Youth Obesity - How Can We Make a Difference

Our youth are growing at an amazing rate, and it isn't in the good way. They are getting heavier and heavier every day with no end in site. While many believe that kids and parents are just getting lazier, I believe there is much more to this issue.

Often, we as adults get frustrated and feel as if there is no solution for our kids being overweight except for forcing activity upon them until they finally give in. Unfortunately this is the wrong approach and could quite possibly end up being the one thing that pushes youth away from physical activity. Youth must see the value in it, and by value, I'm referring to fun. It must be fun for them, but it also must be effective toward an end result. The more we make it look like work or something they have to do, the more likely they will be to turn away and give it the cold shoulder.

If you are a coach of a youth sports team, your role doesn't change from the points I made above. Many youth will be there because they want to be, but others will be there more for the social component and may not even like the sport. Your job then is to make it fun for everyone first. Running kids into the ground and yelling at them to the point of tears is no way to coach youth and I quite frankly find it disgusting (speaking about actual events I have witnessed just recently). What are the chances this child will continue to participate in this sport when they get older?

The truth is most youth don't even know how to move, let alone play a sport flawlessly. If youth don't know how to move, how can we coach a sport that involves movement? In essence we are putting the horse before the carriage believing that sport conditioning is way more important than learning how to perform the move correctly by knowing how our bodies move.

As adults we need to understand two things: first is youth learn what they see. So leading by example is vital for our youth to understand that their health can not be ignored. An active lifestyle can be fun and not hard work. Develop a lifestyle of active activities and get youth involved when preparing healthy meals.

The second thing is we can't expect youth to be excited about the same things you are. That means when it comes to exercise, going out for a run or a long swim isn't something they will find fun. There are countless other activities that will serve youth better that they will enjoy and will choose to continue these activities in the future.

Our youth fit camps in February address the needs of youth with their movement to boost confidence but also a conditioning component they so desperately need to become more active.

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Rising Insurance Costs To Blame For Lack Of Health Insurance In The Workplace

The percentage of companies offering health insurance dropped to approximately 60 percent in 2004, down 3 percent from the previous year. Most U.S. companies that do not offer health care benefits cite rising costs as the determining factor. On average, health insurance premiums rise between 9 and 11 percent or more on an annual basis. The result is a slow but steady decline in the availability of traditional employment-based health care coverage.

The majority of businesses who dropped health insurance coverage have less than 100 employees. 98 percent of larger companies with 100 or more employees offer health care benefits.

The cost of health insurance was the deciding factor for most companies, with some businesses reporting that they had to few employees to negotiate with insurance companies for lower rates. The increasing competition from businesses in foreign countries has forced some U.S. companies to eliminate traditional health care coverage in favor of limited health care benefits for employees. Employers have been forced to pass more of the cost of health insurance coverage on to employees, with the smaller companies being unable to afford coverage at all.

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Fitness Gym

Fitness gyms are a great addition to your work-out regimen. A fitness gym is a great way to keep in shape while using some of the best, cutting-edge equipment on the market today, and lots of fitness gyms will offer packages and membership deals designed for busy people.

Licensed trainers are available for individualized workouts and some fitness gyms have masseuses on hand. Home Work-Out Too often, many people sign onto a contract at their local fitness gym and realize they have just signed their life away for a year. However, some people like the setting of a fitness gym with all of the latest exercise equipment and classes.

The trick here is to find that fitness gym that caters to the goals you are trying to reach. For example, there are some fitness gyms that are same gender, and there are some that have trained clinical physicians working there. Some fitness gyms have more of an emphasis on classes, while there are some that focus more on weight lifting.

The best option is to actually test out each fitness gym for a session or two, and ask the other members what they like best about the gym. See if you can sign up on a month to month basis instead of a contract, so that you are not paying an arm and leg to your fitness gym.Whatever your choice may be there is more opportunity these days than ever before for anyone to have the health benefits of a fitness gym whenever that may be at home or at a club.

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Affordable Health Insurance in the U.S.

Health insurance policies differ from country to country. Many affordable health insurance companies in the U.S. are very competitive, and this competition is beneficial for consumers. For selecting an affordable health insurance plan, you can rely on online quotes that are easy and fast. Privacy is the major issue for many consumers who prefer affordable health insurance quotes online. Most online insurance quote websites in the U.S. provide links to others, thereby hampering your privacy. Ensure that the personal information requested online by a health insurance company is used only to determine the customer?s benefits and options.

Most health insurance plans available in the U.S. are designed for individuals and families currently residing in America. Green card, H1, H4, F1 and F2 visa holders are also eligible for U.S. health insurance plans at affordable rates. The maximum limit of a U.S. health insurance policy is $8 million. The coverage options of U.S. health insurance plans include prescription drugs, dental, vision, pregnancy and child birth benefits. There are different individual health insurance plans to meet the needs of employers, labor unions and professionals, and the premiums for these plans are much lower than other policies.

Health insurance in the U.S. is flexible, affordable, guaranteed and renewable. Many insurance companies in America offer affordable health insurance plans and they allow consumers to choose their doctor, hospital and specialist. Many of these companies also provide high-quality health care insurance coverage. Most affordable health insurance companies in the U.S. only provide individual policies and not group or association owned plans. These health insurance policies provide lifetime benefits and financial protection.

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Program for Fitness

There are many fitness programs available these days all promising to be one of the best available & the ideal one for you. There is no fitness program available that is the best for all. You are an individual with different needs, wants & lifestyle so there cannot be a fitness program that is ideal for all.

Every fitness program has its pro’s & con’s & it’s up to you to decide which one is best for you, after all you need a fitness program that you know you are going to enjoy, that way you will stick to it & reap the full benefits.

So which fitness program is for you? Will you choose one of the well known ones such as Pilates, Step, or Aerobics (in one form or another) or will you go for one of the many celebrity fitness programs. The choice of fitness program is yours & yours alone make sure you pick the one for you. To help you here is a quick overview of some of the fitness programs available.

Pilates Fitness Program

Developed by Joseph Hubertis Pilates as far back as the early 1900’s, Pilates is based upon developing & improving body posture & flexibility of movement originally using the resistance of springs. Pilates can be practised using specially designed equipment or performing exercises based on the Pilates system simply on a mat. Pilates has spawned many different versions which are available today. Pilates fitness programs are available on video or DVD to use with or without equipment, for you to follow at home or you could try your local gym to see if they run classes there.

Step Fitness Program

Step is basically a form of aerobic exercise involving stepping on & off a step quite often to music. You can follow this fitness program from a video or DVD at home using a simple piece of equipment or in a group at your local gym or recreation centre.

Aerobics Fitness Program

Aerobics is a fitness program in numerous different formats but basically involves lots of movement such as arm raises, leg raises, kicks, stretching, lunging, bending etc to music. The type & frequency of movements should depend upon your current level of fitness. The fitness program can again be followed at home using a video or DVD or at classes in your local gym or recreation centre.

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Affordable Child Health Insurance

There are different types of affordable health insurance plans, including affordable individual health insurance, affordable family health insurance, affordable child health insurance, affordable employee health insurance and affordable business health insurance. Full information on affordable insurance schemes can be obtained from the Internet, and if you need further clarifications, you can consult an insurance broker. Customer service departments of health care providers also give information regarding available benefits and coverage.

Child health insurance focuses on children's general wellness. This health insurance helps parents cover expenses arising from unforeseen circumstances also. Very often, affordable child health insurance plans offer treatment by a group of specialists. They remind parents about the important preventive medicines that are to be administered to their children and also give programs and information to parents on how to manage their children?s health conditions. State-of-the-art technology provided by many affordable child health insurance schemes simplifies the tracking of health benefits. Parents, who want to buy a policy need to do the proper homework and study the benefits and affordability before filing in the application.

Health care is always critical for a child. Health insurance is essential for children who grow up in divorced, separated, or never-married families. It is easy to find affordable child health insurance plans that provide health care services, including preventive care, to ensure childhood immunizations, vision care, hearing and dental care. Lots of child health insurance plans are affordable, providing a wide range of health schemes for children. Hence, it is important to choose a plan that is most suitable.

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Teen Fitness, Teen Health and College Health: Simple Changes to a Healthier You

Teen health, teen fitness and college health is everywhere you look. Teen health is on TV, articles are written about college health (hello, Freshman 15) and long-term studies are done on teen fitness.

However, all exercising aside (don’t get me wrong, exercising is crucial to teen health and teen fitness) the main reason teen health and college health is so bad is in cafeterias everywhere.

It’s very PC to be concerned with teen health and teen fitness. It is great publicity for superintendents, principals and deans everywhere to talk about teen fitness and college health. They put Band Aids on a severed artery.

Concerned with teen health and teen fitness? Then the high school (some, unfortunately not all) will add a salad bar. And, usually it’s filled with brown “greens” stale veggies, etc. Not exactly the way to attack the teen health and teen fitness crisis in the country.

Concerned with college health? The university adds an all-you-can-eat deli buffet (where sandwiches can be as artery-clogging as a Big Mac) for a “healthier” alternative. And universities concerned with college health also add the salad bar right next to the pizza, French fries and hamburgers.

Teen health, teen fitness and college health all start with education. It's so bad that we took an adult disease, Diabetes, and our terrible teen health and teen fitness has made a youth version of it (Type II Diabetes). Bad teen health and teen fitness has created a new disease! Think about that for a minute.

To really get to the root of teen health and college health, the students need to be educated on teen fitness in general, but we need to get back to the basics. Everyone, theoretically, knows that McDonald’s and Burger King won’t help out teen fitness. But do they really know the possible long-term damage?

Thin kids can’t see how bad their hearts are. Most overweight kids know something about teen fitness and college health (like, for example, McDonalds being bad for you) but tons still don’t. How many overweight teens do you see chowing down a Big Mac? Too many don’t understand enough about college health and teen health.

