Ban on Fast Food Commercials

Researchers have found out that a ban on fast food commericals could reduce older child obesity by 18 percent and youger child obesity by 14 percent. Some experts say it's the first national study to show fast-food TV commercials have such a large effect on childhood obesity. A 2006 Institute of Medicine report suggested a link, but concluded proof was lacking. Lisa Powell, a researcher at the University of Illinois said that the study has important implications for the effectiveness of regulating TV advertising. The percentage of children that are currently overweight has level offed since the 1980's, when obesity rose year after year. Powell stated that 23 percent of commercials that kids see are fast food commercials. Children over the course of the year will see fast food commercials tens of thousands of times.

The researcher in this project looked at the amount of commercials they saw pertaining to fast food, income, and the proximity of those people to fast food.

Our nation has a huge economic crisis along with obesity. Fast food is cheap and easy obtain which fits great with the way our economy is right now. Instead of going out to dinner and spending $100 for a family of 4, that mom or dad can go to McDonalds or Burger King for probably 1/4 of that price. Ellen Davis, a spokewoman for McDonalds said this, "Parent make choices for their kids — they make choices on where their children eat, and what their children eat. We all know kids have very strong opinions, but ultimately it's parents that make choices for them". Is she right, shouldn't parent be more responsible and know the consequences of fast food? In my opinion yes, but it's probably a lot different when you have a kid kicking and screaming because he/she wants McDonalds.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/sns-ap-med-tv-ads-obesity,0,2019466.story

Religion lowering stress in College Students

Finals are right around the corner and it's time to buckle down and get that research paper done, study for those finals, and hopefully ending up with a grade that your GPA approves. How can we get away and just take time to relax and not think about all of these "burdens"? How about going to church or getting in touch with your religion. Going to church is very good for your mental health and non-church going students are twice as more likely to report being stressed, reports the Higher Education Research Institute of the University of California at Los Angeles. Fewer students with high religious involvement (attending worship, joining campus religious groups, reading sacred texts) report high levels of psychological distress (feeling overwhelmed, depressed, stressed), than those with low involvement (22 percent vs. 34 percent).
More students with low religious commitment (33 percent) face psychological distress compared to the religiously committed (22 percent). Twenty-two percent of highly spiritual students report greater spiritual distress (questioning spiritual/religious , beliefs), compared to 8 percent of students with low spirituality.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3942/is_200501/ai_n9465645

The reason I found this interesting was because I went to my local church a week ago and I felt so much better upon leaving. It's only one hour and their are many different churches that start at all different hours. I'll admit I haven't been an avid church goer during school, but it does make a difference in your overall physiological health.

Details into question 2

On November question 2 passed 65% to 35%, but what does this mean. It means that instead of a $500 fine and 6 months in jail, a person will simply be charged with a $100 fine for having in possession an ounce or less of marijuana. This not only effects an individuals criminal record, but it effects their ability to get a job, housing, and student loans. The state of Massachusetts also will save about $29.5 million, money that can be used to get new books at public schools, fix roads, and other state projects. They still have the same laws in place for growing, selling, and driving with marijuana while under the influence.

It's definitely something that is a positive because everyone makes mistakes or does something that they really should not do in life. By giving the individual a $100 fine and not arresting them it keeps our tax dollars away from feeding and housing these individuals for six months. With prisons currently being overcrowded, I believe it really important to keep real criminals in prison for years and years, instead of keeping someone caught with marijuana for 6 months.

http://sensiblemarijuanapolicy.org/about-initiative

5 Daily Brain Exercises

When we think about exercise we usually think about going to the gym, building up a sweat, then have a cool down. Instead of hitting the weights or the treadmill, what about exercising your brain? The brain has 5 main cognitive skills memory, attention, language, visual-spatial skills, and executive function

Memory is very easy to build. When in the car, try listening to a new song and remembering the lyrics which helps boost acetylcholine levels in the brain. Also dressing in the dark or brushing your teeth with the opposite hand can build neural connections

Attention might be a little bit more difficult, but it can be done. One way is to drive a different way to school or work or listen to an audio book while jogging on the treadmill

Language is as easy to boost as picking up the paper. When reading the Boston Globe, instead of first going to the sports section, try reading some business articles where you'll see different words in context which makes them easier to understand.

You can improve your Visual-Spatial capabilities by going into a room and picking out five items, then go back and try to remember where those five items are. Might seem pretty easy? Go back in two hours and see what happens. When waiting for a friend in an unfamiliar place, note everything you can see in your peripheral vision and write it down. Challenge yourself to recall everything and write it down

Executive Function requires making decisions on a daily basis, building up hypothesis, and considering possible consequences of your actions. So yes, video games do help with your executive function, but having a conversation with a friend and remembering their tendencies boost your intellectual performance.

So our Brain can be improved and there are way to improve our Brain through exercise. There are ways to improve our brain before we start cramming for those finals coming up in a month and half, so you can start after you read this article. You can also go on happynueron.com, which has games to improve these skills.

http://www.askmen.com/sports/health_200/215_mens_health.html