Listen up, MomSquawkers!

Are you on the fence about joining the next round of MSBL? Have you been looking for a reason to sway you one way or the other?

How about this? A new study found that when there’s a monetary reward involved, people actually do lose more weight than if they’re working toward some other, more long-term reward.

Researchers developed two different monetary reward systems, then assigned 57 obese but otherwise healthy people to one of these two groups or a control group, in which people were simply weighed at the end of each month. All were aiming to lose 16 pounds (7.26 kg) by the end of four months.

People in the incentive groups lost far more weight than those who got no pay for their efforts, with about half of the participants in each group meeting their weight loss goals.

The incentive groups lost averages of 13 and 14 pounds, while those in the control group lost an average of only four pounds in the same amount of time. Wow!

We’re human; we need motivation to achieve our goals. Not only does MSBL offer tangible rewards for weight loss, but you also have access to the most supportive group of women imaginable. I know that for the rounds I’ve participated in, I could always count on someone to help me get refocused after a bad week, or to cheer me on when I was doing well (and the thought of winning the weekly pot didn’t hurt a bit, either!).

I’m looking forward to joining the next round to have a reason to round out this pregnancy with healthy choices, and to start losing the baby weight. Save a slot for me, girls!

As if we didn’t have enough incentive already to get our kids away from the tv and running around outside, new studies reported during an American Heart Association (AHA) conference show that children who are obese may have arteries significantly “older” than they are.

About a third of American children are overweight and one-fifth are obese. Many parents think that “baby fat” will melt away as kids get older. But research increasingly shows that fat kids become fat adults, with higher risks for many health problems.

“Obesity is not benign in children and adolescents,” said Dr. Robert Eckel, a former heart association president and cardiologist at the University of Colorado-Denver. It is why the American Academy of Pediatrics recently recommended cholesterol-lowering drugs for some kids, he noted.

Researchers tested the thickness of certain arteries in the children’s necks (via ultrasound) and compared the data gathered to the average arterial thickness of 45-year-olds. The kids had similar results to these middle-aged adults!

A separate study tied childhood obesity to abnormal enlargement of the left atrium, one of the chambers of the heart. Enlargement is a known risk factor for heart disease, stroke and heart rhythm problems.

A third study by Dr. Walter Abhayaratna of Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, also used ultrasound tests and found impairment in the heart’s ability to relax between beats in children who were overweight or obese.

In other words, children can’t afford a “wait and see” parental attitude toward weight problems. Being proactive now could very well save their lives down the road.

A little over a year ago, I had my first real health scare when I was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. I didn’t panic at the echocardiogram report until I Googled and found out that people with this condition are at risk for heart failure or sudden cardiac death. I was horrified. Here I’d been gearing up for my midlife crisis, and I was learning that I might have grossly miscalculated. And I had two toddlers to raise.

I was extremely lucky, more so than I can express. My condition was apparently the result of thyroid disorder. Once my medication was adjusted, my heart self-corrected. All tests since then have come back normal.

But I’m a changed woman. I think differently about my heart. I cherish it. And I ask you, if you do not do so already, to cherish your own heart as well.

Tomorrow, February 1st, is National Go Red for Women Day. We’re asked to get educated about heart disease. For starters, consider these facts and statistics from First Lady Laura Bush’s web site:

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death of American women, accounting for 32 percent of all deaths per year. Nearly 366,000 women in America die every year of heart disease.
• 8 million American women are currently living with heart disease and of those, 6 million have a family history of heart disease.
• Fewer than half of all women are aware that heart disease is the number 1 killer of American women. Most women identify cancer as the leading cause of death.
• In the United States, all cardiovascular diseases combined claim the lives of more women’s every year than the next 16 causes of death combined — and almost twice as many as all forms of cancer.
• One in three women will die from heart disease, while one in 25 women die from breast cancer.
• Every year since 1984, more women than men have died of cardiovascular disease.
• There is no previous evidence of coronary heart disease in 63 percent of the women who suddenly die from the disease.
• Smoking is the most prevalent and preventable risk factor for cardiovascular disease in women younger than 45.
• 40 percent to 50 percent of women older than 45 have high blood pressure and an elevated total cholesterol level — both well-documented risk factors.
• Heart disease is often preventable.

According to the Mayo Clinic, these are the five important steps we can take to help protect ourselves from heart disease:

• Don’t smoke, or quit if you do.
• Be physically active.
• Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fats (and skip the trans fats altogether - these are the worst for the heart).
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Get regular health screenings. (May I add, ask for a blood test to look at thyroid function.)

We need to be our own advocates. When I told my doctor I was afraid something was wrong with my heart and described my symptoms, she wrote it off as “holiday stress” and gave me a prescription for a tranquilizer. The only reason I was tested was because, even though I was painfully self-conscious about it, I was persistent.

