Strollerderby : exercise

Working In Fitness

Amy Kuras — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:31:00 GMT

We all know that exercise is the magic bullet for so many maladies that plague the modern parent: stress, sleep deprivation, lack of stamina to keep up with these constantly moving little maniacs (okay, maybe that’s just me), but finding a way to stay active along with the 19 million other things you need to get done in a day can be difficult. And while kid chasing certainly keeps you going, it doesn’t really count as the 30 minutes of moderate exercise we’re supposed to get on most days.

Gaiam (the people who bring us those yummy Rodney Yee yoga videos as well as the best Pilates ones I have ever tried) offers up some interesting tips on their blog. What makes this different from the bajillion other pieces of advice out there is that it actually breaks it down by age instead of just giving vague advice like “Babies love sit-ups!”

For example, it suggests dancing with babies and toddlers (mine love this). If you’ve got school-age kids, they recommend keeping comfy clothes and shoes in your car so you can squeeze in a quick walk while you wait for a sports practice or lesson to be over. Such a no-brainer but not something I would have thought of (and quite honestly I am more likely to use the time to read or make a phone call, but I like the idea anyway!).

The only thing that’s allowed us to get regular workouts in, though, is free drop-in childcare at our local Y. They get to play with other kids, I get a break and we get some sweaty exercise in all at once.

Do Your Kids Walk To School?

Brett Singer — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:10:00 GMT

You know the old joke about how your parents walked to school. Up hill. Both ways. In a snowstorm. (Even in summer.) While being chased by a tiger. A really hungry tiger. (I added the part about the tiger.)

Well, with child obesity rates on the rise, maybe it's time to pull that old chestnut out of mothballs.

What prompted all this? Well, April 8 is National Start! Walking Day, sponsored by the American Heart Association. (Oh, don't pretend like you didn't already know.)

Over at SuperEco, Frank Paynter says that while many of us old folks used to walk to school, our children are catching a ride. Frank points to an article on Yahoo! Green by Jeff Yeager that says only 30 percent of today's rug rats stroll their way to the hallowed halls of learning.

Frank wonders when the move from bikes to the minivan began: "Some people cite safety concerns, but the chance that a child will be injured in a car accident are astronomically higher than that he will encounter evil doers out to sell him into child slavery on a chocolate plantation or something." He's probably right, at least statistically. But parental fear is a very real thing, whether reasonable or not. There are plenty of things I did as a young'un that I have trouble letting my kid do, like go to corner store. Part of that is where we live (New York City), but part of it is simply that societal attitudes have changed.

As for walking to school, sometimes it simply isn't realistic. For example, I lived in the Bronx and went to school in Manhattan. Taking the subway (2 of them) took about an hour. Walking was not going to happen. My son is too young to walk, and we also live a little bit too far away from his school. So it’s a good idea, and I like talking about it, but he's going to have to get his exercise some other way.

Since The American Heart Association was kind enough to set the Start! Walking Day start date in the spring, I may join in. Not my son -- he takes the bus. But I'll start walking when I go to pick him up. Frankly, I need the exercise more than he does. At least he gets recess.

So let me ask you folks -- do your children walk to school? Did you?

Image/Source: SuperEco

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School Kids Get Exercise Balls Instead of Chairs

JeanneSager — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:30:00 GMT

Your kid could be getting an education - and a core workout - all at once.

Teachers at schools around the country have opted to pull chairs out of their classrooms in favor of workout balls – those giant rubber blobs that are the bane of out-of-shape mothers everywhere. Turns out, they're keeping kids focused - and not just on keeping their butts centered.

In a study published last month in the Chronicle of Kinesiology and Physical Education in Higher Education, a college professor who switched out chairs for workout balls says the balls improved students' focus and their attention. For young kids who need to get the wiggles out, the balls give them a chance to bounce their behinds, something your average chair can't.

Of course there are drawbacks. Critics say without relief for leaning back, kids are putting pressure on their tail bone all day long - and teachers can't well be expected to roam the aisles correcting kids' posture. And posture is a big issue with kids - backpacks on wheels started flying off shelves a few years back when parents got the warning that their kids had "backpack syndrome" from carting packs that were more than ten percent of their body weight.

But teachers aren't currently strolling the aisles telling kids to stop slumping in their seats either (who has time for that?), and I'd dare so most kids have horrible posture in your standard chair. At least with the ball, they develop core muscles which, in turn, strengthen the back. Come to think of it, maybe I need to do this to finally get the aching back left over from the little girl who loosened up my abdominal muscles.

Some schools are asking parents to chip in for the "seats" for their kids. Would you?

Image: MSNBC

Drop and Give Me 3 times 12!

Shannon LC Cate — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:30:00 GMT

Schools across the United States have begun trying a unique method for keeping kids focused on school work and increasing their fitness all at once. Ten-minute movement activities are being incorporated into academic exercises, like jumping rope while shouting out multiplication tables, or marching around a classroom to the rhythm of a poem.

Teachers in the schools trying these new methods say that not only do the exercises help wake kids up in the sluggish post-lunch afternoons, but they boost the attention of kids who struggle with just that. Movement seems to help kids stay on task, who ordinarily have trouble doing so.

While my own common sense detector tells me that this just seems right, doctors like John Ratey, a psychiatrist at Harvard University, can give us details like these:

"[With exercise] you're seeing an increase in neurotransmitters … dopamine and serotonin, norepinephrine. These are hormones related to mood regulation, to attention. And, in general, help the brain be in a better state of equilibrium."

Teachers, meanwhile, say most kids enjoy the movement-oriented lessons, though a few resist. These days, when recess is being cut in schools left and right, slipping a little activity into dull memorization lessons like multiplication tables seems like a fair way to adjust the sit/move balance a bit.

image: npr.org

Dog-Powered Scooter? Bicycle? Tricycle?

Shannon LC Cate — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Ever want to ride your bike and walk your dog at the same time? What if your dog could help you make it up that steep hill? What if your dog could help pull the bike trailer with junior?

This company has the solution for you! Just hook up your dog to the harness and go. You get to steer. You get to decide when to help the dog by peddling and when to let the dog (or, up to 4 dogs) pull you while you rest. It looks a little whacky, but a little fun. I' not a dog-owner, but if I was, I admit, I'd give this one a consideration.

Dog owners, what do you think? Bikers, how about you?

They Say: Mothers Overestimate Kids' Eating Habits, Activity

Amy Kuras — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:31:00 GMT

Think your kid is developing decent eating and exercise habits? Think again, according to a new study published in the journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

A team led by Dr. Hollie Raynor of the department of nutrition at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, surveyed the mothers of 174 children aged two to 12 about diet and activity in their free time. Heights and weights were obtained from the children's medical records.

Comparing what mothers reported to their children’s heights and weights showed that mothers tended to overestimate how well their children were eating and how much they were exercising, and that while mothers said preschool kids did better than elementary age kids, in fact there was not much difference.

Now, I have to say that if only heights and weights are looked at, that seems to be bad data. I know plenty of pudgebucket two-year-olds whose parents are really conscientious about food and TV and outside time (unless they are stuffing them full of McDonald’s and Dora when I am not looking, which I doubt). I know plenty more fat little toddlers who grew into lean, active kids. And conflating weight alone with poor diet is also a mistake – we all know people who are skinny by dint of great genes or by consuming few calories, but all they eat is crap.

Still, it’s fairly troubling that parents tend to think they are doing fine feeding their kids when in fact, they may not be. I’ve recently joined a very popular commercial weight loss program and the biggest key to success is tracking – you write down everything you eat and drink. Do that for a few days and lo and behold you realize why you ended up needing a weight loss program in the first place, and it keeps you on track and away from overeating. Maybe doing the same for our kids would not be the worst idea?

Babble Podcast for January 12, 2009

Brett Singer — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:24:00 GMT

Here is the eighth Babble Podcast.

You can either listen right here

or download the MP3 file by clicking here.

On today's episode:

1. Quick news update:
- Barack Obama is a celebrity? How about Bristol Palin?
- Al Franken won – maybe.
- The Jets didn’t make the playoffs, which is worse than the Giants losing to the Eagles. Not much worse. But worse.
2. The Week in Blog
- A six-year-old driving to school alone, extra nipples, and Jett Travolta.
3. Comment of the Week
- Nobody ever claps for parents. Today, we fix that.
4. The Last Word
- The Wii Fit lets me work out in my living room, away from the freaks at the gym.

Notes on this podcast:

Songs parodied:
- The Knack, My Sharona

Songs mangled:
- Led Zeppelin, Immigrant Song

Posts mentioned:

Parents Wait a Decade to Report Missing Child

Six-Year-Old Drives Himself to School After Missing Bus

Mom-to-Be Has Two Vaginas, Two Uteruses

Tripp Palin's Name Explained

Extra Nipples, Anyone?

Yup, This is a Fairy Door

Sasha Obama Brought Something Ugly To School

Update: John Travolta Son's Death Details & Statements

John Travolta's Son Dies

Funeral For Jett Travolta In Ocala

Stuff You Never Thought You'd Say -- Winter Edition

UPDATE: Kid Kissing A Pig - The Musical

Should Homeschooling Parents Be Certified?

