Blog

  • Mind Your Mindless Munching

    Weight Control

    Women in kitchen, writing in a journal.

    *  Calories from snacking throughout the day add up quickly.

    *  To find out how many calories you get from snacks, keep a food journal.

    *  Use a tracking tool, such as smartphone apps like MyFitness Pal.

    *  Once you see where excess calories come from, eat less and move more.

    *  Instead of snacking while watching TV, do some seated exercises, walk in place, or ride a stationary bike. Or turn off the TV and go for a walk.

    *  Do stretching exercises at your desk.

    *  Walk the perimeter of the mall.

    *  Have the coffee. Skip the doughnut. Calories Saved: 300+.

    *  Omit the large soft-pretzel and 16-ounce soda while you shop. Calories Saved: 640+.

    Page from HealthyLife Weigh book by the American Institute for Preventive Medicine. www.HealthyLife.com. All rights reserved.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • The Abcs Of Traveling With Children

    Healthy Travel

    Image of kids hanging around a camp site.

    Traveling with children can be very trying-you try to keep them from getting tired, bored, hungry, sick, or lost. Here are a few strategies to help you succeed.

    *  Make sure your child has had all immunizations required or recommended for travel.

    *  Have each child wear an identification tag that includes his or her name, plus your name and home address, phone number where you can be reached, and where you’ll be staying. In airports, add the name of your airline, flights, and departure times. The identification tag should be placed inside (not on the outside) of the child’s garments. Tell your child what to do if he or she gets lost.

    *  Take along a child-strength painkiller, motion sickness medication, cold preparations, an antibiotic, and Pedalyte (a medicine that replaces essential body minerals lost due to vomiting and diarrhea).

    *  Dress your child in loose, comfortable travel clothing and shoes.

    *  According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, all children need their own seats on airplanes and children younger than age 2 or weighing less than 40 pounds should be fastened in child restraint seats on an airplane. Parents should choose safety seats that are labeled for use on aircraft.

    *  On long automobile trips, stop every 2 hours and walk around with your child. When flying or traveling by train, take your child for a walk around the coach or cabin.

    *  Help prevent your child from getting motion sickness. Children between the ages of 2 and 12 are more prone to motion sickness than toddlers or teens.

    *  If your child will be flying unaccompanied by an adult, make arrangements with the airline for an adult to escort the child off the plane.

    *  Avoid introducing a young child to a lot of unfamiliar foods away from home.

    *  When traveling in developing countries, repeatedly remind your child about food and beverage safety.

    *  For more information on safe air travel for children, contact the FAA at 1.866.TELL.FAA (835.5322) orwww.faa.gov.

    Page image from A Year of Health Hints book by the American Institute for Preventive Medicine. www.HealthyLife.com. All rights reserved.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Seven Ways To Make Your Barbecues Healthier

    Nutrition

    Image of food on the barbecue grill.

    One of the most popular rites of summer is the outdoor cookout. Unfortunately, evidence suggests that foods cooked on a charcoal, gas, or electric grill may be hazardous to your health.

    The National Academy of Science has discovered a possible link between the grilling of food and the development of what are believed to be cancer-causing compounds. Some researchers suspect that when high-fat, high-protein foods-like hamburgers-are exposed to the intense, searing heat of barbecue cooking, the fat and protein turn into mutagens-chemicals that can damage the genetic material of cells and possibly cause cancer.

    Since the jury is still out on whether or not grilled food definitely causes cancer, it’s probably wise to reserve barbecuing for special occasions, rather than grill food regularly. Some other guidelines to reduce the potential risks from eating grilled food include:

    *  Before cooking meat or poultry (or fish, if applicable), trim away fat. And don’t baste foods to be grilled with butter or oil.

    *  Keep a spray water bottle handy to douse flare-ups.

    *  Position food well above the heat source.

    *  If noticeable amounts of fat drip and flare up as food cooks, lower the flame or move the food to another part of the grill.

    *  Cook food until it’s done, but avoid charring it. The longer food is grilled and the blacker it gets, the higher the risk.

    *  To avoid charring fish and vegetables, wrap them in aluminum foil.

    *  Many foods, like chicken, can be boiled or microwaved before grilling, to reduce fat content and grilling time.

    Page from A Year of Health Hints book by the American Institute for Preventive Medicine. www.HealthyLife.com. All rights reserved.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • 5 Reasons To Limit Alcohol

    Substance Use & Abuse

    Cocktail drink with slices of grapefruit and lime.

    Limit alcohol to lower your risk for:

    1.  Injuries from falling and operating machines

    2.  Liver and heart diseases, stroke, and high blood pressure

    3.  Cancers of the breast, mouth, throat, colon, and liver

    4.  Depression, sleep disorders, unsafe sex, alcohol abuse, and harmful alcohol and drug interactions

    5.  Motor vehicle crashes. As little as 2 drinks can impair some people’s ability to drive safely.

    Take Action: Be Social Without Alcohol

    *  Focus more on the people you are with than alcoholic drinks.

    *  Keep drinks without alcohol in your house to offer guests.

    *  Plan activities with others that do not include alcohol.

    *  Drink water. This helps you save money, too.

    Page from HealthyLife Weigh book by the American Institute for Preventive Medicine. www.HealthyLife.com. All rights reserved.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • 5 Reasons To Be Active

    Fitness

    Grandparents playing with their grandchildren.

    1.  Physical health: Regular physical activity lowers your risk of many chronic diseases.

    2.  Mental health: Doing aerobic or a mix of aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities 3 to 5 times a week for 30 to 60 minutes can:

    –  Lower your risk of depression and help treat it

    –  Help keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you age

    3.  Social health: Exercise with others to be social and build healthy relationships.

    4.  Spiritual health: Yoga and tai chi help promote a sense of inner peace and connection to your environment.

    5.  Fiscal health: Build a stronger immune system to avoid the medical costs of getting sick and having to take time off from work.

    Take Action: Be Active Weekly Guidelines

    1.  Do at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walkingOR

    2.  1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous activity, such as joggingAND

    3.  Muscle strengthening exercises using all major muscle groups on 2 or more days.

    Page from HealthyLife Weigh book by the American Institute for Preventive Medicine. www.HealthyLife.com. All rights reserved.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine