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Only “good” fats, not other kinds of fats, may have a good influence on children`s metabolism, according to recent Swedish studies. Researchers found that children who follow a diet low in good fats can become overweight

The study involved almost two hundred four-year old children, and supervised their insulin levels, dietary intake, lifestyle, and eating habits. After the Body Mass Index (BMI) measures, twenty-three percent of them were considered overweight and two percent obese.

The results showed a connection between the fat intake and the BMI. Children with high BMI were gaining weight but they were not the ones who consumed the biggest amount of fat. More fats were consumed by children with normal or low BMI. The problem with overweight children was that their bodies stored too much fat.

A third of the children who participated to the study had a deficiency of unsaturated fat in the diet, especially omega-3 fat, according to a researcher who led the study. Researchers also found that children who gained weight had the highest insulin level, girls in particular. Girls who consumed a lot of unsaturated fat had the lowest insulin level.

The study showed unhealthy eating habits since twenty percent of the children ate “junk” food like candies, sweets, soft drinks, cookies, ice cream, or biscuits and the daily amount of fruits and vegetables was of only 140 grams per day compared to the recommended 400 grams.

An iron deficiency was registered for seventy percent of the children, while twenty percent of them had calcium problems. However, further studies are needed to prove that fat may not cause an increased level of insulin, according to the researchers.

The study showed that unsaturated fat, omega-3 fat in particular, may be a key to preventing child obesity.

The good fats that can lower the level of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats are found in nuts, olive oil, and canola while the polyunsaturated fats are in salmon, fish oil, soy, corn, sunflower oil, and safflower. Omega-3 fat belongs to this group.

Weight lifting may cause serious injuries if you`re not careful, no matter if you`re training for a competition or just working out. This type of workout improves your muscle tone, endurance, and strength but it may cause injuries if it`s not properly done. You may enjoy a safe workout if you try some of the following tips:

- Find a trainer who shows you good techniques for lifting weights and how to exercise correctly;
- Set goals according to your age, built, and trainer`s advice. Establish the weight you`re starting with, how much and when you’ll increase it, how often you need to practice, and which exercises are best for you;
- It`s good to wait until you`re fifteen or older to start lifting weights. The major lifts include the power clean, squat, clean and jerk, snatch, the bench, and dead lift. Major lifts may cause injury if you don`t follow a proper technique for lifting heavy weights;
- Try to keep your back straight when you practice;
- Make sure you`re wearing shoes with good traction and the equipment is in good shape;
- Use spotters when lifting weights;
- Warm up for five or ten minutes before starting to work out and include jogging or calisthenics. After the workout cool down by stretching;
- Don`t spend more that an hour lifting weights. This way you can avoid fatigue or boredom;
- Take a day off between weight lifting sessions;
- You may want to work only certain muscle groups during a session. For example, one day you can work your back and biceps muscles, on the next work your leg muscles, and the last day of practice from the week use it for triceps, shoulders, and chest muscles;

You may want to hold your breath while lifting weights. Don`t breathe fast or you may faint. Stop exercising for a few days if you feel any kind of pain, or use less weight. Avoid injury by exercising a set of muscles for no more than three times a week.

Specialists recommend an hour per day of aerobic activity, only in the days when you`re not lifting weights. Aerobics help your heart and lungs work better.

Weight lifting helps you burn calories, reduce the level of fat, or increase your muscle mass, but you need to take safety precautions to enjoy these benefits.