Many Parents Overestimate Child's Activity

Tara Parker-Pope recently posted on her New York Times blog Well about a British study that showed how often parents may overestimate how physically active their child on.

In the study, 1,892 British school children were equipped with accelerometers that measured their activity throughout the day. A child was seen as inactive if that activity amounted to less than an hour per day. Though the vast majority of parents described their child as physically active, over 39 percent of girls and 18 percent of boys were actually getting less than 60 minutes of physical activity a day.

Interestingly, it was the parents of children with lower fat mass who guessed wrong about the adequacy of their child's activity, as were parents of girls. I find that fascinating. I imagine that says something to the way we perceive overweight individuals in terms of physical activity as well as something girls and self-esteem perhaps? Just a few front-of-the-mind thoughts that may be worth unpacking...

Welcoming 2010

It's that time again...Every January I dread going to the gym because of how crowded it gets. While I don't want to be a jerk, I have to admit that the New Years Resolution-ers bug me. While exercise is great for your mind and body and if the only time you can get motivated to get moving is January 1st, so be it, but it's, like, why can't we just take care of ourselves all year round? Why wait until January? Why not start a new regimen in, say, September? Why do we listen to the media voices that tell us to indulge like crazy (and feel guilty) all through December and then vow to "get back in shape" once the hangover clears? Oh wait, I remember—it's because balanced approaches don't sell as well.

I'm not a fan of resolutions, especially weight-loss resolutions and other midnight promises that involve restrictive, unrealistic guidelines. While I do think it's perfectly sane and healthy to decide you want to take good care of yourself, I have a big problem with the way our culture pushes the whole "New Year, New You!" thing, pressuring us to buy diet products and workout gear and Finally! Lose! Those! Last! Five! Pounds! I can't open a magazine or click on a health-related website without seeing an ad promising me I can lose x pounds in y days/weeks/months.

Gag me.

That said, I do kind of like the idea that what you do on January 1st can set the stage for a year in which you stay true to yourself and your needs. Judging by my New Years Day, I suppose it's safe to say that I want my 2010 to hold a lot of yoga, ukulele-playing, roasted vegetables, and gatherings with friends.

Hope your 2010 is off to a beautiful, peaceful start!

Thanksgiving Yogurt Adventure

As I sit writing this, I am at Chris' mom's kitchen table trying to get motivated to do homework. Yesterday's celebration at his dad's house was really nice, and afterwards, Chris and I stopped by the house of one of my friends from college. A whole collection of people I know from the Boston poetry scene were there, so it was great to catch up.

This morning involved going to the gym with Chris' mom and then enjoying some hot coffee while looking out over the river. Since she's only been in this apartment for about a week, there wasn't a whole lot in the fridge, but there were a few containers of Stonyfield Farms yogurt she told me to help myself to. There was also a half-finished container of whole milk plain yogurt left by the previous tenant.

I tend to prefer plain yogurt, so I will admit, I actually tasted the leftover stuff. It was still good, but I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of whole milk yogurt. I'm sure if I were used to it, I wouldn't have found the taste so weird, but it was just kind of...funny. So I reached for one of the "berry pomegranate" flavored varieties.

The yogurt was pretty good, if a little sweet. While scanning the ingredients, I noted the organic evaporated cane juice (sugar) and the organic fruit juices and the ubiquitous "natural flavor." I always find it funny how companies try to convince you that their product is somehow healthier because it's sweetened with fruit juice or with evaporated cane juice. I mean, sugar is sugar is sugar, and gram for gram, different varieties have the same nutritional value (nil). This yogurt also had pectin in it, which is a naturally occurring substance (a polysaccharide, which is a sugar) found in fruit peels and skins. It's basically what allows cooking apples to gel, and it's often used as a thickening agent.

While I guess it's better than the gelatin I saw listed in a suspisciously-thick Yoplait Light yogurt I had at a rest stop on Wednesday, it just seems weird that one would want to have their yogurt specially thickened. I mean, what's wrong with regular yogurt? It seems thick enough to me. This stuff felt a bit like eating creamy jello.

I don't think that people who buy pre-sweetened, thickened yogurts are bad or anything. Sometimes it's a better alternative than other offerings, especially if you're traveling. I just think it's annoying that the food companies add such weird stuff to otherwise innocuous products.

Anyway, that's my two cents for the day. Tonight we're going to a dosa restaurant in Central Square and to see some of Chris' high school friends. Hope everyone is having a lovely holiday!

Another Reason I Like Michelle Obama

When it comes to health and nutrition, the first lady seems to have a good head on her shoulders.

On a recent trip to the Health and Human Services Department, she stressed that even small changes in diet and exercise can have a big impact. Got that? "Not totally evaporating your way of being as you know it today."

"Imagine what we'll be facing in 20 or 30 years," she continued, "if we don't get on this issue. None of us wants a future like that for our children."

I really think that's an important message to put out there, especially now, when stress levels are high and health—especially diet and exercise—is one of the first things to fall by the wayside.

Putting an emphasis on the need for that healthy balance in your life is something I wish we saw more of—why can't our country make a bigger deal out of the fact that preventative care can help you in the long run?

quote of the day

"...I mean, you get people taking a taxi to the gym! Only in America. You know, it's not like you need to even join a gym to get exercise. Just find the nicest, most expensive gym you wish you could afford and walk to it–and then walk back..."

–instructor during a class discussion about "engage in physical activity" as part of the dietary guidelines put out by the USDA/HHS.

I was amused. She's got a point. Living in New York, especially, it's pretty easy to get exercise just walking around. Sometimes you get places faster that way. And besides, with all this swine flu hype still in the media, walking to where you've got to go is all the more appealing.