5 Healthy Habits to Pick up Right Now

Last updated on June 2nd, 2011 at 09:47 pm

Getting your family to adopt a healthier lifestyle is hard – and setting big goals makes it nearly impossible. Instead, work on making small changes that stick. Here are some easy ways to make healthy living part of your family’s routine:

1. Get colorful

Who’s got time to calculate the calories, carbs and bad fats you bring home from the supermarket every week. Instead of focusing on numbers, pay attention to the colors in your cart. How much natural green do you see? How about red, orange and yellow? If the answer is “not much,” go back to the produce aisle and grab a head of broccoli, a few red peppers and an avocado or two. Toss in some oranges, bananas and berries. Then return to the cookie or pasta aisle and put one of your boxes back on the shelf.

2. Shut it down

Overstimulation from watching TV, answering email or chatting on Facebook right before bed is a huge sleep killer. The result: chronic yawning. Give your family the rest it needs with a rule that everyone must log out and shut off at least half an hour before bedtime – even on weekends. Encourage the kids to spend that time in bed, relaxing with a book. But nothing too exciting, or they won’t put that down either!

3. Ditch the car

How many times a week do you drive less than a mile? Is it because you don’t have the time to walk, or that you don’t ever think of it? The next time you grab the keys to drive six blocks to your child’s playdate or pick her up from school, check your watch. If you can spare 10 minutes, walk. You’ll both get some exercise, plus extra time together. As an added bonus, you’ll go green and save on gas!

4. Schedule downtime

With our overscheduled lives, downtime doesn’t come naturally anymore. Build in half an hour a day of quiet family time – either after dinner or before bedtime – and make it mandatory. Take dessert into the family room and listen to music, play a board game, or just sit and talk. Watching a favorite TV show works too, as long as you’re all together.

5. Wash, wash, wash

The No. 1 way to keep your family healthy, particularly during cold and flu season, is to wash hands – even when you’re not sick. Make sure soap is readily available in every bathroom at home, as well as the kitchen. Remind your kids as often as possible to wash up before meals, after using the bathroom or blowing their nose, and when they come in from outside. Eventually, your nagging will make regular washing a habit, not a chore.

Bad Eating Habits Can Be Broken

Last updated on June 10th, 2018 at 01:23 am

Finding the right strategies to help you stop bad eating habits can be like trying to find the perfect pair of jeans: You may have to try on a bunch of different styles until you find the one that fits the best.

If you’re struggling with bad eating habits, you’re not alone. Most of us reach for not-so-good-for-us options from time to time. Here’s how you can break bad habits and feel better than ever.

1. Keep a food journal to avoid emotional eating.

Sometimes without realizing, we eat when we’re feeling anxious, depressed, sad, bored or even happy. Solving this common habit often requires some detective work in the form of a food journal. Write down what and how much you eat, identify emotional triggers, environmental situations and the intensity of hunger. Once you’ve pinpointed situations or feelings that lead you to eat, be proactive when these events occur. Instead of reaching for the pint of ice cream, bag of chips or whatever it might be, call a friend, do five minutes of deep breathing or head outside for a brisk walk.

2. Limit distractions to avoid overeating.

Do you typically eat your lunch at your desk while reading emails? Do you pick up your phone in the middle of a meal? Instead, limit distractions and get into the practice of focusing on the food you are eating. Turn off and put away cell phones, iPods, laptops and other electronics at mealtime. Prepare and eat more meals at home. And when you eat, sit at a table (not in front of the TV or on the sofa) and enjoy your food. You’ll eat less and make better food choices.

3. Get enough sleep to avoid weight gain.

Lack of sufficient sleep has been linked to weight gain and the risk of obesity. According to research at Johns Hopkins University, sleep deprivation impacts two hormones that influence hunger levels. An imbalance in the hormones, ghrelin and leptin, will cause sleep-deprived individuals to eat more and have less control over when to stop eating. If you find yourself extra tired on a given day, recognize the potential to overeat and prepare in advance. Plan meals ahead and pre-portion snacks. Resist the urge for caffeine late in the day, which can further interfere with sleep. Aim to get enough sleep each night — the average adult requires between 7 and 8 hours.

4. Practice mindful eating to develop lifelong healthy habits.

Poor eating habits and other health problems creep into our lives when we don’t take time to recharge. Schedule yoga or mediation in your daily or weekly routine to ensure time to focus on relaxation and breathing awareness. And give yourself mini breaks by simply shutting your eyes for a few minutes to take notice of your breathing before each meal. You will be more aware of your physical hunger, and that will allow you to slow down while you’re eating and make more conscious decisions about food.

