Kids and Exercise August 26, 2008

   Tonight’s health alert contains many helpful medical finds. From a gel to help ease the pain of diabetic foot ulcers to electrical stimulation to ‘jump start’ the memories of Alzheimer’s patients. But the part of the story that spoke to me as a mother was a short blurb about the importance of getting kids out from in front of the television and into some sort of activity.

      My husband and I were just talking about this issue this morning. We noticed that our daughter and her friends aren’t nearly as active as we were at their age. We both remember our mothers telling us to ‘get out of the house’ and do something. This generation of young people have always had 100+ channels on cable, video games, MP3 players, and in many cases, whole rooms dedicated just to ‘playing’ in the house. What is lacking for many is the bike ride around the neighborhood, kicking the ball around in the yard, or building a fort in the woods with your friends. The health alert that is published in the Journal of Pediatrics said kids who spend more than two hours a week watching TV or playing video games are more likely to be overweight than those who don’t. Makes sense. And its a gentle reminder of the importance of physical play. My husband takes our daughter to Jujitsu, she participates in gymnastics, she walks the dogs, she runs and dances and makes up cheers. But she also loves to watch TV and play wii and Nintendo DS. We strive every day to strike a balance with her. We don’t want to deprive her of the joy of a favorite show or game but we want her health and well being to come first. 

     This change starts with the parents. Turn off the TV and go outside together. Run, bike, walk together. Play soccer or catch. Get this generation off the couch and outside. They just may discover that a day spent playing in the dirt is more fun than anything on TV.

Hefty but Healthy? August 20, 2008

  Monday night, I did a report on a new study that says you can be overweight and still healthy.  It seems to go against what we’ve always believed — that thin is always healthier than fat.  This study says that depends on where you carry that fat.  Now this study looked at heart health specifically, not diabetes, not other health issues you might have if you carry around too much fat. But it did state that a thin person can have an unhealthy heart and a fat person can have a great ticker.

      The best way to find out if you’re carrying fat in the right place is to look at fruit. If you’re shaped like a ‘pear’  (heavier on the bottom than on the top, like most women) you are better off.  If you’re shaped like an apple (with your fat gathering around your middle) you are at greater risk of having an unhealthy heart. That’s because all the fat is accumlating near your organs as opposed to your hips and thighs. This is encouraging news for those of us who carry our weight in our lower half. I don’t know about you but I can diet, I can exercise, and I will still carry that extra weight in my hips and thighs.  But it’s nice to know that despite that, if I’m eating right and exercising that I’m keeping my heart healthy. Now this isn’t a license to gain weight and say “Well, fat isn’t unhealthy!” Because it can cause so many other problems.  Diabetes, bone and joint problems, high blood pressure, just to name a few.

       But isn’t it nice to hear that it isn’t just being thin that  makes us healthy people? That we all come in different shapes (apples, pears .. bananas?) and that if you take care of your heart, you and your shape can live a long, healthy life.

A week at the beach August 15, 2008

   My husband, daughter and I recently spent a week at Fort Walton Beach, Florida.  If you’ve been to this area, you know the drill.  Beach, pool, fried seafood, sleep, repeat.  But this year I honed in on the most annoying of beach life — the inconsiderate guest.  You’ve met them on your vacation I’m sure.  The person at the pool who brings a huge radio and blasts music, despite signs asking them not to do so.  The parent who doesn’t watch their child as they repeatedly do cannonballs into the pool narrowly missing your head.  The beachgoer who smokes, treating the beautiful sand of the panhandle as one giant ashtray.  The people who litter, those who swear loudly around children, those who enter any sort of public area with no intention of sharing it with any other member of the public.  I tried desperately this trip to block out these annoyances. To bury my head in my book or dive deeper in the ocean with my daughter to escape the rude masses.  It is, after all, a bustling condo and busy beach with hundreds of people wanting to enjoy some time off.  I get that.  But what happened to respect?  To being considerate of others and our surroundings?  I was taught these things.  I teach my daughter these things.  But I fear not everyone packs kindness and consideration next to the sunscreen as they leave on vacation.

First Day of School August 12, 2008

    My daughter started fourth grade Monday, loaded down like a pack mule with bags of supplies.  I’m still not used to the fact you have to supply stuff for the entire classroom, tissues, antibacterial soap, baggies, dry erase markers, and the list goes on.  I remember needing only a notebook, paper, and a cigar box full of pencils for fourth grade.  What does it say about our school system that we have to outfit classrooms with basic necessities because the school can’t afford to?  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind providing these items if my daughter and her friends need them.  And in all honesty, I’ll often buy more than the list suggests just so they don’t run out mid-year.  But I do worry that it’s a slippery slope and next year’s list may include toilet paper, chairs, desks, and a classroom hamster. 

      My little girl also found out Monday she will spend this semester in a trailer, or a portable, or an annex, whatever you want to call it.  Her school calls it a ‘learning cottage.’  A ‘learning cottage?’ It’s a trailer.  She is entering this overcrowded school rite of passage with a lot of wonder.  She says it’s a little cold, the air conditioner is probably working overtime out there, and that it’s a little small, but that it’s fun to walk out to the trailer, i’m sorry, ‘learning cottage’, with your friends and have your own special classroom.  I loved the trailer, or portable classroom, as they were called in the late 80’s, but I was in High School, so the prospect of being away from the main campus, at times unsupervised, was a wonderful proposition for a bunch of 16 year olds.  I told my daughter it doesn’t matter where you learn, as long as you enjoy the learning process.  And she does, very much.  I’m so thankful for that.  That will make all the difference as she moves into classrooms big and small, hot and cold, intimidating or inviting, over the next few years. 

      I just hope I don’t have to buy tissues and soap for all of them.