Although the aging process is inevitable, we are always still trying to find a way to slow it down. First we must be completely aware that it will happen, whether we like it or not, and simply accept it. Once that step is determined, then you can apply the following 3 tips.
1. Proper Nutrition – this is absolutely essential when it comes to prolonging our life. The many benefits of healthy eating include prevention of age-associated decline and illnesses. If you consider what overeating leads to – obesity, poor health and numerous diseases, then you understand that proper nutrition is important. Simply put, eat right and not only live longer but live a better lifestyle.
2. Keep Moving – this one is easy and one that will not only keep you healthy but help you age gracefully. Physical activities strengthen your muscles, your joints and your heart. These are the 3 main body components that decline with age. So instead of searching for the closest parking spot, park farther and walk, climb the stairs instead of the elevator and enjoy some gardening, like pulling some weeds. Get involved in physical activities with your children; your body will thank you now and in the years to come.
3. Think – Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline are all signs of aging that affect many people. Fortunately there are activities that can help with mental stimulation such as crossword puzzles, board games and more. Keeping the mind active and sharp will help you stay sharp in the golden years. Don’t vegetate, get involved in discussions, stimulate your mind by reading and challenging your mind. Your healthy mind and brain is your most valuable asset.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Entice Your Children With Veggies
Does this scenario sound familiar: dinnertime in your home is not very pleasant, perhaps it is because your child refuses to eat his/her veggies or you are trying everything in your power to make them eat their veggies. No matter which way
you look at it, it seems like a never-ending battle.
Well, fret no more..there are several ways to get your children to eat their veggies. Try these tips that have worked in our home and many of the moms I have suggested them to.
* Monkey see, monkey do – sounds like a game and that’s just fine. With toddlers you need to make eating fun and enjoyable. If they see you eating your veggies they will be more likely to try their own. Make a big deal of eating your veggies. Yes, pretend if you have to, but show your child that you really love your veggies and they will be curious and want to be like ‘mommy’ or ‘daddy’ and eat their veggies too.
* Get your children involved – Allow your children to help with the meal preparation. Little ones can help in the kitchen too. Have the little ones scrub the potatoes or carrots. Invest in safety knives and let the kids cut up veggies. If you get them involved in the kitchen, they will learn to love cooking and the bond you are building together as a family. The kids will also learn how certain foods are made and perhaps they will realize that the dreaded peas are just another bean.
* Have some fun – let’s face it, if it’s boring to look at kids will probably not like it. Have some fun and play. Create faces with your vegetables on a paper plate and let your children ‘play’ with their food, creating different faces by switching vegetables around. You’ll be amazed that they will actually eat their creations if you just ‘lighten up’.
* Add some dippers – kids love sauces and love to dip their food in sauces. For some reason kids think their food will taste better if they are allowed to dip them in sauces. Make the sauces available, such as ranch, ketchup, honey mustard and create your own too.
Crunchy vs Soft – Many times it’s not the vegetable itself that is not appealing to the child but the texture or consistency. Some kids don’t like mushy vegetables and there are some that don’t like the crunchiness of raw vegetables. If you have been offering your child a cooked version of a vegetable, and they are not receptive to it, try giving them the raw version and vice versa.
* Be creative – a trick that works in our home is steaming vegetables, then blending them and adding them to sauces, like spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce. Coming from a Spanish background, my mom taught me to blend together peppers, onions, garlic and cilantro to add to many of our foods. You can do the same and have your children eat veggies without them every knowing. (Sneaky, but it works)
* Make smoothies – I know what you are thinking, smoothies are made with fruit; but have you tried a ‘green smoothie’. At first my kiddos were not too keen on the idea of a ‘green smoothie’, but once they tried them, they were hooked. You can add spinach, kale, romaine lettuce along with fruits to sweeten and they will get loads of vitamins. I will share our favorite ‘green smoothie’ recipe so you can try it at home. I’m sure you’ll be hooked too.
