Progress continues toward the win against childhood obesity and youth physical inactivity
Childhood obesity can prove to be an achilles heel for many young adults but some forge ahead and do what they can to win the battle.
It was first reported in November 2013 that Tony Picard, a 17 year old running back for White Swan High School, weighed in at 400 pounds. However, during a January 2014 follow up interview with his coach, Andrew Bush, Picard’s real weight during that time was 413 pounds when the Washington Huskies, a University of Washington football team, weighed him during the same time frame.
Former White Swan High School running back from Washington state, Tony Picard, recently weighed in at 400 plus pounds. He has since lost weight and now weighs 385 pounds. (AP PHOTO/YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC, GORDON KING)
Since last speaking to coach Bush in December of 2013 about his star running back, and during the follow up, coach had this to say, “Picard is doing quite well. He’s trying to stay in shape. He is not playing basketball this year due to all of the things he has going on that are keeping him busy.” Bush also added, “Tony was able to get his weight down to 385 pounds. He’s been spending a lot of time in the weight room and running.”
The Centers for Disease Control is still reporting a decline in obesity among low-income pre-school aged youth.
Georgia’s Entertainment Gala Hosts Second Annual Event
The Second Annual Georgia Entertainment Gala was held Saturday, January 11, 2014, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. It was an evening filled with classy sophistication that combined a tasteful insinuation from the roaring twenties era. The event honored the talent of those involved with film and television.
A number of different media outlets were readily poised alongside the red carpet, equipped with cameras and microphones in hand. They were eager to capture pictures and initiate interviews from film nominees and supporters who may have graced the red carpet. Among them was YUL Radio‘s Luscious Loni. Loni is YUL’s news personality and has been with the station for at least one year.
Hosea Feed the Hungry Needs Your Donations
Hosea Feed the Homeless is a non-profit organization founded in 1971 by Reverend Hosea and Juanita T. Williams, which prides itself on assisting individuals and families, who are faced with hard times, acquire basic necessities such as food, clothing, toiletries, medical supplies etc. Hosea goes beyond these measures however, “It seeks to prevent homelessness by providing rent, mortgage, and utility assistance, financial literacy and GED classes, school supplies and book bags to children, intensive case management and support programs to teach recipients how to develop small businesses and co-ops, as well as leadership training to independent farmers.”
Just as the homeless and those in need rely on the services provided by Hosea Feed the Hungry, the organization relies on donations and support from the community.
According to a 2013 article written in Atlanta’s Creative Loafing, Atlanta has taken steps to help the chronically homeless men, women, and children in the city to get off the streets. A special City Hall innovation team funded by the Bloomberg Philanthropies grant has created a voluntary registry to help link homeless people with the appropriate available services and resources. The group focused first on homeless veterans. Mayor Kasim Reed also recently announced the creation of a nonprofit, overseen by board members who will be appointed mostly by him, that would help address the issue.
Hosea Feed the Hungry, needs your donations now and especially during the upcoming holiday season. Any contributions made would be greatly appreciated.
Please visit www.hoseafeedthehungry.com or call 404-755-3353 to see how you can help with donations or how you can volunteer your time.
Help Support and Celebrate Student Athletes Through GSR High School Hype
GSR High School Hype is a unique new show that recognizes Student & Student Athletes who are doing great things both on and off the playing field and within their community. One outstanding benefit of the show is that the over achieving youths will be interviewed on live TV.
GSR’s main goal is to improve the quality of life and learning for children, teens, and young adults. “GSR will encourage not discourage with an act that is best known to all athletes; perception, dedication, and determination.”
GSR’s vision is, “To celebrate the lives of the Teen Athletes; showcasing their TALENTS, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, PASSIONS and their LIFESTYLE as they accelerate in sports and scholastics.”
Individuals, who wish to support GSR High School Hype and encourage America’s student athletes, and help them to make more positive and achievable goals in life, can reinforce their future by sending in donations.
Please visit www.gsrhighschoolhype.org for more information. Leaving no kid behind is what GSR is all about.
Weight Control and Youth Illness Survey
Poor academics, Child Obesity, and Chronic Illness have been associated with a wide variety of causes. The most popular appear to be the lack of physical activity participation and poor eating habits. Intimate Delights is conducting a short survey that takes less than five minutes, in order to gather more information about possible causes and to help present plausible solutions. Please take the time to complete the following survey. Your responses will be kept confidential.
