As a coach, sometimes I have to educate new members of the team who are hesitant to lift weights as part of their strength training. They are afraid that lifting weights will stunt their growth or make them so horribly muscle-bound that they will lose flexibility.

Both concerns are unfounded and simply not true. Research strongly suggests that resistance training for youth is beneficial, and that most children who stick with a well-supervised weight lifting program can safely increase their strength.[1]

Now, one major obstacle to a consistent strength training program is access to weights. None of my athletes have a weight set at home, and few can afford the monthly fees public gyms charge.

The solution to this problem is to teach them how to create their own resistance weight training sets at home using readily available and safe household items. For example:

• Make an inexpensive kettle bell (similar to a dumbbell) using a plastic milk or juice jug.

Use water to fill a clean plastic 1/2 gallon jug (be sure to use a jug with a handle). One cup of water weighs approximately 1/2 pound: so, for example, a two-pound weight would need 4 cups (1 quart) of water in the jug.

• Use canned goods that fit in your hands as simple hand weights. Most canned vegetables come in 8 – 16 ounce sizes.

That’s it.  You have all that you need to start training.

Some good beginner exercises

Before you begin lifting any weights, be sure to stretch and warm up properly first.

Also, when lifting weights for the first time, most beginners tend to hold their breath. You should always remember to breathe while lifting, so that you have enough oxygen to perform the activity. When supervising exercising children, MAKE SURE the child inhales while lifting the weight, and exhales while returning to “rest” position.

Bicep curls: With the weight in the hand, PALMS UP, stand with feet shoulder width apart, back straight, and head up.  Slowly bring the weight up to your chest, making sure to keep the elbow still.  Slowly lower the weight until your arm is straight again.

Forearm curls: Same as the bicep curl above, except that the PALMS are DOWN.  Curling the weight with the palms facing downward moves the focus away from the bicep and to the forearm.

Both curls can be performed one arm at a time, or by alternating each arm, but you will need one weight in each hand if you choose to alternate.

Shoulder raises (shrugs): Hold one weight in each hand, hang your arms comfortably at your sides, and assume the same stance as for curling.  Keeping your head up, pull your shoulders up and try to touch your ears with them….you won’t be able to, of course, but imagining that you can allows you to maintain proper technique and posture. Hold your shoulders up for two seconds, and then lower the weights back to the starting position.

There are many, many more exercises you and your child can do together with these easy homemade weights, but for now let’s keep it simple, safe, and,  most importantly, FUN!  So keep the repetitions to a low number:  do no more than 3 sets of 10 repetitions for each exercise.   Doing this 3 times a week will make a difference.

Some important strength training guidelines for children

7 and under: Introduce the child to basic exercises using little or no resistance.  The intent is to develop in the child the idea of a training session and to teach proper exercise.

8 to 10 years old: You can gradually increase the number of exercises while maintaining a focus on proper technique for all exercises.  It is important to not let the child develop any bad lifting  habits such as rocking or jerking the weights, which may result in a muscle strain.[2]

Remember, lifting weights can be a lifelong activity beneficial to strength, flexibility, good posture and strong self esteem.  Developing good habits and techniques at a young age is a great way to start a lifetime of healthy habits.

Questions?  E-mail me at coachcampbell@candostreet.com

[1] “Resistance Training for Youth,” by Dr. Carla B. Sottovia, 7 October 2008

http://www.dotfit.com/shop/article.aspx?atid=160

[2] Rick Philbin, MED, ATC, CSCS, National Board Member, Diabetes, Exercise & Sports Association
National Presenter, Children with Diabetes, Northeast Regional Manager, Animas Corporation, November 2004

http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/sports/weighttraining.htm

 Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV, recently shared the outcome of a study on preschoolers napping in school.

A nap does a preschooler’s body, and mind good. That’s the headline from a brand new study that looked at the value of a classroom nap. Researchers in Massachusetts recruited a group of 40 preschoolers to measure their visual-spatial memory.

All of the preschoolers were asked to play a common game where you look at a grid of pictures and then you have to remember where different pictures are located.

During one testing session, the preschoolers napped for an average of 77 minutes in-between viewing the grid and taking the memory quiz. In another, they were kept awake for the same amount of time.

The preschoolers did a much better job retaining the location of the pictures after they had taken a nap.

The researchers say their findings suggest naps are critical for early learning and they are encouraging educators to develop napping guidelines for young children.

This post is about the long-lasting effects of childhood obesity.

The first of two reports is from MedlinePlus,  a service of the U.S. Library of Medicine NIH National Institutes of Health. The second report is from HealthDay News, which recently was posted on Womenshealth.gov., Dept of Health and Human Services.

