Why should my child take swimming lessons? And what do they need to know?

Feb 7, 2020

The Conversation – Michael O’Shea, Hazel Maxwell, and Megan Stronarch

Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional death from injury worldwide. From July 2018 to June 2019, 276 people drowned across Australia – a 10% increase on the previous year. Among those were 19 children under four years old, eight children between five and 14 and a further 45 young people aged 15-24. As temperatures soared this summer, 53 more people drowned at Australian beaches, rivers and pools including six children. There were also 584 non-fatal drownings requiring hospitalisation, and many unreported near-tragedies.

https://theconversation.com/why-should-my-child-take-swimming-lessons-and-what-do-they-need-to-know-131136

Short, intensive training improves children’s health

Feb 6, 2020

Medical X-Press – Staff Writer

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) alternates short phases of intense physical exercise with recovery periods. “The more intense the exercise, the greater the effects seem to be, even in children,” says Dr. Sascha Ketelhut from the Institute of Sports Science at MLU. It is not about how long you exercise, but rather about how intensively you exercise within a short period of time. “Interestingly, this form of intermittent exercise is precisely how children move naturally,” says Ketelhut. Children do not have a natural propensity to go jogging for long distances. Instead, constantly alternating between intensive periods of exertion and short phases of recovery, like in games such as tag, is more in keeping with how children naturally move and play.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-02-short-intensive-children-health.html

Children Show Better Self-Control When They Depend On Each Other

Feb 6, 2020

Moms – Elisa Cinelli

Children are more likely to delay gratification for a cooperative cause than for an individual incentive, according to a new study. Is this just peer pressure in action, or does it suggest a developing sense of interdependence? Back in 1972, psychologist Walter Mischel led a now-famous study at Stanford University that has come to be known as “The Marshmallow Test”. In a look at will power and delayed gratification, Mischel placed one marshmallow in front of his child test subjects. He told the children that they could eat the marshmallow, but if they waited, they could eat two. Then he left the room for about ten minutes.

https://www.moms.com/children-show-better-self-control-when-they-depend-on-each-other/

The body dysmorphic disorder that’s affecting teen boys, and what to do about it

Feb 5, 2020

The Philadelphia Inquirer – Rima Himelstein

For several decades, much of the focus on body image disorders has focused on females. In American society, the feminine ideal is to appear thin. Males, however, are encouraged to be muscular. Lately, we are witnessing a shift in how males perceive their bodies. Many of today’s young males want a strong body; specifically, they want more muscles. With action figures such as Batman, Captain America, and Superman to magazine covers boasting “Double your muscle!” and “Bigger arms now!,” it’s no wonder that teens view being chiseled and ripped as the ideal male body image.

https://www.inquirer.com/health/expert-opinions/muscle-dysphoric-disorder-boys-symptoms-20200205.html