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Can phys ed make our kids smarter?  Some say yes. According to smartplanet.com, "Researchers at the universities of Strathclyde and Dundee found an increase in performance for every 17 minutes boys exercised, and 12 minutes for girls,” the BBC reported , noting that,”children who carried out regular exercise not only did better academically at 11 but also at 13 and in their exams at 16, the study suggested.” “Physical activity is more than just important for your physical health," smartplanet.com quotes Dr. Josie Booth, a co-leader of the study. "There are other benefits and that is something that should be especially important to parents, policy-makers and people involved in education.” Gretchen Reynolds at the NYT agrees, reporting that "Children who are physically fit absorb and retain new information more effectively than children who are out of shape, a new study finds, raising timely questions about the wisdom of slashing physical education programs at...

OK.  You can relax.  It's not your fault if your teen doesn't imitate your fitness routine and is a flabby couch potato. A new study has found that kids just don't seem to care.  I can use my own home as an example.  My husband and I exercise for at least an hour seven days a week, while our son stays glued to the computer.  Thankfully, he's skinny, but his staying so firmly planted in the family room cannot be good for his health. True to our experience, the study found "there was little correlation between teens' fitness levels and whether the teens had one or both parents who regularly engaged in physical activity, researchers said," Ann Lukits at The Wall Street Journal reports. My husband (a former pro) is teaching our son tennis and Phillip does love to kick a soccer ball around the backyard.  But does he swim in the summer like he used to, when he was seven and eight and nine?  No.  Does he ride his bike?  No.  Sadly, the n...