And my story is not unusual. As far as heart disease goes:

“Research shows that women may not be diagnosed or treated as aggressively as men,” says the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Since my brush with heart disease, I’ve not been perfect. I let some weight creep back on me (which I’m kicking with the Biggest Loser moms over on the Health and Fitness board), and I’ve scarfed my share of Milk Duds without checking the label first for saturated fat content (3.5 grams per 13 comforting duds). So I’m grateful to the Go Red campaign for reminding me that our hearts serve us well so long as they are treated well. They are resilient - I’m living proof - but they are not invincible.

Wear red tomorrow and help educate other women about heart disease. Look at your little ones and remember that one day you’ll be advising them on how to take care of their own children, so long as your heart is healthy and strong.

Posted by MommaSteph.

Too many preterm births. The number of preterm births is rising steadily. It is predicted that for 2006 nearly 13% of all children born in the US are preterm - born before 37 weeks of gestation. There is a US Surgeon General conference scheduled in 2008 to address this issue.

In 2005, preterm birth costs the nation more than $26.2 billion in medical and educational costs and lost productivity. Average first year medical costs were about 10 times greater for preterm than for term infants.

Go retro on the playground! Big fancy playground equipment might get the children “ooh-ing and aah-ing”, but to keep kids fit schools do not need to spend a lot of money. To get kids moving, schools should encourage games that involve running and jumping.

Fancy playground equipment is fine for improving coordination and sharpening minds, but if you really want preschoolers to play hard, give them a ball, jump-rope or hula hoop, a study concludes.

Anyone want to meet at the play yard for a game of kickball?

Taking a break from baby-making? There are now even more options to ensure you don’t have an “oops” moment. Web MD has an informative article that explains long-term birth control options that are hassle free and more reliable than ever. There is even the option of permanent birth control without invasive surgery, called Essure. As always, consult your doctor to determine what is best for you!

(Yes, I hear you laughing.)

A new study found that moms who regularly slept for five hours or less when their babies were six months old were much more likely to still be packing the baby pounds when the babies turned a year old. Three times more likely, in fact.

“We’ve known for some time that sleep deprivation is associated with weight gain and obesity in the general population, but this study shows that getting enough sleep — even just two hours more — may be as important as a healthy diet and exercise for new mothers to return to their pre-pregnancy weight,” said Erica Gunderson of Kaiser Permanente, which runs hospitals and clinics in California.

Wouldn’t we all sleep more (and better) if we had the opportunity to do so? With a new baby, that’s just not always possible - particularly if there are other children in the household.

At least they thought of that:

“With the results of this study, new mothers must be wondering, ‘How can I get more sleep for both me and my baby?’ Our team is working on new studies to answer this important question,” said Dr. Matthew Gillman of Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.

I’m not going to hold my breath on that one, gentlemen.

Posted by Sunshine.

Children’s cold medication update: A Food and Drug Administration panel voted 21 to 1 that over-the-counter baby and toddler cold medications be banned, and 13 to 9 that formulations for children under 6 be similarly banned from the market. Because the latter vote was relatively close, it is unclear what position the FDA will eventually take. The American Academy of Pediatrics representative told the panel that labels should at least warn parents that children’s cold medications are ineffective and, in rare instances, dangerous. Oddly, while the panel agreed that there is no evidence that over-the -counter cold medications have any positive effect on children’s cold symptoms, nine of the panel members apparently voted against a ban because parents need to give something to sick children. “Parents are using these medications to relieve what they consider symptoms, which in reality means their child is sedated and they are able to sleep,” said committee member Amy J. Celento-Stamateris, who represented parents. “My concern is that by taking these products off the market parents would have limited alternatives.” A representative from a pharmaceutical trade group stated that she believes the products will remain on the market.

Baby lung health: Researchers have found that a large percentage of babies who suffer from bronchiolitis have an inherent predisposition to the disease. Bronchiolitis is the leading cause for hospital admission of babies in the first year of life in the developed world and frequently develops out of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. Researchers found that babies with severe bronchiolitis lacked two particular substances in their airway secretions.

Children, sports, and popularity: A new study published in The Journal of Sport Behavior finds that elementary school children who are not perceived by their peers as athletic are more likely to report feeling unpopular and lonely. “Given the proven negative impact of loneliness on a child’s well being, this kind of research is an important endeavor,” says Causgrove Dunn. “It’s important to identify and understand the factors that might increase a child’s likelihood of being accepted by the peer group, because this, in turn, decreases the likelihood of that child experiencing the destructive psychosocial and emotional problems that often come with rejection.”

I received my Time magazine in the mail today and started to read it right away. I always find it very helpful in keeping up with world news. To my surprise I came upon an article about how eighth graders are being recruited for colleges. You read right. Eighth graders, who have not taken SATs and don’t even know what they want to study, are being contacted by coaches to let them know they count on them. Of course, that will be four years from now.

