The age of your neighborhood may influence your risk of obesity, according to a new study from the University of Utah.

The study found that residents were at less risk of being obese or overweight if they lived in walkable neighborhoods—those that are more densely populated, designed to be more friendly to pedestrians and have a range of destinations for pedestrians.

The study found that neighborhoods built before 1950 tended to offer greater overall walkability as they more often were designed with the pedestrian in mind, while newer neighborhoods often were designed to facilitate car travel.

Demographer Ken Smith, co-author of the study and professor of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah, says that although individuals clearly make personal decisions that influence their weight, neighborhood characteristics also play a potentially important role in affecting residents’ risk of obesity.

“It is difficult for individuals to change their behavior,” he says, “but we can build environments that promote healthy behavior.”

The study found that a man of average height and weight (6 feet, 200 pounds) weighed 10 pounds less if he lived in a walkable neighborhood versus a less walkable neighborhood. A woman of average size (about 5-foot-5, 149 pounds), weighed six pounds less.

“The data show that how and where we live can greatly affect our health,” says Smith.

According to the study, during 2003-2004 roughly 70 percent of men and 61 percent of women in the U.S. were overweight. The study also notes that by 2030, about half the buildings in the U.S. will have been built since 2000. How this growth occurs will have a significant impact on the environment and on the health of the people living in it, Smith says.

“We have the opportunity, using evidence-based data on community design, to create neighborhoods that encourage less car driving, benefiting residents’ health and wallets and shrinking our own carbon footprint,” says Smith.

Neighborhoods with higher percentages of pedestrian traffic—something the study found is associated with less obesity among residents—can serve as models for future residential development and redevelopment. “Neighborhoods with higher fractions of residents that walk to work tell us that something beneficial about the neighborhood is promoting health,” notes Smith.

“We expect these results mean that residents find walking more attractive and enjoyable where there are other walkers, a variety of destinations easily accessible by foot and pedestrian-friendly street networks. People want to walk when it’s pleasant, convenient and when there is a destination.”

Most adults in the U.S. will be overweight or obese by 2030, with related health care spending projected to be as much as $956.9 billion, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Their results are published in the July 2008 online issue of Obesity.

“National survey data show that the prevalence of overweight and obese adults in the U.S. has increased steadily over the past three decades,” said Youfa Wang, MD, PhD, lead author of the study and associate professor with the Bloomberg School’s Center for Human Nutrition. “If these trends continue, more than 86 percent of adults will be overweight or obese by 2030 with approximately 96 percent of non-Hispanic black women and 91 percent of Mexican-American men affected. This would result in 1 of every 6 health care dollars spent in total direct health care costs paying for overweight and obesity-related costs.”

The researchers conducted projection analyses based on data collected over the past three decades from nationally representative surveys. Their projections illustrate the potential burden of the U.S. obesity epidemic if current trends continue.

“Our analysis also shows that over time heavy Americans become heavier,” says May A. Beydoun, a former postdoctoral research fellow at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“The health care costs attributable to obesity and overweight are expected to more than double every decade. This would account for 15 to 17 percent of total health care costs spent,” Wang says. “Due to the assumptions we made and the limitations of the available data, these figures are likely an underestimation of the true financial impact.”

Current standards define adults with a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 29.9 as overweight and adults with a BMI of 30 or higher as obese. Both the overweight and obese are at an increased risk for developing a number of health conditions, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Researchers estimate that children and young adults may have a shorter life expectancy than their parents if the obesity epidemic is left unaddressed.

1. Maintain a regular bed and wake time schedule including weekends. Our sleep-wake cycle is regulated by a “circadian clock” in our brain and the body’s need to balance both sleep time and wake time. A regular waking time in the morning strengthens the circadian function and can help with sleep onset at night. That is also why it is important to keep a regular bedtime and wake-time, even on the weekends when there is the temptation to sleep in.

2. Establish a regular, relaxing bedtime routine such as soaking in a hot bath or hot tub and then reading a book or listening to soothing music. A relaxing, routine activity right before bedtime conducted away from bright lights helps separate your sleep time from activities that can cause excitement, stress or anxiety which can make it more difficult to fall asleep, get sound and deep sleep or remain asleep. Avoid arousing activities before bedtime like working, paying bills, engaging in competitive games or family problem-solving. Some studies suggest that soaking in hot water (such as a hot tub or bath) before retiring to bed can ease the transition into deeper sleep, but it should be done early enough that you are no longer sweating or over-heated. If you are unable to avoid tension and stress, it may be helpful to learn relaxation therapy from a trained professional. Finally, avoid exposure to bright before bedtime because it signals the neurons that help control the sleep-wake cycle that it is time to awaken, not to sleep.

