Get Your Kids off the Couch: Tips for Adding More Movement to Your Day

Our world today revolves around the latest technology in the form of smartphones, tablets, and video game systems.  Big name companies compete to bring us the latest and greatest technology and it not only has an affect on adults, but children as well.

Children today are growing up in a completely different world than it was 20 years ago.   There are first graders with cell phones, teens who would rather text than talk, and video games with such lifelike graphics it’s scary. The lure of these video games is especially strong in children and teens and brings with it the problem of little or no outside activity in this age group.  As parents, it’s important to know how to get your children involved in something other than staring at a TV screen or holding a game controller all day long. 

Create a routine – A daily routine can help your child get rid of bad habits and instill some discipline in the whole family.  Talk to your child about getting on a schedule and let them be involved in creating a routine that works for all of you.  Limit the amount of time your child is in front of the television, on the Internet, or on his/her cell phone and stick to it. Make a trip to the park or a walk outside part of your daily routine.  If it’s too cold outside, play a game of tag or hide and seek just to get yourself and your child moving.  Small daily steps can help to break some bad habits and lead you into a new way of life.

Be the example – Parents can set a great example for their children if they are active in their daily routine.  If your child sees you exercising or spending more time outside than in front of the television they will most likely follow your example as they grow older.  It may take a little bit of nudging to get them to put the cell phone down but it will happen.  Likewise, if you are a couch potato, or have your nose stuck in the computer all day they will be more apt to follow in your footsteps.  Be the person that you would want your child to be.  If you keep that in mind, it won’t be hard to set good habits in motion for the whole family.

Find activities your child will enjoy – This can be anything from organized sports at school to a daily trip to the local gym.  Talk to your child about getting involved in school activities that will keep them moving.  If he/she isn’t much of a sports fanatic there are a ton of other ways to keep them active.  Swimming, or simply blasting some music and dancing around the living room are great ways to keep in shape and have fun while doing it. 

It may take some time to establish a routine that works for you and your family but don’t give up.  Make small changes on a daily basis to get your child used to any form of daily activity.  Pretty soon, a trip to the park or playing ball outside will be the new normal instead of coming home to play video games or surf the Internet.  Making small daily changes not only forms better habits in your child, but in your whole family.

5 Outdoor Activities that Get the Whole Family Moving

Life is full of daily activities that keep you running from one point to the next.  However, carving out time for some of the activities that get the blood pumping and the heart racing is a little bit harder to do.  Finding time to be active as a family is important, not only for your health but for your relationships as well.  Here are a few outside activities you can do to keep your family active.

Picnic at the park – Pack a healthy lunch and hit up one of the local parks for the afternoon.  There is no better way to get your family up and moving.  This is a great way to bond and have a conversation that doesn’t consist of text messages and emails.   Once you finish eating, the rest of the time can consist of hitting the ball around, playing at the playground, or simply chasing your kids around for a game of tag.  Whatever activity you choose, the whole family gets some exercise and some time to connect with each other.

Take a bike ride – This is such a great way to experience the outdoors with the whole family.  Safe biking paths can be found all over to make it easier and the fresh air will do everyone a world of good.  Many of the biking paths will go right past a park or playground so you will be able to get some extra playtime in.  Biking is a great way to boost your energy levels and give your legs a workout.

Roller skating – Break out the roller skates or rollerblades and hit the pavement for a breath of fresh air and some exercise that will get all the muscle groups working.  Roller-skating is especially good for your heart and is considered one of the best cardio workouts you can do.  Find a bike path or just skate around the neighborhood and enjoy the scenery. The kids will love it and it’s a great way to be silly and get some laughs out of everyone.

Gardening – This is a fantastic way to get outdoors and get the whole family involved and working together. The entire process – from deciding what you will plant, to picking the seeds, to digging up some dirt – will engage everyone and get them excited about the possibilities.  Not only is it terrific exercise, but it’s also a great way to teach children about patience and attention to detail.  It will be especially fun to keep track of the progress and see the end result.

