Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Heart Risk of Obesity Greater Than Thought
Dec. 28, 2009 -- The link between obesity and death from heart disease may be even worse than previously thought, but health problems associated with being underweight may have been exaggerated, a new study shows.
Previous studies have shown that a higher than normal body mass index (BMI), a barometer of unhealthy weight levels, is associated with higher rates of death from cardiovascular disease. Studies also have shown a link between being underweight, or having a low BMI, with increased mortality from such problems as respiratory disease and lung cancer.
But scientists at the University of Bristol in the U.K. and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden now say they've found that the risks of death from cardiovascular disease for people who are overweight or obese may have been understated, and the adverse consequences of having a low BMI have been overstated.
The study appears in the journal BMJ.
The researchers examined data on more than a million pairs of Swedes, studying mother-son and father-son pairs over age 50. In the study, offspring BMI was used as an indicator of parental BMI.
The researchers' analysis of the data shows a strong association between high offspring BMI and parental mortality from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers.
The data also suggested no association between a low BMI and an increased risk of respiratory disease or death from lung cancer.
This is important, they write, because the prevalence of obesity and average body mass index have been rising rapidly in industrialized countries.
"Academic and governmental agencies predict that these increases will generate adverse trends in the incidence of, and mortality from, diseases considered to be related to obesity, such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and many cancers," the researchers write.
"These conclusions have important implications for public health practice because they suggest that reducing population levels of overweight and obesity or preventing their rise will have a considerable benefit to population health," the researchers write. "Suggestions to the contrary are probably misguided."
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20091228/heart-risk-of-obesity-greater-than-thought?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Previous studies have shown that a higher than normal body mass index (BMI), a barometer of unhealthy weight levels, is associated with higher rates of death from cardiovascular disease. Studies also have shown a link between being underweight, or having a low BMI, with increased mortality from such problems as respiratory disease and lung cancer.
But scientists at the University of Bristol in the U.K. and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden now say they've found that the risks of death from cardiovascular disease for people who are overweight or obese may have been understated, and the adverse consequences of having a low BMI have been overstated.
The study appears in the journal BMJ.
The researchers examined data on more than a million pairs of Swedes, studying mother-son and father-son pairs over age 50. In the study, offspring BMI was used as an indicator of parental BMI.
The researchers' analysis of the data shows a strong association between high offspring BMI and parental mortality from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers.
The data also suggested no association between a low BMI and an increased risk of respiratory disease or death from lung cancer.
This is important, they write, because the prevalence of obesity and average body mass index have been rising rapidly in industrialized countries.
"Academic and governmental agencies predict that these increases will generate adverse trends in the incidence of, and mortality from, diseases considered to be related to obesity, such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and many cancers," the researchers write.
"These conclusions have important implications for public health practice because they suggest that reducing population levels of overweight and obesity or preventing their rise will have a considerable benefit to population health," the researchers write. "Suggestions to the contrary are probably misguided."
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20091228/heart-risk-of-obesity-greater-than-thought?src=RSS_PUBLIC
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Winter Break Exercises
Watch the video and try out some of the exercises. These exercises can be done a home with little space.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Looks Like Rain
Look for the inclement weather schedule that is posted in the locker room. Dress in your uniform then meet at the facility listed on the schedule. If we are assigned to a classroom (Room 4, 21, T-21, 141) you do not have to dress.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Student vs Faculty Basketball Game
Be there and come support your favorite PE teacher !!! Proceeds go to the Jimmy V cancer research center.
http://www.jimmyv.org/
http://www.jimmyv.org/
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
State's students getting a little fitter
The state's Fitnessgram test results released Monday show the vast majority of students still need to be faster, leaner, stronger and more limber - not only to meet state fitness standards, but to combat an ongoing national obesity epidemic.
"We all know we have a long way to go to eradicate what I call the silent epidemic of childhood obesity and poor nutritional health," state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said.
But Monday's results show a continuing trend in the right direction at a time when the state Department of Education says teenagers are three times more likely to be overweight than their 1980s counterparts.
During the Fitnessgram testing last spring, almost 34 percent of California's middle and high school students tested met all six of the state's fitness criteria, which includes a 1-mile walk/run, body-fat measurement and a series of strength and flexibility tests.
Last year, about 32 percent met the same standard, compared with 29 percent in 2007 and 28 percent in 2006.
School officials say public awareness campaigns and a greater emphasis in schools on nutrition and fitness appear to be paying off.
Rich kids, poor kids
Nearly 1.4 million students in grades five, seven and nine in 2009 took the test, which was administered from Feb. 1 through May 31.
As in years past, the Fitnessgram results illustrated the stark reality that physical fitness levels fluctuate based on socioeconomic factors.
In suburban and wealthier communities, students generally posted higher fitness scores than those in urban areas with a greater percentage of low-income students. In Pleasanton Unified, for example, 56 percent of students met all six criteria, compared with 23 percent in Oakland Unified schools. And in Palo Alto, 48 percent of students hit all six targets compared with 32 percent in San Francisco.