Mom Saves Kids From Sinking SUV

More News About Missing Child Adam Herrman

Past Podcasts:

Babble Podcast for December 15, 2008

Babble Podcast for December 8, 2008

Babble Podcast for November 24, 2008

Babble Podcast for November 17, 2008

Study Finds Girls "Prefer Chatting" to Being Physically Active

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:00:00 GMT

New research has found that women of all ages are less active than men. Observing schoolchildren at play, researchers have concluded that girls would rather socialize than play sports.

While I don't doubt the study’s findings that men are more physically active than women, I have some reservations about the explanation that girls simply like to sit around chatting, while boys like to run around and get dirty.

Until I graduated high school, I considered myself the least athletic person I knew. It was a big joke among my friends that any activity requiring physical exertion was off bounds for me. But once I realized that being active did not have to mean doing Indian sprints at Varsity field hockey practice, I became very athletic. I now bike everywhere, do yoga, dance, hike, surf, and run.

I certainly didn’t shun sports because I “prefer to chat.” But a casual observer could easily have drawn this conclusion from watching me on the sidelines during gym class, laughing with a girlfriend instead of trying to get in on the athletic action. The truth is, I was too intimidated to participate in traditional team sports, since I seem to have inherited a gene which makes me physically incapable of throwing and catching a ball. Even the sports that I did enjoy—gymnastics and track—were unappealing to me because I had no interest in competing. I just wanted to move around and have fun.

Perhaps it’s not girls’ natural inclinations that make them less active than their male counterparts, but rather the way sports are taught in school.

Photo: The Telegraph

NY Proposes Taxing Non-Diet Soda

Miriam Axel-Lute — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:00:00 GMT

OK Gov. Paterson: I know you've got a wicked budget hole, and we all have to "share the pain." I also know that this country has a severe health crisis with escalating rates of diabetes, heart disease, etc. and that soda and related sugar-water drinks (or, more specifically, high-fructose-corn-syrup drinks) are bad for us and our kids.

But can we work through a few of the logical problems with your proposed "obesity tax" here?

1. It only applies to "nondiet" sodas (and fake juice drinks), thereby giving the implicit healthy stamp of approval to "diet" drinks full of artificial sweeteners, which cause many people a wide range of health problems, from dizziness to migraines, while to others they just taste gross. They also interfere with efforts to adjust to a healthier, lower-sugar diet. Not to mention that carbonated diet sodas still are acidic enough to eat away at kids teeth and still don't hydrate like water or provide nutrients like milk. Remember also that soda—diet and nondiet—is also a major source of people's caffeine fixes (and young kids having caffeine worries me more than their having sugar, frankly).

Basically, this just shows the folly of trying to decide on high what's healthy for people: it varies. I have some extremely health-conscious friends whose son is super allergic to tons of things—so right now he's eating a lot of Fritos (all corn, no cross-contamination). If you tried to tax "junk food," for example, you'd be hitting them hard.

2. Like any sales tax, this going to fall most heavily on the poor, who buy a lot of soda often because it's what's sold at the corner store. Study after study has shown that living in a "food desert" is a primary cause of unhealthy eating choices. Without changing that, adding a tax is like raising the gas tax without investing in public transportaiton. (If the tax is high enough to make bodega owners stock healthier drinks instead, we might see some benefit, but I'm skeptical.)

3. Recent studies have shown that it's possible to be both fat and fit. You say you don't want to make kids feel bad for being overweight. So don't. Instead encourage the good stuff, which is what will really make the difference: access to healthy food and drink, enough sleep, and exercise (recess! later school start times! healthy foods in schools! walking and biking to school!). I know that won't balance the budget. I'm sorry.

Photo by Qfamily.

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Do Kids Really Need Tread Mills?

Shannon LC Cate — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 20:30:00 GMT

The new focus in our culture on childhood obesity has led to some interesting shifts in childhood itself, the most recent of which is club memberships for kids. The Chicago Tribune reports that:

"Fitness club memberships for youths age 6 to 17 have more than doubled in the past two decades, rising from 1.3 million in 1987 to 3.9 million in 2007. More than 1.3 million of those memberships were for children 6 to 11, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association."

One might think new concerns about sedentary kids would hurt the video game industry. Not so! They are on the edge of the professional kid fitness trend themselves, with products like Wii Fit, Nintendo's interactive exercise program and Gamercize, that makes video games work only when the player is moving.

The Tribune suggests that:

"Outdoor games such as hopscotch and tag that kept Baby Boomers fit when they were kids have largely fallen by the wayside. With busy family schedules and concerns about neighborhood safety weighing on parents' minds, many youths are more likely to play video games inside than ride a bike outside."

But I'm not 100% convinced. At $69-$125 per month for membership to a youth gym, I have to wonder how many parents can afford to budget the expense these days when there are perfectly good, free and reasonably safe playgrounds in most neighborhoods (certainly in neighborhoods in which residents can afford to contemplate kiddie gym memberships). I also have a hard time reconciling this "trend" with what we are told is another trend in bike-riding in times of expensive gasoline and concern about global warming.

