Childhood obesity has been a mainstay in the national media over the past year but was brought to a head in October when a 200 pound – year old Cleveland boy was removed from his home and mother. “This child’s problem was so severe that we had to take custody,” said Mary Louise Madigan of the county’s Department of Children and Family Services.
NBC’s John Yang reports on a more recent case in Chicago, one that potentially will decide the parental custody of a child. Conan Angus, going through a divorce, has brought up the fact that his children are healthier when under his care. Mr Angus points to his soon to be ex-wife’s poor nutritional choices for their children’s meals.
The incidents in Cleveland and Chicago are hardly isolated leading journalists and reporters to wear out the now 3-year old CDC statements on the issue:
- The percentage of children ages 6 – 11 in the U.S. who were obese went from 7 percent in 1980 to almost 20 percent in 2008.
- The percentage of those 12 to 19-years of age who were obese increased from 5 percent to 18 percent over the same period (1980 – 2008).
- In 2008, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.
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The concept is fascinating: message receptors in the brain tell your body you’ve eaten. Introducing Vaportrim, a new entry into the diet market. It is a plastic cylindrical device, the size of a ballpoint pen, that looks like an embellished electronic cigarette. The cylinder, or cartridge, contains a liquid solution of water and flavors (natural and artificial) in a glycerin base, along with an atomizer, a tiny heating element. When you inhale with your mouth, the liquid passes through the atomizer, turning into a vapor. The vapor is held in your mouth and exhaled, just like smoking. Vaportrim comes in 14 flavors including raspberry cheesecake, milk chocolate, vanilla cupcake, and cinnamon bun.
The manufacturer says it works because our smell receptors message our brain, which, in turn, release hormones that tell the body it’s full. Legitimate research does show that appetite and smell are closely connected and smell can trigger fullness before the stomach can, but whether Vaportrim can curb cravings is unknown. No research has been done using the actual product for appetite suppression or weight control. Le Whif is a similar diet aid, but with it, vapor is not exhaled, and the Sensa Sprinkle Diet, also relies on smell receptors, but calls for sprinkling crystals on your food.
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As the New Year approaches, many people are planning to ramp up their level of exercise and eat healthier in typical resolution fashion. To help us along with the desire to finally get healthy, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has partnered with the Surgeon General to launch the Healthy App Challenge. This program will invite developers to submit health, wellness and fitness apps and is designed to encourage Americans to pair technology with the effort to make healthier lifestyle decisions.
“The challenge will highlight a selection of mobile apps in support of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services efforts to empower individuals to make healthy choices using electronic technology,” the Surgeon General’s office said in a statement.
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Digital technology is everywhere. From laptops, to tablets, to smartphones, very few of us get too far from the digital world. Even our fitness has gone digital. More than ever Americans are using online and application platforms to help them with their daily health regimens. DailyBurn recognizes this trend and is introducing a new daily fitness tracking system that has more features than any other format previous.
DailyBurn is a leading online fitness source. DailyBurn is also responsible for the popular apps DailyBurn Tracker, FoodScanner, MealSnap and Push-Up Wars. Their newest launch is the IntelliBurn technology. This technology is a complex algorithm that fine-tunes a fitness program to a user’s optimum performance and schedule by tracking and analyzing a multitude of factors, including, but not limited to, which trainers elicit the best personal performance, which workouts the user most enjoyed, time lapse between workouts and muscle groups recently trained.
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The National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association (NESTA) has just approved the Mixed Martial Arts Conditioning Association’s (MMACA) online certification program for 4.0 continuing 
education credits, which also can be applied toward recertification for the NESTA Personal Fitness Trainer program.
Health professionals of all levels have teamed up with best MMA athletes around the world to make an effective and comprehensive online certification program to educate personal trainers, coaches, and martial artists with the physical and professional skills to start and maintain a successful MMA business.
The MMA certification teaches you important combat drills, plyometrics, mental focus, TRX kettlebells, conditioning, sports nutrition, and flexibility. The program to become a certified mixed martial arts conditioning coach includes online lectures, video demonstrations, a digital textbook, and audio lessons. The program is 100 percent online and there is no time limit, so the training fits into your schedule, no matter how busy you are.
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