Walking – Taking a walk around the neighborhood is a super effective cardio workout and a way to catch up and chat with members of your family.  Choose a different path each time in order to give everyone some variety.  Step it up a level and wear ankle or wrist weights while you walk to give yourself an added boost.  Walking is a leisurely activity that can also push your limits if you choose to do so.  The family time together during your walk is just an added benefit to getting in shape.

It’s often said that people give up on their fitness goals because they get bored or burnt out on the activities that they are doing.  It’s so important to incorporate a variety of ways to workout so you keep going, and have fun at the same time. Each member of the family should have a say in what activities are chosen to keep it fair.  Given the large amount of outdoor activities a family has to choose from, it will be a surefire way for everyone to stay active.

Get Your Game on: Sports The Whole Family Will Enjoy

Fitness does not have to involve going to a gym and working out with weights or running on a treadmill. and you don't have to give up family time to get in shape. There are a variety of activities outside of the gym that are fun, fitness- and family-oriented. 

Sporting activities are one example of a way the family can spend time together and get a great workout as well. You don’t have to be a professional or even bring your “A” game, just as long as you’re willing to get involved and have fun.  Let’s look at a few sports that will keep your family active and happy.

Volleyball – This sport can be fun whether you set up a net in the backyard or get a game going on the beach.  Volleyball is a wonderful sport for your overall health because it strengthens muscles in your arms and legs, allows for better hand-eye coordination, and increases your energy level.  You burn a ton of calories and it's a great way to tone and tighten those problems areas you may have.  The whole family will get a great overall workout and walk away feeling strong and energized.

Golf – There are numerous benefits to playing a round of golf, especially if you decide to forego using a caddy and a golf cart.  Generally 18 holes of golf would be around 5 miles if you walk the whole distance.  This is a way to get a great cardiovascular workout, all while taking in the beautiful scenery on the golf course.  Unless you and your children are avid golfers, it may be easier to choose a round of miniature golf instead, but you still get the benefit of walking the course, swinging the club, and consistently moving while you play.

Tennis – Playing a game of tennis can be as moderate or intense as you choose.  Your reflexes, speed, and agility will be put to the test and you will burn a huge amount of calories during this aerobic workout.  Hitting the ball back and forth to your children is a great way to work your arm and leg muscles.  This is especially true if your children don’t hit the ball directly back to you and you find yourself jogging to chase it around the court.  Tennis is a great overall workout and is a perfect way for a family to get their game on and show their skills. 

Ice Skating - Ice skating does have a bit of a learning curve, but it's still a great family winter sport. It works nearly every muscle group in the body and it builds up the leg and abdominal muscles. Plus it great for your cardiovascular health. There are even double-bladed skates to help you keep your balance while learning. 

Cross-Country Skiing - Now for those of you who have seen video of skiers hurtling down a mountain and thought "no way", let me introduce you to cross-country skiing. It's much easier to learn than downhill skiing. And it's also cheaper. Known to exercise physiology experts as "the best cardiovascular exercise known," cross-country skiing uses almost every muscle group, and is low impact which makes it great for anyone with joint problems such as arthritis. Cross-country skiing is a great bonding experience that can strengthen relationships with family and friends.

Sledding - Okay, maybe this isn't exactly a "sport." But some of my fondest childhood memories are of sledding down the neighborhood hill with my sisters and friends. And it is so easy. Just grab a sled and head to the nearest hill. Granted, you may not burn a lot of calories riding downhill. But wait until you walk back up that hill dragging or carrying your sled. Fantastic aerobic workout!

Playing sports as a family is a great way to build character and teach your kids to work as a team.  Working together can strengthen relationships and form a bond that can’t be broken. Playing sports with your children is also a way to build their confidence, self-esteem, and sportsmanship. The values and skills learned during this time is something that won’t be easily forgotten. Playing sports as a family can instill positive habits that will have a lasting effect on your relationships both now and throughout life.

