Kids Healthy Habits

There are lots of little things adults can do every day to instill good habits in kids. Physical • Exercise regularly as a family and make it fun! Go for evening walks in the park, take advantage of open swim days at the gym, and ride bikes together. • Eat a healthy diet. Start early with introducing a rainbow of produce and minimizing sugary snacks. Mental • Maintain – and reflect – a positive outlook. Kids mirror what they hear and see, so use positive reinforcement and praise appropriately. Celebrate your successes as well as theirs. • Keep screen time to a minimum. Sedentary behavior is known to increases risks for obesity and cardiovascular disease, and it’s not conducive to positive social or mental growth either. Set a daily limit for smartphone usage and stick to it. • Read every day. Incorporate this habit into playtime or bedtime routines to help build self-esteem and success later in life. Social • Encourage kids to explore a myriad of activities to find one (or more!) they really enjoy. Whether singing in a choir, playing soccer, taking language lessons, or volunteering with a youth group, kids will meet others with similar interests while also developing their self-identity. • Eat dinner as a family and use this opportunity to maintain open lines of communication with everyone around the table.

Computer Pain

If you spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer, you may be experiencing fatigue, as well as aches and pains in your neck, back, shoulders, eyes, wrists, and legs. Relieve the discomfort by following these tips: STEP #1: Give your body support to avoid aches and pains: • Invest in a good lumbar chair and adjust it so your feet rest comfortably on the floor. Press your bottom against the back of the chair and use a lumbar cushion that causes your lower back to arch slightly. Keep your knees in line with your hips or raised slightly above them. Never slump or slouch forward. • Sit close to the desk so your upper arms are parallel to your spine and your elbows are at a 90-degree angle to the keyboard. Put the mouse close to the keyboard to keep your arm from being fully extended. Give your wrists proper support so they rest in a neutral position. • Place the monitor so your gaze is aimed at the center of the screen, which should be 15 to 25 inches away from your eyes. STEP #2: Move regularly to avoid stiffness and eye strain: • Stand, stretch, and walk at least a minute or two every half hour. To stretch, reach both arms above your head. Grasp each elbow and lean gently to each side and feel the side of your body release tension. • Avoid “computer vision syndrome” (headaches and eye strain are symptoms) by using the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds. STEP #3: Stay hydrated and nourished to avoid fatigue: • Drink water (or other fluids) to flush out some of the mineral build-up that occurs in inactive muscles. • Eat healthy snacks like fruit and nuts at your desk to maintain your energy and productivity.

Find More Success at the Dr. Office

Going to the doctor can be a bit stressful, even if the reason for your visit is as simple as an annual check-up. It’s easy to become flustered once you’re in an exam room, and the questions you may have had in mind to ask your doctor can quickly disappear. You can make your next appointment a stress-free success with a bit of preparation. Try these tips: • Take notes: If you’re having specific symptoms, keep a journal of the day-to-day changes. Add details like what you eat, what time, changes in mood or appetite, as any little detail might be important. If you’re taking medications, include those as well so your doctor is fully informed. Make notes, too, of questions you have for your doctor – your visit is a two-way conversation and you want to maximize both your own time and your doctor’s. • Timing is everything: Delays at the doctor’s office can increase feelings of anxiety and nervousness. If you can, make appointments first thing in the morning. That could help you avoid the inevitable delays as doctors see other patients and appointment times run over. Try to make sure your day is as free as possible so you don’t stress about your next task if you end up waiting. • Be honest: Not being entirely honest or withholding information from your doctor can be a detriment to you and your health. Remember: your doctor is there to help you. If you find you have a hard time actually saying something you’re embarrassed about–try practicing it out loud in a mirror before your appointment. • Be flexible: You may have a specific treatment in mind when you go into your appointment, but your doctor is a professional. It’s a good idea to at least listen to all the options.

Torchlight

The Alaska Airlines Seafair Torchlight Parade is returning for the second year to the Seattle Waterfront on Saturday July 25th at 7:30pm to 10:30pm. Mariner’s broadcast legend Rick Rizzs will host as Grand Marshall. Enjoy dazzling floats, dragon dancers, marching bands, equestrian units, and giant helium balloons. There are highly accessible general admission sections along the waterfront, or you can pay for premium grandstand seating in the TV Zone. Before the Torchlight Parade you can enter the Kaiser Permanente Seafair Torchlight 5K Run/Walk on the waterfront at 6:00pm. Thousands of participants will be lacing up their sneakers for an unforgettable evening. All ages and abilities will take part in one of Seattle’s summer traditions. Enjoy the stunning backdrop of the newly revitalized Seattle Waterfront and the spirit of Seafair!

Design Your Home for Simplicity

With home decor, the word “simplicity” may conjure images of starkly modern interiors with hard, polished surfaces and not much in the way of color. But simplicity can be a part of any design aesthetic—it’s just about the idea that “less is more.” First–clear the clutter. Clutter makes it difficult to focus, as your attention bounces around and can actually make you feel stressed. Next–ask yourself what the purpose of the room is. If it’s to relax in front the TV, start removing items that don’t add to that purpose. If it’s to sleep, maybe remove the TV and any other distracting items. Keep editing! Look at each item and remove any that don’t have a purpose. This clears floor space for ease of movement and helps you choose a few statement pieces that don’t compete with one another. So why choose simplicity? Rooms that incorporate simplicity feel more open, which can reduce stress and encourage relaxation. Spaces that are less cluttered are easier to clean, too, which means you spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying the room. An organized home also means sudden house guests don’t cause cleaning anxiety.

Dr. Visits

Skilled physicians and modern medicine can do wonders for your health, but it’s also important to remember that you are the ultimate decision maker when it comes to caring for your body. While it’s often a good idea to heed your doctor’s advice, it’s also important to listen to yourself. In these situations, the best medicine may be your own intuition. Problem: Your doctor suggests a diagnosis or treatment and you don’t feel completely confident about it. Solution: Seek a second opinion. Sometimes someone who hasn’t been invested in your particular medical situation will have a different idea on how to deal with your situation. Additionally, sometimes medical tests come back as false positives, and you reserve the right to be completely sure that what you are being told is an accurate representation of what your medical situation is. Problem: Your doctor orders several screening tests “just to be sure.” Solution: While many tests can help pinpoint a medical malady, they can also lead to costly and unnecessary diagnostic testing. Ask what tests are specifically important for you to undergo and why. Problem: Your doctor prescribes a myriad of pills. Solution: If your physician hands you a stack of prescriptions, make sure you understand what each and every one does – and what the consequences could be of taking them together. You may have other ways to manage pain (like stretching or exercise), for instance, and find you don’t need to take painkillers every day.

Bottled Water

You’ve likely heard that bottled water has major environmental consequences, but how bad is the problem? Here are a few facts from thewaterproject.org that illustrate the severity of the situation: • Approximately 80% of single-use water bottles in the U.S. become “litter,” and one bottle takes more than 1,000 years to bio-degrade. • U.S. landfills have two million tons of discarded water bottles in them. • It takes three liters of water to package one liter of bottled water. In response to the bottled water problem, some cities and businesses have banned it, but what can you do? • Skip the single-use water bottle, and invest in a reusable water bottle. If you forget it, buy multiples to keep in vehicles, the office, and your gym bag. • Drink tap water. Several studies have been done to show municipal tap water is usually just as safe as bottled water. • Refrigerate water. Cooling tap water helps remove the chlorine taste many people feel is in tap water. • Boil water if you are concerned water might be contaminated.