3. Create a sleep-conducive environment that is dark, quiet, comfortable and cool. Design your sleep environment to establish the conditions you need for sleep — cool, quiet, dark, comfortable and free of interruptions. Also make your bedroom reflective of the value you place on sleep. Check your room for noise or other distractions, including a bed partner’s sleep disruptions such as snoring, light, and a dry or hot environment. Consider using blackout curtains, eye shades, ear plugs, “white noise,” humidifiers, fans and other devices.

4. Use your bedroom only for sleep and sex. It is best to take work materials, computers and televisions out of the sleeping environment. Use your bed only for sleep and sex to strengthen the association between bed and sleep. If you associate a particular activity or item with anxiety about sleeping, omit it from your bedtime routine. For example, if looking at a bedroom clock makes you anxious about how much time you have before you must get up, move the clock out of sight. Do not engage in activities that cause you anxiety and prevent you from sleeping.

5. Finish eating at least 2-3 hours before your regular bedtime. Eating or drinking too much may make you less comfortable when settling down for bed. It is best to avoid a heavy meal too close to bedtime. Also, spicy foods may cause heartburn, which leads to difficulty falling asleep and discomfort during the night. Try to restrict fluids close to bedtime to prevent nighttime awakenings to go to the bathroom, though some people find milk or herbal, non-caffeinated teas to be soothing and a helpful part of a bedtime routine.

Remember that song back in the 1960s called the Name Game Song.  Some of the lyrics went like this:

Jack, Jack, bo-back,

Banana-fana fo-fack

Fee-fi-mo-mack

Jack!

It was a fun little song (written and recorded by Shirley Ellis) to help children identify certain letters, syllables and sounds.  I actually think our parents enjoyed singing it more than we did as kids.

But now that we’re all grown up, there’s something we can enjoy called the How Old is Your Brain Game.   That’s right.  This game is for those of us who sometimes feel like we’re losing our minds. We put something somewhere and then can’t remember where we put it. Are you approaching menopause?

A study reported by the International Neuropsychological Society in Boston, suggests that women approaching menopause might just get a bit unforgettable. That means they might have huge difficulties remembering things.

According to the study team, the problem was not so much flawed memory, as much as grievance of forgetfulness and the manner in which these women grasp new information.

I came across an interesting blog post by fellow Diva Eileen Williams who shared the How Old is Your Brain Game on her website.  Now, I’m sharing it here.

Follow this link: Brain Game and then tell me what kid of score you received. We can even make a contest out of it. The person with the highest score will win a gift card and a free ad in the Boomer Diva Nation Business Directory plus a special bonus. (If you already advertise in the Directory, you’ll receive an additional placement) But you have to be HONEST and only play once. Contest will end on Wednesday, July 30.

I hear it all the time: “You don’t look old enough to be a grandparent.” As a 51-year-old baby boomer, I am among a growing trend of women who are not only wives and mothers—we are also grandmothers.

Personally, I don’t mind being called grandma by my two-year-old grandson but there are some baby boomers who shun the notion of being identified as the traditional “grandma” and “grandpa.”

Gone are the days when you saw a silver-haired woman wearing their hair in a bun and a dress near her ankles. They are no longer baking cookies for the grandkids and sitting in rocking chairs. Today’s grandmothers are, more than likely, still in the workforce or entrepreneurs. They are probably also more likely to take an active role in their grandchildren’s day-to-day lives.

So what do you call today’s “new grandma”? Is it acceptable for a grandchild to call his/her grandmother by her first name?

One woman describes her mother’s attitude against being called GRANDMA this way: “My mom is your typical white middle-class suburban Southern Baptist Bible-thumpin’ Dubya-suppportin’ Texan. She has big, puffy, shellacked blond hair and wears T-shirts with three-dimensional objects hanging off them. She believes in Jesus Christ, the Republican Party, craft fairs and spiral perms. She has rebelled against Grandma because it sounds `old’ and she’s only 41. She wants her grandkids to call her Peaches. “She’s even thinking of having a peach tattooed on her toe.” (quote taken from an article in the Houston Chronicle 3/20/04).

Printed in San Diego Union Tribune
September 19, 1996

Written by Charles J. Sykes

Unfortunately, there are some things that children should be learning in school, but don’t. Not all of them have to do with academics. As a modest back-to-school offering, here are some basic rules that may not have found their way into the standard curriculum.

Rule No. 1:
Life is not fair. Get used to it. The average teen-ager uses the phrase, “It’s not fair” 8.6 times a day. You got it from your parents, who said it so often you decided they must be the most idealistic generation ever. When they started hearing it from their own kids, they realized Rule No. 1.

