Flu Season
Around here, flu season has hit pretty hard. I’ve spent the past two weeks fighting it myself, even though I always take good precautions to avoid being infected.
This is probably an airborne virus, though, and with people hacking and sneezing all around, it’s really hard to avoid. There are some ways to help, though.
- Handwashing! Yes, you’ve heard this before and you’ll hear it again. Wash your hand frequently, especially when you’re out in public and touching things a lot of other people have touched.
- Nutrition! Take your vitamins and eat properly so your body can fight off those bugs more effectively.
- Hydration! Drink plenty of water, tea, and juices. Your body is made up of liquids for the most part, so feed that part of your system to keep the bad stuff flushed out.
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Water activities
While it may seem like it’s too cold to think about swimming, keep in mind that many towns have indoor swimming pools at sports clubs, gyms, and colleges or universities. Swimming is wonderful exercise. It’s low-impact and gives your body a good cardio workout.
My sister belongs to a group who take to the indoor heated pool at a local college about 3 times a week. They go through a variety of in-water exercises to help them maintain their health and strength.
You may have kids who are even interested in being part of a water sports team, such as water polo. This can be an excellent way for them to socialize while also benefitting their health. To further encourage them in the sport, you might want to acquire some water polo gifts as rewards. I always figured tangible rewards are an excellent way to further encourage kids to stick with a program.
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Aging gracefully
I'm not sure, but I don't think grace has anything to do with aging. I'm well past the half-century mark now, and sometimes I think my joint will actually seize up and stop moving.
Years ago, as a teenager, I rode horses a lot. I had a few accidents on them, too. That has left me with a knee that one doctor described as one looking like a football player's knee. From time to time, I think I need a genutrain brace on it just to keep moving at my job. Still, I just keep plugging away, keeping as active as possible for as long as possible.
Labels: Health
Beauty fades
I know beauty isn't everything, that it's only skin deep, and that it's in the eye of the beholder. However, I had thought to present to you a lesson on how to make your eyelashes grow and perhaps include some skin health tips as well.
Something has happened with the site I planned to share with you, though, and there's nothing there anymore!
I'll keep researching, though, until I find something more suitable than a blank blog...lol.
Labels: Health
Spine damage
Drink your milk! I wish someone had told my dear mother that. Or, maybe they did and she just didn't listen. I don't know. I do know she has severe osteoporosis. She fell a couple of weeks ago and wound up with a compression fracture in her back that has caused her a lot of pain.
She has other issues as well, so the doctor is trying to alleviate those first. Then, the doctor will see if she is a candidate for laser spine surgery to correct the fracture, or if it's something they are just going to allow to heal on its own.
Labels: Health
Quitting smoking now...
Smoking is dangerous. We all know that. It affects not only your health but the health of those around you. It's just so darned hard to quit!
Smokers know all the facts. They know they can save money. They know they can improve their health. They know they can smell better. They know food tastes better. They know all this already. Nagging them about it is not help at all.
But, when a smoker quits smoking, what's the payoff, other than the obvious? Well, for one thing, there is life insurance for smokers who have quit. Smokers get a bad rap; they probably deserve most of it. But once they've quit this addictive habit, they should receive some rewards, don't you think?
Labels: Health
Quitting smoking
There are still a lot of folks who smoke cigarettes, even with all the health issues. It's not easy to stop, regardless of health concerns or even budget issues. However, at least there is a little help in that area now.
While many have stopped smoking by sheer will, use of gums or patches, or prescription medicines, many places are now offering e cigarettes to help those who want to quit smoking. They wind up being less expensive than cigarettes, can be "smoked" anywhere -- even indoors -- and offer an alternative choice.
I truly hope you don't smoke, but if you do, then do yourself a favor (and your family) and check these out for yourself.
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Nutrition lessons
It has been a long winter, and I bet a lot of kids (and adults) have been inside doing not much of anything these past few months. Well, PBS can help you get your nutritional start with Nutrition Lesson Plans.
These are fun plans that could lead you away from diet pills and toward a more healthful lifestyle. These are on the elementary school level and incorporate cross-curricular activities such as the human body, cooking, literacy, math, and writing.
Most of them are fairly short and include downloadable printable worksheets and a full PDF of the lesson plan. They are organized for you so you can simply download, print, and implement.
