Good news!!

Want your child to be smarter?  Get them moving!!  A recent study found that kids who were better at utilizing the oxygen they breathe (THE measure of fitness), had better developed parts of the brain that control memory and spacial relations (the hippocampus) -- 12% larger than unfit children.

Perhaps we are cutting funding to physical education classes prematurely.  Perhaps we should think about how much time kids get in front of the TV.  Perhaps they should be outside running around -- building up their fitness levels so they can grow the brains they need to do well in life.

Thought for the Day....

As a people, we have become obsessed with Health. There is something fundamentally, radically unhealthy about all this. We do not seem to be seeking more exuberance in living as much as staving off failure, putting off dying. We have lost all confidence in the human body. ~Lewis Thomas, The Medusa and the Snail, 1979


Live your life exuberantly today!  Carpe Diem!!

Sports drinks do not mean health drinks

Okay, this is a pretty big no brainer if you take time to think about it.  There has been a ton of research recently about perceptions of food based on the context it is presented to the consumer.  (Think "anything at Subway must be healthy because Jerod lost a bunch of weight and it's slogan is "Eat Fresh") -- so not necessarily true!

This next study talks about sugar-sweetened sports drinks, who's drinking them, and how much they are drinking.  Many times, kids are presented with these drinks as "Healthy Options" to soda because they are related to sport -- again, not necessarily true. 

Sports drinks do have large value in certain situations -- those who have lost salt and water (whether athlete or senior citizen) can benefit from the replacement factor sports drinks offer.  But if the kids are just drinking them instead of water when their shleppin' around school, then need to know it's the wrong tool for the job.

Tight Blood Pressure Control

I always find it interesting when a study comes out saying that there isn't a real difference between tight regulation (though pharmacological means) and improved long-term outcomes of the disease the tighter control is meant to help.

This study is a case in point.  It looks at the incidence of adverse cardiovascular outcomes during the follow up period.  It determines that those with BP kept under 130 mm Hg systolic pressure did not decrease their chances of dying in the follow-up period more than those with a BP kept between the 140-130 mm Hg level.

Usually, the extra control comes from adding another BP medication.  But my question has always been, is that extra med doing any good?  And, is that extra med doing more harm, since it is another non-food item the body has to metabolize and get out of the system.

I am not advocating you go off your BP meds right now -- but I think it at least bears some thought and perhaps some thoughtful discussion with your health care provider.  Like so many other things -- sometimes more is not better...it is just more.

Is more communication better?

I have been reading (a lot) lately about the web and how it increases connectedness and communication between individuals -- with the result of becoming more productive and inspired.  That idea excites me!  I want to be more productive and inspired!!

Here is a downside (and an important one at that) from a new study out of  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute about increased communication:  If there are delays in feedback -- the longer the delays between nodes (people or groups communicating), the faster the overall coordination of the group will deteriorate -- all the way down to zero.

And another important thing to note, the study authors say:

..."But, after a point, you also need to know when to "shut up," Korniss explained. After a certain period of poor communication, he said, no matter how fast or accurate you attempt to make your future communication, all communication is counterproductive."

For more information click here and here.

Back pain?

Back pain is a huge source of lost work days in the US and sufferers are getting younger and younger.  Several physical therapist I know that specialize in the spine say they are seeing 16 and 17 year olds' with backs more like 50 and 60 year olds' due to sitting and playing videos games so much.

I'm preachin' to the choir when I tell you that if you are suffering back pain -- exercise is the last thing you want to do.  However -- it just may be the key for pain reduction according to a study from the University of Alberta.

Those who exercised 4 days per week had  28 per cent less pain and 36 per cent less disability but those working out 2-3 days didn't have those same significant results. 

So don't let your pain slow you down -- the slow down might just keep you in more pain!

Do you want to be part of the solution ???

Jamie Oliver has thrown out a challenge to the world -- How can we engage our kids to like/LOVE fresh, real, whole foods -----




Do you have a great idea?  Do you need some good ideas for your own home?  Help the world or let the world help you....click here!