15-9
Deadlift (225/155)
HSPU
time: 7:38 (?)
extra challenge
hold a handstand against the wall for 1m. Yes – I did it.
