It's time to pack up and send your freshman off to college. Just make sure when they return, they haven't packed on the pounds.
It's called "The Freshmen 15". It's pretty common and named this because a lot of college freshmen tend to gain 15 pounds or more in this first year. But by being aware of how it happens, you can help them keep off this unwanted weight.
As they start learning how to live on their own, getting along with new people, and keeping up with classes, they're going to be feeling some stress. And in stressful situations, guess what? A lot of us comfort ourselves with food, and that can cause our freshman to put on the pounds. So, try and convince them that instead of reaching for pizza or ice cream to relax, go for a walk and then get back to work. They'll be surprised at how much this will help keep the stress down.
And you know, college is also a very social environment. But often the college scene includes food, and not all of it healthy. Remind them that when they're studying late at night with friends, instead of going after the chips and dips, reach for healthier snacks like fruit and veggies. Convince them to plan ahead and store healthy snacks in the room, so they have them when it's munchies time.
Lack of exercise also helps add the pounds. Although most high school seniors tend to be fit with sports and other activities, college freshmen slow down as they spend more time studying and working. Eating right and exercising can go a long way to maintaining weight. A few gentle reminders about this during those special phone calls home might help them keep slim and trim all year.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
New Head Lice Recommendations
Nothing strikes fear in the hearts of a parent like head lice. But recommendations on how to treat them are changing.
Believe it or not, the biggest new recommendation is to not keep your kids at home if they do get head lice.
For a parent, there isn't anything much worse than getting that call from the school nurse letting you know your child has lice in their hair. Not only do you have to treat them to get rid of the little bugs, but you also need to call the parents of any other kids they played with to let them know. And it used to be you'd keep them out of school until the lice were gone. But the American Academy of Pediatrics just released new guidelines, and the biggest change is a strong stance against school screenings for lice and as they put it "no healthy child should be excluded from or allowed to miss school time because of head lice."
Contrary to what many parents believe, lice infestations are not a sign of dirty hair or poor hygiene. Anyone can get lice. But pediatric experts also feel that with new treatments and a better understanding of the problem, keeping kids out of school isn't necessary. They also emphasis that homemade treatments, including bleach, acetone and even wd-40 applied to the hair cause way more harm than good.
Believe it or not, the biggest new recommendation is to not keep your kids at home if they do get head lice.
For a parent, there isn't anything much worse than getting that call from the school nurse letting you know your child has lice in their hair. Not only do you have to treat them to get rid of the little bugs, but you also need to call the parents of any other kids they played with to let them know. And it used to be you'd keep them out of school until the lice were gone. But the American Academy of Pediatrics just released new guidelines, and the biggest change is a strong stance against school screenings for lice and as they put it "no healthy child should be excluded from or allowed to miss school time because of head lice."
Contrary to what many parents believe, lice infestations are not a sign of dirty hair or poor hygiene. Anyone can get lice. But pediatric experts also feel that with new treatments and a better understanding of the problem, keeping kids out of school isn't necessary. They also emphasis that homemade treatments, including bleach, acetone and even wd-40 applied to the hair cause way more harm than good.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Live Longer, Stand Up
Do you want to live a longer, healthier life. Maybe standing more is your answer.
It looks like the more you stand the less likely you are to die early. Or, to put it more correctly, the more you sit, the greater risk you have of an earlier death.
Decades ago, hardly anyone sat all day long. But now we sit to go to work, then sit at work all day long, then sit to get back home. And once we're home, we sit to watch TV.
Now it looks like all that sitting is taking it's toll.
The American Cancer Society studied over 50,000 men and women to find out how long they sat during the day and compared that to how long they lived. Researchers found the magic numbers were 3 and 6. If you spent more than 6 hours a day of your leisure time sitting, you significantly increased your chances of dying earlier than those sitting less than 3 hours.
The thinking is that sitting decreases your overall physical activity and can affect your metabolic function during the day----that can increase your chances of an early death. To make things even a little bit more concerning, this study only looked at hours sitting outside of work. So, adding hours at a desk might even make things a little worse.
So when you can, stand up, or better yet, walk around. That could make all the difference in the world.
It looks like the more you stand the less likely you are to die early. Or, to put it more correctly, the more you sit, the greater risk you have of an earlier death.
