Category: Healthy Body

When I think of fall cooking, only two things come to mind…Thanksgiving dinner and holiday baking.

But what about eating a little healthier during this crisp autumn season? After all, the shorter days and cooler weather tends to bring most of us indoors, which means we may consume higher calorie foods and exercise a lot less in the fall than we do in the summer.

My children play a lot of school sports, especially during the fall season.  It is so important that they keep a healthy diet and a good balance of fruit and vegetables during the colder months.  It seems as though many people enjoy their fruits and their salads during the hot summer months, but don't eat as much fruit in the fall and winter.

Fall fruits are good to eat because they are stock full of vitamins, minerals, and flavonoids. Each fruit or veggie has their own unique health benefits that will keep us healthy all season long.

Which fresh fruits and vegetables are seasonal in the fall? There are so many to choose from!

Here are some of my favorite fall superfoods:

Pears. This sweet fruit is full of fiber and also pectin, which helps lower the bad (LDL) cholesterol naturally. One medium pear contains about 6 grams of fiber, which is about 50 percent more than what you get from an apple or a cup of quinoa. The skin of a pear is full of antioxidants with anti-inflammation powers.

Add fresh pears to baked goods, eat them fresh on their own, or chop the up and toss onto salads or into oatmeal, protein shakes, yogurt or cottage cheese.

Apples. Apples contain vitamin C, fiber, flavonoids, and are also great diet food. They increase bone density and slow aging. They help in preventing a variety of diseases, like cancer and high cholesterol. They have been linked to brain cell protection, preventing Alzheimer’s. Eating an apple each day helps control osteoporosis in menopausal women.

Choose unblemished but firm apples and add them to your pies, jams, jellies and yogurts. Fuji apples have the highest amount of antioxidants.

Cranberries. These little berries are a great way to load up on vitamin C which will help fight off winter colds. The antioxidant “proanthocyanidin” which is found in the spade of the cranberry helps to reduce cholesterol, artery stiffness, inflammation, and prevent urinary tract infections. For exercise lovers, higher intakes of these little gems can improve exercise recovery. Cranberries are full of fiber and low in calories. They are good for your teeth and aid in decreasing the growth of certain cancers.

Add some fresh cranberries to salsas, yogurts, oatmeal, cottage cheese and salads. Simmer in a pan with chopped apples, orange zest and cinnamon. Make a sauce and top it over chicken or pork.

Walnuts. Fall is the perfect time for eating walnuts. They are a great source of protein and omega 3 fatty acids. They help in preventing heart disease and benefit cardiovascular system. Walnuts are good sources of fiber, magnesium, and vitamins Band E.

Add a cup of walnuts to your favorite foods or eat them alone as a snack.

Pumpkin. The alpha- and beta- in pumpkin is converted to retinol to promote healthy vision and cell growth. Pumpkin seeds are also a good source of carotenoids, fiber, and alpha-linoleic acid - an omega-3 fatty acid that may help those with heart disease, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. Pumpkin also contains a mood boosting amino acid.

Cook some with your favorite meal, or toss pumpkin seeds into your favorite yogurt or salads. Pumpkin puree can also be added to soups, pasta, breads, and pumpkin pie. Pumpkin seeds are a great nutritious snack you can take with you anywhere.

Beets. Beets are at their best during the fall season. Choose beets that are firm and smooth, making sure to trim them right away or else they will lose important nutrients, especially betaine, which helps prevent liver and heart disease, and nitrate, which helps increase blood flow to the brain and may reduce risk of dementia. Another great reason to consume beets is that they help to improve muscular endurance by allowing more oxygen and nutrients to your muscles during workouts, which generates good muscle energy production. Since beets have the highest natural sugar content of any vegetable, they help stop those cravings for sugary snacks.

Roasting beets is the best way to bring out their natural sweetness. Wrap in tinfoil and bake at 350 degrees F for about one hour, or until tender. Shredded raw beets are also great in salads and on sandwiches. Beet juice is also available for those who prefer to eat “on the go.”

Butternut Squash. One of my favorite vegetables of all time, butternut squash is packed with beta-carotene, fiber, vitamins C, B6 and magnesium. A top-heavy squash with little skin blemishes, when stored in a cool but dry place, is good for three months. High beta-carotene levels help lower LDL cholesterol, and magnesium is important for good muscle contraction.

