Moms Have Some Control Over Rise in Childhood Obesity

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A good two-thirds of our population is fat or obese and that also goes for our kids..  Fat and obese.  And there is more and more evidence coming out as to why.  Poor eating habits, poor activity habits, and not genetics are the underlying causes for adolescent obesity according to a new study in the American Heart Journal.

In 1980, 6.5% of US children, from 6 – 11 were considered obese.  That rose 20% by 2008. 

Only one third of all kids were reported as exercising a minimum of 1/2 hour for 5 days during the prior week.  Do you realize…only one third of all kids were reported as exercising only 1/2 hour for 5 days.  What is that?  Kids don’t need to exercise — they need to go out and play.  Formal exercise is not necessary.  They need to go out and play. 

Obese kids were less likely than non-obese kids to participate in regular exercise.  No kidding — don’t you love research like that?  A lack of sleep is linked to obesity.  Giving babies solid food too early is linked to obesity later on, except if kids are breast fed for a minimum of four months.  Breast feeding seemed to fix that.

The most important part of this study is the part that gets people mad.  Well, it gets moms mad.  Children’s chances of becoming fat rises the longer mothers work outside the home.  Weight problems among children have soared in the past 3 decades as more women have joined the workforce. 

A consortium of researchers at American University examined the relationship between kids’ weight and mothers’ work schedules and what factors about a woman’s work might contribute to fat kids.  They used data from 990 school-aged children in the study of early childhood and youth development.  The longer the woman worked, the higher the likelihood her kids would be fat. 

 I’ve gotten so many calls from moms upset their overweight kids, are getting razzed at school about being fat or obese.  And they want everybody to stop commenting on it.  My suggestion is to make sure your family is not fat or obese anymore and the comments will stop!  It’s a voluntary condition. 

Just do this little bit of anecdotal research:  go to any restaurant (lunchtime in particular).  Look at the thin people and see what they order.  Look at the fat people and see what they order.  By and large (pun intended) you will literally see why one is heavy and one is not.  Last week, I went to a family-style restaurant and I got myself a salad.  Salads can be very fattening if you put on dressing, so I always have the dressing on the side and take a little on the fork and drizzle it around..  I always get salads that have a little fruit in them because that keeps it moist.  And I look over at the next table and what do I see? A huge cheeseburger and French Fries.  I couldn’t believe it in this day and age. 

But the main problem children have is the inattention of their mothers, because their mothers are burning the candle from one end to the other and all along the middle.  Because women have been bullied by the feminist mentality, they no longer believe  being a mother and a wife and a homemaker is an adequate thing for anybody to do.

So they have full-time jobs, kids and a husband.  They can’t adequately take care of their kids to make sure they exercise and eat right.  I think it was 60% of what people spend on food these days is spent on fast food.  Well fast food tastes good because it’s high in sugar, salt and fat.  That’s what makes it taste good.

So when you think  “oh that piece of fish is so buttery,” it is!  God didn’t make that fish that way.  Whoever is in the back with the chef’s hat did it..  Yet mommies aren’t taking care of their families.  They are too busy feeling they should work or they are meaningless human beings.  They don’t feel like shopping and cooking fresh dinners for their kids.  And the whole family is sedentary because everybody is tired. 

So kids are fat.  And yeah, it’s primarily mom.  Sorry, I’m a woman.  I’m looking at this and remember that I always made sure we had proper food.  As far as exercise; my kid was always up and out and running.  That’s what kids should be doing. 

I am frustrated so many of you women have underestimated your importance.  What studies like this show is how important you are to the well-being and health of your children.  Being told you can dump them in day care and just shove any kind of food and put them into bed and that’s it, as long as there is money in the tiller, belies the fact that you’re really very necessary for their health and welfare, happiness, structure, religion –  all of this.  We call it “Mommy Power.”  And so many women are willing to give up mommy power for some job, for some money.  Even in this economy, it is very important we take care of ourselves as a family. 