Cut Back on Pain Pills

One of the side effects of growing older, at least for me, has been more frequent joint pain. I have arthritis in my hands and knees and some days it just HURTS! No problem, you might think. Just pop an ibuprofen and go about your day.

Well before you pop one more ibuprofen or naproxen...or worse yet...a prescription pain-killer, you might want to read all the warnings. Do some research. You just might rethink that move.

Pain medications do serve a purpose. There are times when you simply must have help to manage your pain. But in a society where we are told daily by many members of the medical community and big pharma that there are pills to cure everything, many of us have come to rely on them much too readily.

Regular use of painkillers such as ibuprofen and naproxen, even the OTC brands, may raise your risk of heart attack and stroke. They can also cause bleeding in your stomach, headaches, restless sleep, fluid retention, and a whole list of other problems. Prescription drugs can do the same and more. Unless you've been living off-planet in recent years, you are well aware of the opioid problem.

Fortunately there are some alternative ways to deal with pain without medication. Here are some tips:

1. Reduce your stress. Stress can contribute to pain. Try relaxation and stress management techniques to help.

2. Meditation. Learn how to read your body's signals and become more in tune with your physical self. This can help ease tension and promote relaxation. Meditation can even help reduce your sensitivity to pain.

3. Exercise regularly. One of the first things my doctor told me to do to ease the pain in my knee was WALK! When you exercise, you produce endorphins which help minimize pain. "Runner's high" is a real thing...a "feel good" sensation caused by the production of endorphins.

4. Get a massage. I now get a regular manicure just so I can get the hand massage that goes with it!

5. SLEEP! Sleep is important to healing and managing stress. Try for 7-8 hours of restful sleep every night.

6. Eat healthy food. There are foods that can cause inflammation, which aggravates pain. And there are foods that can help reduce it. Plus your body works more effectively when it's running on healthy fuel.

7. Try a chiropractor. I admit I used to think chiropractors were all charlatans. But then I was sent to one to help with my hip pain. I'm a convert. Not sure how they do the voodoo they do, but it works!

8. Keep busy. Having things to focus on will help you occupy your mind and keep it from focusing on how much you hurt.

It's important not to ignore pain. It is often a warning signal that something isn't right. Don't be afraid to tell your doctor when you are experiencing pain. Just don't get complacent about taking a pill every time you feel a twinge. Try some of the above techniques. Save the pills for when you TRULY need them.

Easy Changes to Incorporate More Exercise Into Your Life

Having a family, a career, and a hectic schedule leaves little time for a fitness routine. However the benefits to being physically fit are numerous and should be a priority in any family.

Choosing to make fitness a permanent part of your life takes a good amount of willpower, determination, and hard work from everyone. There are many ways you can incorporate fitness to fit your busy schedule.  It may take some planning and you might have to be creative at times. Just remember to stay active.  Making small, positive changes to your daily routine can help rid your family of bad habits and have you on your way to a physically fit life.

Fitness for Busy Families: Top Tips for Sticking To Your Plan

The busy life of a typical family today leaves little room for a scheduled fitness routine.  It’s easy to make resolutions every year to hit the gym, workout every day, and live a healthier lifestyle.  However, keeping with it and actually succeeding is a different story for most people.  In order to retain any form of discipline in your daily life you have to incorporate small changes in your routine.

Don’t go overboard – No matter what fitness goals you have, it’s important to remember to start small.  If you aren’t used to exercising make sure you work up to that super intense, hour-long workout. Don’t just jump in. (By the way...that really isn't necessary. A 30 minute walk will do just fine.) 

Find something you are comfortable doing and begin there. Take that walk for 20-30 minutes, do a round of crunches, jumping jacks or push-ups, or even just run in place for a few minutes. You don’t have to start with a workout that pushes all your limits. Just start small and build up over time. This will make it easier to stick with it.