To savor the sweet side of butternut squash, try roasting it with a little bit of butter at 400 degrees F until tender. Or, puree your squash and add it to your morning oatmeal or shake.

Not too fond of butternut squash? Try acorn squash instead. Acorn squash is full of potassium and helps prevent muscles from feeling weak or fatigued.

Sweet Potatoes. Like squash, these beautiful orange vegetables are full of beta-carotene, which promotes good eyesight and aids in vitamin A deficiency. The skin of the potato has about five grams of fiber in it. This scrumptious potato is loaded with vitamin C, calcium, and potassium, and it contains anti-inflammation properties. Make sure the sweet potato is not shriveled or doesn’t contain black spots.

Serve them hot, with melted butter or a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg. When making potato salad, substitute a sweet potato for your white potato instead.

Cauliflower. This vegetable is full of cancer-preventing properties that you may want to add cauliflower to your diet regularly. It is full of antioxidants vitamin C and manganese. To get the most out of your cauliflower, look for tightly packed florets and check that there are no yellow spots. Cauliflower can be stored on the fridge for about five days.

Look for these fall fruits and vegetables at farmers markets and in produce departments for the best flavor (and greatest value) in season. If you can’t get to a Farmer’s market, don’t fret! Frozen fruits are just as good because they are usually picked at their height of ripeness and then quickly frozen to lock in their nutrients and antioxidants.

Tip # 7: Keep pollen outside - check your shoes at the door.

Trees, grass, headaches, runny noses and itchy throats…what do they all have in common? You guessed it – allergy season!

If you are a seasonal allergy sufferer, you are a pro at dealing with itchy throats, noses, and eyes two times a year, once in the spring and again in the fall season. We allergy sufferers are up on the latest pollen and weed counts, and can’t wait for that last lawn mowing of the season so we can get a break from the sinus pressure in our heads and the puffiness under our eyes.

My three children and myself all suffer from seasonal allergies, so we have to be extremely cautious about reducing allergens in our home, especially in the spring and fall seasons.

Below are my top 20 tips for keeping allergens under control and allergy attacks at bay:

1. Watch the weather. Make notes of rainy days and pollen counts, this way you are prepared before you even leave the house in the morning. Follow the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology's National Allergy Bureau of daily pollen and mold levels in your area at www.aaaai.org/global/nab-pollen-counts.aspx.

2. If pollens count are high, skip going outdoors until later in the day when the pollen count is lower. Pollen counts usually peak between 10 am and 4 pm.

3. Wear sunglasses when heading outdoors to keep the pollen from entering your eyes.

4. Choose landscape plants carefully. Know which plants affect your allergies, and make sure those plants don’t end up planted in your front or back yard.

5. Have someone else mow your lawn. Avoid sitting on or near freshly cut grass.

6. Change the filters in your air conditioner and furnaces often.

7. Reduce the amount of pollen you track into your home by leaving your shoes at the door.

8. Wipe down pet coats and paws when pets return from outdoors, because pollen loves to stick to their fur.

9. Shower and wash your hair at night so that pollen collected throughout the day doesn’t end up in your bed or on your pillow. Pollen loves to stick to our hair too! This is a “must do” rule in our home every night!

10. On high pollen days, keep the windows and doors closed. Use your home air conditioner or an air purifier instead. When in the car, keep your windows closed. Instead, use the air conditioner on the air re-circulate setting.

11. If mold spores are the cause of your allergies, keep your home humidity level below 60%. Using a dehumidifier will help control the humidity level in your home.

12. Use your dryer to dry your clothes, not the clothesline.

13. Modify your diet during allergy season to include nutrients like antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids and also Vitamin C. Steer clear of foods that will increase your mucus content, which, in turn, stimulates the body to produce more histamines that can cause stuffy heads, sneezing, and itchy throats and eyes.

14. Pile up on the fluids. I cannot stress this enough. Drink lots of water. It clears my head out and works every time.

15. Spices like garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, and ginger added to your meals all have properties that help reduce mucus reduce inflammation. Check with a nutritionist before modifying your diet.

16. To help decrease congestion, inhale steam from a hot bath, a cup of hot water, or a humidifier.

17. Wash your nasal passages with a Neti pot and a mixture of one teaspoon of salt with two cups warm water. Don’t own a Neti pot? Just pour the salt solution into the palm of your hands and inhale the solution, one nostril at a time.

