Photo: anyeetx, Flickr

School's back, and though many will weather this season of change by developing a protective layer of fat called the Freshman 15, you don't have to be one of them -- make fitness a priority this semester, after studying of course.

And while I'm willing to bet your school has a decent gym, you don't even need one -- there are plenty of great workouts you can do in your dorm room, no matter how big or small. Amie Hoff, master trainer for New York Sports Club, recommends a few simple -- and free -- exercises you can do in the comfort of your own space, like:

• Push-ups -- from your desk, but make sure your desk is against the wall for these. If it's not, take them to the floor.
• Bicep curls -- using your text books as weights.
• Tricep dips -- off the bed.
• Squats and lunges -- using your chair for stability.
• Crunches -- with your text books adding extra weight.
• Cardio blasts -- a couple quick sets of jumping jacks and stadium runs will help burn off that cafeteria food.

Photo: natalielucier, Flickr

So you signed up for a yoga class -- good for you! But exactly how qualified is your instructor to lead the class?

As yoga's popularity started to climb, a voluntary registry was created by Yoga Alliance to ensure that schools met certain standards for training instructors. The list was certainly a good idea; a way to make sure instructors were properly trained and could conduct classes effectively and safely. The registry eventually listed nearly 1,000 schools across the U.S.

That voluntary list, however, is now being used as a target for government regulation of yoga schools. Some states, including New York, Virginia and Michigan, have made strides towards requiring schools on the list to become certified by the state. Those that do not become state-certified will have to pay hefty fines or cease operation.

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When I look at the lunch menu for my son's school, I feel safe in assuming that any kid who brings a lunch from home is getting better nutrition. After all, it's not hard to beat chicken nuggets and greasy pizza. But home-packed lunches aren't always the better deal.

Due to rising food costs, regulations for Texas day-care centers recently changed and now allow the centers to require parents to send meals and snacks for the children. A subsequent (albeit small) study found that 71 percent of the home-packed meals didn't have enough fruits or vegetables and the number of milk servings was also low.

When you're busy getting the kids ready for school and trying to get ready for work, sometimes convenience takes priority when packing your kids lunches. But nutrition can be convenient, too. You can't get much easier than a ready-to-eat piece of fruit. And you can pre-cut carrots, celery, cucumbers and other veggies at the beginning or the week so they're ready and waiting. Check out the gallery for other quick, easy and healthful foods for your child's lunch bag.

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It only stands to reason that the more fit your child is, the more adept they will be at their sport of choice. But fitness affects more than your child's skill on the field ... fitness can affect academic performance as well. It might even promote brain cell growth.

In today's day and age where phys ed classes are practically a thing of the past and video games bogart our kids' attention spans, it's important to encourage physical activity. Signing your kids up for team sports is a great way to promote activity while helping them build confidence and social skills. But day to day activity is just as important, so get outside with your kids and get them moving.

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Kids learn a lot in school. My fifth grader is learning algebra and geometry, which is fine now but I'm a little leery of the math lessons he'll have in high school -- at some point he's going to surpass my knowledge completely. So with all that reading, writing and arithmetic, why not learn good nutrition habits as well?

Many schools are starting to restrict sugary and fatty snacks. And students' nutrition habits are modestly improving as a result. Over 10,000 fifth graders at schools with restricted snacks were surveyed and they reported a three percent increase in fruit and vegetable consumption.

As a parent, I strongly believe my child's nutrition habits are learned at home. But when good nutrition habits are modeled and supported at school as well, it's a win-win situation. Now if I could only convince my son's school to stop serving those molded chunks of who-knows-what they try to pass off as chicken nuggets.

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There are a number of mandatory classes in school -- math, science, English ... and yoga? Yoga might not be a part of the curriculum for students here in North America, but in India, it's set to become a requirement.

