Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Indoor Exercise Activities for Rainy Days

Indoor Activities

It’s too cold, too hot, rainy, icy, or snowy outside today. It’s true that older adults can be affected by heat and cold more than others, but bad weather is no excuse to cancel your exercise for the day! With a little creativity, you can be active indoors in a variety of ways:
  • Walk on the treadmill, ride the stationary bike, or use the rowing machine that’s gathering dust in your bedroom or basement. Or use one at a nearby gym or fitness center.
  • Work out with an exercise DVD. You can get a free one from Go4Life.
  • Go bowling with friends.
  • Join a local mall walking group.
  • Walk around an art gallery or museum to catch a new exhibit.
  • Check out an exercise class at your neighborhood Y or senior center.
  • If you like dancing, take a Zumba® or salsa class.
  • Try yoga or Tai Chi.
  • Go to the gym and work on your strength, balance, and flexibility exercises or set up your own home gym. All you need is a sturdy chair, a towel, and some weights. Soup cans or water bottles will do if you don’t have your own set of weights.
  • Go to an indoor pool and swim laps or try water aerobics
  • How about a game of indoor tennis, hockey, basketball, or soccer?
  • Go indoor ice skating or roller skating.
  • Maybe it’s time for some heavy duty cleaning. Vacuum, mop, sweep. Dust those hard-to-reach areas.
  • Play ping pong with the grandkids.

Quick Tip

You’re more likely to exercise if it’s convenient. Put your hand weights next to the sofa so you can do some lifting while you watch TV. Walk around the house when you talk on the phone. Make an extra trip up and down the stairs when you do the laundry.

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Blue Bell Ice Cream Recall

Blue Bell Ice Cream is voluntarily recalling select lots of Rocky Road pints produced in its Brenham, Texas, plant because they may be mispackaged and actually contain Cookies 'n Cream Ice Cream. That ice cream contains the undeclared allergens soy and wheat, which may present a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction risk to people who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to soy or wheat.

National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month

May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, and CDC recently released a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), “Reduced Disparities in Birth Rates Among Teens Aged 15–19 Years — United States, 2006–2007 and 2013–2014.” http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6516a1.htm?s_cid=mm6516a1_e The report highlights that teen birth rates have fallen nearly 50 percent among Hispanic and black teens, dropping the national teen birth rate to an all-time low. While dramatic declines among Hispanic and black teens have helped reduce racial/ethnic gaps, birth rates remain twice as high for these teens nationally compared to white teens, and more than three times as high in some states. Data also highlight the role socioeconomic conditions play, finding that higher unemployment and lower income and education are more common in communities with the highest teen birth rates, regardless of race. Learn more about reducing disparities in teen births.

Dining Decisions Game

 Dining Decisions game [ http://www.cdc.gov/features/dining-decisions/index.html ]Which keeps you fueled longer, an apple or bacon? Play the Dining Decisions game and find out. Learn More! [ http://www.cdc.gov/features/dining-decisions/index.html ]

New e-newsletter available on adolescent sexual health

 A new monthly email newsletter is available from the University of Minnesota's Center for Leadership Education in Maternal & Child Public Health, highlighting research, resources, events, and trainings related to adolescent sexual health. Read past newsletters or sign up to receive future emails at: https://www.ncfr.org/professional-resource-library/adolescent-sexualhealth-enewsletter

How to keep students with special needs safe online child internet

Students whose disabilities make face-to-face communication challenging can find a social outlet online, but they need guidance on appropriate, safe social media usage, psychologist Kortney Peagram says. In this article, she outlines four guidelines for teachers and parents to monitor students' online usage. National Public Radio - http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/04/07/473085222/what-special-ed-teachers-and-parentsneed-to-know-about-social-media

Mortality Rates Improve Among Kids and Young Adults in the US, Especially in Poor Counties

Death rates have declined among children and young adults in the poorest counties in the United States, according to the study published in Science. Better health care, food and nutrition programs and less pollution are all potential contributors. The results should be particularly encouraging to policymakers engaged in projects aimed to promote public health, like antitobacco initiatives or food and nutrition programs. Link: http://bit.ly/ChildhoodMortality