Decades ago, hardly anyone sat all day long. But now we sit to go to work, then sit at work all day long, then sit to get back home. And once we're home, we sit to watch TV.
Now it looks like all that sitting is taking it's toll.
The American Cancer Society studied over 50,000 men and women to find out how long they sat during the day and compared that to how long they lived. Researchers found the magic numbers were 3 and 6. If you spent more than 6 hours a day of your leisure time sitting, you significantly increased your chances of dying earlier than those sitting less than 3 hours.
The thinking is that sitting decreases your overall physical activity and can affect your metabolic function during the day----that can increase your chances of an early death. To make things even a little bit more concerning, this study only looked at hours sitting outside of work. So, adding hours at a desk might even make things a little worse.
So when you can, stand up, or better yet, walk around. That could make all the difference in the world.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
No More Yearly Flu Shots?
Flu season is still months away but vaccine makers are already in full production mode. Soon yearly flu shots might be a thing of the past.
The flu shot is a yearly routine we all go through. The virus causing the flu mutates and changes just enough each year so that last years shot won't work. But every year experts have to take an educated guess what types of flu might be here in the following winter. Sometimes they get it right and sometimes they don't. But now the goal of a universal flu vaccine—one that will cover all strains of the flu and might only need to be given every decade or maybe even once a lifetime—is closer to reality.
Scientists have found a two step approach that allows a vaccine to cover all strains of the flu, not just the traditional 3 the shot covers every year. They were able to use a DNA primer which pumped up the immune system followed by a traditional flu vaccine. This combination proved very effective at covering different types of flu from years past.
Although this is still just an early start, it's crosses a big hurdle that scientists have been working on for some time. The hope is from here they will be able to get that universal vaccine—then maybe lining up every year for your flu shot might become a thing of the past.
The flu shot is a yearly routine we all go through. The virus causing the flu mutates and changes just enough each year so that last years shot won't work. But every year experts have to take an educated guess what types of flu might be here in the following winter. Sometimes they get it right and sometimes they don't. But now the goal of a universal flu vaccine—one that will cover all strains of the flu and might only need to be given every decade or maybe even once a lifetime—is closer to reality.
Scientists have found a two step approach that allows a vaccine to cover all strains of the flu, not just the traditional 3 the shot covers every year. They were able to use a DNA primer which pumped up the immune system followed by a traditional flu vaccine. This combination proved very effective at covering different types of flu from years past.
Although this is still just an early start, it's crosses a big hurdle that scientists have been working on for some time. The hope is from here they will be able to get that universal vaccine—then maybe lining up every year for your flu shot might become a thing of the past.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Wearing High Heels
If you frequently wear high heels there is something you might need to do before putting on your flats.
It might be something you noticed in the past. You often wear high heels and find it can be a little painful when you wear flats or walk around bear footed. For years doctors have felt that frequently wearing high heels could lead to a shortening of the muscles in the back of the leg and this shortening could be causing the pain when you switch to flats. But they were never able to prove it until now.
Scientist looked at the calf muscles of women that frequently wore heels. An MRI scan showed no difference in calf muscles between them or those who mostly used flats. But when they examined those same muscles with an ultrasound they found shorter muscle fibers in the women who mostly wore high heels.
They also noticed these same women had thicker and stiffer tendons behind their heels. This combination is why it can be painful to switch to flats or even walk around without shoes if you've been wearing heels for a while. But there are things you can do to help. One is to alternate flats and heels when you can. The other is to do calf and heel stretches in your bear feet during the day, especially on days you wear heels. The main thing is to make sure fashion doesn't become painful.
It might be something you noticed in the past. You often wear high heels and find it can be a little painful when you wear flats or walk around bear footed. For years doctors have felt that frequently wearing high heels could lead to a shortening of the muscles in the back of the leg and this shortening could be causing the pain when you switch to flats. But they were never able to prove it until now.
Scientist looked at the calf muscles of women that frequently wore heels. An MRI scan showed no difference in calf muscles between them or those who mostly used flats. But when they examined those same muscles with an ultrasound they found shorter muscle fibers in the women who mostly wore high heels.