At the regional Diabetes summit in Chennai, Indian Minister Anbumani Ramadoss says, "There should be extensive scientific deliberations on yoga. And today I blatantly put that yoga reduces diabetes, yoga reduces hypertension, yoga reduces stress. I am going to make yoga mandatory for all school-going children in India (from) the coming year."

And why not? Yoga is good for the soul and the body -- it can teach patience, kindness, fitness and body awareness to students. Maybe we should make it a requirement here. What do you think?



(via Calorie Lab)

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Kids + soda = bad combination. It's a formula that's accepted pretty much worldwide, considering that soda is made up of everything that is bad for you and your offspring. Banning soda from schools is one way to get it away from children and teens, but does it work?

Nope, says a recent study published in USA Today. Apparently, kids who go to schools without readily-available soft drinks consume just as much of them as kids who do have soda in their schools. There's is a silver lining to this cloud, however -- overall, all kids are consuming less soda, on average.

I think this goes to show that ultimately, it's up to the parents to teach healthy habits to their kids. What do you think?

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On average, kids are bigger these days than they were 10, 20, 30 years ago, so it doesn't make much sense that school kids today are using the same school equipment as the kids from decades ago.

Sure, there are budgets to keep in mind, but over in the UK, recent studies are showing that kids are just too big for their school desks and chairs. Kids are taller, yes, but they're also wider -- and heavier. And not only is this a safety hazard, it's a health hazard -- kids are suffering back pains and other problems because of their too-small chairs, according to the Daily Mail.

So if it's time for new desks, wouldn't it be great if these desks could be worked into the budget?

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Two years of a school nutrition program and your kiddos could be significantly less likely to become overweight. That's what happened at five Philadelphia schools. No such benefit for kids at five schools that didn't have such programs. Here, four reasons five schools got skinnier.

• Choices. Vending machines were stocked with low-fat, low-calorie snacks, like pretzels, baked chips, and low-fat granola bars. Soda was banned. And kids were encouraged to drink water, 100% fruit juice, and low-fat milk.
• Rewards. Kids who made healthy food choices won raffle tickets and could score prizes like bikes and jump ropes.
• Training. Teachers received 10 hours of training in nutrition education, and students got 50 hours throughout the school year.
• Family. Parents were asked not to send sweet treats to school, and kids were given a 2-1-5 daily challenge: Spend two hours or less watching TV or playing video games, spend an hour or more engaged in physical activity, and eat five or more servings of fruits and veggies.
  

Like what you see? Print this out and take it to our kids' school. See if the powers-that-be can implement some of these healthy practices.

(via Good Housekeeping, September 2008)

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Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has been trying to make a difference in the nutritional quality of the UK's school lunches for years. Now, Oliver is focusing on another area that needs improvement -- the typical British home. He worries that the tough economic times are further degrading the quality of food served at home.

When Oliver was first zeroing in on school lunches and teaching cafeteria workers to prepare fresher, more nutritious meals, he didn't just encounter resistance from kids. In one South Yorkshire town, cameras caught parents of school children shoving burgers and fries at their kids through the school's fence. So now Oliver is working in that town and trying to teach families how to eat healthfully on a tight budget.

Oliver makes a good point: Historically, when money was tight, people had to become more resourceful -- growing their own produce, using cheaper cuts of meat, and so forth. Now, however, people have the option of buying $0.79 boxes of macaroni and cheese or value meals at fast food joints. Have you seen that recent commercial for KFC? The one that challenges people to buy the ingredients for a bucket of chicken for less than they'll sell it to you? That's just the point the Oliver is making -- when convenience and cost pair together, some people will let nutrition slide.

If you're trying to lower your grocery costs, try these tips for eating healthfully on a budget.

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I recently wrote about healthy food options for school Halloween or harvest parties. My son's school harvest party was yesterday, and I opted to bring a healthy treat. I made ham, cheese, and granny smith apple sandwiches on whole wheat with a little honey mustard. I cut them into cute pumpkin shapes and arranged them on a festive tray.

