Family Health & Fitness

Spring Into Fitness

2011-04-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

Spring is a great season to get back into the swing of health and fitness. It's time to get out the house and enjoy the warmer weather and longer days. Spring is the start of America's favorite game otherwise known as baseball. Tee ball, baseball, and softball are great sports to learn and play. They all teach teamwork, cooperation, and sportsmanship. The Stamford Youth Foundation also provides some other great quality sports programs for youth. For more information please view www.stamfordyouth.org

March Is National Nutrition Month

2011-03-02T08:13:00.000-08:00

The National Nutrition Month is a nutrition education campaign sponsored annually by the American Dietetic Association and its Foundation. Healthy eating and routine exercise are needed all year round. But many of us need a friendly reminder to get ourselves back on track. Be kind to your body and reacquaint yourself with healthy eating habits and fitness. Replace your unhealthy habits with smart health choices for a healthier body. It's important to understand the different food groups when it comes to nutrition. The food groups consist of Grains, Vegetables, Fruits, Dairy, and Protein Foods. For more information on Foods Groups and the Food Guide Pyramid visit mypyramid.gov

When you eat healthy and are fit you improve your mood, reduce stress, and increase your energy. It helps reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other health risks. It also improves your physical strength and endurance to do the thing you want to do. And helps you look and feel your best.

Exercise During The Winter Season

2011-01-25T19:58:00.000-08:00

Winter can be a tough season for kids to stay active but it's no reason for them to stay away from play. Some great traditional forms of exercise such as jumping jacks, curl-ups, and push-up are great. Children can also use hula hoops, jump ropes, juggling, or dribbling a ball. They can also participate along to kids fitness DVDs or Videos. The Wii game system also has some great interactive games that involve sport movement concepts. And just because it's cold out doesn't mean kids can't play outside as long as they are dressed appropriately. Skiing, sledding, snow boarding, ice skating, are great forms of exercise with proper lessons and supervision. Remember just because it's cold outside doesn't mean to stop playing and exercising. Have a fun playful and safe winter season!

Connecticut Physical Fitness Assessment 4th Graders

2010-09-15T11:31:00.000-07:00

Physical fitness is an important component of Connecticut's overall educational program goals. All 4th, 6th, 8th and 10th graders in the state take the assessment. The Connecticut Physical Fitness Assessment (CPFA) is evidence of a commitment to the physical development of Connecticut's students, as well as a commitment to focusing on outcomes and specific performance objectives. Physical fitness should be a result of the balance of activities that are provided in the physical education programs at school and continued by the family and in other community activities. This assessment is not the focus of the entire physical education curriculum or program. The assessment is part of the ongoing process of helping children understand and improve and/or maintain their physical health and well-being.

The CPFA consists of four components:

Flexibility Test: Modified Sit and Reach — this test measures flexibility of the lower back and hamstrings, the objective is to reach a specified distance on the right and left sides. The lowest scoring leg will count as the overall score.

Abdominal Strength and Endurance Test: Partial Curl-up — the objective of this test is to complete as many partial curl-ups as possible at a rhythmic pace.

Upper Body Strength and Endurance Test: Right Angle Push-up — the objective of this test is to complete as many right angle push-ups as possible at a rhythmic pace.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Test: One-Mile Run/Walk — the objective of the test is to measure cardiorespiratory or aerobic endurance.

There are two standards for the CPFA:

The 'Health' Standard — by completing a test at the "health standard" or above, is considered by the State of Connecticut to be physically fit for that category.Health Level for each task is considered to be a challenging, yet attainable, standard for most students

The 'Challenge' Standard — recognizes exceptional physical fitness in a specific area.

TRX Fitness Anywhere

2010-08-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

TRX is a fitness brand, representing the fitness approach called suspension training. This type of training uses a system of ropes and webbing called a "suspension trainer" to allow the user to work against their own body weight. Suspension Training is a registered trade and service mark of Fitness Anywhere, Inc. Randy Hetrick, a former Navy Seal and Stanford MBA graduate, developed TRX equipment and the associated Suspension Training bodyweight exercises in the 1990's.

Suspension training develops core body strength, as well as joint and muscular stability. The TRX is being used by top collegiate and professional athletes. Super Bowl champion quarterback of the New Orleans Saints Drew Brees uses the trx for his training and dozens of other professional athletes as well.

