Protect Your Noggin

March means warmer weather. Time to get the bike or skateboard out. One important piece of equipment you should always wear is a helmet. Since March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, we thought we'd give you some tips to protect your noggin:

• Make sure your helmet fits correctly. It should be snug, but not too tight. When you shake your head, your helmet shouldn't wobble, either.

• Pick a bright colored helmet.

• Check your helmet for cracks, especially after a crash. If it has a visible crack, replace it. Some helmet makers even have replacement programs.
  

If you do hit your head, you might have a concussion. You can't see a concussion, but there are things to look for:

• Nausea (feeling like you might throw up)
• Dizziness
• Double or fuzzy vision
• Headache
• Confusion
• Feeling tired or groggy
• Trouble concentrating or remembering things
• 
  

If you do experience any of these symptoms, tell your parents, coach or teacher immediately!

KIDS WITH HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

Doctors are starting to see high blood pressure in children as young as 3. A recent study found that too much time playing games or watching TV may be to blame. The best way to keep your child's numbers in check is to make sure he or she gets regular physical activity. Kids need at least 60 minutes of exercise every day. Playing basketball, riding a bike or jumping rope are all great physical activities - plus, they're FUN!

 JakeBreak4Kids at

 Jefferson Middle

JakeBreak4Kids was on the scene this past Friday at Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge. We were part of the awesome health fair put on by Volunteer State Health Plan and Tennessee Coordinated Health. Kids got to spin the Wheel of Fitness, do some fun exercises, and learn about hydration. It was a great way to spend a Friday! 

Kim Pemberton showed the kids just how much sugar is in a regular soda (a lot!).        

Team JakeBreak got the Jefferson Middle School gym rockin' with some fun exercises!

JB4Kids at

Strong City Sports Fest

Jake and his team set up shop at the Strong City Sports Fest this past Saturday. There was something for everyone at the event.

 

The Grove Center in Oak Ridge was the setting for all kinds of exercise, entertainment and excitement. The inaugural Sports Fest was organized By Ginger Nunamaker with East Tennessee Sports Expo.

Diabetes (medically known as diabetes mellitus) is the name given to disorders in which the body has trouble regulating its blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels.

There are two major types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a disorder of the body's immune system -- that is, its system for protecting itself from viruses, bacteria or any "foreign" substances. A third form of diabetes, called monogenic diabetes, is sometimes mistaken for type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body's immune system attacks and destroys certain cells in the pancreas, an organ about the size of a hand that is located behind the lower part of the stomach. These cells -- called beta cells- are contained, along with other types of cells, within small islands of endocrine cells called the pancreatic islets. Beta cells normally produce insulin, a hormone that helps the body move the glucose contained in food into cells throughout the body, which use it for energy. But when the beta cells are destroyed, no insulin can be produced, and the glucose stays in the blood instead, where it can cause serious damage to all the organ systems of the body.

JB4Kids at Bronco Celebration

Spring was in full bloom last weekend in the Smoky Mountains. And so was the Bronco Driver Magazine Bronco Super Celebration in Townsend, TN. Dotting the field at the Tally Ho Inn were hundreds of vintage Broncos of every make, model, size and color! I even brought Snowball, the JB4Kids official vehicle.