Make simple changes to change teen health and teen fitness. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it took the teen over a decade to get overweight. They won’t lose it overnight.

If you are really concerned with college health and teen fitness, then make small changes to start off like switching to a low fat dressing, eating chicken instead of beef, diet soda instead of regular, and lowering your portions of carbs.

These small changes will improve teen health, teen fitness and college health drastically. And these changes are nothing more than tiny alterations.

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Inversion Therapy Tables Available Online

Around twenty percent of all those people whom have back troubles and undergo a surgical process will have no relief and the remaining eighty percent will continue to have problems ranging from moderate to severe.

Inversion tables don't offer some supernatural remedy but, they can assist you in relieving the pain you are in now if you will devote to establishing a stronger spine and better posture. These tables in particular have been used since around 400 B.C., when Hippocrates, the forefather of medicine, first noted a patient having his knees bound and ankles tied to a ladder to be lifted upside down for a dose of what's come to be known as spinal traction. Obviously these Grecian theories still live on today but there is a much simpler way of going about all of this and it still will have the same outcome which allow you to remedy your back pain! By applying these inversion tables you are utilizing a sort of therapeutic process called Inversion Therapy and it can be one of the most natural and efficient ways to getting a better back and a better body.

I know it sounds a little strange at first but there really is verified test studies behind the inversion tables and Inversion Therapy. For example, did you know that by inverting yourself to as little as 25 degrees for even just few moments that it can really help decompress your muscular tissue and speed the flow of lymphatic fluids which flush out the body's wastes and carry them to the blood stream? Amazing! The faster this waste is cleared, and stimulating supplies of oxygen are introduced, the faster rigor and pain in the muscles can disappear. An actual study imparted by physiotherapist L.J. Nosse established that EMG (electromyographic) activity, an indicator of muscle pain, declined over 35% within ten seconds of assuming the inverted positioning!

Try some of these inverted therapy tables that are available online. All of these tables have received high reviews amongst the consumers:

Inversion Table System with Assist Handles -
The Stamina Inversion System Table with Return Assist Handles make inversion easier and safer. The half-circle padded assist handles are easy to grasp and allow you to leverage your weight to make inversion transitions smoother.

Deluxe Seated Core Training Inversion System -
The Core Training Inversion System is an inversion chair instead of a table, so you get the benefits of inversion therapy much less stress on your knees, hips, and ankles. The Seated Core Training Inversion System has four inversion position that lock with a hand lever. The hand lever also lets you easily change your inversion angle.

Seated Inversion Core Training System -
The Seated Inversion Core Training System gives you the benefits of inversion therapy with less stress on the hips, knees, and ankles than with flat inversion tables. Inversion therapy is a natural & non-invasive method of using gravity for treating back pain Use of inversion tables such as the Seated Inversion System is endorsed and recommended by doctors to strengthen your back and elongate your spine to relieve pressure on discs, nerve roots, and ligaments.

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Star Trac Exercise Bike Review

Most people have heard of the Star Trac exercise bike. All models are built with professional fitness in mind, and are constructed around a sturdy aluminum frame. The patented monitoring system is able to dynamically adjust the pedal resistance, giving the workout the feel of covering a wide range of terrain types. Available in both upright and recumbent models, there is a Star Trac exercise bike for most body shapes and lower body exercise needs.

In consumer exercise bike reviews, it is often touted that the fitness programs built into a Star Trac exercise bike could be improved on, and they are, of course, a far cry from the integration with video games that a Cateye Gamebike achieves. Star Trac is a more professional design, intended for the use of people who are interested in their health, and determined to improve it. It doesn't pretend to hide the exercise process, because its users are there for the workout.

Star Trac E-UBi upright exercise bike users boast about the adjustable seat and handle grips. They say it is easy to set a Star Trac to fit their body style, and that makes the workout more enjoyable. For dedicated cyclists who are staying in shape, the dynamic pedal resistance will simulate hills and other sloping surfaces, requiring periodic short bursts of higher energy, which builds muscle tone.

Star Trac S-RBx recumbent exercise bike is more comfortable for many, and a requirement in some situations. By changing the direction of leg thrust, strain on the lower back is often reduced, making it a good plan for rebuilding muscle tone in physical therapy situations. The computerized exercise programs aren't as extensive as you'll find on some other models, but it provides a decent selection designed for specific training purposes, including off-road and long distance events.

A Star Trac exercise bike is far from perfect. For dedicated enthusiasts and athletes in training, however, it is a great piece of equipment. The ability to simulate terrain types makes it one of the best exercise bikes for competition training, but there are some features that could have made the process more realistic.

There are many exercise bike reviews that put a Star Trac exercise bike at the top of the list. Many say that it is a direct competitor with companies such as Reebok, although the Star Trac machines are a lot more functional and dedicated to cardiovascular fitness, where other companies attempt to disguise the workout and minimize the importance of what it is all about.

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