Scottsdale and Phoenix Bootcamps - Every Sunday!

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Childhood Obesity Leads Some Schools to Ban Cupcakes for Birthdays

Article courtesy of: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20101117/hl_ac/179679_childhood_obesity_leads_some_schools_to_ban_cupcakes_for_birthdays

"Some schools are banning cupcakes at grammar school birthday parties because of childhood obesity among American kids. Say again?

In one west coast county, a school district says birthdays can be celebrated without food. Huh? Or they can bring nutritious foods to stuff the faces of their classmates, like raw veggies. Oh, that's fun. And very yuppie.

Texas has stepped up to the challenge by passing the "Safe Cupcake" amendment. It allows parents to keep their right to be parents and let their kids eat unhealthy birthday foods at school parties. Representative Jim Dunnam sponsored the legislation, a Democrat from Waco.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have produced statistics like 19 percent of pre-adolescent kids and 17 percent of adolescents were overweight in 2003-04. And there's an increase in Type 2 diabetes in children. This is a very serious problem, but can it be remedied by banning the cupcake?

Understandably some schools have banned junk food-laden vending and soda machines in schools. Excessive sugar can not only lead to obesity, but can also make anybody's body tired. This can disrupt study habits and even affect behavior in some kids. But how far should we go? And will this backfire? Isn't there a saying that you want what you can't have? If denied sweets at school for a birthday party, some adults are concerned that kids (and some parents) might rebel along the way.

Birthday parties at school are hardly the reason for childhood obesity. Most American adults can remember their own parties from grammar school, but that doesn't mean they were obese kids. What about the hormones packed into our food supply? Certain celebs go so far as to say that it's a money-making conspiracy to put chemicals into our food that make us fat-or at least that make us hungry so we'll eat more and in turn buy more food.

There are other concerns. What about the parents who don't get the memo? Will they be confronted and be sent back home with an explanation that their child can't celebrate a birthday at school? Lawsuits may start to smell like cupcakes.

Trying to make everyone happy never works, yet there's always someone or some institution who will try. Nonetheless, the controversy continues. Whether it works its way across the country is yet to be seen. Perhaps it already has. School administrators mean well, but the consequences could be more than they bargained for if traditional parents start to speak up against the ban. Is there a middle ground, like only wheat flour cupcakes can be used with sugar substitutes? Not really. Too many allergies come into play. Some private schools won't even let parents make their own treats for fear of germ contamination.

Parents beware: ask what treats have been approved before your kid's next school birthday party, just in case you didn't get the memo."

Fashions of fitness: Exit Pilates? Enter Bootcamp?

[Editors note: Fit City Bootcamp offers Phoenix (Arcadia) Bootcamps and Scottsdale Bootcamps every Sunday morning. Our indoor bootcamps are perfect for individuals working on weight loss and improving strength and conditioning. We offer single class & low monthly rates + referral bonuses if you bring a friend. Go to www.getfitaz.com for more info]

Article courtesy of Reuters.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLNE6A806020101109

"Bootcamp is hot, Pilates is not, according to a new survey forecasting fitness trends for 2011.

Pilates will not give you results fast," said Bowen, star of the DVD Gorgeous Core. "To do it well takes a lot of strength, and it can be expensive if you're on a Reformer."

The Reformer is the springed exercise platform designed by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century.

Crunch, the national chain of health clubs, still offers traditional reformer-based Pilates, but is also keen on cost-cutting alternatives, according to spokesperson Donna Cyrus.

"Joseph Pilates is dead," Cyrus said, "So how do we take these exercises and put them in mainstream classes?"

For Cyrus, the answer lies in hybrid group fitness classes which fuse Pilates-based exercises with yoga, light weights or resistance training.

"I'm always redesigning," Cyrus said, "Trying to open it up to a wider audience."

But Cyrus hesitates to call Pilates a fad. In fact so precipitous was the fall of Pilates, once a fitness staple, that Dr. Walter Thompson, lead author of an annual poll conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine, is starting to call it a fad.

"Fads are here today, gone tomorrow," Thompson said. "Pilates has been very strong since 2008. But for 2011 it fell off the list completely."