MedlinePlus Report: As reported by Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV on Childhood Obesity and Adult Hypertension

The following information from HHS.gov/Health Care provides an overview of the coverage and services available to women now, and beginning in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act.

Applicable Now Under the Affordable Care Act

• 26.9 million women with private health insurance gained expanded preventive services with no cost-sharing in 2011 and 2012, including mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, prenatal care, flu and pneumonia shots, and regular well-baby and well-child visits.
• As of August 1, 2012 many health plans now cover additional preventive services with no cost-sharing, including well-woman visits, screening for gestational diabetes, domestic violence screening, breastfeeding supplies and contraceptive services.
• 24.7 million women enrolled in Medicare received preventive services without cost-sharing in 2011, including an annual wellness visit, a personalized prevention plan, mammograms, and bone mass measurement for women at risk of osteoporosis.
• 1.1 million women between ages 19 and 25 who would have been uninsured have coverage under their parent’s employer-sponsored or individually purchased health insurance plan.
• More than 2 million women enrolled in Medicare saved $1.2 billion in 2011 due to improvements in prescription drug coverage.
• Major federal investments in care innovations such as community health teams are improving the management of chronic diseases, which are prevalent among women.

 Applicable in 2014 and Thereafter Under the Affordable Care Act

• An estimated 8.7 million American women currently purchasing individual insurance will gain coverage for maternity services.
• Insurance companies in the individual and small group markets will no longer be permitted to charge higher rates due to gender or health status.
• 18.6 million uninsured women will have new opportunities for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
• State Medicaid programs will be able to offer more opportunities to women who need personal assistance or long-term care and wish to stay at home and in the community, rather than enter a nursing home.

Last Updated: July 30, 2013

According to an article recently published by HealthDay News, which was based on findings from researchers in Seattle, carbon monoxide gas can pass easily through drywall, and poison those living inside a home, apartment or condo. The report is published in the Aug. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.HealthDay reports:

Researchers shared that this finding highlights the need for having carbon monoxide alarms in your home, since even checking your own appliances won’t guarantee that the lethal gas might not seep through your walls from another source.

“What this study tells me is that carbon monoxide does not stay put in a building, that the barriers between apartments or condos will slow down carbon monoxide, but do not stop it,” said Dr. Eric Lavonas, associate director of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center in Denver. “Therefore, the best way to protect your family is to have a working carbon monoxide alarm in your home,” according to Lavonas, who was not involved with the study.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas found in car exhaust and in fumes from fuel-burning sources such as generators, charcoal grills, gas stoves and wood fireplaces. “Any source of combustion produces carbon monoxide of some degree, no matter how clean-burning your appliances are,” said study author Dr. Neil Hampson, with the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine at the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle.

Unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning kills between 400 and 500 people per year in the United States. The only form of protection is a carbon monoxide alarm. “Carbon monoxide is undetectable to human senses. You cannot see it, you cannot smell it, and you cannot taste it, so you do not know you’ve been poisoned until you get sick and start getting headaches, vomiting or pass out,” Hampson explained.

Twenty-five states require residences to have these alarms, but 10 of these states now allow exemptions for homes that have no internal sources of carbon monoxide. Many experts are concerned that these exemptions will lead to an increase in accidental poisonings, particularly in multi-family dwellings, where walls between homes are shared.

To prove that carbon monoxide can go through walls, researchers placed varying thicknesses of drywall in a Plexiglas container to observe how quickly the gas could travel through the walls. Because the pores in the wallboard are 1 million times larger than a carbon monoxide molecule, the gas passed easily through the porous barrier. Painted drywall slowed down the gas only a bit.

Only alarms can detect carbon monoxide gas once it is in a home, but far too many homes either don’t have one or have one that isn’t functioning because the batteries have died or have been removed. According to Lavonas, only 30 percent of American homes have a working carbon monoxide alarm. In North Carolina, a state that has a law requiring the devices, only 67.8 percent of homes do, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2012.

There have been many cases of poisonings in homes where carbon monoxide alarms were found, “but they either had no battery in them or they hadn’t even been taken out of the package,” Hampson said. “In addition to changing the batteries regularly, it’s important to check the expiration date on the alarm itself, he added.”When you change your batteries, you should look at the back of the alarm to see when the expiration date is. It’s either five or seven years, depending on the manufacturer,” Hampson explained.

Unlike smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms may be placed anywhere, from the bottom of the wall to the ceiling, and only one is needed per level, preferably located just outside the sleeping areas. Some alarms can be plugged directly into an electrical outlet or hard-wired, but both Hampson and Lavonas caution that if these are used, they should have a battery back-up. Most carbon monoxide poisonings occur during blackouts, when power is out, they noted.

If your alarm sounds, leave your home immediately, and call the fire department.

To learn more about carbon monoxide, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.