* No separate meals – It’s easy to resort to feeding your little ones the foods they will eat just to make sure they are eating something. But this will give them the idea that they don’t have to eat what the rest of the family eats because mommy or daddy will make them a special meal. Make the same meal for everyone. The only exception to this rule is if your child has a certain allergy or may be a vegetarian, where a special diet is required.
* Don’t force the issue – we’ve all heard the term ‘choose your battles wisely’, you’ll soon realize that another parent very well could have made it up. Please don’t force your children to eat their vegetables. Using some of the tips I’ve provided above will help to avoid the battles.
* Consistency is key – just as it is needed in every day life, it also applies to healthy eating. Don’t give up, and continue to offer different foods to your children. We have a rule in our home, that all must follow. You must try it, taste it, chew it and swallow it and if you don’t like it after that, then you don’t have to eat it. However, we still introduce the different foods and continue to do so, because they may end up enjoying it after all.
Sometimes a battle with kids and vegetable eating can be tiresome and stressful, making it tempting to give up. Yes, children can be stubborn, but eventually they will come around and in the long run they might even thank you for sticking to your guns on this issue. Even if they don’t come out and say it, their body and healthy will definitely thank you.
you look at it, it seems like a never-ending battle.
Well, fret no more..there are several ways to get your children to eat their veggies. Try these tips that have worked in our home and many of the moms I have suggested them to.
* Monkey see, monkey do – sounds like a game and that’s just fine. With toddlers you need to make eating fun and enjoyable. If they see you eating your veggies they will be more likely to try their own. Make a big deal of eating your veggies. Yes, pretend if you have to, but show your child that you really love your veggies and they will be curious and want to be like ‘mommy’ or ‘daddy’ and eat their veggies too.
* Get your children involved – Allow your children to help with the meal preparation. Little ones can help in the kitchen too. Have the little ones scrub the potatoes or carrots. Invest in safety knives and let the kids cut up veggies. If you get them involved in the kitchen, they will learn to love cooking and the bond you are building together as a family. The kids will also learn how certain foods are made and perhaps they will realize that the dreaded peas are just another bean.
* Have some fun – let’s face it, if it’s boring to look at kids will probably not like it. Have some fun and play. Create faces with your vegetables on a paper plate and let your children ‘play’ with their food, creating different faces by switching vegetables around. You’ll be amazed that they will actually eat their creations if you just ‘lighten up’.
* Add some dippers – kids love sauces and love to dip their food in sauces. For some reason kids think their food will taste better if they are allowed to dip them in sauces. Make the sauces available, such as ranch, ketchup, honey mustard and create your own too.
Crunchy vs Soft – Many times it’s not the vegetable itself that is not appealing to the child but the texture or consistency. Some kids don’t like mushy vegetables and there are some that don’t like the crunchiness of raw vegetables. If you have been offering your child a cooked version of a vegetable, and they are not receptive to it, try giving them the raw version and vice versa.
* Be creative – a trick that works in our home is steaming vegetables, then blending them and adding them to sauces, like spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce. Coming from a Spanish background, my mom taught me to blend together peppers, onions, garlic and cilantro to add to many of our foods. You can do the same and have your children eat veggies without them every knowing. (Sneaky, but it works)
* Make smoothies – I know what you are thinking, smoothies are made with fruit; but have you tried a ‘green smoothie’. At first my kiddos were not too keen on the idea of a ‘green smoothie’, but once they tried them, they were hooked. You can add spinach, kale, romaine lettuce along with fruits to sweeten and they will get loads of vitamins. I will share our favorite ‘green smoothie’ recipe so you can try it at home. I’m sure you’ll be hooked too.
* No separate meals – It’s easy to resort to feeding your little ones the foods they will eat just to make sure they are eating something. But this will give them the idea that they don’t have to eat what the rest of the family eats because mommy or daddy will make them a special meal. Make the same meal for everyone. The only exception to this rule is if your child has a certain allergy or may be a vegetarian, where a special diet is required.