Stability balls and balance training also plummeted off the online poll, which asked over 2,000 fitness and health experts from Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, North and South America to identify top trends.

"It could be this was just another fad invading the gyms that's run its course. You've got a lot of these stability balls, but are you using them?" asks Thompson, a professor of exercise science at Georgia State University.

Meanwhile, the bootcamp workout is coming on strong, according to the survey, which for five years has alerted fitness experts and consumers alike to future trends.

Certified fitness professionals, programs for older adults and children, and strength training also posted strong showings.

"If I owned a health club and we weren't offering any bootcamps, we would have bootcamps starting tomorrow," Thompson said of the fast-moving callisthenics-based interval workout.

For Pilates instructor and studio owner Lara Hudson, the problem is in the price point.

"Pilates is perceived as more expensive than bootcamp," said Hudson, owner of the Mercury Fitness Pilates studio in San Francisco, California. "In this tough economy people look for less expensive workouts."

She said Pilates is a thinking man's workout trapped in a time-pressed, one-stop shopping environment.

"People always want something new," she said. "Before the crash we couldn't meet the demand, but once the economy took a turn we had to rely on our group classes."

Hudson said her studio is rolling with the punches.

"We're working on how to appeal to today's wallets and desire to get it all in one hour."

Suzanne Bowen, a certified Pilates teacher based in Nashville, Tennessee, thinks Pilates is here to stay but teaches a hybrid of Pilates, yoga and ballet.

"Pilates will not give you results fast," said Bowen, star of the DVD Gorgeous Core. "To do it well takes a lot of strength, and it can be expensive if you're on a Reformer."

The Reformer is the springed exercise platform designed by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century.

Crunch, the national chain of health clubs, still offers traditional reformer-based Pilates, but is also keen on cost-cutting alternatives, according to spokesperson Donna Cyrus.

"Joseph Pilates is dead," Cyrus said, "So how do we take these exercises and put them in mainstream classes?"

For Cyrus, the answer lies in hybrid group fitness classes which fuse Pilates-based exercises with yoga, light weights or resistance training.

"I'm always redesigning," Cyrus said, "Trying to open it up to a wider audience."

But Cyrus hesitates to call Pilates a fad."

San Francisco Bans Most Happy Meals

Article courtesy of the Chicago Tribune, November 02, 2010|By Sharon Bernstein

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-11-02/business/ct-biz-1103-happy-meals-20101102_1_offer-toys-nanny-state-happy-meals

"San Francisco's board of supervisors has voted, by a veto-proof margin, to ban most of McDonald's Happy Meals as they are now served in the restaurants.

The measure will make San Francisco the first major city in the country to forbid restaurants from offering a free toy with meals that contain more than set levels of calories, sugar and fat.

The ordinance also would require restaurants to provide fruits and vegetables with all meals for children that come with toys.

"We're part of a movement that is moving forward an agenda of food justice," said Supervisor Eric Mar, who sponsored the measure. "From San Francisco to New York City, the epidemic of childhood obesity in this country is making our kids sick, particularly kids from low income neighborhoods, at an alarming rate. It's a survival issue and a day-to-day issue."

Just after the vote, McDonald's spokeswoman Danya Proud said, "We are extremely disappointed with today's decision. It's not what our customers want, nor is it something they asked for."

The ban, already enacted in a similar measure by Santa Clara County, was opposed by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who was vying to be lieutenant governor in Tuesday's election. But because the measure was passed by eight votes — one more than needed to override a veto — his opposition doesn't matter unless one of the supervisors changes his or her mind after the promised veto.

Under the ordinance, scheduled to take effect in December 2011, restaurants may include a toy with a meal if the food and drink combined contain fewer than 600 calories, and if less than 35 percent of the calories come from fat.

Over the last few weeks, the proposed ban caused a stir online and on cable television, with supporters arguing that it would help protect children from obesity, and opponents seeing it as the latest example of the nanny state gone wild.

Supervisor Bevan Dufty, whose swing vote provided the veto-proof majority, said critics should not dismiss the legislation as a nutty effort by San Franciscans. "I do believe the industry is going to take note of this. I don't care how much they say, 'It's San Francisco, they're wacked out there.'"