Beware the Hidden Dangers in Your Child’s Lunchbox

Last updated on March 3rd, 2018 at 01:22 pm

A lunch box filled with fun, healthy food not only makes kids happy: It also helps them perform better academically. But if you’re not careful, you could be packing food poisoning along with that tuna sandwich, says Bethany Thayer, a registered dietitian, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and mother of two. Follow these simple rules to make sure your child’s lunch box makes the grade:

• Don’t start with a dirty lunch box: “Even a small food spill can be a bacteria magnet,” says Thayer. So give the lunch box a good scrub with hot, soapy water and dry it thoroughly. A little baking soda can get rid of any lingering food odors in lunch boxes or insulated bottles. In addition, stash a small bottle of hand sanitizer in the lunch box so kids can clean their hands before eating.
• Do think before you pack:  Whenever possible, pick foods that have little chance of spoiling. Good choices include crackers; uncut fresh, dried or canned fruit in juice; whole veggies; hard cheeses; canned meat and fish; and individual puddings with pop-top lids. Many kids crave prepackaged lunches with individual compartments, but Thayer says these meal choices tend to be high in salt and fat. Instead, she suggests making your own healthier version. “In a reusable container with separate compartments, pack whole-grain crackers, squares of cheese and/or turkey, and a little treat.” Hard-boiled eggs, tuna salad or yogurt are also healthy options, says Thayer — but only if they can be kept cold in the fridge or with an ice pack (see below) until eaten. The best choice of all: PB&J — it’s nonperishable, nutritious and a perennial kid fave.
• Don’t forget to chill:  Place all lunch ingredients and the lunch box itself — a soft-sided, insulated one is best — in the fridge the night before. “The cooler the food starts out, the cooler it will stay,” says Thayer. Pre-chill an insulated bottle with ice water before filling with juice or another beverage. Believe it or not, you can also freeze a sandwich made from peanut butter, cheese or meat the night before. (Don’t try this with fillings made with mayonnaise, eggs, lettuce, tomatoes or other raw veggies.) You can even make a whole week’s worth of sandwiches ahead of time and stick them in the freezer. Your child’s sandwich will keep the rest of the food cool and thaw by lunchtime. Alternatively, throw in a frozen juice box or water bottle, which will act as an ice pack. You might even consider sandwiching the sandwich between a frozen juice box and an ice pack. Keep several in the freezer so they’re always ready.
• Don’t let hot foods get cool:  To avoid food poisoning, soups and other hot foods should still be at 140 degrees when served. Thayer suggests you fill an insulated stainless steel container made for hot foods with extremely hot water, let it sit for a few minutes, spill out and immediately fill with hot food. Then keep the container tightly closed until lunchtime.
• Do tell kids to toss it:  If you’re packing perishables, make sure your child knows that if the food isn’t cold when he opens his lunchbox, he shouldn’t eat it, says Thayer. In addition, direct him to throw out all leftovers when lunch is over: You don’t want your child eating a spoiled sandwich on the bus home. And no matter how tempted you are to economize, never reuse any foil, plastic wrap, or paper and plastic bags, which could be contaminated with dangerous bacteria.

The “Big O”

Last updated on August 29th, 2015 at 10:40 pm

Got your attention. Sorry to disappoint but the ‘Big O’ here is obesity. This past week the Whitehouse and Mrs. Michelle Obama formally announced the ‘War On Childhood Obesity’ when they announced the “Let’s Move” program. According to Mrs. Obama, “These words – ‘overweight’ and ‘obese’ – they don’t tell the full story. This isn’t just about inches and pounds or how our kids look. It’s about how our kids feel, and how they feel about themselves. It’s about the impact we’re seeing on every aspect of their lives.”

One of the impacts of this problem is that for the first time in many generations, children born today may have a shorter life expectancy than their parents and a main reason for this is childhood obesity. Like any other overweight person, an obese child is subject to the same risks for hypertension, diabetes, stroke and heart disease. If you are concerned about your child- don’t know if their weight is appropriate or if your child is at risk- a great place to start is with your pediatrician.

There are many things that may be done to help. Two important ones are knowing what your child eats and movement or exercise. Fast food, processed food and school cafeteria food are known problem areas. So is the X-Box, WII generation who sits in front of a TV or computer or gaming system rather that getting up and moving around. Help your child eat healthy and encourage them to get outside and move, play and enjoy life.

Thank you Mrs. O for your dedication and leadership to our children and our future.

For more information go to www.Whitehouse.gov  or  www.LetsMove.gov

Exercise Rhymes

Last updated on March 3rd, 2018 at 03:05 pm

Hi I’m Marina, creator of Exercise Rhymes®, rhymes that make exercising fun. After my daughter Isabel was born I had significant ‘baby weight’ to lose. I enjoy running, but Isabel quickly became bored with her books, toys and snacks in the jogging stroller as I tried to get my exercise. I sought out ways to create playtime focused on fitness and fun that would benefit us both. We tried some exercise videos together but they didn’t hold her attention for long. I found myself using her as a weight doing squats, lunges, crunches, and arm lifts and then began making up rhymes to go with the exercises. It was wonderful to include her in my exercise routine and she would soon begin mimicking my movements and began to routinely play and exercise together in short bursts throughout the day.