18. Massaging your sinus pressure points through massage or acupuncture can help relax the muscles, open up the sinuses and reduce your symptoms. Two great acupressure points are the point between your thumb and index finger, and the back of the skull between the ear and the neck.

19. Reduce your stress level. Health is negatively affected by high levels of stress.

20. Use green cleaning solutions and eliminate synthetic fragrances like air fresheners from your home - many traditional household products and cleaners contain ingredients that can trigger allergy attacks or make them worse.

Implementing these 20 tips can help you make great improvements in your quality of life through reduced exposure to allergens indoors and outdoors this fall season.

Flu season is already here! Hand sanitizer is part of a good defense against germs.

If you've ever used a hand sanitizer and afterwards felt like your hands were stickier and dirtier than before, don't you wonder...Is the sanitizer bad? Is the alcohol drying up in the gel? Have I used too much gel? Am I doing it wrong?

The truth is, most people don’t really know the proper way to use a hand sanitizer. And with flu season already here, knowing the proper way to use hand sanitizer is more important than you think.

Washing your hands with warm soap and water is by far the best way to prevent the spread of flu and virus germs. But really, how many times throughout our busy days do we actually have time to wash our hands? This is when hand sanitizers can be beneficial.

Alcohol-based sanitizers must contain at least 60% alcohol to be effective against germs. Squeeze enough of the product into the palm of your hands to wet them fully. Only a few drops are needed to completely cover your hands. Rub your hands together for about 20 seconds or until they are dry. Make sure when rubbing the sanitizer on your hands that you reach all surfaces of your hands, even between your fingers. The sanitizer is only effective if all the liquid is rubbed into your hands!

If soap and water is not available, and your hands are visibly dirty, you may need to wipe them with a wet wipe or towelette first before applying hand sanitizer.

If you like the idea of using a hand sanitizer for extra protection against germs, but don’t prefer to use alcohol based sanitizers, there are a few homemade recipes using essential oils that you can make. Certain essential oils can be just as effective as alcohol because of their antibacterial properties.

Try this recipe for an effective alcohol-free hand sanitizer:

Fill a small, recycled soap or hand sanitizer bottle with 2/3 water. Add one tablespoon of aloe vera gel, and ten total drops of cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, lavender lavender, thyme, rosemary and/or lemon essential oils. Fill the top of the bottle with water, and shake to mix. Spray sanitizer onto hands and rub in for ten seconds.

Because my family and I spend a lot of time in the car driving to work, going sports games and running errands, I like to keep a spray bottle mixture of castile soap and water and some wash cloths. A big fan of Thieves products, I also keep their hand sanitizer in my bag as well.

When shopping around for hand sanitizers, keep in mind the following helpful tips:

• Alcohol-based sanitizers should contain 60% alcohol. Only a few drops are needed to cover and sanitize hands.
• Sometimes hand sanitizers can sting if you have cuts or scrapes.
• If you prefer natural ingredients look for witch hazel and essential oils.
• Hand sanitizers and gels are only effective in sanitizing hands, not cleaning dirt off hands.
• Moisturize hands often when using alcohol-based sanitizers and gels.
• If you smoke, avoid lighting a cigarette after applying hand sanitizer because the alcohol content is flammable.

Finally, proper handwashing is the best way to remove dirt and germs from your hands. Hand sanitizers can remove flu and virus germs but are not 100% effective. Hand sanitizers should only be used as a supplement to hand washing.

Kids are more vulnerable to flu viruses than adults. Help them understand how to stay well this flu season.

Brace yourself! Because flu season 2015 - 2016 is just beginning and kids, the elderly and the chronically ill are more prone to becoming infected with the flu virus than you or me. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has already estimated that about 36,000 people in the United States alone will die from the flu this year. That number could increase, all depending on how many flu strains are resistant to the antiviral medications. Pretty scary stuff!

As an overprotective mother of my three children, I cannot stress the importance of educating them about the flu and what they can do to prevent it. As a nurse, I have already started taking precautions since the odds are I will be surrounded by flu and virus germs where I work.

For those that want to steer clear of this lovely virus this season, there are things that you and your family can do to prevent the flu from entering your home and attacking your family.

1. Educate your family about the flu.

The flu is a respiratory illness. It is contagious, and it is caused by influenza viruses that affect the lungs, throat, and nose. It can present a variety of symptoms, such as muscle aches, headaches, fatigue, sore throat, cough, stuffy or runny nose, and fever of 100 degrees F or higher.

