Physical activity, physical fitness, and coronary heart disease risk factors in youth: the Québec Family Study.

Katzmarzyk PT, Malina RM, Bouchard C.

Department of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, North York, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada. katzmarz@yorku.ca

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The relationships between physical activity, fitness, and CHD risk factors were investigated in 342 males and 268 females 9-18 years of age.

METHODS: Daily energy expenditure, moderate to vigorous physical activity, inactivity, and television viewing time were estimated. Indicators of physical fitness included submaximal work capacity, quadriceps muscle strength, sit-ups, and the sum of six skinfolds. Risk factors included mean arterial blood pressure and fasting blood levels of triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and glucose.

RESULTS: Canonical correlations between activity and risk factor profiles range from 0.22 to 0.45, while those between fitness and risk factor profiles range from 0.34 to 0.55, indicating that 5 to 20% and 11 to 30% of the variance in the risk profile is explained by activity and fitness, respectively.

CONCLUSION: The results suggest that both physical fitness and level of habitual physical activity are strongly associated with CHD risk factors in this sample of youth.

Copyright 1999 American Health Foundation and Academic Press.

PMID: 10600437 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Power Eating for Recovery-Breakfast

Power Eating for Recovery-Recovery Drinks

Kid’s Fitness… What’s a Parent To Do?

Kid’s Fitness… What’s a Parent To Do?
By Debi Pillarella, M.Ed.

It’s no secret that obesity has taken this country by storm and is a contributing factor to serious health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, Syndrome X, hypertension and others. What is most upsetting is that this epidemic is seriously affecting our kids. It has been said that this may be the first time parents will out live their children (Food Fight, Dr. Kelly Brownell). Obesity is caused by a combination of over nutrition, inactivity and genetic predisposition. What can be done to protect our children from the terrors of this condition? Since there’s not much that can be done about the genes we’re born with, parents must focus their education and energy on the two elements they can control, eating and activity. This article will focus on the activity side of the equation. Use an Internet search engine or visit your local library to gather information on nutrition for kids. A few great websites are www.ada.com, www.eatright.com, www.nationaldairycouncil.org andwww.nutritionforkids.com.

When it comes to fitness, kids are not miniature adults. They have specific physiologic differences that make them unique. Therefore, their fitness programs and activities must be specific to their developmental stage and not just a watered down version of an adult’s. So, what’s a parent to do?

Chronologic age is a difficult marker to use when deciding on fitness activities for kids. Children develop in stages. Some children reach a particular stage earlier than others. Although there are no exact guidelines, this article will give you some great guidelines to use as you keep your kids fit. A wonderful reference on developmental fitness stages is Kid Fitness by Dr. Ken Cooper.

2-5 Years of Age

The Scoop
Kids between the ages of two and five need social, physical, and intellectual interaction and development. These years are called the building block years, as they lay the foundation from which subsequent skills will grow. Free play, exploration, creativity, song and exposure to a variety of experiences is critical. Ever wonder why kids at this age can’t seem to sit still? They’re learning about their bodies and how to control them within the space they live. Instead of restricting this, confining them to a couch with a video playing, or enrolling them in extensive structured activities, channel the energy in a positive way (see below) and watch your young ones soar. They will tire out and eventually need a rest. (Don’t worry.)

What’s Hot

• Free play
• Catching objects (beanbags, scarfs, playballs, etc.)
• Rolling objects
• Bouncing a ball
• Kicking a ball
• Tossing/throwing a ball
• Hitting a larger stationary ball (on a T) with a bat
• Jumping
• Running
• Walking (forward, backward, sideways)
• Hopping
• Galloping
• Skipping
• Introduction to swimming/water
• Walking a line (low balance beam)
• Pedaling a bike
• Using imaginative or thematic play
• Following simple directions
• Cooperative games
• Non-competitive relays and sports
• Emphasis on fun and play
• Positive, motivating, encouragement

What’s Not

• Restrictive play
• Sitting still for long periods of time
• Overuse of motorized toys (e.g., battery operated jeeps, etc.)
• Competitive team sports
• Emphasis on winning and hard play
• Negative comments, criticizing, comparing skills of children

5-8 Years of Age

The Scoop
At this age, kids are building on the foundations that were created in the previous years and moving on to more complex movements and skills. Moving from hitting a stationary ball to one that is thrown, bouncing a ball with two hands to bouncing it with one, and progressing from a bike with training wheels to one without, are all milestones that are accomplished here. Kids at this age can play longer and harder than those at the earlier stage of development. They can actually follow multi-task directions (e.g., run to the cone, jump up and down three times, then run back to me) and enjoy playing in a group more.

What’s Hot

• Bike riding
• Skating
• Scooters
• Skateboarding
• Swimming
• Running around
• Non-competitive sports
• Trying out a wide range of fitness/movement activities (not just those mom and dad like or want them to play)

Dear Parent(s),

Dear Parent(s),

Thank you for enrolling your child in our Youth Program at The Gym.  Please be advised there have been some changes in our program.

Ray Traitz is supervising, designing and implementing a unique, educational and fun program for your child or children.  This program will help motivate our youth to exercise and get involved in extracurricular as well as recreational activities.  Not only will the program encourage children physically, it will assist in building respect, teamwork, self-confidence, self-esteem and social skills.

We encourage parents of our students to meet and speak with us prior to class about any issues or concerns.  Parents are always welcomed to watch our lessons.  We feel creating a relationship and channel of communication between parent(s) and instructors will be extremely beneficial for everyone.

Series II will begin the week of April 4^th and end the week of May 16^th with a makeup week during May 23^rd.

We will be off the week of April 11^TH & April 18^th during series II.

If your child has a sibling and/or friend between the ages of 5 and 15 who is interested in joining the program, we are still accepting enrollment.

ALL children must be dropped off and picked up after all classes.

Class times:

·         Monday ages (8 to 11) 4pm to 5pm

·         Tuesday ages (12 to 15) 4:30pm to 5:30pm

·         Thursday ages (5 to 7) 4:30pm to 5:15pm

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

E.O.T.D.

Push ups

Tabata: Tabata Training can be done with a number of different exercises the idea is to use an exercise that gets the whole body involved or at least the major muscle groups.Tabata Training can be done with Barbells, Dumbells, Kettlebells or just Bodyweight exercises. I'll give you some other exercises and routines to try in a minute but first let me give you some background and how Tabatas work.

Tabata Training was developed by Izumi Tabata (imagine that) at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. They did a study on comparing the effects of moderate intensity endurance(aerobics) and high endurance intermittent training(tabata training intervals) on VO2 max and anerobic capacity.

To cut to the results of the study: the moderate intensity group training program produced a significant increase in VO2 max of about 10%, but had no effect on anaerobic capacity. The high intensity group improved their VO2 max by about 14% while anaerobic capacity improved by 28%. The study was done over a six week period. Both groups working out 5 days per week.

Youth Fitness Facts

Statistics on adolescent obesity in America:

• About 15 percent of children and adolescents ages 6-19 years are seriously overweight.
• The percentage of children and adolescents who are defined as overweight has nearly tripled since the early 1970s.
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• Over 10 percent of preschool children between ages 2 and 5 are overweight.
• Another 15 percent of children and teens ages 6-19 are considered at risk of becoming overweight.
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• Researchers found that lowered self-esteem was associated with being overweight in girls as young as 5.
• 
  
• 1 in 5 children in the U.S. are overweight.
• Children with obesity, ages 10-13, are reported to have a 70% likelihood of obesity persisting into adult years.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC), 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)