Living with children linked to less exercise

Article from the Canadian Press

Study conducted at the Montreal Heart Institute finds children make it hard to follow an exercise regimen

A study conducted at the Montreal Heart Institute has yielded a surprising result — living with children is linked to a reduction in physical activity.

Concordia University professor Doctor Simon L. Bacon led the study which included 756 participants.

The study assessed the impact of social networks on exercise, revealing that people with heart disease who live with children exercise less than those people who don't live with children.

The researchers were trying to figure out why the majority of heart patients don't succeed in following an exercise regimen, even though its advantages are widely known.

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'Health Police' crack down on seemingly healthy children

Araminta Wordsworth, National Post, with files from news services · Monday, Jul. 19, 2010

Grace Hill is an active five-year-old who loves to swim, dance and ride her bike, while her mom, Laura, makes sure she eats a balanced diet. Now the elementary school student in Derby, England, has been branded overweight and at risk of a host of illnesses including cancer.

The problem is that the finding is according to one measure — the Body Mass Index — while other ways of calculating obesity show Grace as being well within the healthy guidelines for her age, weight and height.

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Engage your kids in dining experiences

By Shannon Proudfoot, Canwest News Service

As foodie appreciation goes mainstream, more parents are bringing even the smallest diners along for high-end meals, where they're as likely to request such exotic fare as foie gras and duck confit as they are to turn up their noses.

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Lead by example to get kids off the couch

By Jill Barker, Canwest News Service

In my day, summer meant cycling around the neighbourhood, playing in the park and hanging around at the pool. Parental supervision was from a distance and kids spent most of the day outside.

Today, unstructured and unsupervised play is rare. If left on their own, kids are more likely to spend their summers playing video games than playing outside. Current statistics suggest children age eight to 13 spend nearly six hours a day in front of a screen.

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An email reply from Minister Hancock

(A reply from the Minister's office to an email I sent voicing my concerns regarding funding cuts)

Dear Mr. Newton:

Thank you for your recent e-mail about education funding for the Calgary Board of Education.

As you noted in your e-mail, education funding for the 2010/2011 school year has not been cut by government. In fact, since 2000/2001, funding to education has increased by $2.7 billion, or 73 per cent, while student enrolment has increased by three per cent for the same period.

Alberta teacher salary bump gets funding

From the CBC website

The Alberta government has reversed its position and will cover a jump in teachers' salaries this fall, Education Minister Dave Hancock announced.

"In light of the better-than-expected year-end results for the past fiscal year, government has determined that it is prudent to provide funding for the 2.92 per cent increase in this year," Hancock said in a statement posted on his website Wednesday.

Read the full story here.

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