The flu virus is spread through droplets of an infected person when they talk, cough, sneeze, or even touch objects and surfaces. Believe it or not, flu germs can travel about six feet away.

2. Avoid contamination.

Stay away from people that are sick. It’s an obvious tip, but sometimes it can be the hardest thing to do. Try not to come within six feet of a flu-infected person or touch things they have touched.

For that matter, don’t share drinking glasses, utensils, snacks, or other items with anyone, because the flu infected person may not show symptoms. Don’t touch surfaces that might be contaminated such as light switches, telephones, faucets, doorknobs, counters, flush handles, TV remotes and computer keyboards or mouses.

Use an antibacterial cleaner to clean high-touch surfaces where germs can be transferred from person to person – like countertops, light switches, doorknobs, computers, remotes, keys, and even refrigerator handles. Clean your kitchen sponges and towels often.

Keep your hands clean! Wash with soap and warm water for fifteen to twenty seconds and rinse well. Dry hands thoroughly after cleaning them. Wash your hands frequently throughout the day especially before and after eating; after petting animals; before and after school or school activities like recess, gym and labs; after handling cafeteria trays, touching vending machines or door handles, or disposing of trash; and always, always always after using the restroom! If you can’t wash, use a hand sanitizer or a wipe.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Stay healthy: keep hydrated so your mucus membranes stay moist. After all, the mucus keeps bacteria and germs from piling up in our bodies! Get some good sleep, manage your stress, eat a balanced diet, exercise, and drink fluids.

3. If you become infected, make the chain of infection stop with you.

Once the virus enters your body and you become infected, symptoms begin to appear within 1 to 4 days.

Keep lots of tissues available in the home. When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. After use, be sure it ends up in the garbage pail and not laying around on the countertops.

No tissue handy? Try sneezing into the fold of your arm (the inside of your elbow). Avoid sneezing into your hands.

You are contagious for 5 - 7 days after showing flu symptoms. Stay at home…you need to rest anyway.

Avoid contaminating high-touch surfaces and have someone clean these frequently while you are sick.

In closing, the risks of flu complications are serious – bronchitis, sinus or ear infection, and pneumonia. If you do become sick, take recuperation seriously. Get as much sleep as possible. Keep hydrated. Visit your doctor: antiviral medicines work best within 48 hours of the first presence of symptoms.

Do kids know about all the places they can pick up germs? Do they CARE?

The facts: Americans touch about 300 different surfaces every half hour. Eighty percent of infections are spread through hand contact. About 22 million school days are lost each year due to contagious illness.

Germs (microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses) are found in all sorts of places like your home, your car, at school and even in your office. The good news is that a majority of these pathogens are not harmful. The bad news is that the ones that are harmful are either bacterial or viral, which can cause all sorts of ailments ranging from the common cold to a potential life-threatening infection.

At school, kids are exposed to a variety of contagious germs, such as colds, flu, respiratory viruses, strep throat, hand foot and mouth disease, eczema, rashes, and many more.

Now that our “kiddies” are back at school, it’s time to face the fact that contagious germs are always present in their everyday routine. Everything from doorknobs, cell phones, desktops, and computer keyboards will all be harboring the germs we try so hard to fight. Even at home, when those germy shoes touch our welcome mats and the backpacks pile up on the countertops, the germs begin to light our homes up like a beautifully decorated tree.

Most adults are well informed on the spread of germs and the effects they have on our health and most of us know how to wash our hands and when to clean and use hand sanitizer. But do our children even know what a germ IS? Are they washing their hands properly, or at all? Do they even care about something they cannot even see with the naked eye? Unless we follow our children around all day long, we may never know the real truth.

What I do know is that if we keep educating our children at home, they have a better chance of learning how to take care of themselves. Now, where do we start?

How about with a joke about germs: “Why did the germ cross the microscope? To get to the other side!”

For the youngsters, since they love the “good guys” and dislike the “bad guys,” we can explain how germs live everywhere, on our skin, teeth, hair, pets, clothes and toys. We can talk about the bad germs and how they can make you cough and sneeze, which can spread to your family and friends. Youngsters can learn to get rid of the “bad guy germs” by washing their hands. Teach them that by washing their hands they will keep themselves healthy.

