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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Several years ago when I still worked in an office environment, we went through a pretty rough stretch. We were all working long hours and were stressed beyond belief. We all pitched in and when we got the job done, my boss gave each of us a six-pack of fancy-schmancy beer and a big bar of chocolate. Hands down, he was the coolest boss in the world.

We never had the dreaded candy bowl at that office, but we did have our fair share of bagels for breakfast and pizza for lunch. Though it was awesome that our boss liked to treat us once in a while, the treats were never very healthful.

Enter The Fruit Guys. This service delivers a box of fresh fruit to the office once a week. What a great idea. (All of you bosses out there, take note!) Not only will this improve employee morale, it will also contribute to better health and weight management which, in turn, improves employee productivity.

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If you're a frequent fast-food flyer or a vending machine junkie, chances are you're drinking lots of sugary drinks too. It just makes sense, doesn't it? If you're already eating crap, might as well throw in a crappy beverage too. Not only does this line of reasoning work for you -- it works for your kids too.

In one study, the diets of 1,475 middle school students were analyzed. The kids' schools all housed vending machines stocked with soda and other sweetened drinks. And here's what happened: Researchers found that 66 percent of students reported fast-food restaurant visits and of the 646 who used vending machines, 71 percent purchased sugar-sweetened drinks.

The bottom line, then: Use of vending machines and fast food restaurant visits seem to be associated with sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. Does this ring true for you and those around you? If so, you might want to revamp that lifestyle of yours. The gallery below can help you get started.

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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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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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South Korea has seen the obesity rate of children triple in the last three years, and the country isn't content to sit back and watch that number grow along with the children's waistlines. The country is planning to offer money to schools whose students' BMI indicate obesity.

The students won't be able to use that money for more sweets. Instead, the schools will give the students vouchers that can only be used in particular places, like, apparently, the gym.

You might wonder why the government wants to pay schools with unhealthily heavy students -- I know I did. According to the ministry, childhood obesity-related costs to the government and the economy in 2006 were $2 trillion (yes, with a "t"), so giving the schools money to fight this trend is truly cost effective. What do you think?

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It was back-to-school for New York students this week, but there was a new policy in place. This year, a new policy went into effect, and students are being weighed as part of their health certificate. The data will enable health officials to map childhood overweight and obesity trends based on location.

There are 12 other states -- Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia -- with some form of student BMI reporting.

As a parent, I'm not overtly opposed to it. In fact, I remember getting weighed in gym class and during all of my physicals in order to play school sports. I do have a couple of concerns, though. I would hope that student privacy is maintained and their weight isn't being taken in a line where all the kids could see the number on the scale. I would also hope that health and a positive body image is being promoted -- the self esteem of children can be a fragile thing and I hope it's being protected.

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Four of my nieces and nephews are heading back to college this weekend. None of them are freshman this year, but I've certainly noticed changes in all of their health since they went to college. When they were freshman, two of them gained weight by eating too much cafeteria food and not exercising. The other two went on a major fitness kick and really overdid it -- getting far too thin for their frames, consuming lots of unnecessary and potentially unhealthy powdered protein drinks, and ignoring good nutrition.

Maintaining proper health is a challenge for college kids when they first move out on their own. Making poor choices or overeating at the cafeteria, late-night binges, poor sleep habits, and alcohol consumption are just some of the reasons that college freshman don't score an "A" for health. In addition, a lot of high school students play team sports -- when they go to college and that organized activity is gone, their fitness level drops as well.

Healthday offers some tips for avoiding the Freshman 15 (though, according to Jacki, it would be more appropriate to call it the Freshman 5):

• Know your class schedule and plan for healthy foods in between classes. (I remember having a tight time crunch in between classes one year when I was at school. On those days, lunch consisted of a candy bar. When I found the candy bar didn't fill me up, I started buying two. Nice. A much healthier and more economical choice would have been to pack a snack -- like whole-grain crackers and cheese along with a piece of fruit -- in my backpack.)