* Don’t force the issue – we’ve all heard the term ‘choose your battles wisely’, you’ll soon realize that another parent very well could have made it up. Please don’t force your children to eat their vegetables. Using some of the tips I’ve provided above will help to avoid the battles.
* Consistency is key – just as it is needed in every day life, it also applies to healthy eating. Don’t give up, and continue to offer different foods to your children. We have a rule in our home, that all must follow. You must try it, taste it, chew it and swallow it and if you don’t like it after that, then you don’t have to eat it. However, we still introduce the different foods and continue to do so, because they may end up enjoying it after all.
Sometimes a battle with kids and vegetable eating can be tiresome and stressful, making it tempting to give up. Yes, children can be stubborn, but eventually they will come around and in the long run they might even thank you for sticking to your guns on this issue. Even if they don’t come out and say it, their body and healthy will definitely thank you.
How To Lose Weight For Beginners
Have you finally decided that it is time for you to lose weight but do not know where to begin? Sometimes getting weight loss help is a little bit difficult because of all of the options available these days. There is this kind of diet and that kind of diet and there is this program and that, but it is really not as complicated as some of the companies and individuals try to make it sound. Getting enough exercise and eating the right types of foods is really all there is to it. If you are just getting started with your weight loss efforts there are a few things that you will find helpful to do.
Weigh Yourself
Before you get started with changing your diet and working on doing different exercises it will be helpful for you to set some goals for yourself. First you will want to weigh yourself and decide how much weight you would like to lose. Make sure you have a pen and notepad handy so that you can write down:
* Your starting weight,
* The weight you would like to lose, and
* Your weight loss goal for each week.
Having all of these numbers down on paper will make it more real and will give you the motivation that you need to hit these targets each week.
Kitchen Audit
Once you have your goals in mind you will want to go through your cabinets and get rid of some of the food you have been eating that is not good for you. Get rid of all of the items that are high in sugar, the soft drinks from the refrigerator, and the fatty meats that you have been eating. You will also want to stop going to fast food restaurants. When you have cleaned out the cabinets you will want to replace the food that you got rid of with things that are good for you. You want to make sure that you are eating foods that are high in fiber, low in sugar, and meats that do not have a lot of fat on them.
Exercise
Finally you will want to start an exercise routine. If you have not been exercising then you may want to start out slow by setting a time that you can walk each day. Walking will help you to exercise all of the muscles in your body and is a great way to start losing weight. Once you have been walking for a little while and feel that you are ready to kick it up a notch start doing cardio exercises and exercises that work your core muscles.
Setting goals for yourself, changing your diet, and adding in some exercises is the best way to lose weight.
This is a guest post from Myln of www.howtoloseweighthealthy.co
Weigh Yourself
Before you get started with changing your diet and working on doing different exercises it will be helpful for you to set some goals for yourself. First you will want to weigh yourself and decide how much weight you would like to lose. Make sure you have a pen and notepad handy so that you can write down:
* Your starting weight,
* The weight you would like to lose, and
* Your weight loss goal for each week.
Having all of these numbers down on paper will make it more real and will give you the motivation that you need to hit these targets each week.
Kitchen Audit
Once you have your goals in mind you will want to go through your cabinets and get rid of some of the food you have been eating that is not good for you. Get rid of all of the items that are high in sugar, the soft drinks from the refrigerator, and the fatty meats that you have been eating. You will also want to stop going to fast food restaurants. When you have cleaned out the cabinets you will want to replace the food that you got rid of with things that are good for you. You want to make sure that you are eating foods that are high in fiber, low in sugar, and meats that do not have a lot of fat on them.
Exercise
Finally you will want to start an exercise routine. If you have not been exercising then you may want to start out slow by setting a time that you can walk each day. Walking will help you to exercise all of the muscles in your body and is a great way to start losing weight. Once you have been walking for a little while and feel that you are ready to kick it up a notch start doing cardio exercises and exercises that work your core muscles.
Setting goals for yourself, changing your diet, and adding in some exercises is the best way to lose weight.
This is a guest post from Myln of www.howtoloseweighthealthy.co
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