2013 Student Questions - Round 3

Question: If you sleep too much, will that sleep stay in your body for the next day?

Answer: I believe you are asking if sleeping too much can make you feel sleepy the next day. In most cases, the answer is no. Kids need at least 9 hours of sleep each night for proper growth and development. If you feel alert and ready to wake up in the morning after you’ve slept about nine hours, I wouldn’t recommend laying in bed for another couple hours. Doing that could actually make you feel groggy or sleepy that day.

Question: Can running too much affect your health (negatively)?

Answer: Running or exercise in general can only turn negative if you’re not allowing for proper recovery. Your muscles and nervous system recover when you get good sleep and eat nutritious foods. If you run a lot or play a lot of sports, make sure you are also getting to bed on time and eating a variety of fresh, whole foods. FYI – Each week for the rest of the school year I will be writing about an “awesome food.” These foods would be great to include in your meals to help your body feel great!

Question: Can you improve your health by eating less, and not eating healthy food?

Answer: Absolutely not. First of all, kids should not be thinking about eating less food. Kids need to think about eating more nutritious food. To grow up healthy and strong, it is very important that your body gets the nutrients it needs. These nutrients are found in things like veggies, fruits, meat, eggs, cheese, milk, nuts, and legumes. The worst thing a person can do is start eating less, but only include junk food and sweets in the food that you do eat. It will be very difficult to be at your best on the court or in the classroom. Again, I would encourage everyone to keep an eye out for the “awesome food” of the week that I will be sharing on the blog. Remember, some people have to try a food over ten times before they decide they like it. Don’t give up on a food if you’ve only tried it once or twice. I like many foods now that I didn’t think I liked the first few times I tried them.

Awesome Food = Pineapple!

Pineapple is another awesome food for many reasons. It’s packed with water, vitamin C, B vitamins, potassium, and fiber. It also contains an enzyme called bromelain. Bromelain is known as a protease enzyme, meaning it has the ability to help rid the body of old, damaged cells. It acts as a “house-cleaner” for your body. In the reference listed below, researchers noted that bromelain has many great health benefits including:  lowers inflammation, helps with wound healing, protects joints, protects the heart, and helps with digestion. Give pineapple a try and experience a boost to your health!

Reference:

Pavan R, Jain S, Shraddha, Kumar A. Properties and therapeutic application of bromelain: a review. Biotechnol Res Int.  2012 December  2012:976203.
Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Biomedical Education and Research, Mangalayatan University, Aligarh 202145, India

* Image from wikipedia

Awesome Food = Berries!

In the past decade, research on berries has been very exciting to read. Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and hawthorn berries are all proving to be awesome foods to eat. The research has suggested that they may play a significant role in protecting the heart and brain. The latest research in the journal Circulation is proving this to be true again.

Harvard researchers followed women age 25-42 for 18 years to determine if any nutritional factors affected their heart health. They discovered that women who ate three or more servings of a combination of blueberries and strawberries per week had a 32% decreased risk of heart disease.

Berries have awesome nutrients called anthocyanins in them, which can be very protective to the heart and brain. If you get a chance to include fresh or fresh-frozen berries in your meals, please do it. Whenever you see a fruit or vegetable with deep dark colors (blues, purples, reds,) it is a good indicator that it has some nutrients in it that will be of value to your health.

Reference:

Aedín Cassidy, et al. High Anthocyanin Intake Is Associated With a Reduced Risk of Myocardial Infarction in Young and Middle-Aged Women Circulation  2013 January
Harvard School of Public Health

More TV = Less Power in Children

A recent study published in the Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity suggests that more television watching in early childhood leads to less explosive leg strength (power) in middle childhood.  Over 1300 2nd grade children who took part in the study in Quebec performed a standing long jump or "broad jump" test to measure their power.  The results were compared to how much television they watched when they were several years younger  This is the same test used in the grades 3-6 Rocket Fitness Program.

The results of this study make sense. If you're spending too much time on the couch, your explosive leg muscles (gluteals, hip flexors/extensors, hamstrings, quadriceps) aren't doing much work, and therefore won't be as powerful as someone who is more active.  If you want to jump higher and run faster, shut the television off and get active! 



Reference:
Fitzpatrick et al. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2012, 9:87
http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/9/1/87

Soccer Games + Basketball Dribbling

Soccer Games

Bowling & Soccer Skills