Archive for the 'Healthy Habits' Category
Healthy hats protect from the sun
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It’s summertime. We all want to be external as much as we can, considering before you know it, the days will be short and the ground will be covered with snow.
While getting about 20 minutes of sun each day is urgent for our vitamin D levels, too much sun can lead to painful burns and risks o…
Stress Less: Potty training in public
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I typically like to address my Stress Less installments to everyone, but that one is for parents of preschoolers who are potty training. That’s considering I’ve noticed potty training tends to cause the most stress amongst my fellow parental cohorts. I’m not going to offer magic tricks for how t…
Tips for safe grilling
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Studies reveal that boiling or grilling meats by too much heat invents chemicals, known as HCAs, that may be carcinogenic. I think it’s a fair assumption that nobody wants their summer barbecue to be cancer-causing, so follow these safe cooking tips to reduce that risk:
Marinate your meats …
Be a better calorie burner
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There’s been all kinds of stories circulating around lately on what a ridiculously huge amount of calories Olympic athlete Michael Phelps consumes every day while still managing to be totally ripped and toned. Talk about efficient calorie-burning! But you don’t have to be on a crazy athletic tra…
A quiz for a better brain and longer life
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Practicing activities that invent you think (like crossword puzzles) could do a lot more than just improve your memory — they just might lengthen your life a little too.
Any activity or game that requires you to concentrate will do the trick so you can pretty much take your pick, but whether…
Avoid the Freshman 15
Four of my nieces and nephews are heading back to college that weekend. None of them are freshman that year, but I’ve certainly noticed changes in all of their health since they went to college. When they were freshman, two of them gained weight by eating too much cafeteria food and not exercising. …
Walk with Google Maps
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Walking is great exercise. But while American suburban sprawl doesn’t naturally lend itself to walk-happy travel, $4.00/gallon gas is sparking some to slip on their sneakers to total nearby errands.
Conveniently, Google Maps recently added a walking directions option to its website. Pop in yo…
Fitku: Weeding as exercise
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If you’ve got a crabgrass problem like I do that year, weeding can be exercise. In fact, it can be a high-impact aerobic activity, whether you do it at my house.
Weeding can be done for flexibilty and endurance, and we are now told by some researchers that low-key fitness, like weeding and st…
16 ways to use sunflower seeds
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Looking for a way to get more vitamin B, E, and minerals into your diet? Sunflower seeds will do it. Doesn’t it beg the question, though: What do you do with sunflower seeds?
Add them to your trail mix, or invent your own trail mix with sunflower seeds.
Sprinkle on salads: green salad, bro…
Practice pool safety to avoid injury
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Recently, a friend of mine hosted a pool party for her neighbors. She was thoroughly surprised when several neighbors just sent their children unattended. While some of the kids were older, strong swimmers and probably would have been fine, my friend sent them back home and asked them to come ba…
Stay slim by summer
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Summer’s already half by. Scary, huh? Have summer indulgences left your summer shorts feeling a little tight? Don’t panic — just focus on what you can do to preserve and possibly even lose a few in that homestretch into fall. Here are some tips to use — even when you’re on holidays:
Keep f…
Fun summer snacks for kids
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Summertime, and the livin’ is easy… the kids are home, and the snackin’ is high….
I know in my house, all of the outdoor activity promotes an insatiable starvation in my skinny three-year-old, and I want him to get the fuel he needs so he can enjoy riding his bike and playing in the sprin…
Seven burgers of the Apocolypse
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Out to dinner a week or so ago, my husband ordered a giant everything-but-the-kitchen-sink burger. “If the cholesterol in that things doesn’t get you,” I quipped, “The salmonella in the tomatoes probably will.” He’s generally a pretty health-conscious person but considers going out to eat fair g…