For our tween generation, there is a wonderful science experiment using hand lotion and glitter. It’s quite messy, but it shows how germs (the glitter) easily spread to all the things that you touched, and that quickly wiping your hands with a towel will get some of the germs off, but most of them stay on your hands. The experiment shows how proper handwashing removes germs easily.

No matter how old our children are, the message is the same:

Wash your hands throughout the day, especially before you eat, after you use the bathroom, after you touch animals, after you sneeze, use the phone, or play with your toys. Wash your hands also when you come home, after you play outside, or use the computer.

Wash your hands first by wetting them with water. Next put soap on your hands. While rubbing your hands together, count slowly to twenty, MAKING SURE you get the back of your hands, fingers, wrist, and fingernails. Next wet your hands to get rid of the water. Finally, dry your hands.

When washing their hands with soap and water may not be an option, teach youngsters to wipe their hands well with hand sanitizer. Kids usually find it easier to use sanitizer than washing their hands because it’s quicker and convenient in a classroom environment or during after-school activities. Throw a few bottles in the kids' backpacks and have them keep one in their locker, one in their gym bag and one in their desk. Be sure to instruct them on how to use it properly.

When tissues seem to be scarce, covering your cough or even sneezing into the crease of your elbow also helps prevent the spread of germs. Immediately washing your hands after is even better! Repetition and reinforcement on these issues may be needed for the younger generations.

If at all possible, teach your children not to touch their face, ears, or even nose that much throughout the day. Germs love to enter these access points into our bodies.

The water fountain.....Great place to refresh? OR great place to meet germs?

If there is one thing I try and teach my children, it is to WASH THEIR HANDS throughout the day. I have been a nurse for the last twenty years. Back when I was 14 years old, I was cleaning boats for a living. At 16 years old, I expanded my horizons and started cleaning homes. I have seen and cleaned many surfaces, filled with germs and bacteria of all kinds. If there is one thing I learned from all this cleaning, it is to wash my hands. And I wash them at least six times a day. After all, you never know what you are going to pick up, and when!

People don’t realize how many surfaces they actually touch, from when they wake up in the morning to when their heads hit their pillows at night. It’s more surface touching than you think! How many surfaces that you have touched throughout the day do you think are actually clean? Not too many, which is why, when it comes to my children, I need them to be educated and aware about the surfaces they touch and why they need to wash their hands throughout the day, to keep from getting sick and also to minimize the number of germs they bring home to our family.

There's a long list of places that can harbor all sorts of germs, but these are the top five places that children may be picking up germs:

1. Playgrounds. Fun for kids but playgrounds are filled with children’s oozing bodily fluids that have been spread from one monkey bar to the next. Past research shows blood, urine, mucus, and saliva have all been found on playgrounds. Kids love to wipe their eyes and put their fingers in their mouths and noses, leaving a trail of germs throughout the park. And you wonder why kids get the sniffles? To lessen those playground germs, carry wipes, soapy water in a bottle, or even hand sanitizer and wipe your children’s hands often.
2. Soap dispensers. Kids try and do the right thing after going to the bathroom by washing their hands. What they don’t know is that the soap dispenser that holds the handwashing soap may be contaminated by fecal bacteria. Because the soap dispensers are not always cleaned, bacteria tends to grow from the soap scum buildup. Plus, the bottoms of the dispenser are touched by dirty hands, which harbor all sorts of germs all day long. To lessen this mess, teach your children to scrub their hands thoroughly for about 15 seconds with warm water. Using a hand sanitizer afterwards can help as a backup. To turn off faucets, grab a paper towel and wrap it around the faucet handle.
3. Public water fountains. A germ-attracting favorite of mine! I stopped drinking from water fountains back when I was in elementary school and we tested our school water fountain for germs in science class! The spigots on these school fountains host millions of bacteria. Avoid drinking from public fountains as much as possible. Have your child bring their own beverages with them to school.
4. School cafeteria trays and desktops. I don’t know which one harbors more germs. Both places usually are not cleaned by anyone. Occasionally, the cafeteria trays are wiped down, usually with the same one damp rag that also wipes down the cafeteria countertop and each lunch table. I am not even sure the sides of the tray are ever cleaned, just the face of the tray. The trays are then placed on a surface near the trash cans. Schools, shopping centers, airplanes, buffets, and even indoor play areas for children all use trays and all harbor germs and bacteria. Lessen these germs by bringing your own food, wiping down the trays with clean, hot, soapy water and a wipe, or avoid using the tray at all. Always teach your children to wash their hands thoroughly after eating.
5. Shared condiments and school supplies. Anything “shared” can be an issue, especially for children. In public eating places, be aware of what is lurking on that ketchup bottle or napkin dispenser! Most people don’t wash their hands before sitting down to eat in public restaurants. In school, kids share pencils, crayons, glue sticks, and pencil sharpeners all the time! Have your child bring their own supplies and use them as much as possible. Teach them the “appropriate” way of not sharing their supplies. When dining out, wash your hands before eating, and with a clean wipe or soap and water, wipe down the condiments that are placed on the tables that you think you will be using.

