That's Fit

We have all heard that pets can help teach kids patience, responsibility, and empathy, but according to a recent study, having a dog in the home during childhood, especially during the first year of infancy, seriously decreased a child's likelihood of developing sensitivities to allergens like pollen. Our own Maggie first broke this story a few days ago but it's worth repeating for those thinking about investing in a canine commitment -- and for those who like photos of cute kids and cute dogs. See gallery that follows.

So the science behind this theory is that dogs bring germs inside on their coats and in their mouths, thus exposing kids to them and boosting the child's immune system. Older generations were often exposed to more dirt and germs as children (you know, because kids used to actually play outside instead of sitting indoors playing video games), and therefore developed a greater resistance to many allergens than kids today.

This study in particular has taken blood samples from 3,000 six-year-olds and will test the samples for hints that the child might become allergic to things like pet hair, dust mites, and pollen. The children will be retested at age 10, but the lead researcher has already stated with confidence that, "Our results show clearly that the presence of a dog in the home during infancy is associated with a significantly low level of sensitization to pollens and allergens."

I'm a fan of honesty when it comes to my kids and teaching them about life. Not brutal honesty -- they're only seven and nearly five -- but gentle and age-appropriate honesty. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer several years ago, saying I had cancer wouldn't mean much to a then-three-year-old and 18-month old. So I explained that I had a "boo-boo" in my "boobie," that a doctor would take it out, that I'd take medicine and my hair would fall out, that I'd be sick for a little while. They understood. And that's exactly how it all happened. We didn't talk about worst-case scenarios. If ever one comes up, we'll discuss it then.

I was also honest with my guys about the tummy tuck I had 12 days ago. I didn't use the word "tummy tuck" and I didn't introduce the term "plastic surgery." But I did tell them I would have an operation on my belly to fix some skin, a muscle, and a hernia. I told them the truth: Mommy's skin stretched a lot when she was pregnant, her muscle separated, and she has a hernia just like Danny had a hernia when he was three years old. Danny had an operation. And mommy will have an operation -- for the hernia and the other things too. My boys understood what would happen, that I'd be resting for a few days, that Daddy and Nana would be taking them to and from school, that I couldn't lift them or race around in the back yard for a short time. By the time I had my tummy tuck, the whole event was somewhat of an non issue. And now I'm better. And they've moved on.

Experts say not being up front with kids about major life events opens up the possibility that little minds will concoct their own versions of what's going on. Since these interpretations are often worse than reality, they say honestly is the best policy. I do too.

I'm convinced cough medicine for kids doesn't work. Whenever my boys suffer with nagging coughs -- the kind that keeps them up at night because they just can't stop hacking -- and I pump them full of any brand of children's cough syrup, it doesn't make a lick of difference. They still hack.

I don't use cough medicine anymore. But apparently, many parents do.

New reports indicate that 10 percent of U.S. kids are dosed with cough medicine every week. Every week? Yep, that's right. About one is ten kids uses one or more cough medicines during a given week, says research from Boston University. Kids ages two to five use the medications most often. But the rate is also high among those under age two. This is scary stuff, especially in light of evidence that proves cough and cold medication use can lead to serious adverse effects, including death.

As scary as it may be, there is a silver lining: The overall use of such medicines declined from 12.3 percent in 1999-2000 to 8.4 percent in 2005-2006.

Two problems are plaguing American kids: Obesity and low birth weight.

Overall, the well-being of kids has improved over the years. But not for American children ages six to 11 who are four times more likely to be obese than kids in the 1960s. Kids ages two to five are three times more likely to be obese. As for low birth weight, the percentage rose 12.3 percent from 1994 to 2005, likely due to delayed childbearing and the use of fertility drugs.

These Duke University findings are concerning because overweight children have a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. And low birth weight has been linked to developmental and learning problems, lower academic achievement, and chronic health conditions.