Labels: Health
Rewarding hard work
Even if there is snow on the ground in your area, as there is in mine, Springtime is on the way. With spring comes the teams of summer sports and the busy-ness that accompanies taking kids to and from practice, attending events, and picture taking.
Even homeschoolers can participate in local sports. Many communities allow kids from any school situation to join teams. There are also many homeschool and church teams organized around the country so homeschool kids have an opportunity to participate that way and even play against other local teams.
Naturally, along with the uniforms and sports equipment teams may provide at a reasonable cost, there are sport trophies to think about for end-of-season playoffs. Everyone works for rewards. My reward is my paycheck and regular pay raises. A kid's reward is a trophy or plaque when his team wins or places highly.
There is nothing wrong with rewarding hard work.
Labels: Health
Dealing with holiday foods
After so many food related holidays, some of you are probably going to start looking for diets that work to add to your New Year's Resolutions.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and even New Year's are well known for the feasts that accompany the celebrations. Of course, not overindulging would be the easiest way to prevent weight gain. But, when you are part of a lot of family gatherings, work related dinners, and outings with friends, even the most careful eater may find themselves consuming more than they intended.
One thing you can do is pace yourself. Also, maintain good portion control. If you have more than one event to attend, perhaps eating a small main course at one then eating only a small dessert at another would be an option.
Make sure you are keeping up with an exercise program, even if all you are doing is walking 30 minutes a day. Regular exercise, even when it's moderate exercise, works wonders toward burning calories.
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Skin health lesson
I'm sure you all know how important it is to keep skin clean and avoid prolonged exposure to the sun. To help your homeschooled child understand the reasons behind these precautions, a Skin Lesson might be in order. This short lesson will focus on the functions of the skin and how to keep skin and hair healthy.
It includes a Power Point presentation as well as a worksheet to help your student better understand skin health. Using it will help your child learn the importance of cleanliness, products such as the best acne face wash, and gives vocabulary words to be studied. It's geared toward children in grade 6 and can be completed in one class period.
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Dry winter air
It's the time of the year when we are going to start seeing a lot more sick folks. Do germs migrate in with colder weather? I don't think so.
I think the germs are here all along, but because we are staying inside more with not enough fresh air, the germs have a chance to really incubate. Add the heated air and humidifiers that help make breathing easier in the dry winter months, and you've got a recipe for illness.
Skin suffers, too. Heated air in the winter is drier than summer air. This is why we keep some kind of apparatus for humidity going. Too bad it's not as easy as click here to get the right balance of moisture in the air. Sometimes I put coffee can of water on my heater to help bring up the moisture levels in my home.
Seems that no matter what, though, either we are incubating bacteria or we are suffering from dry skin and nasal passages. Where's the balance?
Labels: Health
Healthy skin
There is so much information out there about keeping your skin safe from the harmful effects of the sun, that I won't go into that here. However, there are lessons and posters about The Skin You're In which teach not only about protecting your skin from the sun but also about acne and other skin problems. These materials are provided free online as PDFs so you can download and use them in your homeschool classroom.
Besides the lesson themselves, which may cover everything from the structure of the skin to eye creams that work, there is also a poster to be downloaded that you can post in your learning area.
There is also a contest you can enter and a Family Quiz your family can take to see just how knowledgeable you are.
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Physical education - weight loss
There are those of us who need to drop a few pounds. Sometimes, even our children would benefit from a good weight management program. This site gives you all the support you need including PowerPoint presentations, student manual, lessons, instructor's guide, facilitator's guide, and fat burner exercises to do.
This plan also teaches about nutrition and offers posters and other support materials to help you be successful. Even if you or your child don't have a weight problem, this could be very useful as a wellness and fitness study for the homeschool family.
Labels: Free stuff, Health
Unit study resource - physical education
Even though cold weather is upon us, the need for good resources for physical fitness has not ended for the school year. Upon looking, I found that the Physical Education resources page of Teacher Vision gives an ample list of cross-curricular resources. I imagine it would be hard to even use all of them, there are so many!
These resources would be wonderful compiled into a unit study that covers not only the health aspect, but also History, Science, Social Studies, Math, and Language Arts. The child who is very active in sports of any kind would be highly engaged by a unit of this kind.
It even includes resources about the Olympic Games, hgh releaser issues, famous athletes who inspire others, and lesson plans, quizzes, and printables.