Apparently, competition is driving teams to search for young possible prospects. According to Scout.com the number of high school juniors committing early to big-college-football schools is up 430% (61 committed in 2003, 323 this year). Men’s ice hockey coaches have recruited ninth-graders, and women’s volleyball coaches are scouting younger and younger girls. Scout.com provides rankings, videos and history of kids who are prospects for professional sports league.

Even if kids are good there are some people that just want to benefit of the great deals and contracts. There are sites that rank kids as young as in sixth grade! Some coaches want the best for their kids, but others… the best for their pockets.

Kids (as well as adults) have many special talents but I think it is important to give them exposure to different things before making decisions. My son loves to swim and he has his mind set on competing for some college. I think that’s great, but if suddenly his shoulder dislocated he won’t be able to keep swimming. That is why I’m trying to let him know that it is important to have options. A career gives you options and stability. Although I think it is important to motivate a child, it is also important to let them know that not everyone will be able to play and become a great sport star. A touch of reality can do wonders for a child’s developing personality.

I’m my son’s biggest fan and I’ll be there to support his decisions. It is my job to give him exposure to different scenarios and to provide a realistic approach to things. But in the end, all we can give our kids are experiences and memories… they will have to make their own decisions regardless of what we think.

Posted by momcrazyforkids.

If you tuned into Nickelodeon on Saturday, September 29 between the hours of 12 and 3, you may have been surprised by what you saw. It wasn’t Dora, Blue, or even that strange Yo Gabba Gabba….it was a static screen with a Worldwide Day of Play logo. Every few minutes, a ticker would run across the screen urging kids who were “slouching on the couch” to go out and run a race, skip a rope, get up and move.

I had forgotten that Nickelodeon has been doing this. In 2005, they teamed with the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation to create the Let’s Just Play Go Healthy Challenge. Kids are encouraged to track their movement with downloadables and track their eating in order to come up with ways to improve their habits.

The site also shares tips and movement challenges. Just this weekend, and coincidently it was Saturday, I was bothered to learn that my 12 year old daughter’s friend had joined Weight Watchers with her mother. Knowing a little about how Weight Watchers works, I think it’s a wonderful program. It forces you to really pay attention to the amount and type of food you are putting in your mouth. But just the idea that a 12 year old had to join didn’t sit well with me.

With obesity problems continuing to grow in the US now, I love to see influential companies, like Nick, trying to make a difference. I wish others would join in, though, because how many kids do you think just switched to Disney Channel?

Posted by Mally

We all know that childhood obesity is on the rise and there are many attempts to try to stop this epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 percent of children (over 9 million) 6-19 years old are overweight or obese — a number that has tripled since 1980. Over the past three decades the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years and adolescents aged 12-19 years, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years.

One approach many parents are taking is enrolling their kids in gyms. This gyms are oriented to provide kids the necessary physical activities to burn calories and have fun. They have professionals that work out the mind and body. According to myoverweightchild.com you should look for the following characteristics before choosing a gym:

• Non-competitive fun atmosphere
• Smallest children are accompanied by parents
• No children left unattended
• Equipment is in good repair
• Staff have adequate training in exercise science and child development

The latest equipment on the market focuses on providing children with mini-treadmills and weight benches. Although I think is a great idea to burn calories and be active, what happened to fun play and outdoor exercise? I think that adults can benefit from having proper equipment to exercise, but what happened to playing sports, running around and riding a bicycle?

I can provide more exercise for my kids, better nutrition, and less sedentary activities. I think that is part of our job: teach our children that good decisions today mean a healthy lifestyle tomorrow.

This is very important because I don’t think a treadmill will be on my sons’ Christmas list.

Posted by momcrazyforkids.

Berry Baby: Actress Halle Berry has confirmed that she is three months pregnant with her first child. Dad is Halle’s model boyfriend Gabriel Aubry. Ms. Berry shared with a friend, “Gabriel and I are beyond excited, and I’ve waited a long time for this moment in life. Now the next seven months will be the longest of my life.”

Thinking of saddling up while pregnant? UK physician Peter Bowen-Simpkins, spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, weighs in: “The major danger caused by riding occurs after 28 weeks. The risks aren’t associated with the process of riding as such, but with falling off and landing on your tummy…Also, during the first 12 weeks there is a relationship between trauma and miscarriage.”

Pregnancy and Eating Disorders: A study out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Norway finds that pregnant women - especially those of low socio-economic status - appear to be vulnerable to developing a problem with binge eating. Binge eating disorder is associated not only with unhealthy weight gain and obesity, but also with anxiety, depression, insomnia, and chronic pain.  The study followed 100,000 pregnant Norwegian women, and is published in the August issue of the journal Psychological Medicine.