Once, I was at my son's school during recess and noticed that (other than a few exceptions) it was mostly boys playing kickball and girls sitting in small groups around the jungle gym chatting and playing cats cradle. At the time, I didn't think much of it, but I was reminded of it the day when I read an article about how young and old females aren't as active as males.

Researchers from Liverpool John Moores University followed 10 and 11-year-old children during recess and found that boys tend to engage in more active play than girls. On the flip side of the coin, another study found that women over age 70 are less likely to be active than men.

It's important for everyone to be active. But it's certainly important for girls (during the formative years when their bones are growing) and older women (who need to maintain bone density) to be physically active.

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As a former cheerleader, I'm not even remotely surprised by the recently released statistics showing that cheerleading causes the highest percentage of injuries for female athletes. When you consider the stunts, and lifts, and jumps, and tumbling... it's just not a shocker at all.

According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research based out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, cheerleading accounts for 65.1% of female athlete injuries at the high school level and 66.7% at college level.

The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators has safety rules for college, high school, and all star levels. While injuries can (and do) occur within these guidelines, adhering to the safety rules will minimize injury risk.

Still, knowing all the associated risk, if I were magically transported back to more youthful years, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. Cheering was hard work and awesome fun, and I loved every minute of it.

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Check out your fingers. Is your ring finger longer than your index finger? Mine is. Uh Oh. That means I have nearly double the chance of developing osteoarthritis, according to a recent study.

Size differences between ring fingers and index fingers have already been linked to sexual and physical ability and performance in university exams, but researchers have now discovered that arthritis might also be connected to the size of fingers.

Type 3 Finger Pattern is what it's called when people have the common male trait of a shorter index finger, and it's now been linked to arthritis of the hips and knees. More common in women than men, the mechanism that accounts for this finding -- and one linking this finger pattern with early onset menopause -- is unknown.

Sounds like I could be headed for future health issues. How about you?

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It can be hard to be a female athlete, especially one who is really serious about her sport -- she's tough on the court, but that doesn't mean she can't be feminine in her everyday life. And as far as the WNBA is concerned, their girls should be more girly because it'll boost attendance.

Women's sports aren't as popular as men's, but the WNBA is hoping that by helping its athletes learn to apply makeup and look sexier, it will draw more fans. If, instead of only drawing crowds made of girls who dream of playing pro sports the league can bring in the male demographic that attends NBA games, they can increase their profit, and therefore expand the league, giving more girls the opportunity to play ball professionally.

I have no problem with looking girly while working out harder than the boys, but I don't like the idea of it being forced upon anyone. Rookies entering the NBA will receive makeup and shopping training along with financial coaching during their orientation, and while I'm sure some players will be excited about the opportunity, I know a lot of the girls I played ball with would resent anyone trying to make sexier. What do you think?

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Endometriosis is a condition that was discussed a lot in my house when I hit puberty and started experiencing menstrual cramping that brought me to my knees. My mother was diagnosed with it (and told she needed a hysterectomy) when she gave birth to me -- that was, of course, after more than 25 years of truly unbearable cramping during menstruation and 10 years of trying to conceive with no luck. She had seen doctors about the pain and was basically told it was in her head.

So, when I came across this post at Divine Caroline on the "Devastating Effects of Endometriosis," I took a moment to read it over, and boy am I glad I did. It turns out that endometriosis can cause a lot more than just miserable cramping.

Endometriosis "occurs when fragments of the womb lining are found in other parts of the body where they may swell, bleed, and lead to fusing and scarring." Fragments are generally found in the abdomen, but can be found in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, and bowel -- even as far away as the lungs. And, it can cause infertility -- between 30 and 40 percent of women with endometriosis are unable to conceive.

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What to know just how perfect your butt is? I don't. But for those who are curious, there's an actual formula for grading the female derriere.

Developed by Dr. David Holmes, a psychology lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, and his team of British academics, this mathematical -- but also pretty subjective -- formula will tell you exactly how flawless your bum really is. It goes like this: (S+C) x (B+F) / (T-V). It's not as hard as it looks.

Translation: First, a woman must assess her assets on a scale of 1 to 20 (1 is worst; 20 is best) in the following categories.

S = overall shape (a ripe peach being just about right)
C = circularity (rounder is better)
B = bounciness (less wobble is preferred)
F = firmness (too much push to that cushion loses points)
T = skin texture (no cellulite, please)

Then she must calculate V, which is the ratio of her hips to waist. Then she simply does the math and determines how close she is to 80 -- a perfect score.

I'm not sure this little math problem does much for the scientific community. But it could be useful for comparison purposes if you're in the market for fine-tuning your physique. So if you need a little motivation -- perhaps you're a 60 and want to upgrade to a 70 -- this might do it for you.

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Girls, we've all been there. 'The time of the month' is not only a nuisance, it's a pain -- literally. Hands up: how many of you have missed work or school because of severe cramps? Now, I can't see your hands, but I'm willing to bet most of you raised them--myself included. Popping a pain killer is always an option after your period has hit, but is there any way to prevent cramps?

WebMD says yes, and they've even put together this video on how to nip menstrual cramps in the bud. There are a few things you can do:

• A few days before your period starts, take a mild over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drug like Advil, aspirin or ibuprofen
  
• If you're not trying for a family, consider taking oral contraceptives. They'll help make your period lighter and less painful.
  
