Smoking is one of the most damaging things a person can do to his or her own body. There is no longer any dispute that it is the leading cause of lung cancer in adults, and it can be directly related to emphysema, heart disease, chronic bronchitis and numerous other cancers and ailments. Smoking can make you short-winded and, if you already suffer from respiratory ailments such as asthma, it can worsen the condition. People who smoke are generally sick more often than those who don’t, and thousands of work hours are lost each year by those suffering from smoke-related ailments.

Smoking is one of the most damaging things a person can do to his or her own body. There is no longer any dispute that it is the leading cause of lung cancer in adults, and it can be directly related to emphysema, heart disease, chronic bronchitis and numerous other cancers and ailments. Smoking can make you short-winded and, if you already suffer from respiratory ailments such as asthma, it can worsen the condition. People who smoke are generally sick more often than those who don’t, and thousands of work hours are lost each year by those suffering from smoke-related ailments.

Most smokers today acquired the habit when they were young. Very few people start smoking when they’re adults. This is where it becomes a real challenge for parents to keep their kids from picking up the habit before they get “hooked.”

Parents need to be aware that smoking often begins as a form of peer pressure. Their sons or daughters may have friends who smoke and, the longer they hang around their smoking friends, the more inclined they might be to try it. The kids are not going to like it at first. No one does. The first puffs anyone takes will cause them to cough and possibly get dizzy. But, if they’re convinced that smoking is “cool,” they will continue to light up until they get used to inhaling the smoke. At that point they are likely to become hooked.

Smoking is an addiction. Cigarettes are the delivery mechanism for an addictive substance known as nicotine. It is this substance that causes the “cravings” a smoker usually feels when his or her system is telling them it’s time to light up again. And, once the person is hooked, quitting usually becomes very difficult.

Parents should try to detect this problem in their kids as early as possible and take the appropriate steps to deal with it. If they are smokers themselves, they should set an example and not smoke around their kids. Not only are they polluting the air with second-hand smoke their kids will breathe, they are also – in effect – telling their kids it’s all right to smoke. When the kids see the parents doing something, they assume it’s OK for them.

If the parents are non-smokers, they should be alert to the signs that their kids are smoking. One sure way to tell is by the odor smoking exudes. An alert parent should be able to smell it on their kids’ breath or in their hair or clothing. Then comes the question of how to handle it. Punishing the child or yelling at him or her may only make the child more rebellious and more determined to continue smoking. Patiently sitting down with him or her and explaining the dangers of smoking might be effective if done in an understanding, non-threatening way. Maybe by showing pictures of diseased lungs that are available in books or on the Internet, parents can visually illustrate the harm smoking can cause. If these “scare tactics” don’t work, maybe bringing the child to a doctor and having him or her explain the dangers of smoking may be effective.

Fortunately, smoking among young people today is not deemed to be as “cool” as it was a generation or two ago. There is a lot of peer pressure not to smoke and this is a welcome development in the war against smoking. Many of the kids today are proud to consider themselves members of “the unhooked generation.” Cigarette companies themselves are at least giving lip service to the crusade against childhood smoking. Unfortunately, however, kids are still picking up the habit, especially in rural areas of the country where there may be several generations of smokers.

Our task, then as parents, is to keep hammering the message home about how bad smoking is to our overall health. It was 40 years ago (1964) that the Surgeon General of the United States released the first report confirming the links between smoking and lung cancer. Since that time the number of smokers in this country has been reduced by more than 50%. Hopefully, as we continue getting the message across to our kids, those numbers will drop even lower.

Fall is here and another prep football season has begun. Football is the most glamorous and popular high school sport, and the conditioning these young athletes endure puts them in peak physical shape. It enables them to develop their muscles and formulate good health habits at an early age. However, football is also the sport most prone to injuries.

Fall is here and another prep football season has begun. Football is the most glamorous and popular high school sport, and the conditioning these young athletes endure puts them in peak physical shape. It enables them to develop their muscles and formulate good health habits at an early age. However, football is also the sport most prone to injuries.

The line of scrimmage is a battlefield on every down. Because it requires applied force to stop an opponent, football players are susceptible to injury anywhere on their bodies, despite the use of helmets, padding and other protective gear. The physical act of tackling a 200+ pound, moving opponent makes the tackler vulnerable to many types of injuries and the player carrying the ball can be equally vulnerable if he falls the wrong way or takes a vicious hit.

