kids
Scientific
Parental TV Habits Contagious, Golf Habits Not So Much
Parents who watch a lot of TV have kids who watch a lot of TV. A new study found that the number of hours parents spend watching TV directly correlates with their children's viewing hours. The effect is particularly powerful for boys —they're 10 more likely to watch 4+ hours of TV a day if their parents do (girls are only three times more likely to watch that much TV under similar circumstances).To be clear, 4+ hours a day of TV viewing is bad. Remember the research that says every additional hour of TV you watch a day hastens your early death?
More...Wake Up Call
The Call of the Child
The aspects of things that are most important for us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity.
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Scientific
Annals of Conflicting Research: Calorie Restriction and Convenience Stores
- Remember how we told you living close to convenience stores, fast food establishments and supermarkets actually lowers your risk for obesity? Unfortunately, it's not true for kids. Kids who live close to convenience stores are fatter. Sad, but makes sense since they're darling little sponges and 99% of food ads aimed at kids are for junk food. Literally, 99%.
- Remember how we told you new research showed calorie restriction may not be the holy grail of life extension it claims to be? Well that was two weeks ago. Even newer research shows that restricting glucose increases the life span of lung cells, which are, um, kind of important. Unfortunately, to lower your own personal glucose levels to the levels in the study, you'd only get to eat like 4 almonds and a leaf of lettuce for the rest of your life. So you might want to cling to the earlier study.
Wake Up Call
On Divine Exercises
Any action without the remembrance of God is either a diversion or heedlessness excepting four acts: Walking from target to target [during archery practice], training a horse, playing with one’s family, and
learning to swim.
~Prophet Muhammad
(c. April 26, 570 -- June 8th, 632 CE.)
Workout
Running on Empty
Two kids sick
and one with croup
Today I'm tired
Feel like poop
Grammy came
so i could run
and get my third
May workout done
i felt like crap
but i knew i should
and three miles later
i'm feeling good
Kids Incorporated
K! I! D! S!
No time for the gym today so fit a workout in with the family. Kids and I did push-ups and sit-ups this morning (for me 30 and 150 respectively. And for once, the 30 push-ups were all legit, w/none from my knees). This afternoon, went out for a 40 minute walk while they rode their bikes.
Better than Nothing?
Dept. of Ed Teaches Wii Fit
We're stuck on tech this morning: The A.P. reports that Nintendo has donated Wii Fit consoles to five New York public schools. So, 25 students in the Bronx are "spending four hours a week after school boxing and bowling, playing tennis and golf and exercising...." (Just to be clear, they're not actually boxing, bowling, playing tennis, OR, really, exercising.) Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, the Dept. of Ed is looking for private donations to expand the program. We're with Gwyneth on this one: The kids get enough screen time. Give the money to Bent on Learning.
New York
What am I getting myself into?
With my 3 1/2 year old screaming in the background, it seems highly unlikely that I will be able to meet this challenge, but meet it I must. I am a dancer. And I miss doing it. So little screamarella is just going to have to get over herself and join in the fun!
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