Handling Halloween Treats

2009-10-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some tips for handling the Halloween treats:

Know how much candy your child has collected and store it somewhere other than the child's room. Having it so handy can be an irresistible temptation for many kids.
Consider being somewhat lenient about candy eating on Halloween, within reason, and talk about how the rest of the candy will be handled. Candy and snacks shouldn't get in the way of kids eating healthy meals.

If a child is overweight or you'd just like to reduce the Halloween stash consider buying back some or all of the remaining Halloween candy. This acknowledges the candy belongs to the child and provides a treat in the form of a little spending money.

Be a role model by eating Halloween candy in moderation yourself. To help avoid temptation, buy your candy at the last minute and get rid of any leftovers.

Encourage your child to be mindful of the amount of candy and snacks eaten and to stop before feeling full or sick.
You also can offer some alternatives to candy to the trick or treaters who come to your door. Here are some treats to think about giving out:

Non-food treats, like stickers, toys, temporary tattoos, false teeth, little bottles of bubbles and small games, like tiny decks of cards (party-supply stores can be great sources for these)
Snacks such as small bags of pretzels, sugar-free gum, trail mix, small boxes of raisins, and popcorn
Sugar-free candy
Small boxes of cereal
Steer clear of any snacks or toys like small plastic objects that could pose choking hazards to very young children.

And remember that Halloween, like other holidays, is a single day on the calendar. If your family eats sensibly during the rest of the year, it will have a more lasting impact than a few days of overindulgence.

What is Asthma?

2009-09-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

Asthma is a lung condition that causes a person to have difficulty breathing. Asthma is a common condition. More than 6 million kids and teens have it. Asthma affects a person's bronchial tubes also known as airways. When a person breathes normally, air is taken in through the nose or mouth and then goes into the trachea, passing through the bronchial tubes, into the lungs, and finally back out again. But people with asthma have airways that are inflamed. This means that they swell and produce lots of thick mucus. They are also overly sensitive, or hyperreactive, to certain things, like exercise, dust, or cigarette smoke. This hyperreactivity causes the smooth muscle that surrounds the airways to tighten up. The combination of airway inflammation and muscle tightening narrows the airways and makes it difficult for air to move through.

In most people with asthma, the difficulty breathing happens periodically. When it does happen, it is known as an asthma flare-up also known as an asthma attack, flare, episode, or exacerbation.

Many people with asthma are diagnosed with the condition when they're kids, but some don't find out that they have it until their teen years or even later. In diagnosing asthma, a doctor will ask about any concerns and symptoms you have, your past health, your family's health, any medications you're taking, any allergies you may have, and other issues. This is called the medical history.

Asthma is treated in two ways: by avoiding potential triggers and with medication.

The Kids' Fan Philosophy: 5-2-1-0

2009-08-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

The Kids' Fan Philoshophy:

The Kids' Fitness and Nutrition Services is a community collaborative designed to promote smart eating, physical activity and a healthy weight among children. Stamford hospital and the Stamford Youth Foundation are working in partnership with the schools and community centers to encourage enjoyable fitness programs and good nutrition. Kids' Fans also works in collaboration with primary-care pediatric offices and family medicine and pediatric clinics and is teaming up with the Stamford Public Schools' Joint Task Force for Nutrition. Building a healthier family requires makings changes in nutrition and physical activity that can be both fun and enjoyable. As parents, you make a a hug difference in what your child thinks and does since your child really does look up to you as role models. As a family, it can be fun to begin making healthy choices and getting phyiscally active together.

Kids' Fans endorses the preventive health message of 5-2-1-0: For each day, 5 Fruits and vegetables, 2 hours or less of screen time, 1 hour or more of physical activity, and 0 to almost no sugar-sweetened beverages.

Safety Tips for Summer Break

2009-06-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Summer is a time for outdoor fun. It also is a time for potential health risks, including sunburn, insect bites, injuries and seasonal illnesses.

A recent survey revealed that one in four parents are extremely or very concerned about their young teen’s health during the summer break. In addition, ninety-two percent of parents plan to maintain open communication with their children to ensure that they have a safe summer. The following tips address these concerns for an active, healthy and happy summer break.

