Boo! Since Halloween is this week, it’s a good time to think about what makes this holiday so scary. But it’s not the ghosts, witches, or zombies that come to your door on Halloween night that you should be afraid of. In fact, you don’t even need to wait until dark to get spooked. Some of the scariest costumes may be hiding on your breakfast table—candy and soda dressed up as healthy foods!
While parents may worry about how much candy their children collect on Halloween, they often overlook the candy-like foods their kids eat every day. I share three examples in my Health & Fitness column in the Aiken Standard this week.
Now that the extreme heat of our seemingly endless summer weather is behind us, being active outdoors is more enjoyable. October is a great time to get outdoors and go for a walk! That is the spirit of Walktober, an initiative adopted by health organizations, companies, and communities around the globe.
Walking is a great way to be active to help you control your weight, increase your fitness, and improve your health. The most common form of exercise for most people is walking, and for good reason: walking doesn’t require any special equipment (beyond comfortable shoes) or skills, and you can do it almost anywhere. This is the topic of my Health & Fitness column in the Aiken Standard this week.
Many kids are spending at least part of their summer at a camp. Summer camps are more than just a break from school. They play a crucial role in shaping children’s physical activity levels, overall health, and wellbeing. In our increasingly digital world, where sedentary behaviors among children are on the rise, summer camps offer a vital opportunity to counteract this trend and foster active lifestyles. This is the topic of my Health & Fitness column in the Aiken Standard this week.
Summer camps provide a structured environment where children engage in various physical activities throughout the day. This is important because structured physical activity programs during childhood are essential for developing fundamental motor skills, coordination, and cardiovascular fitness.
Camps offer a diverse range of activities such as swimming, hiking, team sports, and outdoor games, which not only keep children physically active but also expose them to different forms of exercise they may not experience otherwise. This variety helps in developing a lifelong interest in physical fitness and encourages children to explore their physical capabilities.
Additionally, regular physical activity during childhood is linked to numerous health benefits, including reduced risk of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and improved mental health. Summer camps play a pivotal role in addressing these health concerns by providing opportunities for children to meet recommended physical activity guidelines.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children and adolescents engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. Summer camps often exceed this recommendation through structured sessions and active play, contributing significantly to children’s physical health.
Beyond physical health, summer camps also support children’s overall wellbeing. Engaging in outdoor activities and spending time in nature have been associated with lower stress levels and improved mood. Camp experiences foster social connections and teamwork, which are essential for emotional development and building resilience. The camp environment encourages positive peer interactions and helps children develop interpersonal skills, empathy, and self-confidence. These social and emotional benefits contribute to a holistic sense of wellbeing among camp participants.
Furthermore, summer camps serve as a platform for promoting lifelong habits of healthy living. The skills and habits children learn at camp, such as teamwork, sportsmanship, and the enjoyment of physical activity, can translate into sustained behaviors beyond the camp environment.
Research suggests that early exposure to enjoyable physical activities increases the likelihood of continued participation in adulthood. By instilling a positive attitude towards physical activity and health at an early age, summer camps play a preventative role in combating sedentary lifestyles and associated health risks later in life.
Summer camps are important for promoting children’s physical activity, health, and overall wellbeing. Through structured activities, exposure to outdoor environments, and fostering social connections, camps create a conducive environment for children to thrive physically, emotionally, and socially. Research underscores the importance of such experiences in laying the foundation for a healthy lifestyle and reducing the risk of chronic diseases.
Therefore, investing in summer camps and ensuring access to quality programs is not only beneficial for individual children but also for public health initiatives aimed at combating childhood obesity and promoting wellbeing. Summer camps represent more than just a recreational opportunity; they are a cornerstone in nurturing active, healthy, and resilient children.
The school year ends soon for kids in our area. Long summer days to play, sleep in, and relax are an important part of growing up. But many educators and health professionals are concerned about what gets lost, and what gets gained, when kids are away from school. It’s also the topic of my Health & Fitness column in the Aiken Standard this week.
Summer learning loss is a real concern. It is estimated that children lose, on average, two months of reading skills and one month of overall learning over summer break. Those losses must be made up when school starts again in the fall, so teachers spend about six weeks re-teaching material that was covered in the previous grade. That is six weeks that children are not learning at grade level, which certainly has an impact on achievement over time.
Not all kids are affected equally. Much of the disparity in summer learning losses falls along socioeconomic lines. Some children have more opportunities than others to continue learning over the summer through formal educational programs and camps and informal encouragement to read.
To address this issue, many institutions implement summer “school” through classes, on-line learning programs, and encouraging reading at home. Some target the students who need them the most while other programs are instituted for all children. In fact, all three of my kids completed online learning programs last summer.
Learning losses are not the only concern with an extended break from school. Many children gain more weight over the summer than during the rest of the year. Furthermore, fitness gains made during the school year are frequently lost over the summer.
