Do the math, drop the extra pounds and stay young
The top U.S. elementary school in the 2016-17 Math League was Medina Elementary School in Medina, Washington. Congratulations, kids! These students know their numbers. Unfortunately, many high school students around the country don’t.
According to the latest results of the Program for International Student Assessment — its worldwide exam is administered every three years; in 2015, it went to 540,000 15-yearolds in 72 countries — the U.S. ranks 40th in average math scores.
Maybe that’s why it’s so hard to convince people that carrying around even a little extra weight damages their health: They can’t add up the information.
Well, a new study in Nature Communications makes it pretty easy: Every 2.2 pounds of extra weight you carry reduces your life expectancy by two months.
For the 30 percent of U.S. adults who are obese (say, 50 pounds overweight), the lost months can add up to eight years or more! But, there’s hope. The researchers also say losing 2.2 pounds adds two months to your life. And losing a pound a week can undo the 50-pounds-overweight life deficit in a year!
Get there by walking 10,000 steps daily and doing two to three 30-minute, strength-building sessions weekly. Eat nine servings of veggies and fruit daily; skip red and processed meats, refined grains and highly processed foods. Get seven to eight hours of sleep nightly (sleep influences weight management). Another boost: You can add a year to your life for each year you spend studying something after your last year of formal education (high school or college).
DoasIdo
That much-favored, hypocritical saying bandied about by lazy authoritarians, “Do as I say, not as I do,” never seems very convincing to any kid. And now, research has demonstrated that the exact opposite is actually what motivates kids to tackle tough situations — because when responsible adults communicate “Do as I do,” it’s inspiring to young ‘uns, especially if the doing takes effort.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an institution that regularly turns out award-winning mathematicians, rocket scientists, engineering marvels and world leaders, did a study published in the journal Science that showed that kids as young as 15 months old who observe adults struggle at different tasks before succeeding try harder at their own tasks, compared to kids who watch adults sail through their problems/tasks without any trouble. And other studies have found that a kind of persistence and toughness in the face of adversity predicts success more than IQ does.
So, folks, the pressure’s off: You don’t have to know how to put together that robot-in-a-kit right off the bat or put that car seat in the minivan smoothly. That’s not how you teach your child what it takes to master a task. You teach, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” through your calm (no swearing) persistence. The researchers found that the effect is amplified when you talk directly to your child, explain what you are trying to do, what worked — and what didn’t. Then, in a few years, your child can help! The You Docs, Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz, are the authors of “YOU: Losing Weight. ”Want more? See “The Dr. Oz Show” on weekdays at 4 p.m. on WPBFChannel 25. Have a question? Go to www.RealAge.com.