Listen up Moms and Dads.  Do you dread bedtime because your youngster just can’t seem to wind down?  Maybe they get in bed but don’t easily fall asleep, thereby reducing their – and maybe your – total sleep time. 

Then get them moving more.  No, not right before bedtime but throughout the day. 

Researchers in New Zealand measured the physical activity of seven-year-olds by having them where an accelerometer for 24 hours¹.  They also collected sleep data on the children. The average (median) time it took for the children to fall asleep was 26 minutes.  But those who were active during the day took less time to fall asleep than inactive children.  In fact, for the inactive children, every hour of sedentary time increased the time it took for them to fall asleep by 3 minutes.  Take a kid who plays video games or watches TV all day on a Saturday and you might end up with a bedtime nightmare. 

But more important than the inconvenience of a prolonged time between going to bed and falling asleep are the numerous potential learning and health consequences.  Poor sleep habits and reduced sleep time can lead to behavioral problems, mood swings, and learning difficulties.  In addition, inadequate sleep has been linked to increased obesity risk. 

Building Good Sleep Habits 

So making sure your child gets plenty of physical activity throughout the day will pay off at night.  Other good sleep-related habits recommended by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) for school-age children include:

• Emphasize need for regular and consistent sleep schedule and bedtime routine.
• Make child's bedroom conducive to sleep – dark, cool and quiet.
• Keep TV and computers out of the bedroom.
• Avoid caffeine from beverages (colas, cocoa, tea) and foods (chocolate., coffee ice cream and frozen yogurt).

 Also, the NSF has a website, Sleep for Kids, to teach children about the importance of sleep and good sleep habits.

In this blog, we talk a lot about all the many, many wonderful health and calorie-burning benefits of physical activity for children and adults of all ages.  Falling asleep faster is another one you can add to the list.   What physical activity health benefit is most important to you?  List it in the comment section below.

 

¹ Nixon GM et al.  Falling asleep: the determinants of sleep latency. Archives of Disease in Childhood 2009;94:686-689. 

Two months ago we posted a blog (http://blog.standupandeat.org/post/2009/08/Can-You-Outwit-Your-Genes.aspx) that described recent research suggesting that physical activity may reduce the high body mass index (obesity) level that might otherwise be expected in people with a specific gene variant, the FTO gene.

New research shows that diet, too, may play a bigger role than genes in obesity. Published in the September 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition¹, researchers analyzed eating habits of almost 5,000 people with and without the FTO gene variant. The risk of becoming obese was found to be 2.5 times higher for those who have double copies of the FTO gene variant, but only if their fat consumption was high. A low fat diet was shown to "neutralize" the harmful effects of the gene.

Thus, a low-fat diet is important for everyone, including those with an inherited predisposition to obesity. While family history may continue to increase risk for overweight and obesity, healthy lifestyle choices can override this risk.

So no more excuses everyone - replace fried foods with fresh, whole foods and sedentary activities with movement!   

¹ Sonestedt, Emily, Roos, Charlotta, Gullberg, Bo, Ericson, Ulrika, Wirfalt, Elisabet, Orho-Melander, Marju. Fat and carbohydrate intake modify the association between genetic variation in the FTO genotype and obesity. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2009.

We have had numerous blogs already about the health benefits of physical activity in older adults.  It reduces chronic disease risk factors, improves mental outlook, and improves ability to live independently.  A new study confirms many of these benefits and shows that being physically active can even extend the length of life.

Scientists in Israel followed a cohort of men and women from age 70 to age 88¹.   They assessed the study participants’ health habits, medical status, and physical function at baseline and at ages 78 and 85.  They also tracked down who in the cohort died at these time points and at age 88.  They classified “active” as doing four hours or more of physical activity. “Inactive” was defined as doing less than this amount of physical activity.

The table below shows the proportion of people in each group who died in the intervening years. For example, in the eight years following the baseline assessments, over 27 percent of “inactive” participants died but only about 15 percent of “active” men and women died.  In other words, inactive people had double the risk of dying in this time period than the active participants. 

 

	Mortality Rate
Follow-up Age	Active	Inactive
78	15.2%	27.2%
85	26.1%	40.8%
88	6.8%	24.8%

Look again at the table.  You will see that in the three years from age 85 to 88, the inactive people died at nearly three times the rate of the active group.  Thus, it appears that being physically active can extend life for at least a few years even among the very old. 

