Enjoy Joy

Stop and smell the roses. That old expression is still meaningful today — take the time to appreciate the little things around you. When you open yourself up to the good little things in life, you can be a happier, healthier person. According to a study from Yale University, people who have a cheerful outlook live an average of seven and a half years longer than the doom-and-gloom crowd. A positive attitude can help you recover more quickly after an illness, too! Be proud of yourself. There’s nothing wrong with celebrating your successes — whether you finished a big project … Continue reading →

My Healthy New Year’s Resolutions

This past year has been full of big changes for me. The biggest one was my cross-country move. I am no longer one of the primary caretakers for my grandmother — the only person I have to take care of is myself. Well, myself and the dogs. But now that it’s just me, I have to confess that I’ve gotten somewhat lazy when it comes to my own care. Here are the things I’d like to do in 2008 for better health: Walk more. Yes, I walk the dogs at least four times each day, but it’s not the same … Continue reading →

Running Your Way To A Healthy Body

Running has always been my exercise of choice. Okay, that’s not entirely true. My parents sent me to tennis lessons (I bombed). Then, I got into gymnastics, but recurrent ear infections messed with my equilibrium and I struggled to stay on the balance beam. I stunk at diving, didn’t have a pool to continue swimming, and never quite got into soccer. For me, running has always been the most convenient and affordable sport out there. You don’t need expensive equipment, and you can do it anywhere. I have completed a handful of marathons and see myself continuing to better my … Continue reading →

A Tip a Day

When I accepted the position of health blogger for Families.com, I began to think about what I wanted to accomplish and what I thought you might want to see in a blog on health. Health is a large topic and an even larger part of our lives. There is so much information available and science keeps moving forward with new studies and new information all trying to tell us how to be healthier and live better lives. Keeping track of all of this information and figuring out how to best use it can be a very daunting task. I’m not … Continue reading →

Beat Unhealthy Cravings

Being healthy involves eating healthy; of course… we all know this. However, executing your path to health plan does not come without bumps in the road. We all have cravings for something oh-so-bad for us, but when we do, there really is no need to panic as long as we try to keep the following “craving limiting strategies” in mind. Eat just a little Of your favorite foods! Every day! Yes, you read that right. By actually giving in to the foods you enjoy most every single day you will find it much easier to portion and limit the amount … Continue reading →

Reducing Wear and Tear

The older we get, the more wear and tear there is on our bodies. Feeling stiff? Weak? Weighed down? Here are some tips for reducing wear and tear and feeling young again. From stiff to limber Our daily lives conspire to make us feel stiff and rickety. Do you drive to work in the morning and home in the evening? Do you sit at a desk all day? All the non-moving stuff we do all day makes our muscles shorter. The shorter muscles and tendons get, the less range of motion you’ll have. Don’t mistake your stiffness and pain for … Continue reading →

Weird Stuff Your Body Does: Fears, Freezes, and Fright

Yoinks! Do you know why your teeth chatter when you’re cold? Do you know what causes brain freeze? Have you ever jumped when somebody scared you? Let’s look at some weird things your body does, and why your body does it. Chattering teeth — along with shaking hands and trembling legs — is your body’s way of trying to generate more heat when you’re cold. Think of it like rubbing sticks together to make fire; your body is trying to raise the temperature through movement. Shivering is also one of your body’s signals to get the antibodies moving to fight … Continue reading →

Weird Stuff Your Body Does

Ever wonder what causes hiccups? Where ear wax comes from? What is so funny about your funny bone, anyway? It is time to look at some weird things our bodies do! What is ear wax? The skin inside your ear canal is lined with glands that are similar to sweat glands, except that they produce wax. The wax coats the walls of the ear canal and helps trap dirt. Left alone, the wax (and dirt) will usually work its way out without help. Did you hear the one about your funny bone? It isn’t a bone to blame for your … Continue reading →

Catch Some Sleep!

Are you getting away with less sleep? Or are you just telling yourself you are? Whether you stay awake because you can’t get to sleep, you are a busy mom or a workaholic, getting sleep should be a top priority. Want a good reason why? This may not come as a surprise, but less sleep makes you less productive, and this cannot be remedied with extra coffee. What may come as a surprise though is that you are actually less productive even though you feel like you are getting more done Not only does sleep deprivation cut into your productivity … Continue reading →

Child Nutrition: Young Children Eat Healthier

It’s not really surprising that teenagers tend to ignore dietary guidelines, like the Food Guide Pyramid. But studies show that children start to develop insensible eating patterns much earlier, between the ages of 4 and 8 years! Basically, as children get older and have more freedom to choose their own snacks they make poorer choices and the number of servings of fruits and veggies decreases with age! As children get older, their intake of dark green vegetables should actually increase to help them with proper growth and development. Every little bit helps though; if you can get your child to … Continue reading →