What do you think? Does your kid go to a youth health club? Would you consider such a membership for a young child? What other (better?) ways do you get your kids moving?

When Times Call for Frugality...What Goes?

Do You Think Your Spouse Is Too Fat?

Amy S.F. Lutz — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:04:00 GMT

My husband calls it the old bait-and-switch: a man and a woman in the dating stage of their relationship diet and exercise like crazy to keep themselves in prime physical condition - then, once the honeymoon is over, one or both gain 20 pounds. It's not by any means an intentional misrepresentation - as we all know, once kids come along, and household chores multiply, everyone has less time to go to the gym.

Still, that doesn't mean you should just ignore it if you feel your spouse has put on too much weight, or tell yourself all that matters is how beautiful he or she is on the inside. Not only can those extra pounds affect your beloved's health, but your relationship will suffer if you find him or her less attractive. So, how should you broach what is obviously a loaded topic?

First, according to a great MSNBC article on the subject, don't be critical. Nagging your spouse or snatching the cookie right out of his or her hand is, obviously, not likely to inspire him or her to slim down. Instead, a loving, supportive attitude is much more likely to succeed. Help keep your spouse motivated by watching the kids for an hour so he or she can work out, praising both the effort and the results, and stocking the refrigerator with healthy snacks.

And, needless to say, you lose your cred if you yourself aren't working to keep yourself just as hot as you were the day you met. So, think about finding a sport you can do together, like biking, running or tennis - there are plenty of ways to have fun and burn calories at the same time.

12 Pregnancy Myths

Cole Gamble — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Odds are anyone reading this has been pregnant, is pregnant or has pregnancy in mind (Okay, some of you are dudes, whatever). The point is, have you ever wondered how much you know about pregnancy? Like almost anything, pregnancy is surrounded by urban legends and myths that have us believing some seriously goofy stuff. Heard the one about how pregnant ladies are not to touch cats? Yeah, that’s the stuff we’re talking about. Read on to see what other stuff you may be wrong about.

If you are pregnant, you should avoid sleeping on your back.

Only under certain circumstances, a prolonged pregnancy for example, is this necessary. But if you want to sleep on side to prevent your husband from creeping on your newly voluptuous body in the middle of the night, that’s your business.

Pregnant women shouldn’t touch cats

Both times my wife was pregnant she made me the sole servicer of anything cat-oriented, namely cleaning the cat box (a task she somehow swindled me into still doing). And you know what? She was right about that one. Cat litter) or rather what in contained therein) can pass along a bacteria called toxoplasmosis, a parasite that can cause serious infections in humans and deformities in the developing fetus. However, there is no prohibition from a pregnant woman petting a cat or having a cat on her lap. Just keep pappy on poop patrol.

If you’d like more, check out the rest of the list here…

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Pregnant Women Compete in Marathon

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:50:00 GMT

Meet the Speed Bumps: a relay team of five women who are planning to beat the pants of off their competition in Ohio’s Road Runner Akron Marathon.

The only difference between this team and their 10,000 or so competitors is that the Speed Bumps will all be running for two. All five women are in or nearing their third trimester, with Kimberly Bucey (pictured) the farthest along at eight months.

All of the women got the OK from their doctors before agreeing to compete, but some of their husbands are nervous nonetheless. Naturally, the key to healthy exercise during pregnancy is to listen to your body’s cues (for instance, if you can’t catch your breath, your baby may not be getting enough oxygen), and this may be harder to do when you’re competing.

But the Speed Bumps are marathon buffs who are thrilled to be able to keep running during their pregnancies, and are confident they can do so in a healthy manner. “It’s great to keep running because it’s great to stay in shape,” said Monica Nowac, one of the Speed Bumps. “And it’s great to spread the word about staying in shape while you’re pregnant. To think anything else is simply archaic at this point.”

What do you think? Is "spreading the word" about exercise during pregnancy a laudable goal, or are those nine months when staying in shape should be the last thing you're worried about?

Photo: Ohio.com

They Say: One Kid, One Sport ... No Good

Madeline Holler — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 13:29:00 GMT

Think you're solving all your kids potential health problems by getting her interested in a sport early on? Well, maybe not.

Sure, experts say the enthusiasm for exercise and just getting out there and moving around is great. But the injuries ... oooooh, the injuries!

It turns out, singular focus on one sport increases the likelihood of repeated stress on specific bones, ligaments and muscles in the body, making the player more vulnerable to serious injury at a very young age.