Educating your children on germs and proper handwashing can help your whole family live healthier lives!

I hate to admit it but the only exercise I have done lately is when I am running late! Let’s face it, our lives are busy. They are consumed with a variety of places we need to be and errands we need to do. By the time we have a spare moment to ourselves, we are faced with the decision of whether to clean our messy homes or start that new exercise routine we swore we were going to accomplish sometime soon. And no matter which we decide to devote our time to, we feel guilty about not doing the other.

I say, put an end to our inner guilt and combine exercising with housecleaning! After all, short bouts of exercise can improve our fitness. All we need to do is work at a brisk pace when cleaning our homes so we can burn lots of calories.

Just crank up your favorite music, tie those tennis shoes, get out those cleaning supplies and follow these great tips:

1.  Combine lunges with vacuuming. Lunge forward to work your hips, thighs, and buttocks. Keeping your back straight, bend your knees at 90 degrees. Don’t let your knees go out farther than your toes. Alternate your legs. Switch hands every five strokes.
2. Laundry squats and lifts. When carrying the laundry basket, tone your arms by keeping them raised at a 90° angle as you carry the laundry basket. Work your legs with squats and lunges as you fold. When you are sorting the laundry basket out, hold a squat as you do it.
3. Squats and lifts can also be done when dusting the sides of the door frames. When ironing, keep the laundry basket on the floor rather than on a raised surface. This way you have to bend and stretch to reach the clothes.
4. Work shoulders and arms when washing windows, showers, scrubbing floors and mopping floors. Dust furniture in a circular motion. Use a little more force when scrubbing or wiping to increase calorie burning. For a more intense workout, scrub your floors instead of mopping them. This is great for your core muscles! As you wash the floor on your knees, hold the cloth with both hands and push your arms out in front of you. Contract your abdomen muscles each time you lean forward. As you move straight forward, lean side to side. Lunges can also be done when mopping, just be careful not to slip.
5. Worktop press ups/knee ups. While you are waiting for the kettle to boil, do standing press ups by leaning on the edge of your countertop. Before you begin, make sure the counter is dry so you do not slip. If you have time left then also try some knee ups by using the corner of the worktop.

Other things to consider:

• Don’t let things pile up at the bottom of the stairs. Take each item upstairs as soon as you need to. Use ankle and wrist weights while cleaning to challenge your muscles more.
• Sometimes fast music can increase intensity.
• Set a limit to do chores (an average time is 30 minutes).
• Pick things up by squatting.
• Stretch!
• Peeling, chopping, stirring, whisking and beating all burn more calories than heating up leftovers in a microwave oven.
• In the outdoors, gardening, weeding, digging, mowing the lawn, trimming hedges and sweeping are also great muscle toners and calorie burners.
• Squat while snacking. “Your buns will burn and binging will be swept aside,”
•  Do squats while washing your hands. The more you do this, the more it’s likely to turn into a habit.

Polishing, dusting, mopping and sweeping are great for keeping arms shapely. Bending and stretching, while making the bed, washing windows or doing laundry, are good for toning thighs and improving flexibility. Also running up and down the stairs constantly as you tidy is a good aerobic workout.

Housework is a great way to burn calories. But as is the case with any workout, the more effort you put in, the greater the benefit. Always check with your doctor first before performing any physical activities.

The new school season has officially begun!  The excitement of new teachers, new classes, and new school clothes fills the air, but unfortunately, so do the germs.  With all this talk on the news lately about the EV-D68 enterovirus affecting children, I can't help but think about what germs are lurking around school hallways, classrooms and cafeterias.  As a nurse and a mother of three, I am hoping the only thing my children bring home from school this year is homework!

