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Polls Percentages and Finishing Fourth- Ominous Numbers and What to Do
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Polls, Percentages and Finishing Fourth- Ominous Numbers and What to Do
King Hoover reports that renowned health expert Dr. Kenneth Cooper of The Cooper Institute and the Center for Disease Control agree that today's youth in the United States may not outlive their parents due to poor diets and inactive lifestyles. Is that enough to change the foods you feed your children and provide them with an adequate level of activity???
By: King Hoover |
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Who'll be the Republican or Democrat Nominee? How high will oil prices go? What's going to happen to the value of my stock portfolio, and will the Fed cut Rates again? Yes, these are all great questions regarding very important numbers -- but none are so vital as the numbers we'll discuss here today.
You may or may not have heard that this month the Fort Worth area, my home, was named the 4th Fattest City in America by Men's Fitness magazine. The 2000 Census listed America as made up of 18,443 towns and cities. If you're competing in the Boston Marathon or Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, coming in 4th out of a field of 18,443 would be great! Yet, being ranked the Fourth Fattest City or Town in the U.S. has to be one of the worst things I've ever heard about a place and people I hold dear! But amazingly, last weekend near Chicago, I heard a statistic that made me feel even worse. |
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Want your kids to live longer, healthier lives? Push them to go out and play! (Photo courtesy IYCA.)
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The CDC numbers and trends indicate that by the end of 2010, the number of overweight and obese children will go from the current staggering percentage of 37% to a horrifying full 50% of the U.S. child and youth population. The reason this is some of the worst news that will ever be reported is related to the question of "What happens when children reflect the weight problems previously associated with adults?" Our children -- yours, mine and the children of people we know and love -- begin to exhibit the life-altering medical complications that used to afflict only older, unhealthy adults and only they had to deal with.
Editor's Note:
I, too, attended the Youth Fitness Certification in Hoffman estates, Illinois two weeks ago that Mr. Hoover refers to here. I have never been so moved by a fitness lecture or workshop! Brian Grasso and his partner, Dr. Kwame Brown, both of the IYCA (International Youth Conditioning Association), presented some startling, life-altering information (as well as some very positive information about combating the issues our children are facing). If you have any interest in youth fitness, don't miss an opportunity to attend one of their presentations! www.iyca.org
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At a spectacular Park and Recreation facility in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, Brian Grasso, the top youth and adolescent fitness authority in the world, dropped a 'bomb' on me with the help of statistics from the Centers for Disease Control.
In other words, at a time of their lives that normally would be the least medically complicated they'd ever enjoy, conditions like diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and a host of other illnesses will dog their every step.
Every day we read profound health and nutrition discoveries that can transform lives for the better. Are we just ignoring these groundbreaking discoveries to our and our children's peril?
The trouble is, our children eat what we buy and if we weren't buying food they never should eat, they wouldn't be sliding into medical conditions they should never have. Taking away or providing the opportunity for our children to enjoy a healthy, energetic and chronic-lifestyle-disease-free youth and life is a power in our hands alone. My favorite Book talks about the fact that "if we sin against our own bodies, we sin against ourselves;" if we treat ourselves badly, we know it. We are adults and can make the choice to either get healthier with our choices or unhealthier; we are in control. |
The CDC also echoed Dr. Kenneth Cooper's quote that "We have, in the United States, given birth to the first generation of children that will probably not outlive their parents." What?!? How did THIS happen here?
But our children not only aren't in total control of their caloric opportunities, they haven't even gotten their vehicle 'broken in' yet! Until they are teenage boys anyway, they still have that 'New Kid Smell' everyone likes so much. So how can we continue to keep 'sinning against them' by feeding them worse than our dogs, horses or cats who get the best fortified pet food you can afford? I am so glad you asked…
According to a fairly recent article by the Family Economics and Nutrition Review, 88% of children have a diet that is poor or needs improvement. This means that at the time of this study, only 12% of our children were eating a healthy, balanced diet. Our kids must bear the consequences of our poor management of their nutrition and those consequences are a Life Sentence with only a remote possibility of Parole.
What do we eat when WE are serious about getting in shape? Exactly what we need to be feeding our children! Lean proteins, veggies, fruit, low calorie beverages and whole grain breads and cereals. Don't be afraid to let your kids try Smoothies; whey protein boosts their immune system and the amino acids will help them score better on any test. Good food tastes just as good as junk food and you feel better when you eat it. When you eat well and are feeding your children well, the only meal you'll need a nap after will be Thanksgiving dinner. Why? It's because of all the short-chain carbohydrates (sugars) and huge amounts of fats that slow down the blood (any other meal with lots of fat and sugar does the same) and makes summoning the energy to do anything a wrestling match you probably won't win.
Another part of the problem is not what, but when, our kids are eating. In this same study, 57% of children do not eat breakfast every day. This one poor habit is the one that 99% of all morbidly obese individuals share, so be sure that your children eat breakfast before going to school every day. And finally, in addition to buying our children healthy foods to eat, we have got to manage their media and gaming time daily. Unfortunately, right at a critical point in our children's muscular, nervous system and coordination development is about the time when we buy them that really fun Gaming System they've been longing for.
Now, instead of actually going outside to play and explore their worlds, they are virtually exploring worlds that exist nowhere but inside the imagination of game writers that don't give two cents about your child's continued health, function or longevity. That is far too much power and influence for someone who sees your child as a customer as opposed to a son, daughter or grandchild.
So feed'em like you love'em…because you DO!…and then kick'em out to safe places outside to play; you'll be glad you did and they will be too. They'll be healthier today, and maybe for a lifetime. "For more informative articles or answers to your specific concerns, contact King at kingffl@hotmail.com , Or you can call him @ (817) 320-1161."
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Stemming Childhood Obesity With Hydraulic Exercise Circuits By:Symanthia Harper
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