Drawing on my years of dance, yoga and fitness training, I created flashcards pairing fun rhymes and exercises for adults to do with young kids….and Exercise Rhymes® was born. Family and friends with young children tested the prototype flashcard decks and provided me with invaluable feedback. My daughter and I also routinely did the exercises and even at 18 months, she quickly recognized the rhymes and started doing the exercises that went with them. She would fill in the rhyming words and loved to pretend being a frog, bunny, train, etc. while we exercised together. I was happy to shed the pregnancy pounds and we both had a lot of fun taking short breaks to exercise throughout the day at home and at the park. The exercises were even helpful in occupying her while waiting in line, and now she is starting to use the cards to practice reading.

I also did some research and found that:

• There is a strong correlation between academic achievement and fitness levels.
• Rhymes and exercises form patterns between mind and body that reinforce learning.
• Rhyming is known to provide a good foundation for phonics and reading. Rhyming also helps to support the brain’s timing mechanism, critical for interpersonal communications and social interactions.
• Short bursts of activity a few times per day are as effective as one longer exercise session. High intensity short duration exercise is shown to be a potent fat-burner and it helps the body handle and recover from stress.
• Making exercise fun for kids helps to establish healthy associations that can last a lifetime.

Exercise Rhymes® are fun playful rhymes and exercises for adults to do with young children ages 3 to 7 years old. Preschool and primary elementary teachers use them for fitness breaks in class, and there are therapeutic uses for children with special needs. They are effective in educational therapy because the combined rhyme and exercise stimulate both motor and language centers of the brain, and the rhymes help with the brain’s timing mechanism. Pediatric therapists have stated they get significant eye contact and interaction while using Exercise Rhymes® with autistic children and they are an excellent resource for parents to continue therapy at home. The exercises themselves benefit the parents, teachers, and caregivers as much as the kids, and they really are a fun way to not only exercise but also spend time together. In fact, in my children’s fitness classes, I find the kids love the rhymes and pretending and never think twice about the exercise.

Finding the time to exercise is a challenge for everyone, especially with kids in tow, but exercising with your kids does not have to include a lot of time, pain, or even the gym. Including kids in the exercise routine is a simple solution that helps build lifelong, healthy habits for everyone. Commitment and consistency provide the long term benefits of health and vitality. A commitment to fitness is important, and showing our children that exercise is fun might be even more important!

HEALTHFUL HINTS

• Find fun ways to exercise with your kids, including sports you enjoy.
  • Take walks around the block, ride bikes together, or jog beside your child while they are riding a bike (always wearing a helmet).
  • Try simple strengthening exercises together including lunges and squats. Doing these exercise while holding your young child is a fun way to increase the intensity.
• Be sure to always keep your stomach muscles drawn-in while exercising to strengthen your core, improve your posture, and support your back.
• As with any new exercise routine, get an okay from your healthcare provider first.

Furniture Safety: preventing furniture & television tip-over injuries

Last updated on June 14th, 2018 at 11:38 pm

If you have a toddler or older child, you know the moniker “curtain climbers” is an appropriate description for most kids when they become mobile. Kids love to climb anything they can and that often includes the furniture. Dressers, entertainment centers, TV stands, all are fair game when it comes to these curious explorers. Unfortunately, kids and many parents are unaware of the potential for furniture tip-over which can cause serious injury and even death.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, “from 2000 through 2005, CPSC has reports of 36 TV tip-over-related deaths and 65 furniture tip-over deaths. More than 80 percent of all these deaths involved young children. Additionally, CPSC estimates that in 2005 at least 3,000 children younger than 5 were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms because of injuries associated with TV tip-overs.”

So how do you keep your active child from becoming a victim of a dangerous tip-over? Furniture strapping and brackets designed to prevent tip-overs should be used on any piece of furniture that a child could climb, pull over, or knock over. Don’t be fooled by the weight of a dresser or other item of furniture. Even very young toddlers have managed to pull over very large and heavy pieces of furniture. If there is any doubt as to whether the furniture is stable enough not to be tipped over, go ahead and anchor it to the wall. Some furniture companies now include anchors, straps, or brackets with new furniture, but most do not. You may be able to find furniture straps at the local hardware or home improvement store, but if not, they can easily be ordered online at babyearth.com.

Televisions should be placed on appropriate stands and anchored in such a way that they can not be pulled or knocked off the stand or tipped over. Place the TV as far back on the stand as possible. Never place remotes or toys on top of the TV, as this may encourage climbing. Prevent a TV from sliding by using a rubber mat or grips between the bottom of the TV and the stand.

On an episode of the Ask MomRN Show, I interviewed Carri McQuerry-Funk, owner of MaddiesMessage.com, about furniture safety and her efforts to bring awareness to other parents about furniture tip-over dangers. In the interview, Mrs. Funk told of the loss of her two year old daughter, Madison Funk, who was killed by her dresser falling over on top of her as she attempted to climb it. Madison’s parents have created Maddie’s Message to warn and educate other parents, and are on a mission to prevent further tragedies.

Furniture safety is an important safety precaution parents need to add to child-proofing efforts. Take some time today to inspect and secure your furniture

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