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Family Blog Archives
Family Blog posts insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domain of the family facet of life. Family Blog: Family-Fun News 1 Family fun can help defend against childhood hypertension: August 22, 2007
Chalk it up as one more devastating result of the childhood obesity epidemic. Researchers say millions of children - as many as 2 million - have high blood pressure, a condition commonly associated with adults that can be a precursor to heart disease and stroke. A study by a doctor from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and Harvard Medical School analyzed records for more than 14,000 healthy kids who had at least three doctors visits between June 1999 and September 2006. More than 500 had high blood pressure, but only 131 - or 26 percent - had been diagnosed. Dr. David Kaelber, the study's lead author, said those results, applied to the population of the United States, suggest about 1.5 million American kids have undiagnosed high blood pressure. For any parent, that's a scary proposition and puts things on a whole new track. "We can't wait until they've had a stroke to figure this is a problem," said Dr. Reginald Washington, a pediatrician and member of the academy obesity task force. "To ignore it doesn't make any sense to me." Family Blog: Family Fun News 1 (Continued) Childhood obesity is an American epidemic for a while now, but this study, published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association, should bring it home for parents who may be taking a laissez-faire attitude toward active playtime. There are real consequences to shirking the responsibility toward your child's health, and they can be avoided by getting the family moving. Low-impact activities such as swimming in the summer, walking or taking bike rides on local trails are great ways to get fit and get in touch with family and friends. Swimming is great because it allows for buoyancy while creating resistance in the water, as well as cooling you off - and offering opportunities for big cannonball splashes. Walking is a fun activity because you can take your dog for a trot on the floodwall or through the park and talk to friends and family and catch up on the day, or just listen to your favorite music, audiobook or podcast. Cycling is fun because it gets the blood pumping and racing bikes, hearing the whirr of the spokes in the wind is exciting. It's also an activity the family can do together on local trails and at minimum cost. Getting active isn't just about getting fit, although that's a great benefit. It's about off your duff and having some fun. Setting aside time for family fun, turning off the TV and forgetting the rigors and stresses of daily life, will also help parents enjoy their children more. After all, don't they grow up too fast already? Too soon, they'll be adults. Encourage them to play now, make memories of childhood while you can before adulthood sets in. Family Blog Comment: Is it family, or is it fun, or is it family fun that wards off children against childhood hypertension? Now the question is whether a family supports the spirit of fun and freedom in its younger ones or it emphasizes more on coercion in the name of discipline and mannerism. It's for you to answer as far as your family is concerned. Wanna have some bidding fun with 'Family Fun' on ebay auction? You might grab a bargain or two! Just say your bid and you're done: I invite you to subscribe to my E-zine titled Life Coach, free of charge. This E-zine publishes insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domains of various facets of life. A not-to-be-missed opportunity! Subscribe to it here: I also invite you to subscribe to my Life Blog - no need to provide your e-mail address here. This RSS feed keeps you informed about new developments taking place on this site. It also harbors 25 journal bloglets posting insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domains of various facets of life. In order to subscribe to the blog, right-click on the orange RSS button (see buttons up to the left) and then paste the URL into your RSS reader. Or click on add to My Yahoo! button or My MSN or Add To Google button if you keep a personalized home page there. If you are not sure what RSS or blogging is all about, click on What's an RSS Feed? here:
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