Teaching your children early on about germs and showing them ways to prevent them can go a long way in keeping them healthy.  For example, hand washing.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about forty million Americans get sick each year from bacteria that is transmitted by unwashed hands, and that one out of every three people do not wash their hands after using the bathroom.

Most flu, viruses, and diarrhea can easily be prevented if people made a habit of washing their hands. It only takes about 15-17 seconds to scrub your hands with soap and water to stay healthy.

Teach your children to wash their hands with warm soap and water, especially after going to the bathroom and before eating.  Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are a good "back up" but soap and water are much better.

If possible, have your children to wipe their desks down at least once a week.

Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands and avoid contact with people that are sick.  According to the CDC, adults touch their faces about 12 times/hour.  Two year old children touch their faces 80 times/hour, and children five years of age touch their faces 60 times/hour.

Stay home if you are feeling under the weather so you don't infect others.  Some signs to look for in children are fever, cough, sneezing, vomiting, runny nose, wheezing, glassy or red eyes.  Get rest and drink plenty of fluids and see your doctor, especially if your child shows signs of wheezing.

It only takes about 2-4 hours for a virus to makes its way from a contaminated doorknob to 40%  of a tabletops objects.  Disinfect frequently touched surfaces like countertops, toys, doorknobs, light switches, computer keyboards and TV remotes.  Hydrogen peroxide in proper formulation and dilution is a powerful sanitizer and disinfectant.  Vinegar is also an effective disinfectant.  Three germ killing essential oils to add to your homemade cleaners are tea tree, thyme, and citric acid essential oils.

Use tissues once and throw them away.  Try not to reuse tissues later on by folding them up and keeping them in your pocket.

Avoid shaking hands kissing, hugging, and sharing cups or eating utensils with those who are sick.

Sneeze and cough into your elbow and not into your hands.

Teaching your children ways to reduce germs at school and taking common sense steps to reduce the risk of infection at home will help you and your family get through this new school season healthy!

Let’s face it.  Sometimes air travel can be quite uncomfortable, especially for people suffering from asthma, allergies and migraines.  The air that recirculates throughout the plane alone can make anyone sick and strong scents like perfumes, body odor, dirty seats and food smells can trigger an outbreak of some sort at any time.

A few days ago I was watching the news on television and a story was reported that was quite interesting to me.  It was about a Swiss Airline that is the first to become completely allergy-friendly.

As a mother and an allergy-sufferer myself, I think this is a wonderful idea.  Airlines and hotels need to make some greener, healthier choices for us.  As a nurse and consumer health advocate though, if a hotel or airline is calling themselves “allergy-friendly,” they need to make sure they actually are “allergy-friendly in every way to be successful.”  For example, even though airlines are not serving peanuts as snacks, are they still cooking some of the meals with peanut oil, or, is the airline completely “peanut-free?”

According to the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation (ECARF) based in Berlin, Swiss International Air Lines has now become the world’s first certified “allergy-friendly” airline.

ECARF’s advisory board has a list of criteria that hotels and airlines wanting to become allergy-friendly have to abide by.  For example, airlines need to replace peanut snacks with pretzel snacks.  The airlines also have to include beverage alternatives and offer gluten-free and lactose-free meals on their flight menus.  Pillows are stuffed with synthetic instead of down-filled materials.  Hypoallergenic, unscented soaps are used in the lavatories.  Special air filters are equipped to pull particles and animal hair downwards and out of the cabin.  Some airlines even go as far as creating buffer zones of seats around concerned passengers.

ECARF has to look at every item in the plane and take into account its allergy-friendliness, including the seats, the airline’s policies regarding peanuts and serving shellfish, and their policy for allowing pets in the cabin.

Concerning hotels, ECARF requires items like cosmetics, food, vacuum cleaners, and other products to have their allergy-friendly seal of approval on them.  Hotels also have to keep allergy-causing green plants out of guest rooms.

ECARF foundation members make unannounced checks throughout the two year period that the certification is valid.  When the certification expires, the airlines and hotels need to get recertified.

About 50 million people suffer from allergies in the United States.  Converting airlines and hotels to becoming allergy-friendly is certainly a step in the right direction but, in my opinion, it has a long way to go. It's nice to see this Swiss airline taking charge of the movement!

What do you think?  Share your opinions with us!