Healthy isn?t something you are or aren?t. It?s a hundred little things: eating a banana, walking in the park, putting a bandage on a boo-boo, playing tag, reading up on ways to keep you and your family well and safe. It?s a balance between living well and taking care, and you can start right where you are.
A blog by Christina Elston
Healthy isn't something you are or aren't. It's a hundred little things: eating a banana, walking in the park, putting a bandage on a boo-boo, playing tag, reading up on ways to keep you and your family well and safe. It's a balance between living well and taking care, and you can start right where you are.
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From the Wire - December 1

Holiday Survival Tips

If you’re feeling less than jolly this holiday season, you’re likely not alone. And this year the country’s economic woes add to the usual stress of shopping, scheduling, and lots of togetherness. Here are some tips from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine to dial down your holiday blues.

 

  1. Identify what triggers your emotions – a thoughtless comment, memories of a departed loved one – so you can respond appropriately.
  2. Lower your expectations. Holidays don’t have to be perfect.
  3. Start with yourself. You can’t control what others do, but you can control how you react.
  4. Replace “should” and “have to” with “might” and “here’s what I want to do” this season.
  5. Remember, this will all be over in January.

Media Impacts Kids’ Health

The greater a child’s exposure to TV, video games, the Internet and other media, the more likely that child will use tobacco, be sexually promiscuous, have ADHD, be obese, struggle in school, and use alcohol or drugs according research that examined 30 years of studies on media and health. 80% of these studies linked media exposure and negative health effects, according to researchers from Yale University School of Medicine and California Pacific Medical Center. The strongest link was between increased screen time and obesity, and researchers recommended that parents limit media and screen kids’ media choices.

Healthy Gifts For the Holidays

So maybe a video game isn’t the healthiest gift you can give this season? Caroline Richardson, M.D., of University of Michigan Medical School suggests that this year families consider gifts that promote healthy eating, physical activity and stress reduction. Olive oil and vinegar (think gourmet!), for example, might lead to more salad in the diet. Comfortable walking shoes, a pedometer, or signing someone up to receive e-mail from walking.about.com could help them stick to their fitness plan. And video games like the WiiFit or Dance Dance Revolution might get your favorite kids moving. For stress reduction, think tea or soothing music, or maybe yoga classes. 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 at 12:19 am and is filed under From the Wire. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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