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Two years ago celebrity chef Jamie Oliver made a big effort to improve the nutritional value of school lunches in the UK. In fact, I remember seeing a TV show where he visited schools and worked with cafeteria workers to help them change their menus. He helped them include healthier options that could easily be made for a large number of people and still kept costs down.

Two years later, his efforts are either a failure or a relative success... it just depends who you talk to. With only 37% of secondary students and 43.6% of primary students eating school food, the healthier menu is falling quite short of government goals to have at least 50% of all students eating at school. Secondary students in particular just aren't proving to be fans of the healthier fare.

But the younger students are slowly but surely coming around. The number of students who buy school lunch has recently risen 2.3% -- the first increase since junk food was banned in 2006. Oliver states that he thought it would take 10 years to really see results and he says that a "corner has been turned."

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Many competitive athletes have to undergo drug tests. Is drug testing for scholars in our future, too? According to the UK's Academy of Medical Sciences, certain drugs have been used by healthy people to boost alertness and mental awareness.

Aricept (an Alzheimer's treatment), Ritalin (for ADHD), and modafinil (for day-time sleepiness) have been used by some people to get an edge up on tests and exams. Like steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs used by some athletes, this gives the student an unfair advantage. Also like steroids, using drugs in ways other than they are prescribed for can be seriously detrimental to health.

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Good role modeling never goes out of style. It may even be the exact reason why people gobble down Goldfish crackers -- or animal crackers.

In one study, cited in June's The Oprah Magazine, college students who watched a video of a colleague talking while eating Goldfish crackers chose Goldfish over animal crackers 71 percent of the time. Those watching someone eat animal crackers went for Goldfish only 44 percent of the time, despite a reported overall preference for Goldfish.

This Monkey See, Monkey Do phenomenon holds true for babies too.
Chow down on fruits and veggies while your baby is in the womb and while you're breastfeeding and your little one will be more likely to consume these items when offered them, say researchers mentioned in the May issue of Woman's Day magazine.

The lesson here: Think before you eat, because people, even babies, are likely to mimic your actions. And be careful about whose eating habits you watch, because you're likely to pick up the very snacks you see.

For some strategies and tips for healthy eating, check out AOL's America Takes It Off series.

It's arguably one of the most stressful moments in a college student's life. Running on all cylinders, burning the midnight oil, eating whatever we can find, and all the while trying to retain enough information to prove we are academically competent. Yes, folks, I'm referring to exam time.

Different colleges deal with the stress in different ways. For example, according to this neat article, students at Northwestern University all venture outside their doors for a ritualistic yell at 9PM sharp. This "primal scream" is shared by Stanford, Harvard and a host of other schools who need a way to vent their stress. As one guy put it, this is a way to share in the anxiety of everyone else. So at least you don't feel alone!

NYU has a different stress-relieving technique. Like other schools across the country, staff members will serve up a midnight breakfast to jittery undergrads. Not a bad way to get to know your professors either! With all the stress of trying to be so competitive, students are needing professional help too. The president of Saint Leo University, Arthur Kirk, says that long lines aren't uncommon at counseling centers during this time of year. Where does all this emotion come from? In the words of psychologist Pat Carey, "There are so many pressures to compete and succeed these days."

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I had a bit of a panic attack when I went to the department store last week and saw the back-to-school signs advertising great deals on pens and binders. Yes, it's almost that time if year again. While I'm sure it's a relief for parents of school-age kids, back-to-school time is downright depressing for me, an indicator that sweaters and jeans and shivering my way through the winter is not far off. I despise winter.

But time marches on and as we enter August, parents will be scrambling for school supplies, new clothes and new healthy lunch ideas to pack their children. It can be difficult finding stuff that's both good and good for them, but with a little planning, you should be able to give them something that they will actually eat. For some suggestions on what to send along with your kiddies this year, check out this article from eDiets.

What do you give your kids for lunch?

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