Bring back recess We all need a break now and then. Unfortunately, our hyper-driven society has somehow lost sight of the fact that this applies to our kids, too. A new report in the journal Pediatrics promotes the idea that recess - a concept that's become increasingly alien in today's school systems - helps children behave better in class. Wow. How's that for cutting edge? The fact that kids are better behaved after having the chance to burn off some of their seemingly limitless supply of youthful energy… well, no kidding. Study author Dr. Romina M. Barros, assistant professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Children's Hospital in New York, says that kids learn as much during recess as they do from traditional book learning. It's also a crucial time for developing creativity and social skills. And yet, recess has been disappearing from curriculums as schools struggled to boost kids' performance with more class time and academics in the wake of 2001's No Child Left Behind Act. But that's not all that's been killing recess: not long ago I told you about politically correct attempts to ban traditional schoolyard games like dodge ball and similar playground games on the grounds that they may be harmful to some kids' self- esteem. Totally absurd. The recommended amount of recess is at least once every day for at least 20 minutes. It's not much, but many kids are lucky if they get even 15 minutes of free time during the day. Barros acknowledges that something needs to change. "When we restructure our education system, we have to think that recess should be part of the education system," she says. Barros said. "Even if we don't have space, if they could have 15 minutes indoors. Unstructured time, that's all that they need." I have fond memories of playing at recess when I was a kid. In fact, those memories stick with me better than any of the class time I spent. It's a shame that bureaucrats are legislating away our kids' memories. Maybe if our education system actually worked, I could forgive them for that. Exercise is overrated. I'm always reading more proof that says you don't need to run a marathon to receive the benefits of a little exercise. Like this British study that claims you can control or prevent diabetes with as little as seven minutes of exercise… per week. The study's leader, University of Edinburgh biologist James Timmons, says that you can get the same benefits from minimal amounts of exercise as you can from workouts that last for hours. "This is such a brief amount of exercise you can do it without breaking a sweat," Timmons said. In the study, out-of-shape men in their 20s were asked to ride an exercise bike four times each day - in 30 second bursts of pedaling - two days a week. After just two weeks, the all of the men were 23 percent more effective at processing insulin. I've warned you many times about the potential dangers of over-rigorous exercise, so this minimalist approach appeals to me - and it should to you, too! Like I always say, skip the gym membership and just go for a walk. | 
