Tips From Children's Gym Emphasize the Importance of Helping Children Develop Healthy Habits

The Little Gym Suggests Three "Parenting Resolutions" for the New Year.Each New Year is a new opportunity for people to focus on making positive changes in their lifestyle, exercise and diet habits. For families, there is another reason to make and stick with these types of healthy resolutions: the choices that parents and caregivers make have a direct effect on their children's current and future health, too. The Little Gym thinks it's important to help children develop healthy habits and enjoy an active lifestyle at an early age. To help families keep the focus on health in the New Year, Bob Bingham, President and CEO of The Little Gym International, proposes three "Parenting Resolutions" for 2012: 1. Encourage physical activity. Physical activity provides countless benefits, but it's a healthy habit that children need to develop early so that it becomes a natural part of their lifestyle as they grow. 2. Establish healthy eating habits. Keep healthy, appealing snacks on hand and set an example for your children with your own food choices. Plan low fat meals that follow the government's MyPlate guidelines and involve your children in meal planning and shopping. This allows families to reinforce their children's healthy food choices and helps children discover new foods and flavors. 3. Focus on your child's positive behaviors. Like adults, children respond to favorable comments and adopt behaviors that gain them attention. Try to get in the habit of catching your children "at their best." Providing encouragement for good behavior or for participating in sports or other physical activities is a great way to motivate children to maintain good habits. "We know that children are more engaged when they're excited about what they're doing," said Bingham. "Our innovative programs introduce children to physical activities that are both fun and fitness-inspired. Discovering and mastering new skills in a fun and positive way at The Little Gym helps build a foundation for a fit and healthy lifestyle." The Little Gym introduces children ages 4 months to 12 years to physical activity through a curriculum-based program. Each week, lessons focus on developing specific physical, emotional and life skills, creating a well-rounded learning experience. Children achieve success at their own pace in a fun, caring and non-competitive environment. As children develop coordination, balance, rhythm and flexibility, they are also developing their listening, social and cognitive capacities. The Little Gym is now enrolling children for the second half of the 2011-2012 Season. For more information about The Little Gym, please visit www.TheLittleGym.com . About The Little Gym The Little Gym is an internationally recognized program that helps children build the developmental skills and confidence needed at each stage of childhood. The very first location was established in 1976 by Robin Wes, an innovative educator with a genuine love for children. The Little Gym International, Inc., headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., was formed in 1992 to franchise The Little Gym concept.

Poor mental health harming productivity, says OECD

One in five workers suffer from a mental illness such as depression or anxiety and these conditions increasingly affect productivity in the workplace as many struggle to cope, a report by the OECD said on Monday. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development found people with mental illness are often off sick from work, and between 30 and 50 percent of all new disability benefit claims in OECD nations are now due to poor mental health. Policymakers need to find new ways to tackle the social and economic problem of mental illness, the report said, as trigger factors, such as stress at work, are likely to increase. "Increasing job insecurity and pressure in today's workplaces could drive a rise in mental health problems in the years ahead," it said. "The share of workers exposed to work-related stress, or job strain, has increased in the past decade all across the OECD. And in the current economic climate, more and more people are worried about their job security." Depression alone is already a major cause of death, disability and economic burden worldwide and the World Health Organization predicts that by 2020 it will be the second leading contributor to the global burden of disease across all ages. Two studies published in September and October found that up to 40 percent of Europeans suffer from mental and neurological illnesses each year, and the annual cost of brain disorders is almost 800 billion euros. The OECD's report, entitled "Sick on the Job? Myths and Realities about Mental Health at Work" found that most people with a mental disorder are in work, with employment rates of between 55 percent and 70 percent -- about 10 to 15 percentage points lower than for people without a disorder. But people with mental illness are two to three times as likely to be unemployed as people with no mental health problems. This gap represents a economic major loss, the report said. "Most common mental disorders can get better, and the employment chances be improved, with adequate treatment," the OECD said. But it said health systems in most countries were narrowly focused on treating people with severe disorders such as schizophrenia, who account for only a quarter of all sufferers. "Taking more common disorders more seriously would boost the chances for people to stay in, or return to, work," the OECD said, adding that around 50 percent of people with severe mental disorders and more than 70 percent of those with moderate illness currently get no treatment at all. The OECD urged policymakers to focus on providing good working conditions which help employees reduce and manage stress, to introduce systematic monitoring of sick leave, and to help employers reduce workplace conflict and avoid unnecessary dismissal caused by mental health problems.

Medicare to cover obesity counseling, screening

The U.S. Medicare program for the elderly will cover counseling for obesity in an effort to reduce the condition that has reached epidemic proportions and leads to serious health problems. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said on Tuesday obesity counseling and screening has been added to its portfolio of preventive services. "Prevention is crucial for the management and elimination of obesity in our country," CMS Administrator Donald Berwick said in a statement. More than 30 percent of both men and women in the Medicare population are estimated to be obese, CMS said. Obesity can lead to a host of health problems and complications and is a leading cause of diabetes and heart disease. Screening for obesity and counseling for eligible beneficiaries by primary care providers are covered under the new benefit, CMS said. For patients deemed to be obese based on body mass index measures, the benefit would include one face-to-face counseling visit each week for one month and one face-to-face counseling visit every other week for an additional five months. Medicare patients who lose at least 6.6 pounds (3 kilograms) during the first six months of counseling would be eligible to receive addition face-to-face counseling once a month for an additional six months for up to a total of 12 months of counseling, the agency said. "This decision is an important step in aligning Medicare's portfolio of preventive services with evidence and addressing risk factors for disease," Patrick Conway, the CMS chief medical officer, said in a statement.