Youth across the country are in a constant struggle with trying to eat right, keep good grades, and remain active in and out of school. In addition there have been ongoing issues such as chronic illnesses and obesity that continue to interfere with their efforts to conquer the battle and win the war. If there are one or two main contributors for what could be causing the decline in academics, adding to the rise in obesity or encouraging the lack of physical activity participation, then gathering data from surveys such as this one could shed some light.
The Center’s for Disease Control, (CDC), suggests that children and adults should engage in at least one hour of physical activity everyday. Doing so could put a stop to the increase in youth health issues and activate better choices when it comes to choosing what foods to eat.
The main purpose of bringing awareness to the underlying causes of obesity, etc., is to help prevent deadly health issues from arising in the future and to encourage healthy eating habits so that our youth have a fair chance of exceling to amazing heights academically.
Erick A. Fisher, PHD., a Licensed Sports Psychologist Speaks Candidly
Dr. Erick Fisher is a state of Georgia Licensed Clinical Psychologist with a private practice located in Lawrenceville, GA. He has been featured in the Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, and Cosmopolitan, to name a few; not to mention being featured on CNN Radio, Paging Dr. Gupta, HLN Radio, Fox 5, etc. In addition, He has two published books, “The Art of Managing Everyday Conflict: Understanding Emotions and Power Struggles,” and “The Art of Empowered Parenting: The Manual You Wish Your Kids Came With.”
Dr. Fisher, aka, Dr. E, has enabled countless adults, children, families and couples. He has helped them to originate positive relationships and outlooks on life as well. Bringing his message of power, empowerment, emotion, and the human spirit to the world is Fisher’s ultimate goal.
Fisher is a source on the topic of the effects of academic and social development between physically active and non-active youth because he also has minor in sports phycology, and because his expert opinion is widely respected.
A Professional Viewpoint on Child Obesity, Chronic Illness, Physical Inactivity and the Reasons Why from Robin Hamilton on Vimeo.
Chronic illness and childhood obesity have been blamed for many things such as poor parenting, bad eating habits, physical inactivity, etc. Although there are many contributing factors, sports psychology introduces a different approach as illustrated by Dr. Fisher. According to the Centers for Disease Control, (CDC), obesity now affects 17% of all children and adolescents in the United States – triple the rate from just one generation ago. Fisher discusses his theory behind why childhood obesity and chronic illness have a relationship with physical activity or the lack there of.
People born between the years of 1994 and 2004 have been labeled as generation, “Z.” or the lazy generation. In an article written on October 13, 2013 in the Huff Post entitled, “ Generation Z Teens Stereotyped As ‘Lazy and Unaware,’ Gen Z is often portrayed as being less engaged in politics; they have short attention spans and don’t care about the weighty issues that confront their generation and the nation; and they’re more interested in technology and celebrity than staying active in their communities and schools.
Could this be a direct result of not being physically active in sports or other after school activities?
Dr. Fisher offers some profound insight into his theory as to why generation Z may be behaving in this manner.
Although there is much speculation, many believe that being physically inactive or practicing poor eating habits supports a wide variety of negative behaviors that can explain academic under development, chronic illnesses, and child obesity.
Dr. Fisher believes there is a deeper explanation.
Good Health Choices
A Swollen Lymph Node or Something Else?
Oftentimes a lump in the neck is disregarded as being simply a swollen lymph node or a mere minor infection. Self-diagnosis can be dangerous; especially if that lump turns out to be something more serious such as Lymphoma or something rare that occurs in older adults such as a Branchial Cleft Cyst. These cysts are generally benign and are detected during birth however, they can surface later in a person’s life and cause ongoing discomfort and create further complications if left untreated.
Maryland Youth Sports Encourage Academic and Social Development
Extracurricular sports activities appear to have a positive impact on its participants in more ways then we realize. According to an article written by Donna L. Merkel, entitled, Youth sport: positive and negative impact on young athletes, ”Children are healthy and happy as they engage in this traditional pastime.” The article talks about how sports aid with weight control, however, one ten-year-old youth from Upper Marlboro, Maryland introduces another positive aspect.