• Applying heat to the area will help -- use a heating pad or hot water bottle.
• As always, eating well and exercising lots will go a long way to help prevent pain.
  

Want more tips? Watch the video, and be sure to let us know if you have any 'secret weapons' against the pain of periods.

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No matter what the question, chances are very good that your doctor has heard it all before. And, if she hasn't, that's all them more reason you need to ask! Sexual health is important to your overall health -- in fact, it might be more important than diet and exercise.

I know it's embarrassing, and it might make you blush. If you're so embarrassed by your question you can't verbalize it, write it down before you go so you can make certain you let your doctor know what's troubling you. Or, if you don't feel like you can talk about it with your current doctor at all, find a new doctor with whom you're comfortable.

AOL Body gives a great run-down of fairly common but still embarrassing questions that women often fail to ask their doctors -- check it out here. But, even if this answers some questions, I still urge you to discuss any concerns with your doctor, no matter how red your face gets. Safe is always better than sorry, right?

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I just picked up a fantastic book called Body Drama and I think it's something every female age fourteen years old and up should have. The book is based on the nitty gritty truth about all the weird things that happened to a woman's body and how to deal with it.

A woman's body is a wonderful thing. It's also confusing, stressful, a bit gross and totally out of control sometimes. Body Drama answers the questions ninety percent of us are way too embarrassed to ask. It is choc full of explicit pictures of REAL women who randomly volunteered to show their stuff.

• Uneven boobs? Check!
• Cellulite? Check!

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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: Carla Birnberg

Age: 38 - age in head..20

Occupation: Full time writer, and full time toddler chaser.

How often do you exercise? Daily. Be it lifting weights or going down the slides with my tornado.

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Why is it that my husband lost 40 pounds on the same eating program I've implemented for myself, the one responsible for my 15-pound weight loss? Clearly, he had more weight to lose than I did. Still, his fat seemed to melt away while mine slowly dissolved. My hubby's once-soft body is now lean and defined. And while I have reached an ideal weight myself, I'm left with a fair amount of soft tummy skin that just won't go away. Why is female fat so stubborn, I wonder. According to the experts at speakingofwomenshealth.com, here's one explanation.

Women are more susceptible to showing cellulite because they store more of their fat just beneath the skin (subcutaneously). Men store their fat deep below the muscles. The more fat you have just beneath the skin, the more likely bulges will show. And even when men have a large stockpile of fat beneath the skin, they often escape the rippled look because the outer layers of a woman's skin are thinner, showing the contents underneath more clearly. Also, connective tissue compartments can be tighter and more restrictive in women. This increases the tendency of fat cells to bulge outward to a greater degree.

Another problem for the women of the world: Females concentrate their fat storage in the hips, thighs, and buttocks. If fat stores were more evenly distributed around the body, the fat effect would be reduced substantially.

There you have it, one viewpoint on why we women may never entirely escape the curse of cellulite.

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If you're a woman and feel yourself becoming anxious every day, perhaps a dose of religious faith is in order? According to new research, those women with an active life in religion are don't have nearly the anxiety as those without religion in their lives.

In fact, the research went as far as saying that those women who have recently become religious are still three times more likely to suffer from anxiety as those who have always been religiously active.

What do you think? Can a lifetime relationship with religion -- any religion -- free you up from the daily grind of anxiety?

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A recent study showed that more women under the age of 45 are having heart disease (even more than men), and medical officials aren't sure what is to blame.

The usual suspects have been referenced: obesity and unhealthy lifestyle habits, but there is no clear answer yet. Is this the start of a shocking new trend? Hopefully not.

It's been said many, many times that the foods Americans eat everyday (and the lack of physical exercise) will spiral into an untenable health crisis in the next few decades. Could this new study be a precursor of things to come in that arena?

Think about that the next time you find yourself staring down that double cheeseburger or sitting on the couch as a zombie to hours pf television programming. What changes will you make come the new year?

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We've all heard of the 'freshman 15' -- the legendary 15 pounds that students tend to put on during their first year away at college. Apparently though, that weight doesn't necessarily come from too much partying and late-night study sessions fueled with lots of pizza.

According to the study reported on here, female students who go away to university and live in dorms are three times more likely to develop a binge-eating habit than those who remain at home with their parents. Girls who already had negative body images were also three times more likely to begin binge eating than those who did not.

The many changes that students have to deal with when they first go away to college can be incredibly stressful, and for young people who aren't used to dealing with such heavy levels of stress, binge eating can become a coping mechanism. It's dangerous because it can not only lead to significant weight gain, but developing a binging habit can also eventually lead to bulimia.

If you have a child who has recently gone away for their first year of college and you're worried about how they're coping, take a look at the full article for more information.

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Those women with high blood pressure may be three times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, according to new research out of the U.S. this week.

Several researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital along with Harvard researchers concluded that it tracked 38,000 female health professionals for more than 10 years.

The results: 9.4 percent of the women in the group having high blood pressure developed type 2 diabetes, while only 5.7 percent of the normal group (without high blood pressure) had developed the same.

Moral to the story: if you're female and have consistent high blood pressure, you may want to do further research into getting it to a normal, safe level.

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