What more can you ask of a unit study resource site?
Labels: Health, Unit Studies
Sports
If you don't already belong to a homeschool support group, I suggest you seek one out in your area. These groups can offer you inroads to a lot of activities your family might not be able to access otherwise.
For instance, sports. Your child might be very interested in sports and athletics, but without a team it's pretty hard to play. Homeschool groups often offer an opportunity to be a part of a sports team that plays against other homeschool teams or even public school teams.
If your child is undersized, you may be introduced to hgh sprays. It's up to you, of course, whether you allow your child to use them.
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Helping myself to better health
I have been sick a couple of days and am self-treating the illness. It's really just a fall bug that's been going around at work and in the schools. Nothing too serious but it takes you out for a couple of days.
I've been resting and drinking lots of water. I've also been taking my cold-fighting vitamins - C, echinacea, and zinc. Every so often I fix myself a cup of hot tea made with a regular tea bag plus some dried mint. I sweeten it with honey, a known antibacterial agent.
No, I'm not a doctor. I just believe that God put things in the earth and in our bodies to help us, and that we don't need a lot of artificial stuff in our systems in order to get better. Sure, if I developed a serious illness like pneumonia or cancer, I'd want a doctor to help me. But this other stuff, I can take care of on my own.
The key is to encourage your own body to heal itself. For instance carnitine fumarate is produced by the body to help with weight loss and energy levels. But, you may need to ingest something to get it kick started. Also, if you have seasonal allergies, maybe taking some locally produced honey will help with that. The bees use local flowers of all kinds and pass along a little immunity for us in the process.
Another way to help with allergies is to use locally produced goat milk. Goats eat all kinds of vegetation, even poison ivy! Drinking that milk can help relieve you of some of the worries associated with allergic reactions to plants.
Labels: Health
Flu season
Is it already flu season, or is it just me? I saw in the local paper that they are giving flu shots to the kids in the public schools. Last year, they had so much absenteeism due to the illness that I guess this year, they are trying to head that off. I truly hope this is done only with parental agreement. Nothing was mentioned in the article about that.
Even where I work, there have been a lot of call-ins already because of flu-like symptoms ranging from head and chest difficulties to gut problems, if you get my drift. While we don't want sick people showing up at work, it sure makes it hard on the rest of us when we are operating with a short crew.
So now, I'm thinking, I already take vitamins to help ward off illnesses that come around this time of the year. Even when I get feeling a bit puny, the vitamins help me recuperate a lot faster. I wonder if there are any additional benefits of flax seed as far as the immune system is concerned? As I get older, I find I need more nutritional support to keep from catching everything I'm exposed to at work!
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Drug dependency
This is a difficult topic to talk about, but it really needs to be talked about with your children at some point. Someday, someone is going to offer your child hard drugs, and without the proper information and plenty of education, even your child could succumb to the temptation. Hiding this knowledge from them does them no service.
Recently, two friends of mine passed away. One due directly to her drug use. The other, indirectly. Her "boyfriend" killed her while they were both under the influence of hard drugs. Both these women had gone beyond the point where anyone could talk them out of their drug habits or help them even to submit themselves to a detox program.
Both women left children and loved ones behind who grieved the loss greatly. If they would have submitted to a rapid opiate detox program, perhaps both of them would still be alive now. This procedure could be the answer for those who sincerely desire to rid themselves of addictions. Perhaps they've tried other programs and slipped back into drug dependency, or they just don't have the personal fortitude to go through the withdrawals and other issues associated with cessation of drugs.
Whatever the reason, had my friends gone through a program such as this one, we might still have them among us. Rapid detox is usually performed under sedation to ease the withdrawals. It blocks the part of the brain where opiate dependency resides. This method is done under a doctor's care while vital signs are watched. What does it cost? What does it matter? How much is a life worth?
Labels: Health
Lacking energy
Maybe it's the humidity. I don't know. I just know that my energy level is very low lately. I'm thinking I should visit the doctor and have my thyroid checked. Mom and Sis both take meds for low thyroid, so this is probably something I'll have to deal with as well.
I do take vitamins, when I remember. I sometimes think I should take a prenatal multivitamin even though I'm not pregnant. I remember when I was younger, taking those and I felt so good. My hair and nails did better, I had lots of energy. Of course, perhaps the keyword here is "younger"!
Labels: Health