From the NY Times:

Growing bones can’t handle the same stresses as mature bones. When a child specializes in one sport early in life, certain body parts — the arm of a Little League pitcher, the spine of a gymnast — are subjected to repetitive stress and overuse. Especially among young soccer players, there has been an alarming rise in injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament, the main ligament that stabilizes the knee joint — a particular concern because repair involves drilling into a growth plate, an area of developing tissue at the end of the leg bone.

Lots of coaches say not to worry, that these serious injuries are seen in only the few number of kids who are already at the top and practicing six to seven hours a day in a single sport. Gymnastics coaches in particular are facing criticism. A new study in Pediatrics shows an alarming number of serious injuries in that sport.

So experts recommend that kids take a break from serious training for sports, allowing one to two days between practices and also taking off several months each year from the sport all together so that the kids can exercise other muscle groups.

Yes, but moderation doesn't get the gold, right?

Photo: Time

5 Exercises To Tackle the "Mom-Flap" Challenge

Kelly Mills — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:02:00 GMT

You know of this mom-flap? A.k.a. the spare tire, the c-section remnant roll, the muffin top. Crabmommy, who coined the term, is tired of hers and she has issued a challenge. Five minutes of abdominal exercises daily to banish the flap for good. She put out a call to her readers, and is now on week two, but not especially happy with how it's all going. And this is where a sister wants to help a sister out.

Yeah, I'm a fitness dork and a personal trainer, so I figured it'd be good to share some evil moves and a little strategy towards her goal. But first, I really, really have to emphasize something, even though it already came up in the comments thread.

You can't spot tone. Well, actually you can, but no one will see the fruits of your hard work if there is a layer of fat over the newly strengthened muscles. And the way to get rid of fat? There's a few, but most involve a combination of cardio exercise (running, biking, swimming, etc.) and nutritional choices. Oh, and for many of us, walking 20 minutes a day is not going to be sufficient for our goals. See, many of us hold fat in our hips and thighs, and many of us hold it around our middle, and wherever you hold it, it'll be the first fat to come back and the last to go. Sorry. Life's a bitch.

But that doesn't mean you should neglect the ab set, cuz stronger abs help your cardio and your whole damn life. It's your core strength. baby. So here's five minutes of hard core. And one more thing: Since lots of us don't get the aesthetic results we want, especially in the time frame we'd like, I am a big fan of setting stuff up so you also get to see your strength progress. It's positive feedback, and I sure need it.

Sooo, I'd do these exercises for time. See how many reps you can do, and try and shoot for more reps each week, or increase your time. Oh, and ask your doctor first, and never even think of suing me because I have NO money. And if you have diastasis recti (and you probably know it because you'll see a ridge or feel a separation between your abs) then really, go for a specialized program.

1. Do 30 seconds of full sit ups. If you can't do any, try having someone hold your feet. Work up to doing them with no one holding your feet. You can also use a weighted ball and bring your arms overhead while you lay flat, then use the momentum to help you get up. I know sit ups aren't in vogue, but hey, do the Pilates version if you can then. I still like them because you can crank them out fast, elevate your heart rate, and have lots of variations (while holding weight, slow, fast, legs flat, decline, and so on.)

2. Do 30 seconds of bicycle crunches. Bring your knee to your opposite elbow while you extend the other leg; then switch in a cycling motion. You should feel it in your obliques. It should be hard, and as fast as you'd go if you were actually cycling. Make it hurt. Yeah.

3. Do 30 seconds of straight leg lifts. Lay flat, and put your hands, palms down, under your back where your booty starts to support your back. Keeping your legs straight, bring them up to a 90 degree angle, then lower them almost to the floor. If this hurts your lower back, try bending your knees and decreasing the range of motion.

Repeat 1, 2, and 3.

4. Do 10 push ups, or as many push ups as you can. From your feet. Yes it is hard at first, and yes, it works your arms, but Crabmommy suggested it and I love the idea because you do have to hold your core tight for these. Consider the 100 push up challenge.

5. Hold plank for one minute. You can do this from the top of the push up position, or from your forearms. Abs tight. Have someone check you to make sure you are flat like a board, and not dipping your hips down or sticking your booty in the air. Add ten seconds every week if you can. Try side plank on alternate days for a super good time.

Extra credit: If you have a pull up bar or are at the park and see some monkey bars handy, hang from the bar and bring your knees up to your chest; then lower your legs sloooowly to avoid swinging and do the next rep without touching the ground in between. Go for 15. 20. Do the side version too. Have fun. This one is great for some folks with bad backs who have trouble with lower ab stuff.

Now go forth and dare people to punch you in the gut.

Marathon Mom runs big race after birthing sextuplets

Brett Singer — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:00:00 GMT

OK, she didn't do it RIGHT after giving birth. But that's about the only thing about this story that doesn't make me feel like a big giant marshmallow.