While poor nutrition and a lack of activity in schools is a real concern, many children get more exercise and eat better at school than they do at home. Being at home over the summer can lead to poor eating habits—too much unhealthy food or not enough food in general—and lack of chances to be active.
This is important because the combination of poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and obesity has physical, psychological, and social consequences for children that frequently persist into adulthood. Overweight and obese children, especially those who are inactive, are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and even stroke – conditions usually associated with adulthood.
Even if an overweight child does not have these conditions now, he or she is likely on that path. In fact, many experts predict that children born today will be the first generation in history to have a shorter lifespan than their parents due to obesity-related diseases that begin in childhood.
Children who are overweight are also more likely to suffer other consequences including lower self-esteem, social functioning, and academic performance. Overweight children are also less likely to play sports or participate in other forms of physical activity, which creates a cycle leading to poorer health and, potentially, poorer academic success.
Now that school is almost out for the summer, this is a critical time of year to focus on good nutrition, physical activity, and continued reading and learning to help prevent a summertime slump in health and academics.
Schools can only do so much, so adults should model good diet, activity, and reading behaviors themselves. A good place to start is by turning off the TV and reading a book or going outside to play. It’s something all of us—adults and children—will benefit from.
Since May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, it’s a good time to think about the vital role of youth sports in promoting fitness and health. This is the topic of my Health & Fitness column in the Aiken Standard this week.
Resistance training has long been recommended as part of an exercise program, but a new American College of Sports Medicine position stand offers an important update on exactly how adults can use it to improve strength, muscle mass, and physical performance. The good news is that the message is both evidence-based and practical: resistance training works, and it does not have to be complicated to be effective.
This is the topic of my Health & Fitness column in the Aiken Standard this week.
Often perceived as a leisurely activity for retirees or business executives, golf offers a wide range of health benefits that make it an excellent form of physical activity for individuals of all ages. Playing golf can improve cardiovascular health, enhance muscle strength and endurance, increase flexibility, improve balance and coordination, and reduce stress levels. This is the topic of my Health & Fitness column in the Aiken Standard this week.
According to one study, which measured heart rate in golfers not using an electric cart on a hilly cart, the intensity of a round of golf is consistent with moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Considering that the average golfer plays for about three hours per round, this accounts for a substantial amount of recommended weekly physical activity. A golfer who walks the course could burn up to 1,000 calories over 18 holes. Of course, the activity level and health benefits are reduced when riding in a motorized cart, but even that level of activity is associated with health benefits.
Playing golf can improve muscle strength and endurance. Golf requires the use of multiple muscle groups, including the core, legs, arms, and shoulders. Swinging a golf club strengthens the muscles of the upper body, while walking uphill and downhill on the golf course strengthens the leg muscles. Carrying the golf bag on the shoulders or pushing a golf cart can further enhance the benefits of the exercise.
Golf can also enhance flexibility, which is crucial for maintaining a healthy range of motion and reducing the risk of injuries. The swinging motion of the golf club requires a full range of motion of the shoulders, back, hips, and wrists. Additionally, the walking and bending involved in playing golf also contribute to improving flexibility. Together, enhanced strength and flexibility can aid in the prevention of back pain, joint stiffness, and muscle soreness.
Playing golf can also improve balance and coordination, which is essential for performing daily activities and maintaining stability. Golf requires a high level of hand-eye coordination, as well as coordination between the upper and lower body. The ability to maintain balance while swinging the golf club and walking on uneven terrain can help prevent falls and injuries, especially in older adults.
Lastly, playing golf can reduce stress levels and improve mental health. Most golfers play in a group, so golf offers social interaction in addition to activity. Furthermore, outdoor activity is known to have substantial benefits on mood and feelings of well-being, meaning that golf can be good for mental health as well as physical health.
In conclusion, golf is an excellent form of physical activity that offers numerous health benefits. The aerobic, strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination involved in playing golf can enhance overall fitness and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Furthermore, golf can provide a peaceful and relaxing environment that can reduce stress levels and improve mental health. So, next time you think of golf, remember that it is not just a sport but also a way to stay fit and healthy.
The term “toxic environment” was popularized years ago to refer to conditions that promote the consumption of high-calorie, unhealthy food and encourage being physically inactive. This combination is thought to be a major factor that contributes to obesity and other chronic diseases, so understanding both aspects is important. For now, lets focus on our toxic food environment, which I do in my Health & Fitness column in the Aiken Standard this week.
Chronic stress can have serious emotional, psychological, and physiological effects that contribute to or exacerbate many health problems. In fact, the negative health effects of chronic stress are like those of eating a poor diet or not getting enough physical activity. That said, managing stress, including getting enough sleep, is often overlooked as a key component of good health.
I have been writing about four important ways to improve your health: move more, eat smart, chill out, and make it work for you. I previously explained with importance of physical activity for health and why move more is first on my list.
Now let’s turn our attention to the role of food and eating in promoting good health. No question, for many people, changing the way they eat can make a huge difference in the way they feel and their current and future health.
