“Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin” by John Cloud appeared in the August 9, 2009 issue of Time Magazine. This article discusses the struggle with weight loss and the role that exercise may not play in helping individuals obtain the results they desire. Mr. Cloud quotes Steven Gortmaker, who heads Harvard’s Prevention Research Center on Nutrition and Physical Activity. “If you‘re more physically active, you’re going to get hungry and eat more.” Gortmaker has also studied childhood obesity. Also detailed in the article, was a paper published in the International Journal of Obesity describing a study of 538 children. Gortmaker and Sonneville found that children who begin exercising, end up eating more. The average consumed was 100 more calories than they had burned while participating in exercise. Exercise has many health benefits and should be encouraged. However, from this article it is questionable if rigorous exercises help obese children.

Food intake remains a concern in fighting childhood obesity. Eating healthy is very important in the lives of young children. Just recently MyPryamid, which is part of U.S. Department of Agriculture, joined Twitter. This is an excellent resource to support healthy eating in child and adults. Whether you use Twitter or the internet at www.usda.gov, you will learn what is going on, and what is coming up!

Thanks and have a fabulous weekend!

Hatch® encourages exercise, wellness and awareness with the Fit 4 You™ Kit

On January 23, 2009 Science Daily published recent results of the benefits of physical activity. While it is truly understood that physical activity benefits children, these findings provide additional information that is noteworthy. "School-based health and exercise programs have positive outcomes despite having little effect on children’s weight or the amount of exercise they do outside of school," states the Cochrane Research group. Their research illustrates that a school based program that increased the time children spent exercising and reduced the time spent watching television has reduced blood cholesterol levels and improved fitness. "However, programs made little impact on weight."

Maureen Dobbins, who works at the School of Nursing at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada believes that schools should make space in their schedules to create environments that encourage children to engage in physical activity each day. Efforts should be made to increase the level from moderate to vigorous activities. Children who spend time in school with this culture of healthy eating and exercise are more likely to carry it to adulthood.

When I read this article, I was thinking of the Fit4You kit Hatch developed. In this kit, early childhood teachers establish a gym in the dramatic play center, read about healthy foods correlated with the USDA Food Pyramid. Our kit integrates fitness and nutrition into the typical daily early childhood schedule. It provides support for teachers to guide their children to a healthy lifestyle that will last a lifetime. Go to www.fit4youkit.com to learn more.