Rule No. 2:

The real world won’t care as much about your self-esteem as much as your school does. It’ll expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself. This may come as a shock. Usually, when inflated self-esteem meets reality, kids complain it’s not fair. (See Rule No. 1)

Rule No. 3:
Sorry, you won’t make $40,000 a year right out of high school. And you won’t be a vice president or have a car phone either. You may even have to wear a uniform that doesn’t have a Gap label.

Rule No. 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait ’til you get a boss. He doesn’t have tenure, so he tends to be a bit edgier. When you screw up, he’s not going to ask you how you feel about it.

Rule No. 5:
Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grand-parents had a different word of burger flipping. They called it opportunity. They weren’t embarrassed making minimum wage either. They would have been embarrassed to sit around talking about Kurt Cobain all weekend.

Rule No. 6:

It’s not your parents’ fault. If you screw up, you are responsible. This is the flip side of “It’s my life,” and “You’re not the boss of me,” and other eloquent proclamations of your generation. When you turn 18, it’s on your dime. Don’t whine about it, or you’ll sound like a
baby boomer.

Rule No. 7:

Before you were born your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way paying your bills, cleaning up your room and listening to you tell them how idealistic you are. And by the way, before you save the rain forest from the blood-sucking parasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing the closet in your bedroom.

Rule No. 8:

Your school may have done away with winners and losers. Life hasn’t. In some schools, they’ll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. Failing grades have been abolished and class valedictorians scrapped, lest anyone’s feelings be hurt. Effort is as important as results. This, of course, bears not the slightest resemblance to anything in real life. (See Rule No. 1, Rule No. 2 and Rule No. 4)

Rule No. 9:

Life is not divided into semesters, and you don’t get summers off. Not even Easter break. They expect you to show up every day. For eight hours. And you don’t get a new life every 10 weeks. It just goes on and on. While we’re at it, very few jobs are interesting in fostering your self-expression or helping you find yourself. Fewer still lead to self-realization. (See Rule No. 1 and Rule No. 2.)

Rule No. 10:

Television is not real life. Your life is not a sitcom. Your problems will not all be solved in 30 minutes, minus time for commercials. In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop to go to jobs. Your friends will not be as perky or pliable as Jennifer Aniston.

Rule No. 11:

Be nice to nerds. You may end up working for them.

Rule No. 12:

Smoking does not make you look cool. It makes you look moronic. Next time you’re out cruising, watch an 11-year-old with a butt in his mouth. That’s what you look like to anyone over 20. Ditto for “expressing yourself” with purple hair and/or pierced body parts.

Rule No. 13:

You are not immortal. (See Rule No. 12.) If you are under the impression that living fast, dying young and leaving a beautiful corpse is romantic, you obviously haven’t seen one of your peers at room temperature lately.

Rule No. 14:

Enjoy this while you can. Sure parents are a pain, school’s a bother, and life is depressing. But someday you’ll realize how wonderful it was to be a kid. Maybe you should start now.

You’re welcome.

This is a special tribute to a fellow baby boomer who inspired me to treat each day as if it were my last. Randy Pausch became a celebrity, of sorts, when he found out he was dying of pancreatic cancer. His “Last Lecture” was conducted at Carnegie Mellon University where he was a computer science professor. He gave his last inspirational speech at the University this past May.  If you haven’t seen it, please take a moment to do so:

Today Randy left us in the physical word, but his legacy will live on.

Best Quotes of Randy Pausch: October 23, 1960 - July 24, 2008

• Show gratitude. Gratitude is a simple but powerful thing.
• Find the best in everybody…. Wait long enough, and people will surprise and impress you. It might even take years, but people will show you their good side. Just keep waiting.
• Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted…. I probably got more from that dream [of playing professional football] and not accomplishing it than I got from any of the ones that I did accomplish.
• Better to fail spectacularly than do something mediocre.
• When there’s an elephant in the room introduce him
• Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people.
• We can’t change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand. If I’m not as depressed as you think I should be, I’m sorry to disappoint you.
• Decide if you’re a Tigger or an Eyeore. I’m a Tigger.
• It is not about achieving your dreams but living your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you.

Research shows that whether a child has been read aloud to on a regular basis is the single biggest predictor of a child’s success in learning to read, says University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Associate Professor of education Kathleen Martin, Ph.D.

Martin and UAB Assistant Professor Kay Emfinger, Ph.D., are authors of the new book “Sharing Books Together: Promoting Emergent Literacy Through Reading Aloud and Home-School Partnerships.”