Proud, the McDonald's spokeswoman, said the city was out of step with the mainstream on the issue.

"Public opinion continues to be overwhelmingly against this misguided legislation," she said. "Parents tell us it's their right and responsibility — not the government's — to make their own decisions and to choose what's right for their children."

Oak Brook-based McDonald's is not the only fast-food chain to offer toys with children's meals, but because it is so prominent the company has become a key face of opposition to the ban.

Daniel Conway, spokesman for the California Restaurant Association, bemoaned the ordinance's passage and contrasted it with San Franciscans' exuberant feelings after the Giants won the World Series on Monday night.

"One day you're world champions, and the next day, no toys for you," Conway said.

He said the industry could respond in a number of ways to the ordinance. Some might continue to include toys but charge separately for them. Others might reformulate their meals so that they comply with the law. Restaurants might also simply stop offering children's meals altogether, he said.

Proud said the company does offer more healthful menu options, including apple slices that can be ordered with kids' meals instead of french fries.

The vote was held the same day that McDonald's reintroduced nationwide its McRib sandwich, a pressed pork patty that gets half its calories from fat and has a cultlike legion of fans.

Mar said it would lead the fast-food giant and other restaurants to provide more healthful food for kids. The ban, he said, was crucial to the fight against childhood obesity and the illnesses that go along with it, including diabetes and the risk of heart problems and stroke. The cost of fighting those diseases, he said, will be in the billions.

"It's astronomical how much it's going to cost if we don't address it," Mar said. "It's incredible the crisis that's going to hit us."

GetFitAZ.com presents Sunday Morning Bootcamps!

FIT CITY BOOTCAMP meets every Sunday! Bootcamps are a great way for individuals to change up their current workouts, bond with others and build friendships, and have fun! Whether your fitness goals are to lose weight, get stronger, or improve your conditioning and overall fitness, everybody is welcome to attend! Bring a friend to join in!

Locations and times:
9:00 AM in Arcadia: Peak Studio 3734 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix, AZ. 85018

11:00 AM in Scottsdale: Edge Fitness 7117 East Mercer Lane Scottsdale, AZ 85254

If you have questions, would like to try a class out, etc., you can reach us at 480-788-8118 or email us your contact info at train@getfitaz.com

What to expect: Bootcamps will last approximately 45-60 minutes long. Attendees will go through warm ups, stretching, strength + conditioning drills, and a post-workout stretch with cool down. Water and towels will be provided.

What to bring: Please show up 10-15 minutes early to fill out a health info sheet/waiver and to ask any questions. If you have a yoga mat, please bring it!

******Weekly and monthly rates are available. We also offer referral bonuses for our clients! Bootcamps are $15/drop in rate per class, $45/month unlimited (4 classes). If you refer a friend for unlimited bootcamp and receive $10 off!

More info can be found at: http://www.getfitaz.com/bootcamp

Questions? RSVP? Call us at 480-788-8118 or email train@getfitaz.com

Fit City Bootcamp is conducted by NASM and NPTI Certified Personal Trainer and AFAA Group Exercise Specialist, Shane Lamers. Shane currently possesses over 5 years in the fitness industry, has a current CPR/AED certification, and tailors all bootcamps/workouts toward each individuals fitness needs and goals in a safe manner. Fit City Bootcamp will be held every Sunday at the times/locations listed above.

F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2010

Article courtesy of the Trust For America's Health

http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2010/



"Adult obesity rates increased in 28 states in the past year, and declined only in the District of Columbia (D.C.), according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2010, a report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). More than two-thirds of states (38) have adult obesity rates above 25 percent. In 1991, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent.

The report highlights troubling racial, ethnic, regional and income disparities in the nation's obesity epidemic. For instance, adult obesity rates for Blacks and Latinos were higher than for Whites in at least 40 states and the District of Columbia; 10 out of the 11 states with the highest rates of obesity were in the South -- with Mississippi weighing in with highest rates for all adults (33.8 percent) for the sixth year in a row; and 35.3 percent of adults earning less than $15,000 per year were obese compared with 24.5 percent of adults earning $50,000 or more per year.

"Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges the country has ever faced, and troubling disparities exist based on race, ethnicity, region, and income," said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH. "This report shows that the country has taken bold steps to address the obesity crisis in recent years, but the nation's response has yet to fully match the magnitude of the problem. Millions of Americans still face barriers - like the high cost of healthy foods and lack of access to safe places to be physically active - that make healthy choices challenging."

The report also includes obesity rates among youths ages 10-17, and the results of a new poll on childhood obesity conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and American Viewpoint. The poll shows that 80 percent of Americans recognize that childhood obesity is a significant and growing challenge for the country, and 50 percent of Americans believe childhood obesity is such an important issue that we need to invest more to prevent it immediately. The survey also found that 84 percent of parents believe their children are at a healthy weight, but research shows nearly one-third of children and teens are obese or overweight. Obesity rates among youths ages 10-17 from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) also were included in the 2009 F as in Fat report. Data collection for the next NSCH will begin in 2011. Currently, more than 12 million children and adolescents are considered obese.

"Obesity rates among the current generation of young people are unacceptably high and a very serious problem," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., RWJF president and CEO. "To reverse this national epidemic, we have to make every community a healthy community. Americans are increasingly ready and willing to make that investment."

Additional key findings include:

• Adult obesity rates for Blacks topped 40 percent in nine states, 35 percent in 34 states, and 30 percent in 43 states and D.C.
• Rates of adult obesity for Latinos were above 35 percent in two states (North Dakota and Tennessee) and at 30 percent and above in 19 states.
• Ten of the 11 states with the highest rates of diabetes are in the South, as are the 10 states with the highest rates of hypertension.
• No state had rates of adult obesity above 35 percent for Whites. Only one state-West Virginia-had an adult obesity rate for Whites greater than 30 percent.
• The number of states where adult obesity rates exceed 30 percent doubled in the past year, from four to eight --Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia.
• Northeastern and Western states had the lowest adult obesity rates; Colorado remained the lowest at 19.1 percent.

The report found that the federal government and many states are undertaking a wide range of policy initiatives to address the obesity crisis. Some key findings include that:

At the federal level:

• The new health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, has the potential to address the obesity epidemic through a number of prevention and wellness provisions, expand coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, and create a reliable funding stream through the creation of the Prevention and Public Health Fund;
• Community Transformation grants have the potential to help leverage the success of existing evidence-based disease prevention programs;
• President Barack Obama created a White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, which issued a new national obesity strategy that contained concrete measures and roles for every agency in the federal government; and.
• First Lady Michelle Obama launched the "Let's Move" initiative to solve childhood obesity within a generation.

And at the state level:

• Twenty states and D.C. set nutritional standards for school lunches, breakfasts and snacks that are stricter than current United States Department of Agriculture requirements. Five years ago, only four states had legislation requiring stricter standards.
• Twenty-eight states and D.C. have nutritional standards for competitive foods sold in schools on à la carte lines, in vending machines, in school stores, or through school bake sales. Five years ago, only six states had nutritional standards for competitive foods.
• Every state has some form of physical education requirement for schools, but these requirements are often limited, not enforced or do not meet adequate quality standards.

• Twenty states have passed requirements for body mass index screenings of children and adolescents or have passed legislation requiring other forms of weight and/or fitness related assessments in schools. Five years ago, only four states had passed screening requirements.

To enhance the prevention of obesity and related diseases, TFAH and RWJF provide a list of recommended actions in the report. Some key policy recommendations include:

• Support obesity- and disease-prevention programs through the new health reform law's Prevention and Public Health Fund, which provides $15 billion in mandatory appropriations for public health and prevention programs over the next 10 years.
• Align federal policies and legislation with the goals of the forthcoming National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy. Opportunities to do this can be found through key pieces of federal legislation that are up for reauthorization in the next few years, including the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act; the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; and the Surface Transportation Authorization Act.
• Expand the commitment to community-based prevention programs initiated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 through new provisions in the health reform law, such as Community Transformation grants and the National Diabetes Prevention Program.
• Continue to invest in research and evaluation on nutrition, physical activity, obesity and obesity-related health outcomes and associated interventions."