Thirty-five percent of parents cite heat exhaustion as their top summer health concern and 75 percent will insist that their young teen wear sunscreen. Warm weather means more time for outdoor activities. Protect your young teen from sunburn which can contribute to skin cancer and damage in the future.

What you can do to minimize the risk:

Limit sun exposure when possible, particularly during peak hours of 10 AM to 4 PM.
When your child is going to be in the sun, provide a water-resistant or waterproof sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher to be applied liberally, uniformly and thickly to all exposed skin surfaces. - Don’t forget to protect lips, ears and toes!
Remind your young teen to apply sunscreen and lip protection 30 minutes to two hours prior to sun exposure, depending on the product’s instructions, and to reapply every one to two hours and after swimming or heavy perspiration.
Pay attention to expiration dates and discard outdated sunscreens.
Encourage your child to wear light-weight, light colored, loose-fitting clothing and a hat, particularly on hot and humid days.
Provide a portable, durable water bottle or sports beverage. Remind your child to drink before feeling thirsty and throughout the day.

Childhood Obesity

2009-05-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

Childhood obesity remains a big public health concern. Currently, 66 million Americans are overweight or obese. Over the past three decades, obesity rates have nearly tripled for children ages 2 to 5 (from 5 percent to 14 percent), more than tripled for youth ages 12 to 19 (from 5 percent to 17 percent), and more than quadrupled for children ages 6 to 11 (from 4 percent to 19 percent). Currently, approximately 12 million children and adolescents are obese, and almost 30 percent do not exercise three or more days per week.

Being overweight puts children and teenagers at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes, risk factors for heart disease at an earlier age, and other health conditions including asthma, sleep apnea, and psychosocial effects such as decreased self-esteem. In one large study, 61 percent of overweight 5- to 10-year-olds already had at least one risk factor for heart disease, and 26 percent had two or more risk factors for the disease. There is a 70 percent chance that an overweight adolescent will be overweight or obese as an adult. By adulthood, obesity-associated chronic diseases – heart disease, some cancers, stroke, diabetes – are the first, second, third, and sixth leading U.S. causes of death.

Strength Endurance *Flexibility

2009-04-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

There are three fitness components children need to develop to stay at a healthly fitness level. The three components are Strength, Endurance, and Flexibility. A perfect place to work on these three components are a school playground with other children. Parents should encourage their kids to do a variety of activities so that they can work on all three elements.
Endurance is developed when kids regularly engage in aerobic activity. During aerobic exercise, the heart beats faster and a person breathes harder. When done regularly and for continuous periods of time, aerobic activity strengthens the heart and improves the body's ability to deliver oxygen to all its cells.

Fitness Factors

2009-03-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

There is alot of dicussion these days about fit kids. Being fit is way of saying a person eats well, is at a healthy weight, and gets the proper amount of physical activity. It you are fit you will feel good, your body will work well, and you will be able to do all of the activities you like. Of course there are some important factors that can help you achieve your goal of being fit. The first factor is eating a healthy balance of foods is important. If your wondering what kind of foods should be in your daily diet you can check http://www.pyramid.gov/ this will help. The second factor is drinking the proper amount of water and milk is important. There's a reason your school cafeteria offers cartons of milk. Kids need calcium to grow strong bones, and milk is a great source of this mineral.
Other important factors are to cut your daily television/computer time to 2 hours or less. Participate in at 30 mins of Moderate Physical Activity 3-5 times a week.
Listen to your body. When you're eating, notice how your body feels and when your stomach feels comfortably full. Sometimes, people eat too much because they don't notice when they need to stop eating.

Interactive Video Games vs.The Real Thing

2009-02-12T19:16:00.000-08:00

Many kids love interactive video games that involve movement, such as Dance Dance Revolution and Nintendo Wii sporting games. Kids who don't already have them really want them. But can these games help kids lose weight and get fit? How do they compare with real sports? New generations of active computer games stimulate greater energy expenditure than sedentary games, but they are no substitute for playing real sports. One study showed kids who played an interactive boxing game for an hour used 175 calories. But if they participated in a real boxing program, they burned more than twice that amount, 384 calories, in an hour. Interactive bowling used 168 calories in an hour, while bowling at the bowling alley used 192 calories per hour. So there is a difference.