But the good news from this study doesn’t stop there.  The researchers also found that people extended the length of their lives if they went from being inactive to being active during any of the assessment intervals.  Even those who started moving more between ages 85 and 88 had a higher chance of living to the ripe old age of 88.   

The added bonus?  The study participants who were physically active said they were less depressed and lonely.

Now we get to the obvious question?  How do you help older people to be more physically active?  We described two effective programs in our earlier “Getting (Older) People Moving” blog.  Also, check out our “Physical Activity Links for Seniors” blog for resources specifically aimed at this age group.

Do you know any active 80 year olds?  If so, share what they do to keep themselves on the go.

 

¹ Stessman j, et al.  Physical activity, function, and longevity among the very old.  Archives of Internal Medicine.  2009;169(16):1476-83.

In the United States, foodborne diseases have been estimated to cause 6 million to 81 million illnesses and up to 9,000 deaths each year. Thus, it's just as important to protect yourself and your family from unsafe foods as it is from the Swine Flu. To make food safety much easier the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) recently launched a consumer website at www.foodsafety.gov. Here, you'll find everything from the latest food recall to how long eggs can be stored in the refrigerator to how to pack a safe school lunch. Think you know how to keep your foods safe? Take this 10-question quiz:

1. True or false? Lemon Juice and salt will clean and sanitize a cutting board.

2. True or false? Putting chicken in a colander and rinsing it with water will remove bacteria like salmonella.

3. True or false? Once a hamburger turns brown in the middle it is cooked.

4. True or false? You should not put hot food in the refrigerator.

5. True or false? Juices sold in refrigerated cases of grocery or health food stores, cider mills, or farm markets don't have to be pasteurized, but do have to be kept cold.

6. True or false? Meat that is spoiled will have an off odor, be sticky or tacky to the touch, or may be slimy in addition to color changes; change in color alone does not mean the product is spoiled.

7. True or false? Pregnant women should not eat: hot dogs and luncheon meats (unless they're reheat to steaming hot), soft cheeses like Feta, Brie, and Camembert, refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads, refrigerated smoked seafood (unless it's in a cooked dish, such as a casserole), or raw (unpasteurized) milk or foods that contain unpasteurized milk to prevent listeriosis, a bacterium that can be harmful to the mother and/or baby.

8. True or false? You should rinse raw fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water without soap, detergents, or bleach solutions to help remove germs and soils.

9. True or false? If your recipe calls for uncooked eggs it is usually safe if the eggs are beaten/whipped.

10. True or false? Raw, unpasteurized milk is higher in nutritional value and safe to drink.

ANSWERS: False, False, False, False, False, True, True, True, False, False.

So how well did you do? If you answered any of these questions incorrectly it probably wouldn't hurt to spend just a few minutes reading a tip sheet, downloading a podcast, or watching a video at www.foodsafety.gov. Also, if you suspect that a food is contaminated or has made you or someone that you know sick you can find out how to report it on the Food Poisoning page.

In the Stand Up & Eat blog, we often focus on the benefits of not being sedentary (that’s the “Stand Up” part).  We also have reminded blog readers time and time again that moderate-intensity physical activity provides significant health benefits.  Here is a sampling of several moderate-intensity focused blogs:

Moderate Means What?

Walking = Calories Burned = Less Weight Loss

Be Active Your Way

So if there is any area that we have skimped a bit is on the value of vigorous-intensity physical activity. 

The reason we bring up the importance of vigorous-intensity is that there is yet another cancer-related study that suggests that 30 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity per day may dramatically reduce risk of developing cancer in men¹.  In this particular study, researchers assessed the physical activity level of over 2,500 middle-aged Finnish men.  They then followed the men for an average of 16.7 years and determined that 181 died of cancer.  Compared to men who exercised at a light-intensity level for at least 30 minutes per day the men who exercised at least 30 minutes at a moderate- to vigorous-intensity level had a 37% percent reduction in risk of dying of cancer. 

The take-away message from this study (and the focus of the Stand Up & Eat web site) is:

• If you are inactive – just move.
• If you are doing a little physical activity, make sure you are doing it at a moderate-intensity.
• If you are regularly active at a moderate-intensity, consider increasing the intensity of some of your physical activities to the vigorous level.  Step up your pace, climb hills and steps, or increase the resistance on your exercise equipment.

As  reminder, here is a practical guide for knowing how different exercise intensities vary:

Light – you can sing or talk easily while exercising (e.g., strolling)

Moderate – you cannot sing but you can still talk fairly easily while exercising (e.g., walking briskly)

Vigorous – you cannot sing or talk while exercising (e.g., jogging, running)

What do you do for vigorous physical activity?