Hey Date – Ya Got Any Health Issues?

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Here’s a tricky question from a listener – at what point after starting to date do you discuss health issues?

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How To Be Happy

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People seem very confused about happiness.  Most folks believe that having all they want is the way to be happy.  I don’t think so.

When I was on the radio evenings in Los Angeles over two decades ago, I reached a “24 share.”  That meant one out of four people listening to Los Angeles radio was tuned into me.  I got a substantial bonus.  We took that money and paid off all financial obligations and had some left over.

I had always wanted a tennis bracelet – that’s a bracelet made of tiny or huge diamonds.  I had enough money for a bracelet with tiny diamonds, but a tennis bracelet nonetheless.  My husband told me to treat myself, and I did.  I felt a swell of joy every time I looked at that bracelet.

I did not feel joy because I had a diamond bracelet on my wrist.  I thought that would be the case, but it wasn’t.  I felt joy because I had “busted my buns,” worked very hard, and built something special.  So, the happiness in looking at the bracelet was not because of the metal and carbon; it was because it symbolized the hard work doing what I loved to do.

It is the experiencing and working that brings happiness.

Years later, I became more successful, and “upgraded” the tennis bracelet.  I liked the new bauble, but it never brought me anywhere near the thrill of that first one.
 
What comes easily does not have the emotional significance of hard work, sacrifice, and risk.

Once, when my son was small, and we were visiting Las Vegas, he wanted to put money in those machines at each dining room table and place a bet in the hopes of winning lots of money.  I wouldn’t let him do it.  I told him that money wouldn’t mean as much as money hard earned.  He (at seven years of age) didn’t quite “get” that.  It seemed to him as a child that “found”  booty is booty nonetheless.  He’s now finishing up his military service and has learned up front and personal about hard work, sacrifice and risk, and he’s enjoyed every moment he’s earned.

So, don’t wish for “clearinghouse” checks or for winning the lottery.  Wish for the opportunity to do something meaningful, something you love, something with hard work, sacrifice and risk.  Believe me, you’ll be happier.

Proposed Ban on Fast Food Toys in San Francisco

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To tempt or not to tempt….that is the question.  Whether ’tis nobler to seduce already or ready-to-be overweight children with pop toys to get them to eat more fat and salt than a horse would tolerate OR find a way to combine good business sense and family-friendly nutrition?

Apparently, McDonald’s would rather just seduce your kids – it makes good profits.

Well, that could no longer be the case in San Francisco.

Last week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors gave preliminary approval to banning toy giveaways in Happy Meals and similar fast-food offerings aimed at kids, unless they have reduced sodium, fat, and sugar content AND include fruit and vegetables.  The legislation is intended to promote healthy eating and help combat childhood (and ultimately adult) obesity, and was passed by an 8 – 3 vote, the bare minimum needed to overturn Mayor Gavin Newsome’s promised veto.

McDonald’s, the world’s largest restaurant chain, is fighting the proposal.  The Board is scheduled to take a final vote sometime this week.  The proposed restrictions wouldn’t go into effect until December, 2011. 
Under the proposed ordinance, restaurants may give away a free toy or other incentive item ONLY if the meal contains less than 600 calories, has less than 640 milligrams of sodium, and if less than 35% of the calories are derived from fat (less than 10% from saturated fat), except for the fat contained in nuts, seeds, eggs or low-fat cheese.  In addition, the meals must contain a half-cup or more of fruit and three-quarters of a cup or more of vegetables.

Parents ultimately decide what their kids eat – that is understood.  But all you parents are aware of how pressured you are when your kids have been pumped up by the media to want those toys.  When you try to steer them to the healthier foods, they make a fuss – “No Shrek???????”

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2006 found that fast food chains spent $360 million to purchase toys to distribute with their more than 1.2 billion children’s meals sold that one year.

