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Exercise for Kids — Tips for Parents

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Here are some tips on getting your child fit from U.S. News & World Report:
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Encourage a little bit at a time. Minutes spent playing kickball can add up over the course of a day.

Advocate for well-maintained, safe sidewalks and bike paths in your neighborhood.  Volunteer to supervise the use of school facilities after hours. Children are more likely to want to play outside if it’s safe.

Practice what you preach. It’s not hard to find activities the whole family can do together.

Don’t underestimate the value of some video games. So-called “active-play” video games can encourage regular exercise.

Don’t let other activities or physical disabilities limit your child. All children need exercise every day.

Resources:
*U.S. News & World Report June 2, 2010
*2010 Shape of the Nation Report: Status of Physical Education in the USA (PDF)

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Lost Sleep Can Never Be Made Up

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Staying in bed on the weekends won’t make up for a weeks’ worth of sleep deprivation. A new study finds that going long periods without sleep can lead to a sort of “sleep debt” that cannot simply be undone with extra sleep later

Such chronic sleep loss may eventually interfere with a person’s performance on tasks that require focus, becoming particularly noticeable at nighttime. This could be due to the effects of your natural sleep-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm.

Your natural tendency to want to be awake during the day may mask signs of sleep debt when it’s light out. But this protective effect may go away as darkness arrives.

Further, just 10 percent of adolescents are getting the optimal hours of sleep each night.

Here’s how parents can help teens get the most possible sleep, despite the demands of school and work:

•Teenagers should stick to a consistent bedtime, preferably before 10 PM

•Keep sleep and wake times as consistent as possible from day to day; maintaining a more regular sleep schedule makes it easier to fall asleep

•Don’t sleep in — strive to wake up no more than two to three hours later on weekends to keep biological clocks on cycle

Resources:
Live Science January 13, 2010
U.S. News & World Report January 15, 2010

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Healthy Tips

6 Ways to Reduce Inflammation — Without a Statin Drug

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Experts predict that as a result of the so-called JUPITER study, which seemed to show that the statin drug Crestor lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes in those with high levels of inflammation, will lead to millions of people being put on statin drugs.

But the benefits were actually tiny — about 0.72 percent of the statin takers in the trial had a heart attack or stroke, compared with 1.5 percent of those taking placebos.

Instead of a statin drug that comes with dangerous side effects, try these six measures instead:

    1. Stop smoking. Smoking hardens the arteries and increase inflammation. But research shows you can reverse all the damaging effects to your arteries within 10 years of quitting.
    2. Exercise  daily :  Exercise  keep you fit,  mobile  & improve  immune system.
    3. Think olive oil, fish, and nuts. People who stick with a Mediterranean-style diet based on fruits, vegetables, nuts, and olive oil can lower their levels of inflammation. It works by increasing the amount of foods you eat that are rich in omega-3 fats, which fight inflammation.
    4. Get active. Exercise a great way to lower inflammation without any of the side effects associated with medications.
    5. Shrink your waist size. If you’re a woman with a waist measurement of over 35 inches or a man with a waist of over 40 inches, you probably have high inflammation. Whittling a few inches off the waist by reducing your portions and increasing activity can go a long way toward solving that problem.
    6. Get enough sleep. A new study shows that elderly people with high blood pressure who sleep less than 7.5 hours a night have dramatically elevated chances of having a stroke or heart attack. Other research has shown that both too little and too much sleep increases inflammation. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says most adults need between seven and eight hours of sleep each night.
    7. Reduce stress. High levels of stress hormones can lead to the release of excess inflammatory chemicals.
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How to Avoid Infections at the Gym

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gym, workoutHigh school, college, and pro athletes in sports including wrestling and baseball have come down with staph infections in recent years, in some cases MRSA, the potentially deadly strain that is immune to antibiotics. It’s not always clear where these and other infections originate, but athletes are at risk because they tend to get nicks and cuts, and also to share equipment and towels.

However, you can take some common-sense steps to protect yourself at the gym:

• Make sure the equipment is clean. Gyms are supposed to regularly clean off the equipment, but you should take your own precautions.

• Sharing is not always best. Don’t use someone else’s towel. In some cases, you may also get more peace of mind by purchasing your own basic equipment, like yoga mats.

• Shower right after you exercise. Don’t wait around in your sweaty clothes if you’ve been using common equipment or participating in a contact sport. Don’t use a communal bar of soap, either.

• Wear flip-flops or shower shoes when showering. While staph gets the headlines, athlete’s foot is still a pain. Protect yourself by keeping your feet off the communal shower floor.

• Think twice about the sauna or the whirlpool if you have a cut, scrape, or bad bruise. A couple of microbes thrive in hot water. If you do use a hot tub, shower afterwards.

Don’t ignore symptoms. Whether or not you’ve worked out lately, pay attention to a scratch, bruise, or cut that becomes red, hot, or tender.

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Five Ways to Keep Bisphenol A (BPA) Out of Your Food

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With new studies linking bisphenol A, a chemical found in the linings of food and beverage cans, to diabetes and heart disease, you may be wondering what you can do to minimize your exposure. Here are some good rules of thumb for reducing your intake of BPA:

1. Buy your tomato sauce in glass jars

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Canned tomato sauce is likely to have higher levels of BPA, because the high acidity of the tomatoes causes more of the chemical to leach from the lining of the can.

 

2. Consume fresh fruits and vegetables instead of canned

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In addition to their BPA-free benefit, fresh produce usually has more nutrients, which often get lost in the process of canning.

3. Purchase beverages in plastic or glass bottles

Canned soda and juice often contain some BPA.

4. Use powdered infant formula instead of ready-to-serve liquid

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An assessment from the Environmental Working Group found that liquid formulas contain more BPA than powdered brands.

5. Think in terms of moderation

Follow a sensible approach, eating less of those foods that are higher in BPA………..

Sources:
U.S. News & World Report September 17, 2008
Journal of the American Medical Association September 16, 2008; 300(11):1353-5
Journal of the American Medical Association September 16, 2008; 300(11):1303-10

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