June 5th, 2010 by John Mandrola, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Opinion, True Stories
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As a cardiologist and advocate for healthy living through exercise, the bleak news of rising childhood obesity hits me hard. But as an endurance athlete well versed in the inflammatory effects of excessive exercise, and a coach of middle school children, recent news reports on the overtraining of American youth is equally troublesome.
The overtraining of the young American athlete has risen to the level of capturing the attention of the American Academy of Pediatrics. I planned on letting this New York Times piece pass quietly, as yet another documentation of how adults are either explicitly or implicitly drilling out the young athlete — sacrificing fun at the alter of performance. Little League-like overzealousness is old news dating back to my era, I thought. But I just couldn’t help myself. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr John M*
May 29th, 2010 by John Mandrola, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, True Stories
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This third installment of “Cycling Wednesdays” comes as a guest post from Rachel Fagerburg. Rachel is a dear friend, mother of two young children, fellow cyclist, and wife of a teammate. She is famous in this area for her talent as a race announcer. I am grateful for her words:
On May 19, my husband and I joined thousands across the globe to honor cyclists who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways. With 1,000 participants at the first ride in 2003, the Ride of Silence has grown to a worldwide event raising awareness of the tragedies that can occur between motorists and cyclists. My husband and I rode in honor of two people we were privileged to call “friend.” Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr John M*