In the News: Team Sports and Your Daughter's Health

Besides the health benefits of regular physical activity, a recent study is showing that a girl's participation in sports is associated with numerous benefits, including lower teen pregnancy rates, better academic success in school, and higher self-esteem.

Just 40 years ago Title IV mandated that schools and colleges receiving federal funding offer the same opportunities for girls to play sports as for boys. This legislation opened the door for girls' participation in team sports. In the 1960s only about 4 percent of high school girls participated in team sports, but today that number has jumped to nearly 1 in 3 girls playing sports.

Several economists and researchers have studied the numbers and the significance of this legislation and conclude that the increase in girls' participation in sports has led to about 20 percent of the increase in women's education and a 40 percent increase in career advancement for women.

The research also found that a girl's participation in sports is associated with a 7 percent lower risk of obesity later in life. It also showed a decrease in health issues related to obesity like diabetes and heart disease.

For more information on this topic, you can read the full article in the New York Times:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/15/as-girls-become-women-sports-pay-dividends/?em

10 Ways to Stay Active in the Winter

Your children need at least an hour of physical activity every day to stay healthy. Here are ten ideas for how to keep your kids active during the winter months:

1. In the spirit of the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, have your own indoor Winter Olympics. You can find ideas for this here.
2. Try rearranging one room in the house so it resembles an indoor playground with areas for your kids to run around and climb on.
3. Play in the snow: create snow angels, build a snowman, have a snowball fight.
4. Organize a game of hide-and-seek around the house.
5. Go swimming at an indoor swimming pool.
6. Bundle up and take your kids for a nature walk outside around the neighborhood or in the park.
7. Have your children participate in winter league sports like basketball or hockey.
8. Check out activities for kids at your local recreation center.
9. Encourage your kids to play active video games like the Wii Sports or Wii Fit.
10. Set out mats and do exercises together with your kids, like marching in place, push-ups, sit-ups, and stretching.