Jenny Masche, the mother who last year gave birth to sextuplets, recently ran a 26.2 mile race. Yes, in her spare time. She trained after the kids, who are now 1 year olds, turned in for the night. "They’re good sleepers," she told Meredith Vieira on the Today show last week.

And did she enjoy herself? You bet! "The marathon was so fun for me — until I hit 21 miles," Jenny recounted. "Then you hit a wall. You push through and you’re so exhilarated." Oh yeah, I know exactly what you mean. That first 21 miles – just great.

That, in case it's not obvious, is sarcasm at its most sarcastical. If I get to the gym once every two weeks, it's a freakin' miracle. Jenny trained for, and then ran, a marathon. This is in addition to feeding, bathing and changing the diapers (30 per day) of six infants. Her husband helps, of course, and so do the grandparents (Bryan, the proud poppa, also ran the race with her). But, like, yowza. Good for her. This might be the only time in my life when I think it might actually be OK for me to say, "You go girl!" Well, almost.

image: Today Show

Source: ParentDish

They Say: Chill the Heck Out

Adrienne Martini — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Summer is here. Woo. In addition to scorching temps and hourly sunscreen applications, most of us suddenly have more kids underfoot once school lets out. It's enough to bring a mother (or father) down.

While my favorite form of kid-related stress release involves opening the freezer, sticking my head in and screaming very loudly, CNN/Parents magazine have ginned up a list of tips that may be more helpful. Or, at the very least, more socially acceptable.

If all else fails, just remember that fall isn't far behind.

Photo credit: body+soul

Wii Sports No Substitute For The Real Thing

Amy S.F. Lutz — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:35:00 GMT

How many times have your heard Wii owners brag about how sweaty and exerted their kids get wielding their virtual racquets, bats and clubs? Well, if you're one of the skeptical ones, congratulations. Active Healthy Kids Canada recently released their 2008 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, and one of their recommendations was that kids stay away from "exercise" that's focused on video games, such as the Wii.

I can hear the indignant howls of all those Wii owners now. Well, don't worry - you have an advocate in writer Marni Soupcoff, who argues, "What's wrong with working out with your Wii? . . . Let kids get active in the ways that suit them best and that feel most natural."

What's "natural" about pretending to play sports, or spending hours waving your arms in front of a TV? I'll admit that I've never played a Wii, but I do play a lot of real tennis, and my tennis friends report that the movements required to rack up high Wii scores are nothing like real forehands and backhands.

But that's not my real objection to the Wii. Soupcoff goes on to write, "The worst thing we can do for our children is teach them that exercising is a chore that must supersede the pleasurable activities they actually like." That's my objection - the assumption that playing real sports and running around outside is a "chore." All I can say is, it's not hard to make your kids think that playing outside is fun - dare I say, it's "natural" for most kids to love playgrounds. But parents do need to encourage this behavior by playing outside with their kids - by tossing baseballs, running laps, and shooting hoops.

I know that parental influence wanes as kids grow into teenagers, but that doesn't mean I don't have plenty of time to instill in my kids a life-long love of sports. My oldest daughters, age 5 and 7, think that running is the coolest thing because they see me do it all the time. So, for Mother's Day, my husband bought us all matching turquoise and white running outfits. Nothing is more fun - for me or for them - than putting on our coordinated togs and setting out on our 1-mile jog with a cheer of, "We . . . are . . . the . . . RUNNERS!" And I've got to think that my kids will be more likely to adopt a healthy, active lifestyle as adults than they would if they grew up believing that you can get everything you need in life out of a video console.

Weekly Check-Up: Five Ways to Exercise With Kids

Kelly Mills — Thu, 29 May 2008 22:29:00 GMT

With all the news reports about childhood obesity and the sedentary lifestyles of kids, there's usually some plug for getting your kids off the couch and into some form of physical activity. This has not been a problem (so far) at my house, because I have a highly active child. My theory as to why? Exercise is a huge part of our family life. I report this without righteousness because for most of my life, I avoided physical activity, and thought I was a total shlump. It wasn't until after my child was born that I fell in love with fitness. Now here's five ways we work physical activity into our lives.

1. Take the baby out. I started my fitness endeavors in a simple way: My infant cried unless the person holding her was moving. So I was forced from the get-go to put her in a front pack and walk outside. I started opting for hills on my walks, and eventually graduated to running with her in a jogging stroller. Basically her colicky nature helped get me fit.

2. Be your own mode of transportation. When my child went to daycare, I put her in the stroller and ran the two miles to the sitter's house. Then I ran home. For preschool I put her in a bike trailer and rode ten miles to school, then a few more to get to work. Yep, this meant I had to get up extra early, I had to change in the bathroom at my job, and I was kinda sweaty at my desk. You know what? Still worth it, because it made me active.