They also noticed these same women had thicker and stiffer tendons behind their heels. This combination is why it can be painful to switch to flats or even walk around without shoes if you've been wearing heels for a while. But there are things you can do to help. One is to alternate flats and heels when you can. The other is to do calf and heel stretches in your bear feet during the day, especially on days you wear heels. The main thing is to make sure fashion doesn't become painful.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Lucky Charms
If you have something important coming up, like a company presentation, you might want to take your lucky charm along with you.
Lucky rabbit's foot, special coin, old t-shirt. Many of us have some type of lucky object. But, does having these really do any good? According to a new series of studies, it looks they might actually help you perform better.
One group of researchers noticed star athletes frequently had lucky shirts or shorts, or didn't shave so they could carry a lucky beard during playoffs. So they set out to see if that type of thing worked. They asked a group of volunteers to bring in a lucky charm and give them up to be photographed. They only returned the charm to half of the group. Then they had them take a computerized memory test. The ones with lucky charms did much better.
Other researchers found something similar---people doing better when they had their lucky charm with them, or when they were told “good luck” before a task.
Although this technique isn't foolproof, scientist believe that having some type of “lucky Charm” with them gives people a little bit of confidence in whatever they are doing. And that confidence helps them do better. So next time you have an important presentation to give, or need to ask for a raise or promotion, stick your lucky charm in your pocket. It might help give you that slight edge.
Lucky rabbit's foot, special coin, old t-shirt. Many of us have some type of lucky object. But, does having these really do any good? According to a new series of studies, it looks they might actually help you perform better.
One group of researchers noticed star athletes frequently had lucky shirts or shorts, or didn't shave so they could carry a lucky beard during playoffs. So they set out to see if that type of thing worked. They asked a group of volunteers to bring in a lucky charm and give them up to be photographed. They only returned the charm to half of the group. Then they had them take a computerized memory test. The ones with lucky charms did much better.
Other researchers found something similar---people doing better when they had their lucky charm with them, or when they were told “good luck” before a task.
Although this technique isn't foolproof, scientist believe that having some type of “lucky Charm” with them gives people a little bit of confidence in whatever they are doing. And that confidence helps them do better. So next time you have an important presentation to give, or need to ask for a raise or promotion, stick your lucky charm in your pocket. It might help give you that slight edge.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Parents & Weight Gain
If you’ve put on a few pounds over the years, you might want to blame your kids.
It probably doesn’t come as any big surprise to any parent, but having kids means you don’t exercise nearly as much as you need to---and that means over the years you put on the pounds. But how much this affects you might be the big surprise.
As part of the Gallup-Healthways Well Being Index survey, nearly 60,000 Americans were interviewed about how often they exercised. It turns out that if they have an under 18-year-old child in the house, then they don’t exercise very much. And 28% of the parents surveyed said they don’t really exercise at all. Again, it probably won’t surprise any parent much that the ones least likely to exercise had kids under 4-years-old in the house.
But this was having an impact on the parent’s health. One-in-four of them reported being obese and over 35% overweight. This was more than parents without children in the home.
So what does this mean, are kids bad for your health? No. But as any parent will tell you, they do occupy a great deal of your time. The secret is to make exercise one of your priorities and involve the kids if you can, especially as they get older. This will do two things. One, keep you in good health, and two, get your kids to realize how important exercise is to overall health.
It probably doesn’t come as any big surprise to any parent, but having kids means you don’t exercise nearly as much as you need to---and that means over the years you put on the pounds. But how much this affects you might be the big surprise.
As part of the Gallup-Healthways Well Being Index survey, nearly 60,000 Americans were interviewed about how often they exercised. It turns out that if they have an under 18-year-old child in the house, then they don’t exercise very much. And 28% of the parents surveyed said they don’t really exercise at all. Again, it probably won’t surprise any parent much that the ones least likely to exercise had kids under 4-years-old in the house.
But this was having an impact on the parent’s health. One-in-four of them reported being obese and over 35% overweight. This was more than parents without children in the home.
So what does this mean, are kids bad for your health? No. But as any parent will tell you, they do occupy a great deal of your time. The secret is to make exercise one of your priorities and involve the kids if you can, especially as they get older. This will do two things. One, keep you in good health, and two, get your kids to realize how important exercise is to overall health.
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