QIC-AG Intervention and Prevention Catalog

The National Quality Improvement Center for Adoption and Guardianship Support and Prevention (QIC-AG) developed the QIC-AG Intervention and Prevention Catalog, which provides evidence-based practices and programs that focus on the needs of children in foster care transitioning to permanency through adoption or guardianship or those families who have already found permanency. The catalog contains over 100 programs or interventions organized around adoption/guardianship relevance, level of evidence, target population, and the focus of the intervention. This searchable collection was created through evaluations of evidence-based review systems, databases, clearinghouses, registries, and catalogs, as well as through consultation with experts such as State adoption managers. To access or submit to the QIC-AG Intervention and Prevention Catalog, visit the QIC-AG website at http://qic-ag.org/introductionqic-ag-intervention-and-program-catalog/.

Clergy as Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect

This factsheet discusses laws that require members of the clergy to report cases of suspected child abuse and neglect. The issue of whether a member of the clergy can claim privileged communications as a reason for not reporting also is discussed. Full-text excerpts of laws for all States and U.S. territories are included. https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/laws-policies/statutes/clergymandated/

Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect

This factsheet discusses laws that designate the groups of professionals that are required to report cases of suspected child abuse and neglect. Reporting by other persons, the responsibilities of institutions in making reports, standards for making a report, and confidentiality of the reporter's identity also are discussed. Summaries of laws for all States and U.S. territories also are included. https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/laws-policies/statutes/manda/

Working With Military Families as They Pursue Adoption

This bulletin discusses the positive aspects and potential challenges of working with military families who are pursuing adoption, and it describes the many resources available inside and outside of the military support structure. Positive aspects include the flexibility and diversity of military families, while challenges to the adoption process come from deployments and frequent relocation. Adoption professionals should be aware of the different resources available to military families who wish to adopt. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/militarybulletin/

Foster Care Statistics

This factsheet provides the most recent national statistical estimates for children and youth in foster care from fiscal year (FY) 2014 and also provides earlier data from FY 2005 to allow for some estimate of trends over time. Data were obtained from the Federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS). AFCARS collects information on all children in foster care for whom State child welfare agencies are responsible for placement, care, or supervision and on children who are adopted with public child welfare agency involvement. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/foster/

Helping Hispanic Children Fight Obesity

The prevalence of childhood obesity among Hispanics is 22.4 percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html ). NIDDK’s Weight-control Information Network has resources for parents (http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/weight-control/helping-your-childtips-parents/Pages/helping-your-child-tips-for-parents.aspx?utm_source=newsletter_dk_healthinfo-news&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=april-2016), in both English and Spanish, to help their children maintain a healthy weight through physical activity and good eating habits. website to take the eligibility quiz and submit an online application - http://responsibility.lowes.com/apply-for-a-grant/

Race, Ethnicity, and Kidney Disease

African Americans, Hispanics, and American Indians are at high risk for developing kidney failure. Learn about kidney failure within these populations at - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/healthinformation/health-communication-programs/nkdep/learn/causes-kidney-disease/at-risk/raceethinicity/Pages/race-ethnicity.aspx?utm_source=newsletter_dk_health-infonews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=april-2016

How to create meaningful conversation during job interviews

To engage a job interviewer in a meaningful conversation, professionals should focus on areas where their skills can help solve an employer's problems, career expert Liz Ryan suggests. When job seekers can see the organization from the interviewer's point of view, it's easier to talk about how their experience can be a good fit, she advises. Forbes - http://www2.smartbrief.com/redirect.action?link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites% 2Flizryan%2F2016%2F04%2F02%2Fhow-to-get-your-interviewer-off-thescript%2F%2346deae274f0c&encoded=hyvuCcpelICUzYkdmprJ