3. Tag-team. When the kid was old enough to go to the park on weekends, my partner and I would bring her to a park with a track. He'd hang with her for a while so I could do laps, then it would be his turn. When I played with my daughter I'd do sprints--also known as "tag"--and give her piggyback rides and wrestle in the grass. Beats a thighmaster session any day. You can also work this deal out with another parent if your partner isn't on board.

4. Shared sports. My partner enrolled my child in the same martial art he enjoys, and now coaches the kids' class. He reports that coaching can be a good way to participate and improve in an activity yourself. I've also taken classes that met at the same time as some class my kid was enrolled in. It's a good way to share the love of a pursuit. I even bring her to the gym I work at from time to time and we mess around with the "toys" there. We have a pull up bar in our doorway we all use, and she practices on the monkey bars at school too. Her pull ups are way better than mine.

5. Dance party. My personal favorite workout is when the kid and I put on music and do some very graceless and athletic dancing around the living room. After thirty minutes, I'm sweaty. Good times.

Exercise During Adolescence Decreases Breast Cancer Risk

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Researchers have long advised middle-aged women that regular exercise decreases the risk of breast cancer. But now they’ve discovered that being active beginning at age 12 substantially affects breast cancer risk as well. In a survey of 65,000 women aged 24 to 42, those who had regularly exercised as teens and young adults decreases had a 23 percent lower chance of getting pre-menopausal breast cancer than those who'd been inactive.

This is sad news if, like me, your idea of exercise in high school was to walk to 7/11 and buy a loaf of Wonder Bread and a jar of marshmallow Fluff. (And that, folks, is the result of having strict health nuts for parents. Be forewarned.)

If you have daughters between the ages of 12 and 22—the years when regular activity has the greatest affect on pre-menopausal breast cancer risk—you don’t have to go hire them a personal trainer: just encourage them to do at least three hours and 15 minutes of vigorous activity a week, or 13 hours of walking (well, I did go to 7/11 quite a lot). While older women are encouraged to exercise to reduce fat tissue, a main producer of estrogen, the theory behind the benefits of youthful exercise is that physical activity itself lowers estrogen levels. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that once I got seriously into yoga, my boyfriend became much less irritating.

Photo: www.more4kids.info

Strollerderby Playdate: Shape It Up, Maggot

Amy Kuras — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:31:00 GMT

When I grow up, I want to be tough.

Not like a motorcycle riding mama or anything, but a strong, athletic chick who can scoop up my kids and save them from a fire or scary pervo if need be – and hell, avoiding diabetes and heart disease would kind of rock.

Back when I was a young, single slip of a girl, I was a pretty avid exerciser. I ran five days a week and did races and was really pretty buff, at least for someone who is a big fan of carbs and beer and chocolate and whose genes give her the build of her Polish washerwoman ancestors.

Then I got married, and infertility treatment put crazy hormone weight on, and I quit smoking and got cable and had two babies and basically turned into a lardass couch potato. A state of affairs I realized during my last pregnancy would have to change as soon after delivery as I could muster.

Luckily, I have inspiration (and a local Y with child care). There's our own deeply badass Kelly Mills, who writes about health and fitness here and also at her own blog, Fitness Fixation. Kelly's wit and heart are as in shape as the rest of her, so it's worth a read even if your exercise is limited to walking to the fridge.

And there's Doctor Mama, who I came across from infertility blogs, but guess what? She's the inspiration and drill sergeant behind The Maggots, a group of lovelies she's teaching about running.

If they can't help whip me into shape, well, nothing will.

Photo: Fitness Fixation

Weekly Check-Up: Wii Fit Gets Pumped

Kelly Mills — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:31:00 GMT

In case you haven't heard, Wii Fit is going to be released next month, and it's already a huge hit in Japan, according to CNN. Is it going to replace the exercise video and save our children from obesity? Well, it's being touted as the next big thing in part because it has a sensor-riddled balance board that tracks and analyzes your movements. It will assess your fitness using your Body Mass Index (BMI--a measure I despise, BTW) and then it will run you through some drills to see how you do. After that, you can choose from a bunch of games focusing on strength training, aerobics, balance games and yoga. Wii Fit will also track your progress over time.

Now maybe it's just me, but that article sounds more like a press release than reporting. I have no idea if Wii Fit is any good, and as someone who actually likes playing video games, I imagine I'll find out, and who knows, I might love it. I know early versions of the boxing minus the balance board were kinda crappy, and not much like actual boxing. That might not matter if your goal is just doing some physical activity, but I'd rather go live and get actual skills on some things. I also wonder if the board is going to be enough to assess things like proper form, crucial for avoiding injury. However, if you do a workout video or crowded class, you probably aren't getting that instruction anyway, so that's nothing unique to the Wii. As with anything and everything fitness-y, if it helps you engage in consistent and regular physical activity, then it's probably gonna be a good thing for you.