McDonald’s has given toys as an incentive to buy the unhealthy meals.  Now, San Francisco is giving McDonald’s the incentive to give out toys with veggies and healthier combinations of foods.

My feeling about parents feeling pressured once they’re in a fast-food place is NOT TO GO INTO FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS WITH KIDS!

Make sandwiches at home and have a picnic out on some grass with fruit juices and an apple for dessert.  Ultimately, it’s the parents’ fault that 1.2 billion unhealthy children’s meals went into the arteries of innocent children.  Fast food places like McDonald’s count on your weaknesses, laziness, and lack of commitment to health and fitness.  That’s how they make a profit!  So, take responsibility!

Brain: 22; Body: Much Older

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How many times have you heard an adult say something like:  “I know I’m a mature adult, but I feel like a teenager on the inside?”  Sometimes, there’s a real disconnect between what we see in the mirror and what we think inside our heads:

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Excuses and More Excuses

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Do you have any idea how many calls I take on my radio program having to do with being overweight and out of condition?  Some people make unfortunate choices in a romantic partner because they believe that being fat makes them  less attractive to a more preferable partner.  Parents call with complaints their obese and sedentary children are being “razzed” in school.  Many women have told me they don’t have sex with their husbands because they hate the way their bodies look!  And others have weight-related medical problems, like adult-onset diabetes, bad knees and low energy.

Ultimately, it all comes down to something that is fixable if there’s an effort made to routinely exercise and moderate one’s food intake.

Nonetheless, the callers generally dismiss this rather straightforward solution with “issues” of depression, low self-esteem, problems from childhood, difficult schedules, etc., all to explain or excuse not exercising or controlling their eating habits.

It’s true eating (the first activity we experience upon birth) is a source of solace and pleasure.  However, as mature adults, we have to satisfy those human needs in healthier ways than letting our bodies be punished into obesity, poor balance, or bad conditioning, all which diminish the quality of life and life’s intimacies.

According to Bloomberg Business Week, only 5% of American adults do some type of vigorous physical activity on any given day.  Most of the respondents to their survey reported such sedentary activities as eating and drinking (96%), watching TV/movies (80%) or only very light activities such as washing, dressing, grooming (79%) or driving a car/motorcycle (71%).

Worse still, the most reported “moderate activity” was food and drink preparation!  38% of the women and 13% of the men listed that one as a physical activity.

These facts demonstrate that, generally, being out of condition is largely a voluntary condition for which people then complain about a lack of motivation. The reason many people join exercise and diet groups is they are held accountable as a motivation. Being part of a group which all has the same goal (e.g., weight loss, muscle toning) puts you in a competitive atmosphere as well as a supportive one.  Going for walks with others, working out with friends, getting involved in a healthy cooking group and other similar examples all contribute to accountability.

Motivation is not a miracle, and it’s not something you should count on before you do what is right, good, and healthy for yourself and others.  Discipline ultimately comes from wanting to be proud of yourself and by learning about your level of courage and character.

Live Life With Relish

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Recently, I received some very bad news about a friend.  A year ago, she was diagnosed with lung cancer.  She never smoked and was very physically active, religious, positive personality and never even used a curse word.

I called her every day as she went through surgery and chemo.

It looked like all was good.  But it wasn’t, and it isn’t.

This cancer is aggressive, and spread even in the soup of strong chemotherapy.  Now they’ve told her they cannot operate.  She will have radiation every day for seven weeks and then be on chemo daily for the rest of her life.

Then they told her what her life would be like:  the esophagus is probably going to be severely impacted, she’ll experience nausea, acne, and on and on.

She told me she was going to fight and win this and just tolerate whatever comes.

I’m going to be calling her every day again.
 
I left the conversation feeling deeply sick to my stomach.  I had to go do a buoy race in my sailboat.  I got to the boat later than usual, and felt bad doing something so frivolous when my friend may be dying.

