Tag Archives: children fitness

Weetabix Cereal Paying Children to be Mobile Advertisements

“So, wait?! You’re going to pay my child $400 to wear a shirt with your company’s logo on it?”

This may very well be the line that has recently dropped out of many parents’ mouths as Weetabix, a popular cereal brand in the U.K., has been experimenting with a whole new type of advertising.

Weetabix is a whole grain cereal similar to America’s shredded wheat-style cereals. The company has begun hiring children with very busy social lives to wear the company logo while they attend their extra-curricular events. In return, the children are earning about $400. The company is intending to send the message that children who eat Weetabix can pack more into their day than their friends who opted for a different breakfast.

This move hasn’t come without controversy. Many opponents of this campaign are claiming that children are being sold as mobile billboards. As these socially active kids attend their clubs and run the sports fields, they are reaching a whole new market of potential consumers.

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Posted on August 4, 2023 by Lacy

Back to School Yoga

It is that time of year when backpacks, notebooks and pencil bags line the shelves. New clothes hang with anticipation in the closet and old shoes are handed down to make room for the growing feet of adolescents.

Going back to school after a summer of fun in the sun can be an anxious time for school kids. The unfamiliarity of a new classroom, new friends and harder classes can zap enthusiasm in a heartbeat.

Maintaining a zest for learning can be challenging for kids and adults alike. Thankfully there are things we can do to keep our interest up. The number one most important thing we can do at back to school time is reduce stress, and yoga can help.

The following is a list of suggestions for simple yet effective yoga poses that can be done in the morning before heading off to the school bus. Saving just five or ten minutes during the bustling hours before the bell rings can mean better grades, healthier friendships and happier parents!

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Posted on July 29, 2023 by Jill

Junk Food Ads During Kids’ Programming in the Crosshairs

“It’s time for the food industry to clean up its act and not advertise junk food to young children. Just by banning ads for fast food…we could decrease obesity and overweight by 17 percent.” This is the statement that Dr. Victor Strasburger made this week on behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics as reported in the Huffington Post.

Strasburger and the other 65,000 physicians that make up the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) are calling for a ban against fast food and junk food companies’ ads that air during children’s programming.

Whether the ads are to blame or not, the fact that the childhood obesity rates are going up is indisputable. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have concluded that more than one in six children and teenagers are obese. This is a 300% increase from one generation ago.

The doctors are obviously responding to a very serious problem, but could the ads really be that influential on kids’ habits?

The AAP reported that the nation spends more than $110 billion on fast food every year. That’s “more than is spent on higher education, computers, or cars,” Dr. Strasburger pointed out.  Obviously our spending patterns are reflecting the effectiveness of marketing, but is it the ads that are making our kids fat? No, it’s not fair to say that they ads alone are the culprit.

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Posted on June 29, 2023 by Lacy

5 Easy and Fun Ways to Keep Kids Active Over Summer Vacation

With summer vacation quickly approaching, many parents are trying to think of ways to keep their kids occupied throughout the day without breaking the bank. Keeping kids active is important to help them avoid boredom and keep them from becoming couch potatoes over the next couple of months. With a little planning, you can ensure your kids have their best summer ever, and they will stay active in the process. Below are some fun ways to keep kids active and occupied while they are on summer vacation:

Limit electronic consumption. Setting some boundaries about how long kids can watch TV will keep them from turning into couch potatoes. The same goes for playing video games and being on the computer. This will also allow them to branch into other activities that will get them moving. Encourage playing outside and go outside with them. This will teach kids to be creative with the games they come up with while getting them to exercise.

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Posted on June 2, 2023 by Descygna

Beyonce Joins Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign Encouraging Children to Stay Active

If you have ever seen a picture of the First Lady, you know that the woman is in great shape. You probably also know that Michelle Obama is an avid supporter of reducing childhood obesity in our nation through healthier eating and more active lifestyles. In fact, she launched a health-awareness campaign, Let’s Move!, last year, a campaign that aims to reduce or even eliminate our nation’s obesity epidemic in only one generation. Now, another famous celebrity is joining Michelle in an effort to create awareness for the campaign.