J. Lo doesn't care about losing weight, until she does

Brett Singer — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:00:00 GMT

At first, new mom Jennifer Lopez said that she was in "no hurry" to lose her baby weight. That didn't last long: the Daily Mail reports that she has lost 40 pounds in four weeks, which would be a lot even if she hadn't just had twins.

I say more power to her; she can do whatever she wants (well, except for doing a sequel to 'Gigli'.) I was a little disappointed though, since if she had stuck to her guns, it might have made women who were having trouble losing weight after pregnancy feel better about themselves. To lose the pounds, she's been spending 3 hours a day working out, which begs the question of who is watching the kids. I guess Marc Anthony doesn't have a lot going on, and he's skinny enough already.

How to Get a Flat Tummy Post-Pregnancy

Jen Chaney — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:33:00 GMT

Obviously I did something very wrong after delivering my son a year ago. If only I had followed the advice of Brooke Burke -- you know her as the actress and former hostess of E!'s "Wild On" -- maybe I'd be rocking tight abs and an itty-bitty waist.

Burke, who delivered her fourth child (yes, I said fourth) a month ago, recently wrote a blog post that shared her secrets to slimming down after having a child. Indeed, as FameCrawler recently pointed out, she does look fab.

So what's her secret? Well, for starters, follow a solid meal plan, something she helpfully outlines in her post. Nothing earth-shattering here, just lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, a healthy amount of protein and a series of reasonably portioned meals and snacks throughout the day. In other words, this is dieting from the department of No Duh.

Burke also is a big advocate for belly binding, a practice in which new moms wrap their torso in a fabric that's supposed to get rid of that excess blubber much more quickly. This is no surprise since she hawks her own belly-binding product called Tauts. This concept is apparently pretty common in other cultures, and it's very possible it works although it seems like one extra headache to deal with at a time when most mothers are just scraping to survive each day.

There is nothing wrong with Burke's advice, really, except for one small thing: I think it might be b.s. I believe she uses her wraps and eats the diet she describes. But I don't think that's all she does. I suspect she has a trainer on retainer who helps her get back in shape as soon as she possibly can. I also strongly suspect she has genetics on her side (and really, don't you kinda hate her for that?).

All I know is I could have eaten that diet and worn an extra-strength corset as soon as I got home from the hospital and I would not have looked like Brooke Burke. Hell, I could have bypassed kids entirely and I still couldn't have rocked a body like that. So while the E! lady's advice may be helpful to a degree, let's be honest: When you're Brooke Burke, you kinda live in a different world than the rest of us.

Photo: FameCrawler on Babble.com

Should an "Overweight" Beauty Pageant Contestant Be a Role Model for Young Girls?

Kelly Mills — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 21:02:00 GMT

Monica Grenfell is horrified. Why? Well, see, this year's Miss England contest has a fairly unique finalist: Chloe Marshall, a size 16 (about a size 14 in U.S. sizes.) Seventeen-year-old Marshall has been quite outspoken about wanting to be "an ambassador for curves" and demonstrate to young girls that it isn't necessary to be a size zero. She says she eats healthy food and exercises regularly. Grenfell, however, is a dietician and she hopes Chloe doesn't win. "It would send an appalling--and very dangerous--message to other young women that it's OK to be fat." She adds that Chloe is a terrible role model and says charmingly, "Who on earth does she think she's kidding? What she's demonstrating isn't bravery but a shocking lack of self-control. Instead of flaunting her figure, Chloe ought to own up to the truth. She is fat and she got that way by over-eating." Nice.

Grenfell makes the point that we don't have an anorexia epidemic, we have an obesity epidemic, and that the last thing girls need to hear is that it's okay to be overweight because it puts you at risk for health problems like Type 2 diabetes and heart attacks. Mmm hmm. Well, we could debate that one all day, but there is certainly no consensus among researchers that obesity itself is the cause of the problems. In other words, the real issue is poor eating habits and a lack of physical activity, not the weight itself. And we certainly have a plethora of extremely thin role models for girls right now, role models whose bodies are not a realistic goal for many of the most active, healthy-eating girls in the world.

But beyond that, do girls really need the message that a diversity of shapes and sizes are lovely? You've probably already guessed what I think about that. Hell yes. And while we may not have an anorexia "epidemic" (curse that word) the extremely adverse health effects of eating disorders are well-documented. And by the way, most eating disorder stats only deal with the most obvious examples, while plenty of researchers are discovering that even young girls are using extreme measures to try and get thin, often unsuccessfully, with lord knows what long-term health consequences. I guess that's why I think Monica Grenfell should go f*ck herself for tearing into a brave teenage girl, and while I don't love beauty pageants, I'll be cheering for Chloe.