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Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

Kate O’Neill: Mother Whales and Human Mothers
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #8)

Posted May 13th, 2008 at 12:30 PM by Kate O'Neill

Section: News & Results, Elite Athlete Blogs, Kate O'Neill

Hi, this is my blog in TFS’s Elite Athlete Blog Series. Bookmark kateoneill.thefinalsprint.com and check back every other Monday for my latest entry as I strive for the 2008 Summer Olympics!

Happy belated Mother’s Day! On Sunday I went to a bookstore for story hour with my boyfriend and his mother. I had seen that the author of a book called Delta & Dawn: Mother & Baby Whales’ Journey would be coming to read aloud. The book tells the true story of two humpback whales that wandered into the Sacramento River last year. Humpback whales spend their winters off the coast of Mexico where they give birth and then travel along the coast up to Northern California for feeding during the warmer months. Somehow this duo got separated from the other whales and swam under the Golden Gate Bridge. Having lost their bearings, they continued swimming further up the Sacramento River toward the state capital.

This story hour was of course intended for children, but the event had caught my eye when I was looking at the bookstore’s list of visiting authors. My parents took me on whale watching boat trips when I was younger and the whaling industry had an enormous impact on the area in which I grew up. (Plus a whale played a very important role in a Seinfeld episode involving a golf ball, a little lie, and a walk on the beach. Seinfeld fans know what I’m talking about. All others should really rent the series DVD.)
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Keeping Kids Injury-Free
This Fall Season

Posted November 14th, 2007 at 7:00 AM by Megan Hueter

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

young runners With the fall season umong us, many children are enjoying after school sports. While sports are a great way to develop strong bones, there is a higher risk for injuries, especially since their bones and muscles are still growing. The American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons recommends that parents and coaches take precautions to minimize the risk of injuries.

The 2006 statistics from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission outlines the extent of sports injuries in children under 18.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HesFit.com

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Video: HealthWatch: Kids & Sleep, Pregnancy & Running

Posted November 9th, 2007 at 8:00 PM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Health & Fitness, Exercise

pregnant woman In the following video report, Dr. Holly Phillips of CBS-2 New York discusses the connection between children, sleep, and how marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe won Sunday’s 2007 NYC marathon just 9 months after giving birth.

For more information on Paula Radcliffe and the 2007 ING New Yrok City Marathon, please visit: http://newyork.thefinalsprint.com

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Hope Runs: Two American women running to inspire social change in Kenya

Posted July 9th, 2007 at 11:00 AM by Bridget Sullivan

Section: News & Results, Motivation, Columns, SPOTLIGHT

Hope Runs Orphans Africa Lara Vogel and Claire A. Williams, two American women, are using running to improve the lives of Kenyan orphans.

The latest issue of Runner’s World Magazine features the inspirational story of Hope Runs, a non-profit started by Vogel and Williams, two Stanford graduates, with a mission to empower children in impoverished communities with tools of personal health, social entrepreneurship, and technology through running.

The following video highlights the mission of Hope Runs:
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ASK FLASH: Aging, flexibility, staying active & a Happy Sloth

Posted April 20th, 2007 at 6:57 PM by Joshua Flash Gordon

Section: Columns, Health & Fitness, Exercise, Ask Flash

Need advice? Injured? Confused? Overwhelmed? Bored? ASK FLASH!
ASK FLASH is a free advice column to help you with all of your running, fitness and nutrition inquiries. To ASK FLASH — simply fill out the form at the conclusion of the column.

Q. Are young children more flexible than adults because they are active? ~ Inflexible in Bend, Arkansas

kids running A. According to Mom’s Team, flexibility varies for children as part of development. There is a period of time where their bones grow faster than their muscles and they actually lose flexibility. So, there is likely more at play than mere activity levels when it comes to flexibility differences between children and adults. In addition, the word ‘active’ should probably be used loosely with kids today because when you think about the excessive TV and video game time that consumes many of their lives.
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What’s the best time for future athletes to start training?

Posted March 6th, 2007 at 8:25 AM by Martha Jones

Section: Health & Fitness, Exercise

A study from Sweden suggests that the best time for future athletes to start training is probably before they go into puberty, because strength training before puberty gives a person larger and stronger bones.

The study also shows that the best way to prevent osteoporosis may be to start exercising against resistance before puberty and continue weight bearing exercise for the rest of your life.

Having large strong muscles makes you a better athlete, and muscle growth is limited by the size of the bones on which they attach. Training before puberty enlarges bones more effectively than at any other time in a person’s life.
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Running and Jogging Strollers: Help is on the way!

Posted December 3rd, 2006 at 9:10 PM by Jennifer Lipman

Section: Gear & Apparel, Miscellaneous, Exercise Equipment

Have you been trying to find a way to lose that pregnancy weight? Or have you found that parenthood is making it difficult for you have enough time to workout? Well, then jogging and running strollers may be your savior.

These strollers have become the new craze; allowing parents to spend quality time with their children and still enjoy their healthy lifestyle and stay in shape.

However, there are so many different models of baby jogging strollers, it can be difficult to find the one best for you and your baby (or babies). Here is some helpful information regarding ow to chose a stroller that is comfortable and safe for your child, while still effective enough to give you a solid workout.

Before you consider buying one, make sure your child is ready to join you on your healthy workouts. Mama’sHealth.com reported: Read the rest of this entry »

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Do you want your child to be a champion athlete like Lance Armstrong?

Posted November 18th, 2006 at 7:00 AM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: Health & Fitness, Exercise

young athletes child flexing muscle Champion athletes are [BOTH] born AND made.

Lance Armstrong is arguably the greatest endurance athlete of all time. Edward F. Coyle, professor at the University of Texas, has tested him in his laboratory several times over the years. (Journal of Applied Physiology, March 17, 2005). We can be certain that Lance has extraordinary genetic attributes.

A laboratory measure of a person’s genetic ability to compete successfully in endurance events is called the VO2max, the maximum amount of blood the heart can pump in a given time span. Lance’s value was 6 liter/min (expressed per body weight as 75-85 ml/kg/min). Of the hundreds of athletes he has tested, Coyle has found only two other athletes in that range. Read the rest of this entry »

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