Artificial food coloring makes kids hyper, say British scientists who wish to ban six different colorings. The European Council doesn't plan on issuing any such ban, however, despite the wishes of several powerful consumer and health groups.

Researchers have concluded after the study of 300 kids that there's a link between the colorings, a certain preservative, and hyperactivity in children. The worrisome additives, found in sweets, cakes, and fizzy drinks are: tartrazine (E102), quinoline yellow (E104), sunset yellow (E110), ponceau (E124), allura red (E129), carmoisine (E122) and sodium benzoate (E211). While Britain's Food Standards Agency, a government watchdog group, has called for a voluntary ban on these colorings, an actual government policy may be a long way off.

Further study will be underway. Maybe more conclusive findings will lead to more action.

Here at That's Fit, we're forever grateful for the service, courage and sacrifice made by the heroic men and women who serve as military, law enforcement officers, and firefighters. We're so grateful, that we'd like to dedicate some features to both showing our heroes off, and learning a little bit in the process as well. If you serve your country courageously, are a veteran or know someone who does, please return this form completed to Fitz along with a photo and we'll share your story with the world.

Name: David Anthony Espeut

Age: 34

Heroic Occupation: Lieutenant (US Navy) Resigned- CG-52 (USS Bunker Hill); FFG-43 (USS THACH); Naval Special Warfare Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S)

If you're in the military...where are you? N/A Resigned from Navy as of September 2002, Suspended Special Agent Application to FBI in favor of Starting/Raising Family in Australia

How often do you exercise? Every day: 30 to 60 minutes.

What type of exercise do you do? Jogging (10-20 minutes), walking the dog (10-20 minutes),bench, pull ups, dips, push-ups, abdominals, shoulder exercises, and curls with dumbells. I also freestyle swim at least once per month. Chasing My Kids= Never-ending

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Fitness is just part of my lifestyle. I feel bad, guilty, and weak if I don't. Getting ones blood pumping is a great way to start the day.

Finding shoes that are easy on the environment is getting easier -- whether you're looking for running shoes, dress shoes, or just some sandals for kicking around town, you've got options.

Well, if you're an adult, anyway. It's a little more difficult to find eco-friendly shoe options for kids, but it's not impossible (and it's getting easier). In fact, this article at Divine Caroline lists options for kids' shoes. Patagonian, Timberland, and other companies have joined the good fight and are offering kids' shoes made with environmentally friendly products and packaged in a responsible and sustainable way.

And what if you have an environmentally conscious little ballerina? You can even find a vegan alternative ballet slipper. It might take a little more hunting for you to find shoes for your little ones with all these qualities, but isn't it worth it to know that your child's footprint isn't leaving an environmental footprint, too?

"Kids in the Kitchen" is a program geared towards teaching children to make healthy lifestyle choices and to hopefully help stall or even reverse the current obesity epidemic. Created and supported by The Association of Junior Leagues International Inc., last year more than 255 local Leagues around country participated. Depending on where you live and the approach each individual League chooses the program may vary, but the principles behind it remains the same: teach healthy kitchen skills to kids. In my area, for example, grade school kids took part in a recipe contest and the winners spent the day baking and eating healthy goodies with a local celebrity chef. So keep your eyes and ears open for word of a "Kids in the Kitchen" event in your area, or check out their website to find out if something is happening near you.

I'm literally a sobbing crying mess as I write this. I fell in love with a dying man a few weeks ago when I caught wind of him giving an amazing gift to his students, colleagues, friends and family at Carnegie Mellon University. Randy Pausch, a computer science professor gave his Last Lecture now famous on YouTube, on September 18, 2007. Randy's lecture was called "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." Now, I have my own spectacular husband, but I imagine anyone who knows, or knows of Randy . . . would love him very much.

For a man whose pancreas is being destroyed by a cancer that could take his life within months . . . he was hysterical, energetic, inspirational, and relentless about the idea that life can be wonderful every day, and that his days still are. He told stories of his childhood and made one of the most insightful statements I've ever heard. "Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore? Choose!"