Teen birth rates fall nearly 50 percent among Hispanic and black teens

Births among Hispanic and black teens have dropped by almost half since 2006, according to a new analysis published by CDC. This mirrors a substantial national decline: births to all American teenagers have dropped more than 40 percent within the past decade. Despite this progress, key challenges persist for many communities, according to the report. While dramatic declines among Hispanic and black teens (51 percent and 44 percent, respectively) have helped reduce gaps, birth rates remain twice as high for these teens nationally compared with white teens. Published today in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the new analysis highlights key community- and state-level patterns: Dramatic racial and ethnic differences: In some states, birth rates among Hispanic and black teens were more than three times as high as those of whites. Socioeconomic and education gaps: Higher unemployment and lower income and education are more common in communities with the highest teen birth rates, regardless of race. Key in-state differences: In some states with low overall birth rates, pockets of high birth rates exist in some counties. Regional patterns: Counties with higher teen birth rates were clustered in southern and southwestern states. “The United States has made remarkable progress in reducing both teen pregnancy and racial and ethnic differences, but the reality is, too many American teens are still having babies,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “By better understanding the many factors that contribute to teen pregnancy we can better design, implement, evaluate, and improve prevention interventions and further reduce disparities.” Read More at: http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0428-teen-birth-rates.html ==================================================================

Better sleep habits tied to improved academic performance

Elementary-age students who get more sleep may earn better grades, according to a study in Sleep Medicine. Data show youths in the study who had an average sleep extension of 18.2 minutes for five nights earned higher grades in math and reading. Examiner.com (4/7), HealthDay News http://www.examiner.com/article/a-little-extra-sleepimproves-grades-for-kids

Study: How parent depression affects students' grades

School Students' grades can suffer if one or both parents experience depression, according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry. Parents with depression may be less likely to attend meetings with teachers or take time to listen to their children's problems and help them find solutions, researchers say. National Public Radio - http://www.npr.org/sections/healthshots/2016/04/04/471783738/kids-grades-can-suffer-when-mom-or-dad-are-depressed

Restaurants work to recruit military veterans

Military veterans are finding opportunities in the restaurant industry, which employs about 250,000 ex-service members, according to the National Restaurant Association. The group's Military Foundation is working to connect with military personnel and help them get ready to fill some of the 1.7 million jobs the industry is expected to create in the coming decade, said Rob Gifford, the association's executive vice president for strategic operations and philanthropy. FSR Magazine online - https://www.fsrmagazine.com/human-resources/battle-break-through

Does gender play a role in adolescent anxiety?

Female students often have more anxiety than their male peers, asserts Leonard Sax, a psychologist and practicing family physician. In this commentary, he cites some research suggesting that girls' feelings about their bodies and their use of social media may play a role. The New York Times (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/04/21/why-do-girls-have-moreanxiety-than-boys/)

Study looks at gender gap in alcohol consumption among US youths

Researchers found that girls were more likely than boys to start drinking alcohol in midadolescence. However, the findings in Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research, based on 2002-13 survey data involving nearly 390,000 US youths ages 12 to 24, showed that boys had higher alcohol consumption after age 19. HealthDay News - http://consumer.healthday.com/kids-health-information-23/kids-and-alcoholhealth-news-11/teenaged-girls-now-try-alcohol-before-boys-study-709819.html

Look for the arrival of robots in the mainstream

Robotics is entering mainstream society and stands to substantially transform our world in the near future. Look for the arrival of robots in five categories: at the nanoscale combating cancer, in the lab automating key processes, as avatars containing human consciousness, as providers of security and in swarms carrying out such missions as human rescues. ITProPortal.com (U.K.) - http://www.itproportal.com/2016/04/11/5-ways-robotics-influencingfuture-of-technology/

Companies should teach employees to make decisions

Decision-making needs to be diffused throughout organizations if there is to be adaptability and change, writes Eric McNulty. "It is critical to treat decision making as a core skill worthy of investment in training, just like Six Sigma or any other approach that propels strategic and operational excellence," McNulty argues. Strategy+Business online - http://www.strategybusiness.com/blog/To-Be-or-Not-to-Be