Arthur De Vany's Evolutionary Fitness Art's Blog on Fitness, Health, Aging, Nutrition and Exercise

Politics and French Fries Oct 17, 2011: The Institute of Medicine (naturally following my demonization of the french fry in my book) has recommended that there be fewer starchy vegetables and french fries in our children's meals. I happen to think this is right, but I also think they have no business telling or recomending what a parent should feed a child. Now, as The Hill shows, the politicians are getting into the act, just as the McGovern Committee did years ago, to complete intertwine politics and science. Even the science is less agressive than it easily could be.

A 12 YEAR OLD BOY ON EVOLUTIONARY FITNESS Sep 13, 2011: From the archives is this post on training a 13-year old boy.

Training a 13-Year Old for Basketball Aug 6, 2011: "Do you have any ideas on how you would strength train and condtion a 13.5 year old basketball player for high level AAU competition? My son plays and trains and competes so often that I have been hesitant to start him on a strength/conditioning program."

Strength training will give him the capacity to do the other things he has to do. But, it must be very brief and preferably before practice. Strange point, I know, but it will energize his neural pathways so he is in a better learning state.

A 12-Year Old on Evolutionary Fitness Aug 6, 2011: A father who is dedicated to his son's health and fitness contacted me. His son is a talented athlete and trains hard to be the best football player he can be. The father knows a lot about training (and reads the blog regularly) and uses the best techniques to help his son train. When the boy hit 12, he began to gain weight and slow down. His foot speed dropped and his weight increased. They were both a bit frustrated and asked me what they should do. From what they told me I could see that they were over training. The boy was also going through a growth spurt and needed more rest and variety. He wasn't eating right either.

This is from my archives. A few years later, this boy is a college prospect. In my opinion, the scouts want him to reach an artificial weight so he is taking too many supplements again.

My Alternative to Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" Initiative Nov 7, 2010: What are the odds that the First Lady's program to halt or reverse juvenile obesity will work? Since no other modern program of weight loss has worked, andthere are next to no successful interventions in juvenile obesity, the odds are slim.
Yet, there are some simple things that would go a long way toward creating an environment that would lessen juvenile obesity.

Starving Kid's Brains (and adult brains too) Dec 14, 2009: Robert Lustig may be my favorite researcher on obesity and metabolism. I have made the point that the way many people eat starves their brains. A brain lacking nutrients and, particularly, glucose has no "will power". In his article in Pediatric Annals (2006), Dr. Lustig makes this argument rigorously and passionately.

His shows how an active boy might become an obese sloth through the vicious cycle of high insulin, leptin resistance, increased appetite, and reduced activity. The kid does not want to live like this, but his brain is starving.

Marathon Kids Dec 11, 2009: To enter a child in marathoning, even on a modest scale, a parent ought to do rather expensive screening for heart conditions, least they lose the child. The continuous exertion close to the limits of the cardiovascular system promotes ischemia of the heart. Play is far different from the monotonous, chronic exertion of marathoning. Children need to play.

A 12 Year Old Boy on Evolutionary Fitness Dec 7, 2009: A father who is dedicated to his son's health and fitness contacted me. His son is a talented athlete and trains hard to be the best football player he can be. The father knows a lot about training (and reads the blog regularly) and uses the best techniques to help his son train. When the boy hit 12, he began to gain weight and slow down. His foot speed dropped and his weight increased. They were both a bit frustrated and asked me what they should do. From what they told me I could see that they were over training. The boy was also going through a growth spurt and needed more rest and variety. He wasn't eating right either.