legal

Activist

TAILORED FOR TOTS from page 19

One of our nation's
premier activist attorneys,
Alan Dershowitz champions
liberty while representing
unpopular clients and
boldly defending Israel.

Do you know a local activist who has
made a difference in our community?
To nominate your candidate for
Council's 2005 Activist of the Year,
contact the Jewish Community
Council at (248) 642-5393, ext. 0, or
by e-mail at council@jfmd.org .

Nominations must be received by
Friday, January 14,2005.

WERE PART OF THE TEAM

Jewish -Air.

Community

C ouncilPrtniZtb.il e i cwl: Af f ha airs

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Jim Browne demonstrates exercise with a young athlete-to-be.

The men theorized their exercises
could help instill in infants and
young children a comfort with exer-
cise that would help the child to con-
tinue their interest in exercise for
years to come, which, in turn, would
help control weight and improve
health.
"This gives kids a head start so they
have some athletic skills and coordi-
nation when they get to school," said
Dr. Levin, who, in his practice, works
with children and uses hand-eye coor-
dination drills. "It also gives parent
and child a fun way to spend time
together."

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Dr. George Blum of Southfield, for-
mer past president of the Michigan
Chapter of the American Academy of
Pediatrics, reviewed the exercise video
and had some concerns.
"I was most interested in the part
dealing with small children," he said.
"And I'm quite concerned about the
stretching with very small infants
because their blood vessels to the hip
joint are very fragile, and it is possible
to damage those blood vessels and
effect the joint space."
Dr. Levin replied that the exercises
in his video are those you do with
kids normally, but more focused.
"The key is repetition, which makes
the child improve [the movement]."
He added that the exercises in their
video are not putting any more stress
on a child's joints than what the child
does on his own.
"We researched a lot of these exer-
cises," he said. "We didn't physically
contact doctors, but did the research."
Browne selected exercises that had
limited risk from the ones he does

with adolescents, Dr. Levin said.
Dr. Blum's other major concern was
that infants don't need an exercise
program. "Children are moving all
the time," he said. "Their active mus-
cle use is much better than the passive
stretching done on the exercise

And obesity, he added, is not only
caused by a lack of exercise, but by
genetics and a poor diet.
Dr. Blum said there was nothing
wrong with getting ideas for children's
exercises from a video, "but rigid
schedules are ruining a .child's fun by
over-programming."
Children need more time for free
play, he said. "Many children get
burned out by starting sports too
early, at an age when they should be
playing," Dr. Blum said. "Finding
exercise that's fun for kids is a good
idea, but we shouldn't make it like
school and a regimen that the kids
don't enjoy."
Dr. Levin countered that their pro-
gram is not structured. "We're taking
the time parents should be with their
kids and, for about 15-20 minutes,
you can do what you like — the
video is not a rigid schedule. It
encourages parents to do things with
their kids, not just sit them down in
front of the TV," he said.
"The biggest thing from these
videos is we're trying to make healthi-
er, happier kids who will turn into
happier, healthier adults," Dr. Levin
said. 'And all the statistics back this
up. If you exercise, you'll be a healthi-
er adult, and if you're healthier, you'll
be happier." I I

For more information visit

www.mykidsfirstcoach.com