As I brought the tray into my son's classroom, I was immediately dismayed. The food table was filled with bowls of candy, individual bags of chips, cupcakes adorned with gummy worms, brownies, and more cans of soda than you can imagine. The only remotely healthy item (besides my sandwiches) were some bags of pretzels mixed in with the chips. I walked into that classroom with a tray filled with 45 lovingly-made sandwiches and was quite certain my son was going to come home with those same 45 sandwiches. After all, I remembered the report that Martha told us about -- when given a choice, most kids simply don't like to eat healthy food.

When my son got home from school, he had an empty tray in hand. And -- wonder of wonders -- he told me that the sandwiches were a huge hit. He said the kids liked them so well they were almost rude and pushy about trying to get seconds. I was so thrilled to hear that even amidst a sea of sweets and junk food, kids will still opt for a healthier snack.

If you have to make a treat for a classroom party, dare to be different and make something healthful. Like me, you may be pleasantly surprised at the kids' response. Family Fun has some clever ideas for healthy, fun snacks that you can try.

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There's lots of uproar these days about the state of lunches offered at school. Parents, teachers and even celebs are upset that there aren't healthier options available to kids, and it's mostly blamed on a lack of funds. But according to a report from Newsday.com on kids in Long Island, there's more to it than that: most kids simply don't like eating healthy food.

And while younger kids are held captive to what their parents give them or what the cafeteria serves, older kids are ditching the healthy school meals and heading to nearby fast food restaurants to pick up the junk foods they're craving.

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Proper nutrition (or lack thereof) in schools s a hot topic these days -- parents, teachers, celebs and even some health-conscious kids are fed up with the amount of junk food available and the amount of healthy food not available in places of education -- so much so that they're doing something about it.

Take the Los Angeles Unified School District -- years ago, they bought a TS4 Sushi Robot with the intention of getting kids to eat healthier. Now they're finally putting it to use at Santee Educational Complex. The machine will be used for educational purposes in culinary classes, and the sushi produced will be featured in the school's student restaurant.

It's too bad the machine wasn't used sooner, but it's great that healthy sushi will be made more available to these kids. Maybe every school should have a sushi robot -- and a salad robot, a whole-grain sandwich robot, a fresh fruit and veggies robot ... well, you get the picture.

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Instead of dressing up in costumes and bringing candy to school on Halloween, my son's teachers have opted for a harvest party instead. At first, I was wondering if he was going to be disappointed -- he's so thrilled about his "army guy" costume. But he's really excited about the party. So am I. I see it as an opportunity to send him to school with a healthier treat to pass instead of miniature candies. Some ideas:

• Fall Harvest Sandwiches. This recipe is from Kate Gosselin of Jon and Kate Plus 8. Cut the sandwiches into bite-sized treats with fall-shaped cookie cutters.
• Make a homemade harvest trail mix with almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, dried apples, and candy corn.
• Modify the standard Rice Krispie treat and use whole-grain cereal (like Cheerios) instead. (This still isn't very healthy ... but at least it's an improvement.)
• Ants on a log or apple ladybugs are a fun and healthy snack.
• Make these healthy pumpkin muffins in a mini-muffin tray so they're bite-sized.

I think most people would agree that kids need to eat more healthfully. School lunches need to improve, and parents need to make better choices about the items they put in their kids lunch bags.

I wrote a post a while ago about how my son's teacher has banned candy from her classroom, except for special occasions. I thought that was a great rule -- she still allows treats on birthdays and holidays, but on a day-to-day basis, she only wants the kids to bring healthful snacks. A Wisconsin school district, however, has taken the ban even further.

The Neenah School District is requiring that kids bring in fruit, vegetables, or other healthy snacks when they bring in treats for the class. It seems a bit strict to me, and I'd imagine that the kids would be disappointed at first. But, with a little creativity, healthful snacks can be fun, too.

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