Partner up – Choose a family member or friend who will hold you accountable to stick to your fitness plan. Carve out a specific time to meet up and workout together and keep track of how far you’ve come. It’s much harder to give up when you have someone pushing you in the right direction.  Likewise, you will be helping move someone else in the right direction as well. 

Choose your likes – It will be impossible to stick with a fitness plan if you are consistently doing things you don’t like. You will lose interest in no time and go back to your old habits. Choose a workout according to the things you enjoy. Walking, running, strength training, and/or yoga are just a few areas that may spark your interest.  It will be much easier to push your limits and will keep you headed toward your fitness goals.

Take a break – It’s important to throw a lazy day or two into your fitness routine. You can’t expect to workout seven days a week without hitting burnout in a short amount of time. Take a day to just relax and regroup. Figure out your workout plan for the next week and schedule time each day to make sure you get it done. You will jump back into your workout re-energized and ready to start a new week. 

Any fitness plan needs a little bit of organization and planning in order to stick with it. As soon as you begin, the excuses will creep in, you will get busy, and your fitness goals will go right out the door.  Planning in advance, and making sure to follow some of these tips will help to avoid these excuses and set you on a path to hit and exceed the goals you’ve set. 

How Clean Are Your Cleaning Products?

We all know keeping our homes clean and sanitary is an important part of good health. I know as a wife., mother, and grandmother, I want my family to live in a clean and safe environment. Cleaning product companies know how important that is to us also. And they are happy to provide us with an arsenal of sprays and liquids and wipes to help us out. Kitchen cleaners, bathroom cleaners, floor cleaners, fabric deodorizers, air fresheners...and specialty cleaners for each of those areas. Toilet cleaner and shower for the bathroom. Oven cleaner for the kitchen. Cleaner for wood floors. A different cleaner for tiles. Window cleaner. SOOO MANY CLEANERS!!! And all of them guaranteed to get rid of dirt and germs...AND leave your home smelling fresh and clean.

And for the most part, they live up to that promise. Most homes are pretty clean. But what the makers of these products don't tell you is the impact they can be having on your health.

I first discovered the problem when my children were small. When cleaning the house would send them into an full-on asthma attack, you know something isn't right. And so I started researching the ingredients in the cleaners I was using. Imagine my surprise when I found that many of them contained toxic chemicals. Yes, some of these could cause or worsen my daughter's asthma. Others could cause everything from breast cancer to birth defects. And yet they were in the products I was encouraged to use...IN MY HOME! EVERY DAY!

Unfortunately, you can't just look at the label and avoid products with harmful chemicals. Many cleaning labels will list ingredients that make little sense to us. Companies may list anionic surfactant or they may say dish protectant. What the heck is that? I want to know exactly what's in the products I'm spraying all over my home. But it seems companies are better at listing what isn't in their product. No phosphorous, no CFCs, and no bleach are popular things to tout on a label. But if you want to know the specifics, you often have to go through customer service to get answers.

How do you clean your home and keep your family safe from harmful, toxic chemicals? Here are some tips.

1. Make your own safer cleaning products. With just a little baking soda, white vinegar, lemon oil, and water, you can get a lot of clean. There are recipes for green, safe cleaning products all over the internet. Just Google them and whip up a batch.

2. Read the labels. I know I said most companies don't fully disclose their ingredients. But if the label has words like "poison", "toxic", "caution", "warning" or "danger", it does not go in my shopping cart. And don't be fooled by vague terms. Just because it says "natural" or "eco-friendly" on the label doesn't mean it's true. Those terms, and many others, are totally unregulated. there are no standards a company has to meet to say it's cleaning products are "natural."