“Reading aloud to children helps them develop oral language,” says Martin. “It teaches them how to listen and how narrative is structured. They also learn vocabulary and how print works and that it is read from left to right.”

Children who are not read aloud to often enter kindergarten and first grade lacking these skills, which Martin says are important for learning how to read.

“A lot of parents know that reading aloud to their children is important,” says Martin, “but often they don’t realize that it continues to be of value as the child ages. Also, many parents probably have less time to read aloud to their children these days.

“It is never too early to begin reading aloud to children,” Martin said. Even infants can enjoy looking at illustrations in a book as their parents read to them. When children are past kindergarten, they still need to be read aloud to in order to learn about more complicated subjects and how to listen to and comprehend more sophisticated text, Martin said.

It’s important for parents to be animated when they are reading to children, says Martin. Using different voices for the various characters in a story makes the experience more fun for young children.

For older children, it’s important to look for quality literature that offers a
satisfying story. Parents can select books that have a particular theme or that are written by the child’s favorite author, she said.

Besides reading aloud narrative fiction, poetry, which has rhyme, rhythm and repetition, can also be enjoyable for children, Martin said. Reading aloud nonfiction also has benefits.

“Some children enjoy facts more than stories,” says Martin, “and reading nonfiction can build up a child’s background knowledge.”

However, parents should never force children to listen to a text if the child is bored by the material. Reading should always be presented as a fun activity, Martin said.

It’s important for parents to be animated when they are reading to children, says Martin. Using different voices for the various characters in a story makes the experience more fun for young children.

For older children, it’s important to look for quality literature that offers a
satisfying story. Parents can select books that have a particular theme or that are written by the child’s favorite author, she said.

Besides reading aloud narrative fiction, poetry, which has rhyme, rhythm and repetition, can also be enjoyable for children, Martin said. Reading aloud nonfiction also has benefits.

“Some children enjoy facts more than stories,” says Martin, “and reading nonfiction can build up a child’s background knowledge.”

However, parents should never force children to listen to a text if the child is bored by the material. Reading should always be presented as a fun activity, Martin said.

It’s important for parents to be animated when they are reading to children, says Martin. Using different voices for the various characters in a story makes the experience more fun for young children.

For older children, it’s important to look for quality literature that offers a
satisfying story. Parents can select books that have a particular theme or that are written by the child’s favorite author, she said.

Besides reading aloud narrative fiction, poetry, which has rhyme, rhythm and repetition, can also be enjoyable for children, Martin said. Reading aloud nonfiction also has benefits.

“Some children enjoy facts more than stories,” says Martin, “and reading nonfiction can build up a child’s background knowledge.”

However, parents should never force children to listen to a text if the child is bored by the material. Reading should always be presented as a fun activity, Martin said.

You have two women vying for a managerial position. One is petite. The other candidate is visibly overweight. Of the two, the heavy set woman is better qualified for the job requirements. Who will get the job?

When it comes to job hiring or career advancement, a common phrase is “it’s not just what you know, it’s who you know,” but research on weight–based bias suggests “it’s how you look.”

Does being extra heavy or obese hinder the opportunity of getting a job or moving up the work ladder?

A recent study conducted at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, shows that, yes, obesity can and does have a denigrating effect in the workplace.

“There are a whole set of stereotypes that go along with being overweight, and a lot of them transfer into the workplace in terms of people’s judgment about others’ abilities and appearance in relation to job performance,” said doctoral candidate Cort Rudolph.

But that’s not necessarily the case when it comes to doing business on the internet.  People are less inclined to consider body image when conducting business.  Your integrity is more important by far.  Can you produce RESULTS or do you have a product the customer needs?  What you look like tends to be irrelevant.

Women and men doctors have some divergent views about women and depression, according to a recent survey conducted by the Society for Women’s Health Research, a Washington, D.C., based advocacy organization.

Women doctors are more likely than their male counterparts to believe that women are specifically susceptible to depression during two key times of hormonal transition in a woman’s life: puberty (67.5 percent to 48.2 percent) and perimonpause (92.8 percent to 67.5 percent). There was no difference in the beliefs of male and female doctors about the risk of depression in the postpartum or post menopause periods.

When asked what the major symptoms of depression are, female doctors were significantly more likely to mention lack of motivation or giving up easily and being unable to concentrate. Trouble sleeping, lack of energy or fatigue, not feeling well, feeling sad, crying, changes in appetite, and a loss of interest in friends, activities or social life were the leading responses for both sexes.

“The beliefs of female and male doctors about women and depression are pretty consistent,” said Jo Parrish, vice president of communications for the Society, “but our survey does reveal a few areas where female doctors may be more in tune with the changes women undergo and the feelings they experience, which is not unexpected.