We started the race, and not one of the seven of us onboard noticed the course we were supposed to take.  That meant we had no idea (in the midst of a dozen possible combinations) where we were going.  But it was a beautiful, cool night with a gentle breeze with some puffs to keep the boat going.

I didn’t care we didn’t know where we were going.  Usually, I would be pretty annoyed we were competing with that kind of stupid handicap.

It was something my friend had said:  “I think everybody should have a ‘bucket list,’” meaning we should live each day fully, assuming that is the only day we have left.

I was out on the ocean among friends, in the cool of the early evening, sailing along in the rolling ocean.  What a blessing.  I asked the crew to vote each time we rounded a buoy as to what the next one probably was.  We guessed wrong, and went from first place to last place as we went further out to sea toward a buoy we weren’t supposed to go around.  I said to the crew “It doesn’t matter….we know we were first, and now we’re having a beautiful sail out here almost alone, while getting in more practice.  All is good.”

My tactician, who was nervous that he would get in trouble for forgetting to note the course, had to be calmed down.  I told him “What does it really matter?  What matters is that we’re all having a great time and actually doing a great job.”  And even though I’m a “Type A” personality, I meant it.

I don’t think I’ve had a more satisfying finish to a buoy race….ever.

Life is for the living and should be lived with relish.  When people are fighting for their lives, it points out how precious life is, so no one should waste any of it.

And so many people do waste it by holding grudges, not letting go of past hurts, holding themselves back from happiness because of anger or fears, letting disappointments and frustrations consume them, using drugs, being drunk, sitting in front of a TV or computer screen playing games alone, and more.

I still feel sick to my gut that someone so kind and sweet is facing this cancer horror.  I am in awe of her attitude, and grateful for the reminder.

Here she is, facing sickness and pain every day, yet she says she wakes up every day grateful for another day.

We should not all wait for cancer in order to do the same thing.

RELAX!!

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Some of you don’t have the slightest clue how to STOP and check out the roses…or plant some…or arrange some in a vase.

According to The Wall Street Journal, only 52% of working Americans say they come back from vacation feeling rested and rejuvenated; the rest anxiously cram in too many activities, stay plugged into BlackBerrys, cellphones, iPads, pagers, computers, emails, cell phones – you get the idea.

Attempting to relax even makes some people sick:  including fatigue, muscle pain, nausea, flu-like symptoms and weekend migraines.

For some folks, stopping work means having an actual physical/psychological withdrawal reaction complete with mood swings!  These are most likely the ones who gravitate to high-pressure jobs or those who arrange to be pressured by procrastination and taking on too much that is too difficult.  People do that when they have found this means of dealing with other personal anxieties which become masked by work and work stress.  In other words, if someone feels inadequate, the adrenaline rush of frenzied work is a form of self-medication.

For most of us, it is probably just habit.  Too many wives work themselves out of feeling loving and sexy.  Too many husbands work themselves out of feeling loving and sexy.  The result?  Arguments about nothing and a mutual feeling of having “grown apart.”

My opinion is that the body and mind can only take so much before neither works properly.  Those of you who are churchgoers have an edge on the rest:  a religiously forced “day of rest.”  Very smart.  When my family practiced Orthodox Judaism, we couldn’t work from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.  At first, it was horrific for us.  After a while, I even began to look forward to my Shabbos nap on Saturday.  Frankly, it was very good for the whole family that we had to pray and chill.

While we are no longer in that community and lifestyle, I still make sure weekends are free to motorcycle over beautiful terrain for lunch, to fiddle with hobbies, to commune with friends, and for us to put up our feet, have a glass of wine, and watch a classic movie.

Whatever your personal anxieties are, you’d better face them or they will eat you (and your relationships) alive.

So, start by picking an hour every day during which you do nothing, and disconnect from all technology.

Try something new.

Get physical.

Get into the moment.

Stop being a human DOING and start being a human BEING.