3. Buy fragrance-free products. Synthetic fragrances can trigger asthma and may contain hormone-disrupting chemicals.

4. Stop using "disinfectants". If your family is healthy, you don't need to regularly disinfect your house. Improper use of disinfectants can contribute to "resistant" bacteria (meaning the disinfectant won't work anymore). Plus there are studies suggesting our fascination with keeping our environments as sterile as possible may be leading to the rise in asthma, autism, and other conditions. We aren't being exposed to common everyday germs and so we do not develop an immune system that can handle them.

There are definitely times when you will want to disinfect while cleaning. But there is no need to do it every time you clean.

5. Wash your hands with plain soap and water. Antibacterial soap provides no additional benefit over plain soap.

6. Use green cleaning products. If you don't want to take the time to make your own, there are more and more companies producing safer cleaning products. Check out this article for a list of the best natural cleaning products.

Or try the one I use. Versatile enough for every room of your home, this all-purpose formula uses natural baking soda and plant-derived surfactants to remove grease, dirt and grime, from upholstery as well as hard surfaces. You can get it here.

8 Health Tips To Take Back To The Office

Here we go again! When things shut down last year, our lives got turned upside down. One day ran into the next and it seemed like the year just went on forever. We didn't have the familiar routines that are so much a part of our daily lives. Get up. Make the coffee. Feed the kids. Get them to school. Head to the office. Now our office was often in a corner of the kitchen, in a spare bedroom, or anyplace we could find some quiet...and a good internet connection...to get some work done.

But then the world started opening back up again. After a year of isolation and lockdowns, we were starting to feel normal. We started returning to our offices, leaving those home "offices" behind. Life was going to be good again.

Until the Delta variant arrived. Now all of a sudden we're hearing talk of surges and mask mandates all over again. But this time, something is absent. There is no talk of lockdowns or quarantines. People are still being encouraged to return to work.

This isn't a post on the right or wrong of how we are handling the pandemic. I'm not a political writer and so will not get into the political fisticuffs I'm seeing everywhere. I'm only interested in one thing...helping you stay as healthy as possible. 

It's hard enough to stay healthy when you sit behind a desk all day. Add a deadly pandemic to the mix and it can be scary. So now is the time to make sure you are diligent in following good health habits. The following tips will help you return to the office a smoothly and intelligently as possible.

1. Exercise. Physical activity boosts your immune system, relieves stress, and improves your mood. Check out some work-out videos on Amazon. Take a walk around your neighborhood. When you get to work, park as far away from the entrance as you can. Skip the elevator and use the stairs. Get a fitness tracker and start counting your steps. You'll be surprised how quickly they add up!

2. Eat whole, nutritious food. Instead of hitting the local drive-thru pack a healthy salad with some lean protein for lunch. And even though returning to work often means snacks in the breakroom, don't indulge in that chocolate frosted donut. Pack some nuts or veggies with hummus or a hard-boiled egg. One of my favorite snacks is slice of bell pepper with guacamole. 

3. Get enough sleep. The recommendation for most adults is 7-8 hours a night.

4. Drink plenty of water. It's important to stay hydrated. 

5. Manage any stress and anxiety. If returning to the office causes you stress or makes you anxious, try talking with management to see what can be done to make you more comfortable. If you are still stressed-out, try some relaxation techniques such as exercise or meditation, or talking about your feelings with a trusted friend or therapist.

6. Practice physical distance. But that doesn't mean you have to be socially distant. We all found ways to connect during quarantine. Keep those lines of communication open and speak to friends and family often.

7. Don't ease up on precautions. Wash your hands. Practice physical distancing. Wear a mask in crowded, indoor settings. Stay home if you feel sick.

8. Just take it one day at a time. This is a new experience for all of us. Most companies will have procedures and protocols in place to help employees return to work safely. There will likely be changes to the way things were before. Be flexible. If you are have issues or concerns, address them with your manager promptly.

This is a challenging time for all of us. But if we all do our part, try to maintain our own health, and practice simple precautions to help others stay healthy as well, we can keep our workplaces safe.