Injuries in football are inevitable byproducts of the game. Additional hazards can include heat exhaustion and misuse of nutritional supplements. While all of these possible mishaps can’t be totally prevented, there are steps that can be taken to minimize the risks, starting with greater awareness on the part of the parents and the coaches. Coaches shoulder primary responsibility for preparing these young men for the rigors of the game. In many instances, the coach is the “sideline doc.” Unfortunately, some of them are not properly trained in conditioning methods. Nor do many of them have an understanding of basic first aid techniques.

Weight training, under proper supervisory conditions, should enable players to better withstand the physical punishment of football. All athletes should prepare for games and practice with an adequate warmup and stretching program. Since injuries can occur when muscles are taken past their limits before being properly stretched out, these injuries can lead to chronic problems.

To avoid dehydration, players should slowly acclimate themselves to the heat. Coaches need to remain alert to the hydration levels of their players and keep them supplied with water or other replacement fluids every 15-20 minutes. Players should be weighed before and after every practice. Through excessive perspiration, players can be expected to lose a few pounds. However, if the weight loss showing at the end of the workout is more than 3% of the player’s starting weight, he should not be allowed back on the field until he has re-established his previous weight. Finally, it is important to promote a cool-down process after practice and games to avoid muscles spasms.

Football injuries range from minor contusions to limb fractures and concussions. All of them need to be taken seriously by the coaches and the players and their parents. Playing injured invites the risk of greater injury. Learning how to tackle an opponent in the way that is least injurious to both players is one of the main keys to safety. There are videotapes available that demonstrate the proper tackling techniques and they should be required viewing by both coaches and players.

Parents play a key role in the safety and well being of their youngsters. They should not push them beyond their physical limits or encourage them to play hurt. Parents should monitor which supplements their kids are taking, and consult with a sports nutritionist or sports medical specialist if they have concerns.

My personal advice, after 25 years of performance enhancement training at the pro, college and high school levels, is that you may not get a second chance to prevent a season-ending injury or worse for your child. Learn what it takes, both physically and mentally, to play the game and prepare accordingly, starting with a comprehensive musculoskeletal evaluation.

According to a recent article I read in the New England Journal of Medicine, as much as 15 percent of today’s young people in America may be overweight. This is up dramatically from five percent in the early 1970s. As the rate of obesity rises among these young people, so too, do the risks of them developing type-2 diabetes and other conditions that can result in circulatory and coronary problems for them in adulthood.

The article went on to cite what studies concluded to among the factors responsible for this alarming trend. Among them are

•  increased numbers of meals away from home
•  larger portions and increased consumption of calorically dense fast foods
• increased availability of labor-saving devices
• television, video/computer games and other passive, sedentary activities
• decreased physical education time in schools

“The rising prevalence of obesity indicates that, increasingly, young people have an energy intake that exceeds their energy expenditure from metabolism and activity,” the article says.

Over the past 10-15 years, levels of physical activity among young people in the United States has dropped considerably. Physical education, once a required course in most high schools throughout the country, has been marginalized. Today it is required in the high schools of only a handful of states. A recent survey reported that the level of physical activity is consistently less for girls than it is for boys.

These findings give credence to what I have been saying for many years: that today’s young people — through physical inactivity and the pursuit of sedentary pastimes — are jeopardizing their overall health. But I’m also taking the position that it doesn’t have to be that way. There are some simple and effective ways parents can help reverse and possibly even halt this decline in their children. Here are just a few suggestions:

MONITOR YOUR CHILD’S FOOD AND BEVERAGE INTAKE: Watch carefully when, where and how much they eat and drink. Keep them away from high-calorie fast foods as much as possible. Strictly limit their consumption of soft drinks with high sugar content. Feed them balanced and nutritious meals and serve them healthy, 100% fruit juices instead of soda. If you are uncertain how to serve a balanced meal, there are many books and other sources you can consult — especially on the Internet. And don’t feed them too close to bedtime.

MONITOR YOUR CHILD’S ACTIVITIES: Strictly regulate the amount of time they spend watching TV or engaging in other passive activities such as playing video or computer games. Encourage them to take part in recreational activities that the whole family can enjoy like walking, jogging, bike riding, tennis or shooting baskets if you have a portable net in your driveway.

ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILDREN TO GO OUT FOR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES: Find out what sports or other recreational activities (such as dance, yoga or gymnastics) their school or your neighborhood playground offers and enroll your children in them. If you are athletically inclined, yourself, take them to the playground or the nearest vacant lot and “play catch” with them with either a baseball or football (or both). Motivate them to engage in activities that work their limbs and their muscles.

There are, of course, other things you can do to help keep your kids from getting lazy and overweight, but these suggestions should do for starters. It is crucial that parents play their part in helping to maintain their children’s overall physical health and it’s never too soon to start.