The results also showed a dramatic difference in fitness levels by race, with African American and Hispanic students lagging behind their white and Asian peers. For example, 27 percent of black fifth-graders statewide met all six fitness categories, compared with 39 percent of white fifth-graders - a gap that is mirrored in student academic performance statewide, a phenomenon known as the achievement gap.
Research shows that those who eat well and are physically fit perform better in school, O'Connell said. Keeping children active is "part of our strategy of closing the achievement gap."
Making PE count
The state requires 200 minutes of gym class every 10 school days for grades one through six and 400 minutes every 10 school days for middle and high school students, but those physical education requirements have been difficult to meet.
In 2006, more than half of 73 school districts reviewed by the state failed to meet those standards, including San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, according to the California Center for Public Health Advocacy.
A lower priority
Physical education often took a back seat to the basics as the state and nation focused on high-stakes tests of math and literacy, sometimes leaving little time or resources for gym.
Yet state officials said with help from the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports - which promoted a program to get children physically active 30 to 60 minutes a day - districts are taking gym class more seriously.
In San Francisco, voters passed Proposition H in 2004, which specifically designated more city money for physical education programs. And this year, the school board adopted a physical education master plan to help ensure schools meet PE requirements.
Fitness scores inched up this year in the city.
More California students cast aside their couch potato ways in 2009 and scored better in annual physical fitness tests than in recent years.
"This is definitely a priority," said district spokeswoman Gentle Blythe.
Student fitness tests
The annual Fitnessgram test includes six content areas: aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength, trunk strength, upper-body strength and flexibility. Students must complete a physical task to demonstrate their ability in each area.
Example: One option for the aerobic portion is a 1-mile run. To pass, students must complete the distance in the following time frames (in minutes) set by the Department of Education:
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/01/MNK21ASIR7.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0YSXguhWe
"We all know we have a long way to go to eradicate what I call the silent epidemic of childhood obesity and poor nutritional health," state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said.
But Monday's results show a continuing trend in the right direction at a time when the state Department of Education says teenagers are three times more likely to be overweight than their 1980s counterparts.
During the Fitnessgram testing last spring, almost 34 percent of California's middle and high school students tested met all six of the state's fitness criteria, which includes a 1-mile walk/run, body-fat measurement and a series of strength and flexibility tests.
Last year, about 32 percent met the same standard, compared with 29 percent in 2007 and 28 percent in 2006.
School officials say public awareness campaigns and a greater emphasis in schools on nutrition and fitness appear to be paying off.
Rich kids, poor kids
Nearly 1.4 million students in grades five, seven and nine in 2009 took the test, which was administered from Feb. 1 through May 31.
As in years past, the Fitnessgram results illustrated the stark reality that physical fitness levels fluctuate based on socioeconomic factors.
In suburban and wealthier communities, students generally posted higher fitness scores than those in urban areas with a greater percentage of low-income students. In Pleasanton Unified, for example, 56 percent of students met all six criteria, compared with 23 percent in Oakland Unified schools. And in Palo Alto, 48 percent of students hit all six targets compared with 32 percent in San Francisco.
The results also showed a dramatic difference in fitness levels by race, with African American and Hispanic students lagging behind their white and Asian peers. For example, 27 percent of black fifth-graders statewide met all six fitness categories, compared with 39 percent of white fifth-graders - a gap that is mirrored in student academic performance statewide, a phenomenon known as the achievement gap.
Research shows that those who eat well and are physically fit perform better in school, O'Connell said. Keeping children active is "part of our strategy of closing the achievement gap."
Making PE count
The state requires 200 minutes of gym class every 10 school days for grades one through six and 400 minutes every 10 school days for middle and high school students, but those physical education requirements have been difficult to meet.
In 2006, more than half of 73 school districts reviewed by the state failed to meet those standards, including San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, according to the California Center for Public Health Advocacy.
A lower priority
Physical education often took a back seat to the basics as the state and nation focused on high-stakes tests of math and literacy, sometimes leaving little time or resources for gym.
Yet state officials said with help from the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports - which promoted a program to get children physically active 30 to 60 minutes a day - districts are taking gym class more seriously.
In San Francisco, voters passed Proposition H in 2004, which specifically designated more city money for physical education programs. And this year, the school board adopted a physical education master plan to help ensure schools meet PE requirements.
Fitness scores inched up this year in the city.
More California students cast aside their couch potato ways in 2009 and scored better in annual physical fitness tests than in recent years.
"This is definitely a priority," said district spokeswoman Gentle Blythe.
Student fitness tests
The annual Fitnessgram test includes six content areas: aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength, trunk strength, upper-body strength and flexibility. Students must complete a physical task to demonstrate their ability in each area.
Example: One option for the aerobic portion is a 1-mile run. To pass, students must complete the distance in the following time frames (in minutes) set by the Department of Education:
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/01/MNK21ASIR7.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0YSXguhWe
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