Back-to-School Backpack Safety Tips
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Back-to-School is in full swing and not only are school supplies surely on your list of priorities, but your child's backpack and backpack safety should be as well. Dr. Sheeraz A. Qureshi, M.D., M.B.A., Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City suggests that parents consider function over fashion when choosing a backpack for a child. "Healthy habits as an adolescent can reduce the chances of having chronic back problems as they get older," commented Dr. Qureshi. "It is extremely important for students and parents to be mindful of the weight they are carrying and how they distribute that weight."Some additional backpack tips from Dr. Qureshi:
- Check the number of straps. Backpacks with two straps distribute the weight of the bag more evenly, placing less stress on the shoulders.
- It is also preferred that a backpack have a strap that goes around the child's waist to balance the backpack's weight between the shoulders and hips.
- Backpacks with wheels place almost no stress on the back and are therefore preferable to standard backpacks. However, some schools do not permit this type of rolling bag so check before buying one of these.
- Wearing a heavy backpack can affect the way you walk. For children, wearing the backpack lower on the back seems to improve walking mechanics and may reduce pain.
Labels: child health, education, safety, schools
posted by Jennifer James @ Saturday, August 23, 2008,
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Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Collector's Edition
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Finally released from the Disney vault, Academy Award(R) nominated writer and producer Tim Burton's (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride) The Nightmare Before Christmas: Collector's Edition returns in a deeper, darker and more brilliant digitally-restored masterpiece -- as Tim Burton originally envisioned. This delightfully twisted story releases just in time for the Holidays, August 26, 2008, in a first time Collector's Edition DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def Disc Box Set.
Labels: entertainment
posted by Jennifer James @ Thursday, August 14, 2008,
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The PBS KIDS Summer Road Trip to Health
Thursday, June 5, 2008
This summer, PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! invite children on a virtual road trip with a destination all about being engaged and healthy. Beginning June 2nd, kids can fuel their minds and bodies with health-themed episodes and online activities learning how their favorite character role models in ten different series live healthy and smart. See more at pbskidsgo.org and listen to They Might Be Giants sing the summer theme song "Get Up and Go!" Our first stop - CAILLOU! Caillou gets active this week on PBS KIDS!6.2.08 (check local listings) CAILLOU #305 Caillou's Gym Day: Caillou gets a special invitation to go to Andre's gym class. A little intimidated at first, Caillou tries his best and ends up having great fun. When they try a rhythmic coordination exercise, Caillou discovers that some things are not that easy.
6.3.08 CAILLOU #107 Caillou Cooks: Someone's in the kitchen; it's Caillou! After making too much of a mess trying to help Mom, Caillou plays pretend-cooking with Sarah, and they bring Mom a bouquet of dandelions and a tasty cake made of toy blocks.
6.4.08 CAILLOU #306 Caillou the Snowman: Caillou wants to play hockey with Billy and the other big kids. He goes with Daddy to the store to get the equipment he needs, but he finds he just can't keep up with the big kids. After Daddy gives Caillou his old hockey sweater - which is way too big for Caillou - he tells him that if he keeps practicing he'll be really good by the time he grows into the sweater.
6.5.08 CAILLOU #302 Caillou The Sports Star: When a new, longer set of monkey bars is installed at the park, Caillou is disappointed that he can't climb as far as Leo. He asks his Daddy how he can get bigger and stronger and finds out that eating right, exercising and getting lots of sleep is the best way. Later, when Clementine and Billy join them Caillou finds he can lift up Billy's bike. He couldn't do that last year! Caillou realizes he's getting stronger every day!
6.6.08 CAILLOU #419 Games To Play: Caillou's friend Andre has come to visit. André is a soccer player and Caillou wants to play too... only Caillou isn't very good at kicking the ball. He wants to give up, but Andre and Dad encourage him and eventually he makes the biggest kick of the day.
For more information on the PBS KIDS Summer Road Trip to Health visit http://pressroom.pbs.org/programs/get_up_and_go_summer_road_trip
Labels: children, entertainment, family, TV
posted by Jennifer James @ Thursday, June 05, 2008,
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Spring Clean Your Diet
Saturday, April 12, 2008
(Newswise) Ever thought of improving your eating habits as a spring cleaning job? Just as you give your house and garage a thorough once-over every year, you can do the same with your diet. Here's how.Clean it up. Drink more water and less soda drinks. "Drinks shouldn't be sticky," says Pam Davis, R.D., LD., dietitian and diabetes educator, Baylor Medical Center at Garland.
Clean your plate. Ms. Davis also recommends "cleaning" your plate by ditching cheesy casseroles in favor of simple, three-part meals, consisting of a meat, starch and a vegetable. For example, a pork tenderloin, brown rice, and green beans meal would fit the bill.
Toss it out. Go through your pantry and freezer and toss anything that's old or unhealthy. Don't keep frozen meat any longer than six months. Label and date any leftovers before you freeze them for later use.
Plan it. Planning your meals makes it less likely you'll grab fast-food on the fly.
Sit down with your cookbook -- or your kids, who will be more likely to eat what they have helped plan - and create a weekly menu.
Practice restaurant savvy. If you eat out, do so wisely. Most restaurant portions are bigger and usually with more sodium or fat. Split a single entree or order just a half portion if offered by the restaurant.
Davis is a diabetes educator at the Baylor Diabetes Center at Baylor Medical Center at Garland where people with diabetes can attend self-management diabetes programs, support groups and classes.
Baylor Medical Center at Garland is part of Dallas-based Baylor Health Care System. For fiscal year 2007, Baylor Health Care System will report $390 million in community benefits to the Department of State Health Services. For more information, visit http://www.baylorhealth.com.
Labels: health, parenting, parents
posted by Jennifer James @ Saturday, April 12, 2008,
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Weight Affects Job Success
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Newswise -- When it comes to job hiring or career advancement, a common phrase is "it's not just what you know, it's who you know," but research on weight-based bias suggests "it's how you look."Does being extra heavy or obese hinder the opportunity of getting a job or moving up the work ladder?
A recent study conducted at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, shows that, yes, obesity can and does have a denigrating effect in the workplace.
"There are a whole set of stereotypes that go along with being overweight, and a lot of them transfer into the workplace in terms of people's judgment about others' abilities and appearance in relation to job performance," said doctoral candidate Cort Rudolph.
Researchers have studied the effects of weight-based bias in the workplace for more than 30 years, and Rudolph has completed a meta-analysis of many of the findings. "The results have been consistent. People who are overweight are viewed more negatively in the workplace than those who are of average weight, which is not surprising based on what we know about weight-based stereotypes," he said.
posted by Jennifer James @ Wednesday, February 20, 2008,
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