Famous singer Beyonce has released a new music video that encourages children to get up and move. The music video features Beyonce and a cafeteria full of kids who are dancing and having a really good time. Beyonce has remixed her song, “Get Me Bodied,” to create a dance workout video for kids. The song and video are both very lively and really fun to listen to; the goal is that dancing along with Beyonce will help them burn calories and avoid being overweight.

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Posted on May 10, 2023 by Health Buzz

How One Family Fitness Writer Learned to Walk the Walk

Catherine Holecko is the Guide to Family Fitness at About.com. Since becoming a mom 9 years ago, she’s mastered the crow pose and discovered the new worlds of kiddie karate and synchronized figure skating.

A few years ago, a friend suggested that I apply to write for About.com. I popped over to check out the list of available topics. The one that jumped out at me: family fitness.

This was unexpected. I came late to fitness. Like, 30-years old late. All the way through school, I was the short, skinny, weak kid who failed miserably at any sport she tried. During college, I gave circuit training and aerobics a whirl (yeah, it was the early 90s, how did you guess?). Post-college, I lived in Manhattan, where I stayed fit by walking everywhere and not having enough money to eat out.

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Posted on April 29, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Zumbatomic Teaches Kids All the Right Moves

Have you ever walked by a gym studio and seen a group of energetic people exuberantly dancing to exciting Latin music? What you saw was quite probably a Zumba class.

Zumba Fitness is a Latin-inspired dance-fitness program. It’s an addictive mix of red-hot international music  and contagious steps that in many ways mimics nightclub dancing.  In fact, Zumba was created by accident, when the founder, Alberto Perez, forgot his music for aerobics class and improvised with the Latin music he had on hand in his backpack.

Since its inception in 2001, the number of studios offering Zumba have grown rapidly to over 110,000 locations across more than 125 countries. Zumba is everywhere. In fact, I’ve taken Zumba on cruise ships, in martial arts studios and at resorts across the country and in Mexico!

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Posted on April 26, 2023 by Carmen

Yoga for Kids

Yoga is indeed popular with adults. Just look at the entire yoga industry that has bloomed in the past five to ten years. But as adults feel the benefits of regular down-dogging, they are quick to realize how the physical and mental effects of this ancient Indian practice can also benefit young children.

Here is what you need to know about yoga for kids.

Benefits

More and more, yoga schools are offering yoga for kids. Not only can yoga be a great physical workout for children, but studies have also shown that yoga may help children to focus better in school and improve their concentration. And because of yoga’s non-competitive nature, it is a refreshing and welcome alternative to sports that are rooted in winning or losing and pressure-filled games.

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Posted on April 11, 2024 by heather

SUBWAY Fit Kits Now Available Online

Bob Harper gave out SUBWAY Fit Kits to kids on this week’s episode of the Biggest Loser, and you can give them to your kids, too.

Previously only available to teachers and educators that ordered them through the SUBWAY website, the Fit Kits were in such high demand that SUBWAY is no longer able to ship them out to schools. But fear not, because you can now download all the information straight from the SUBWAY Kids website.

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Posted on March 29, 2024 by Health Buzz

Basketball Games To Play as a Family

It’s here: March Madness is taking over, and who among us doesn’t entertain a thought of playing basketball just like the pros? Basketball is a great sport that promotes hand/eye coordination, speed, agility and teamwork.  Why not plan a family activity night that includes some of these great games – challenge your kids to a hoop showdown!

H.O.R.S.E – One player takes the shot of her choice; if she makes it, the other players must shoot in exactly the same manner and from the same location. If the player misses the shot, he receives a letter of the word “horse”; if he makes it, players continue on without a letter. The first player to spell the entire word HORSE is the loser.

Around the World – Pick locations on the court for players to shoot from; the first player to make shots from each of the spots wins. If someone misses a shot, they are out and the game continues until a player makes all shots.

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Posted on March 17, 2024 by Carmen

The More Moms Work the Fatter Kids Get

Working mothers take note: According to a study in the journal Child Development, the longer a mother is employed is associated with an increase in her child’s body mass index (BMI).

The study’s co-authors analyzed 900 children and found the increase in children’s BMI which continued to grow as children got older. The study found that at a third grade level there was approximately a 1-pound gain for every six months the child’s mother worked. The weight gain was cumulative and the link became more obvious as the children matured into fifth- and sixth-grade.

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Posted on February 28, 2024 by Kelly