This month, the American Diabetes Association observes American Diabetes Month. The ADA says that  57 million Americans are at risk for type 2 diabetes, and that 1 out of every 3 children born today will face a future with diabetes if current trends continue.

Being overweight and leading a sedentary lifestyle are both big risk factors for type 2 diabetes. If you or someone in your family falls into one of these groups, resolve to make some changes now.

Linda K. in South Carolina sent me this question: "One thing I'm trying to find and haven't been able to as of yet are the road rules for families when you have mixed modes of exercising. Dad's walking the dog while kids are on bikes. Or a parent runs, and a child is on a bike. I run, and of course I'm supposed to be on the left side of the road going against traffic. Sometimes, my near-11 year-old daughter accompanies me on her bicycle. As a cyclist, she's supposed to be on the right side of the road.  She's faster on a bicycle and will get ahead of me, but then circle back around. We stay in our neighborhood where the speed limit is 25 mph. For car drivers, I could see this as a double distraction with me on one side and her on the other. Should we be on our respective sides of the road, or should one of our modes be the 'rule' that we follow?"

I did some research, and here's what I found out about road safety for kids and parents traveling together. Thanks for the great question, Linda! If you have a family fitness question, please leave a comment here, email me, or stop by my family fitness forum.

Now that Halloween is over, you know what it's time for next, right? Thanksgiving is nice and all, but if you've stepped into any retail establishment in the past week you know it's holiday shopping season now. To make life easier, check out these gift ideas from me (the first one) and all of the About.com Parenting & Family guides!

• Best Kids' Toys for Active Play
• 89 Great Gifts for College Kids & Young Adults
• Affordable Parent-Child Gifts
• Board Games That Are Fun for Parents, Too
• Best Boyfriend/Girlfriend Gifts
• Inexpensive Baby Clothes Gifts
• Christmas Gift Ideas for Teens
• Christmas Gift Ideas for Teen Boys
• Christmas Gift Ideas for Teen Girls
• Top Gifts for Crafty Kids
• Gifts for Grandpa
• Grandmother Gifts From Around the World
• Gifts for Grandbaby's First Year
• Commemorative Gifts for Baby's First Christmas
• Top Preschool Board Games
• Top Inexpensive Gifts for Teachers, Coaches and Parent Volunteers
• Video Games for the Whole Family
• Electronic Gifts and Games for Kids
• Electronic Gifts and Games for Preschoolers
• Gift Ideas for Tweens
• 10 Ideas for Grandparents Gifts
• 10 Ways to Give Mom Gifts She Deserves
• Classic Toys for Today's Kids
• Books That Keep Kids Busy

Did you get your extra hour of sleep this past Sunday morning, thanks to Daylight Savings Time? If you have very young kids, probably not. But if you've reached the Sleeping In era, enjoy--guilt-free. While it may seem decadent to allow kids and teens to sleep late when they don't have school, new research says it might help lower the risk of obesity. Researchers in Hong Kong analyzed the sleep patterns and BMI of more than 5,000 kids, ages 5 to 15, for a study published in the journal Pediatrics.

Their work confirmed that kids often sleep later on weekends and other days off from school, and that those who slept less overall also had the highest BMI scores. But among kids who got less than 8 hours of sleep on school nights, those who didn't make up for it with extra shut-eye on weekends "had significantly increased risk of overweight/obesity compared with those children with sleep compensation."

(Just how much sleep does your child need, by the way? Preschoolers should sleep for 11-13 hours of every 24, including naps. Older kids--up to age 12--need 10 to 11 hours a night. And teens should get 8.5 to 9.5 hours a night.)

Even though it's been many years since I lived in New York City, I still have great memories of watching the NYC Marathon. Before I experienced it, I never knew that just watching people run past me on the street could be so much fun, not to mention inspiring.

It's even more inspiring to know the stories of some of the competitors. The top female finisher in yesterday's marathon was Derartu Tulu, a 37-year-old mom and champion distance runner from Ethiopia. She has two daughters by birth, ages 11 and 3, and also adopted four orphans who are now teens.

