Smile Mile Gives Kids Another Chance to Run

The Smile Mile, a one-mile children’s race for kids age five to 11, begins at 8 a.m. Saturday at Blue Jacket Park at Baldwin Park in Orlando. One school from each county with the highest participation wins a plaque and a $500 Track Shack Foundation grant for physical education programs. To qualify, a school must have at least 25 runners participating.

Kids receive a t-shirt and finisher’s medal provided by the Musante Family Trust in support of kids health and fitness.

Visit the Track Shack website for more information.

Pedometers Help Peel Off Pounds

Pedometers do a good job of getting people to walk more, and this results in weight loss, though it might be modest, according to new research.

The findings are published in the January/February issue of the “Annals of Family Medicine,” and the study lead author was Dr. Caroline R. Richardson, assistant professor in the department of family medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Richardson and her team analyzed data collected in nine pedometer-based walking studies held between 1995 and 2006 in which previously sedentary or overweight participants got motivated to start walking programs with pedometers.  They found “remarkably consistent” results showing nearly all ended up losing some weight by the end of the study.

Read the complete HealthDay news story by clicking here.

Key Kids Health Issues for 2008

Bullying has been a big issue for kids for what seems like forever, and it is not going away anytime soon. It is one of the 10 issues that the experts at KidsHealth.org say will be issues to watch in the new year.

Some of the others include the over training of young athletes, “the growing reach of retail health care,” food allergies, lost childhoods and obesity.

Click here to read about other issues on the list at the KidsHealth.org website and to find out ways for parents to help.

UF Researchers Provide Holiday Diet Tips

University of Florida (UF) researchers say people don’t have to go no-carb to stay fit during the holidays. In fact, many dieters may be cutting out the wrong foods altogether, according to findings from a UF paper published recently in the “European Journal of Nutrition.”

Dieters should focus on limiting the amount of fructose they eat instead of cutting out starchy foods such as bread, rice and potatoes, report the researchers, who propose using new dietary guidelines based on fructose to gauge how healthy foods are.

There’s a fair amount of evidence that starch-based foods don’t cause weight gain like sugar-based foods and don’t cause the metabolic syndrome like sugar-based foods,” said Dr. Richard Johnson, senior author of the report.  Click here to read more.

Healthy Fun and Fitness Guide Published by Winter Park Health Foundation

The Healthy Fun and Fitness Guide to Winter Park, published by the Winter Park Health Foundation in an effort to inspire residents and visitors to become more active, has just been released and is available free of charge at the Winter Park Welcome Center, 151 W. Lyman Ave., Winter Park.

The guide points out biking and walking trails, as well as parks with a variety of fitness options. It identifies places to swim, boat, run, walk and play with the dogs.  And it includes a map showing the location of most area parks and their features.

It’s Back: The Third Annual Fast Start Track and Field Invitational

The third annual Fast Start Track and Field Invitational will be held January 26, 2008 at Showalter Field in Winter Park.

Launched by Scott Millson, a local elementary school parent, the free event is open to all elementary school students attending schools in the Winter Park Consortium of Schools–Aloma, Audubon Park, Brookshire, Cheney, Dommerich, Hungerford, Lake Sybelia and Lakemont elementary schools.

Students will receive applications at school in the near future. For more information, contact Millson at 407-466-8036 or skmillson@cfl.rr.com.

Exercise Improves Thinking, Reduces Diabetes Risk in Overweight Kids

Just three months of daily, vigorous physical activity in overweight children improves their thinking and reduces their diabetes risk, researchers say. Studies of about 200 overweight inactive children ages 7-11 also showed that a regular exercise program reduces body fat and improves bone density.

“We hope these findings will help persuade policymakers, schools and communities that time spent being physically active enhances, rather than detracts, from learning,” says Dr. Catherine Davis, clinical health psychologist at the Medical College of Georgia and lead investigator.

Click here to read more about this Medical College of Georgia report.

Don’t Forget: Dommerich Elementary Hosts Healthy Foods Cook-Off on Oct. 10

Dommerich Elementary School will host “Ready, Set, Cook and Eat”–a celebrity chef and student cook-off designed to inspire healthy family eating–at 7 p.m. October 10 in the school’s cafeteria at 1900 Choctaw Trail, Maitland.

The free event was created by Healthy Kids Challenge, a national, nonprofit organization led by registered, licensed dietitians dedicated to getting kids and families to eat healthfully and exercise. It will be emceed by the group’s director, Vickie James, RD, LD.

Peer-Led, School-Based Anti-Obesity Program a Success

Older and younger students paired up as “Health Buddies” had a positive impact on the health of both groups, according to a report in the October issue of “Pediatrics” magazine.

Participants in this Canadian pilot program included students in fourth through seventh grade who were paired with and mentored younger students in kindergarten through third grade.  The older students acted as teachers providing lessons on nutrition, physical activity and healthy body image. As a result, younger and older students improved their knowledge of healthy living components, and older students lost weight.

Read more about the program by connecting to the American Academy of Pediatrics website.

When it Comes to Exercise Every Little Bit Helps

Those who don’t like to exercise can take comfort in the results of a study that shows even low levels of weekly exercise—as low as just 30 minutes of brisk walking three days a week–can boost the health of otherwise healthy, sedentary adults.

Dr. Mark A. Tully, of University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, and colleagues, who performed the study, included 106 healthy but sedentary adults between the ages of 40 and 61 years in the 12-week study. Researchers saw a drop in blood pressure and a rise in overall fitness with the limited amount of exercise.

Read the story from Medlineplus.