Fighting Childhood Obesity

In conjunction with May's Exercise is Medicine^® Month, "The World's Largest Exercise Class" is coming to children and schools around the world May 7, which is when millions of participants across the globe will celebrate the annual Project ACES^® Day.

Low intensity, long-duration aerobic exercise is typically prescribed for youth who are overweight or obese, but has a number of drawbacks compared to resistance training, says an international consensus of experts in a new international position statement.

Remember that slim kid in school - the one with the cook-from-scratch mom? He's likely one of the fittest dudes at your high school reunion according to new research from Cornell University, published online in the journal PLOS ONE.

Substituting 45 minutes of supervised school-based strength training for 2 of 3 regular PE classes significantly increased upper and lower body strength in healthy schoolchildren aged 10 to 14 years, and significantly increased daily spontaneous physical activity outside the training for boys.

On June 27, 2013, the Active Schools Acceleration Project ASAP named 1,000  elementary schools in all 50 states as recipients of a $1,000 ASAP Acceleration Grant to help them implement in September three new activity programs designed to fight childhood obesity. The program is the third in First Lady MIchelle Obama's "Let's Move! Active Schools" initiative.

Active Schools Acceleration Project (ASAP), an initiative of ChildObesity180, has developed a creative grant opportunity to get kids moving in America's schools. ASAP Acceleration Grants totaling $1,000,000 will be awarded to 1,000 schools to award-winning and innovative physical activity programs. First Lady Michelle Obama is encouraging schools to apply for a grant through her "Let's Move! Active Schools" campaign.

One way to fight childhood obesity may be to reduce dietary intake of salt by children, says a new study. Reducing the amount of salt may help reduce the amount of sugary beverages consumed, which in turn, may lower childhood obesity risk.

Kids have the power to change parents' food and exercise habits. Kids are unlikely to make choices based on health, but rather on pleasure. When they understand that health means more fun, they'll start making the right choices--just like victorious sports teams that win with good nutrition.

The best way to fight obesity in high school students is to increase opportunities for all teens, regardless of athletic ability, to participate in team sports and for more kids to bike and/or walk to school at least 4 times a week, say the authors of a groundbreaking new study in the journal Pediatrics.

Looking for a way to keep you and your entire family fit and healthy? Take a walk, says fitness expert and the author of a new children's book, Abby Gets Fit, Doug Werner.