The participants in Foot Locker's Five Borough Challenge are also all mothers. Each year, Foot Locker chooses five strangers, representing each of the five boroughs in New York City, to compete in a race-within-the race. The theme for 2009 was "working moms." All five moms, who have nine kids among them, finished the race in under 4 hours.

Are you ready? I'm just hoping it doesn't snow! My kids are candy fiends even under the best of circumstances, so let's just say I'm glad that Halloween falls on a Saturday--and we even get an extra hour of sleep that night too. Thanks, Daylight Savings Time.

As for all the loot we'll collect tomorrow, we try to stem the tide at the source by only visiting a few houses for trick-or-treat--just those neighbors we're most friendly with. I've also been collecting suggestions for what to do with leftover candy. My favorite here? Have a teddy bear party (the stuffed pals "eat" the candy). I also love the idea of donating the candy to troops overseas, and will be on the lookout for a local drive. Share your suggestions at the link!

_{Photo: Catherine Holecko}

I'm not talking about nail-biting football games, creepy horror movies, or obnoxious advertising. New research from Iowa State University shows an association between sedentary TV time and blood pressure in little kids--ages 3 to 8 (!). For the study, scientists at the university's department of kinesiology measured 111 kids' active time and sedentary time, taking particular note of time spent watching TV and other screens. Participants in the lowest third of TV time had "significantly" lower blood pressure levels than those in the top third, and interestingly, TV seemed to have a different effect than other kinds of sedentary activity. Results of the study were published in Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

Need help limiting your child's screen time? Here are 10 turn-off tips to try.

Although it should be obvious when you peruse menus packed with fried, breaded items, it's still shocking to learn that the nutritional standards for school lunches are woefully outdated. The nutrition standards and meal requirements for the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program are based on the 1995 Dietary Guidelines and the 1989 Recommended Dietary Allowances.

The Institute of Medicine (a division of the National Academy of Sciences, charged with advising the nation on health topics) is now advocating for big changes in these school meals. The IOM recommends new standards that limit sodium; increase protein, vitamin, and mineral content; put a cap on the number of calories in each meal--a first--and encourage children to eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

If you think this sounds costly, you're right. The IOM report, entitled "School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children," acknowledges that, but notes that the school meal programs must reflect new knowledge about children's nutritional needs and the way that diet contributes to obesity, heart disease, and other health problems.

_{Photo: PhotoLink}

If you've ever watched "The Biggest Loser" on NBC or tried the 3o-Day Shred exercise video, you're familiar with take-no-prisoners trainer Jillian Michaels. On the show, she is the tough-love, bad-cop trainer (to Bob Harper's more touchy-feely good cop) who helps seriously obese contestants lose serious amounts of weight through a rigorous diet and exercise program. Contestants spend a few months living together on a ranch with access to a gym, the trainers, a special kitchen, and so on, and they're away from the distractions of home, family, and work.

After hearing complaints--she'd call them "excuses"--from viewers who say that the show's intense methods wouldn't work away from the special environment of the ranch, Michaels came up with a concept for a new show. On "Losing It with Jillian Michaels," she'll travel the country visiting families who want a health and fitness overhaul. She'll move in with them and teach them new strategies for losing weight and improving health.

Casting for the show is open through January 4, 2010. In the meantime, try these 10 simple but effective lifestyle changes.

Last week I caught myself just before I had an overbearing sports parent moment. My 7-year-old loves to swim. Even though she is small for her age, she is confident and strong. She's been taking swimming lessons for years, steadily moving up through the levels.

Still, it was just this summer that she mastered swimming a length of the pool without touching the bottom--the prerequisite for our local swim teams. When I heard that it was sign-up time for one of those teams, I asked my daughter if she wanted to join. She was interested, but seemed hesitant.

I thought about my friend's daughter, born within days of mine, who's been swimming on a team for a couple of years already. I thought about another child we know, also the same age as our daughter, who's already winning medals for swimming. I started to press: Do you want to go to a practice? Wouldn't it be cool to be on a team and swim in races?

My daughter sensibly suggested that she'd like to see if she passed the skills test in her current session of lessons, then decide. That pause was enough for me to realize: Hey, she's not ready. And she's only 7! She can join the team in a year--if she wants to. No matter what she decides, I'll be her biggest cheerleader.

_{Photo: Catherine Holecko}