You know, I've never been all consumed with American Idol like lots of people. But I must admit I'll tune in here and there throughout the competition. It's decent entertainment, and I kind of think Simon Cowell is sexy. Nonetheless! I just tucked my healthy babies into bed and plopped down into mine with the old laptop to write about fitness with the television on here in my room.

American Idol is in the middle of their Idol Gives Back program, and they seem to be making a great case for helping children in the U.S. and abroad. Feeling fortunate that my two angels do not have to deal with any of the horrors some other children are suffering from.....I logged on to AmericanIdol.com and made a donation. Partly because of guilt, but mostly out of hope.

If you're a lucky parent like me or just someone who loves children, maybe you can call or log on and donate too. 1-877-IDOL-AID or AmericanIdol.com

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, I'm 56, run three to four miles, five or so days a week. Lately, as I'm walking to cool down, the back part of my right knee tightens up and bending it becomes very painful as I do post-run stretching. No pain when running. Anyone familiar with this condition? Dave

A Hey Dave. I get soooo many questions about knees. In fact, I had knee surgery long ago, so some people think I'm some sort of knee expert. I'm not. In fact, I don't think anyone who isn't a physician or physical therapist and hasn't seen you in person should give you advice on your condition. Not helpful, right? Wrong.

Alright, guys, stay with me on this one ...

If you father one child, you raise your risk of developing prostate cancer over men who don't have any kids. Paradoxically, if you father more than one child, you reduce your risk of developing the disease. And, if your child turns out to be a girl, your risk of prostate cancer again rises somewhat. These somewhat convoluted findings come from a study published in the January 2007 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Cancer.

A study of 3,400 men helped Danish researchers arrive at these findings. While they were not able to find any environmental factors that may be causing this risk fluctuation, more investigation into the child number/gender theory still needs to be done before it can be considered conclusive.

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

This week I went back to talk with one of my favorite past guests, Mr. Colin Egglesfield. (To view Colin's in-depth interview click here.) Spring is here, summer is coming and this All My Children star has the most perfectly fit body one could wish for. We all want to know how celebrities earn their great bodies, and Colin was sweet enough to share his tips for preparing for swimsuit season. These tips are exactly as our favorite Calvin Klein underwear model gave them to me. So play close attention, follow his advice, and prepare to strut your stuff this summer!

• Run! You can do all the weight training in the world, but nothing burns off that winter weight better than a good 30-45 run at least three times a week. I like to start out doing about 30min and then gradually work up to an hour over the course of a few weeks as I start to get my stamina back. I love to run outside by myself with my headphones and some great music on my iPod and just go! It's my time to be alone with my thoughts, and anything that might be on my mind always seems to be a lot clearer after a good run.

Over five million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, and fortunately, there are a number of ways for you to reduce your risk. However, there is one risk you can't avoid -- genetics.

Children whose parents both had Alzheimer's are at a much higher risk of developing the disease. And, because Alzheimer's is so common, it's not unusual for spouses to both develop the disease -- a situation that will become more and more common as baby boomers age.

Alzheimer's disease generally affects patients over 65 years old and is a terminal, neurodegenerative disorder. And it's not only the patient who is affected -- the families of the patients are put through a great deal as they struggle to care for their loved one, having to make decisions because the patient no longer can.

If you would like to learn more or see how you can contribute to Alzheimer's research, check out the Alzheimer's Association website. You also might want to consider fundraising for and walking in this year's Memory Walk -- if you don't have a direct connection to the disease, you can use mine. My grandmother (pictured above) hasn't recognized me in years.

Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Alexandra Harris

Age: 51

Occupation: Life Coach

How often do you exercise? I eat seven days a week, and I exercise seven days a week!

What type of exercise do you do? Power walking, light weight training (for muscle tone), and yoga (for balance, flexibility, and occasionally turning my organs upside down). I think there's something really healthy about moving your organs around!