“The survey findings are a good reminder for all of us, both patients and doctors, to communicate carefully and clearly with one another about health so that we can get the right diagnosis and the right treatment for each patient, regardless of sex. It is easy to fall into the lull of thinking that our doctors have all the information and know everything they need to know, when in fact what we tell them and how well that information is received has a tremendous impact on our health and health care outcomes.”

On the topic of risk factors for postpartum depression, female doctors were considerably more likely to mention difficult or complicated pregnancies or deliveries; lack of support or help with the baby; and difficulty dealing with a newborn, including sickness. In general, female doctors were more likely to attribute a woman’s sense of being overwhelmed as a source of postpartum depression.

“Women doctors, many of whom are mothers themselves, are likely more sensitive to the immense burden that new mothers can place on themselves for the health and care of their new baby,” Parrish said. “When things go wrong, women can blame themselves, which can lead to sadness or feelings of guilt and contribute to depression. It is an issue about which women need to talk openly and doctors need to be mindful.”

The survey did find consensus among male and female doctors on several issues. Almost identical percentages of women and men doctors, about 84 percent, agree that women are at higher risk than men of ever having major depression. Strong majorities of women and men doctors also believe it is safe for women to take medication for depression in the postpartum period and under the right circumstances during pregnancy, opinions not as strongly shared by women in the general population.

Women looking for tips on car buying, selling, maintenance and repair or other related topics can submit questions to expert women via email on the AskPatty.com website and blog. Questions are answered within 24 hours.

AskPatty.com, Inc., now has four top automotive industry women who are joining the automotive advisory panel of industry-expert women. “We are very excited to be adding these expert automotive women to our Advisory Panel,” says Jody DeVere, CEO and President of AskPatty.com. “Each of these women has great experience in the automotive industry and will provide added resources to the women who visit Ask Patty.”

AskPatty.com provides a safe environment for women to get advice and information needed to feel empowered and confident when they go to their local dealership for car service, repairs, maintenance and to negotiate and purchase a new or used vehicle.  The Ask Patty website also offers maintenance and other automotive related topics online.

OK ladies, so if you have questions about your vehicle, go ask Patty!

Michelle Obama wears her hair in flips and bobs reminiscent of Kennedy First Lady Jackie O and of June Cleaver, the ’60s suburban housewife of “Leave It to Beaver” fame.  In her own role as potential First Lady, Michelle Obama’s hair is politically correct.

America expects the baby boomer wife of Barack Obama, the man who wants to be president, to project an image of sophistication and near perfection. That image includes having hair that doesn’t make waves.

“As potentially half of the public face of America, Ms. Obama in locks or cornrows would be a bit too ‘in your face,’ even with her Harvard degree and her attorney status,” says Arizona State University English Professor Neal A. Lester, who studies African-American literature and culture and has written about black hair issues.

Mainstream America considers styles that reflect the European aesthetic more acceptable and less likely to offend. Hairstyles with African roots don’t get the same respect. To say someone has a nappy head is considered an insult, and the word “nappy,” which merely describes the kinky texture of hair, is practically considered a profanity. In polite circles, the word is euphemistically referred to as “natural.”

Natural hair wearers have seen their politics, patriotism and even their hygiene come under attack. Their Afros, braids, locks and twists have been considered unprofessional, and many who have worn the styles have been demoted or have lost their jobs. Wearers of natural hairstyles also have not escaped being labeled subversive or being perceived as social misfits.

The media is fully aware of how certain hairstyles worn by African-Americans can feed negative stereotypes.

Michelle Obama’s real life hairstyle plays it safe. Intended or unintended, it is decidedly apolitical.

“This is no different from Condoleezza Rice and her visits to the beauty salon for her perms these many years,” says Lester of Arizona State.

“There is a reason that Oprah, Beyonce, Mo’Nique, Patti LaBelle, Tyra, and Queen Latifah haven’t gone the way of Whoopi Goldberg. The reason is that there is clearly a public persona that makes these women culturally less threatening with straightened hair.

“I am not saying that these women are betraying their blackness. I am saying that the pattern of self-acceptance has not made its way into the realm of unstraightened hair.”

To roughly paraphrase a line by songstress India.Arie, Michelle is not her hair.

Whether she continues to flaunt the flip like First Lady Kennedy during the presidential campaign or decides to start locks like the First Lady in Philly, her real character should not be superficially determined by what she wears on top of her head.

It should be determined by the intelligence that dwells within it.

Written by Linda Jones for Naturallycurly.com Reprinted with permission.