¹ Laukkanen JA et al.  Intensity of leisure-time physical activity and cancer mortality in men.  British Journal of Sports Medicine.  2009 JULY 28.  (Epub ahead of print)

Researchers at the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition at Columbus, Ohio- based Nationwide Children's Hospital have recently released an online tool that rates snacks based on 11 nutritional parameters*: calories, total fat, saturated and trans fat, sodium, fiber, sugar, protein, calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C. Their rating system was designed using the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 and Daily Values found on the Nutrition Facts labels of packaged foods.

The Snackwise® System assigns points for each nutritional parameter, and categorizes a snack as green (best choice), yellow (choose occasionally), and red (choose rarely), based on it's nutrient density (of the nutrients considered).  

To use the free tool, go to: http://www.snackwise.org/calc.cfm and enter your snack's UPC number or product name, serving size, and serving per package. Or you can go to the main page, http://www.snackwise.org, and download the entire list of snacks categorized as green, yellow, or red.

As you will see, however, the list of snacks contains primarily processed, refined grain foods - even in the green category. So, while these may be okay choices, as a registered dietitian I'd still recommend snacking on whole fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, and unrefined whole grains (low-sodium popcorn, whole grain crackers, cereal, etc.).

*Nutrition Parameter     Snack Criteria
Calories                            150 calories or less
Fat                                    Less than or equal to 35% of total calories
Saturated & Trans Fats       Less than or equal to 10% of total calories
Sodium                             Less than 230 milligrams
Sugar                               35% of total calories
Protein                              5 grams or more
Calcium                             10% Daily Value
Fiber                                 10% Daily Value
Iron                                  10% Daily Value
Vitamin A                          10% Daily Value
Vitamin C                          10% Daily Value

Today is Labor Day.  According to U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Day “is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”

While the vast majority of adults “labor” at some type of job, I thought it would be interesting find out which jobs are the most laborious. That is, burn a lot of calories.  Here they are:  

Job Task	Calories burned per hour*
Firefighting	1,002
Scuba diving (e.g., Navy SEAL)	1,002
Removing slag at a steel mill	918
Carrying bricks	668
Farming, baling hay	668
Forestry, sawing wood	584
Coal mining	501
Grooming animals	501
Operating a punch press	417
Picking oranges	376

Things are very different today compared to 1894 when the legislation was passed that established Labor Day.  Back then there were many more farmers, miners, and factory workers.  Now most adults work in service jobs that require little physical effort.  In fact, at 125 calories per hour, an office worker burns one-eighth the calories of a firefighter.  Maybe that’s one reason why we have an epidemic of overweight and obesity in the U.S.

So perhaps we should put more (physical) labor back onto our work day.  Here are several ideas:

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Have one-on-one meetings on foot.
• Use a walking workstation.  See our earlier blog on this topic. 
• Walk or bike to work.  As we blogged earlier, you’ll be healthier.

What are your ideas for making every day at work a calorie-burning “labor” day? 

* Based on a reference person who weighs 175 pounds.  If you weigh less than this, you would burn slightly fewer calories and if you weigh more, you’d burn more.

The American Heart Association (AHA) has revised it's recommendation from "minimize the intake of beverages and foods with added sugar" to "limit intake of added sugar to half of your discretionary calorie allowance, which for most American women is no more than 100 calories per day and for most American men is no more than 150 calories per day from added sugars."¹ AHA has come to recognize that the average American's intake of added sugar is way too high (about 355 calories per day!) and that excess sugar consumption is linked to adverse health conditions (obesity, high blood pressure) and deficiencies in essential nutrients.

In a previous blog we define added sugars and explain how to recognize added sugars in foods and beverages. We also provide a link to a database that lists the amount of added sugars in over 2,000 common foods.

To determine the upper limit of added sugars you should eat/drink each day:

1. Go to www.mypyramid.gov
2. Click on MyPyramid Plan on the left navigation bar
3. Enter your age, sex, weight, height, and activity level
4. Review your results for the number of discretionary calories you should consume (under the yellow bar)
5. Cut this number in half

Based on my 1800-calorie food pattern, I should eat/drink 98 calories each day from added sugars. That's less than one 12-ounce can of soda (~130 calories)! 

¹ To read the American Heart Association's entire Scientific Statement: Dietary Sugars Intake and Cardiovascular Health, go to http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.192627.