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How to Keep Your Kids Active and Eating Healthy

Mother and Son Having FunBetween your busy schedule, and your kids’ extracurricular activities, finding the time to exercise and eat right often times seems impossible. This was something I struggled with when I was raising my girls. I would often work long hours, and grabbing something quick and easy for dinner took a lot less effort. Working also meant that there was less time for fun and after school activities. However, I knew how important it was to keep my girls active and healthy, and I’d like to share a few helpful tips with you that I learned along the way.

First, limit their computer, television and video game usage. Gaming should be off limits during the school week, and should be limited to one hour a day on the weekends.

Second, encourage them to partake in outdoor activities. Summer time is right around the corner; make them play outside. Help them set up a lemonade stand or get them some chalk so they can decorate the drive way. Being outside is good for their mental and physical health.

Third, do family activities together. Go bowling on a rainy day or go for a family bike ride after dinner. Make exercise fun for the whole family.

Fourth, make sure to sign them up for extracurricular activities. If your city has a public pool sign them up for swimming lessons or get them on a little league team in your neighborhood. Show them that exercise can be fun and can be enjoyed with friends.

When it comes to making sure they’re eating healthy here are a few tips I found to be helpful. First, go to a local farmers market. Living in Metro Detroit I am fortunate to live near Eastern Market. Every Saturday in the spring through the fall local farmers bring in a wide variety of fresh, organic produce. My daughters really enjoyed going to the market and picking out their own fruits and veggies.

Then, have a healthy family cooking night. Letting them help prepare their dinner will make them feel more involved, and they will want to try the foods they’ve put together. Third, set a good example, if you eat well they will too. They will want to try what you’re eating.

Try and start the habit of healthy eating at a young age, and incorporate several vegetables into every meal. But also keep in mind that it’s important not to force them to eat a certain food. Have them try a couple of bites, and if they still don’t like it, let it be. I’ve found that forcing children to eat something they don’t like causes a total aversion to the food and they may be less likely to try new foods in the future. Fourth, don’t keep junk food in the house. If it’s not there they can’t eat it, this will be helpful for you too. Fifth, introduce new foods slowly. And lastly, still allow them to have treats. Balance is important, even with children. If they aren’t allowed to have a cookie every once in a while or a bag of chips they’ll go crazy the next time they’re around junk food they’ll binge. 

It’s important to start healthy eating and exercise habits young. If kids grow up living a healthy lifestyle it will be easy for them to maintain it as they get older. 

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Why Your Child Should Have Well Visits with the Doctor

Pediatrician Doctor Examining Little Girl Ears.When our children are babies, they have a lot of doctor’s visits. It’s all part of the process of keeping them healthy. As our children grow older, the doctor’s visits happen less often. It’s important, though, to have your child visit their pediatrician at least once per year even when they are healthy.

First, it helps you and the doctor keep an eye on your child’s growth to make sure everything is progressing as expected. These well visits help the doctor understand what “normal” baseline health is for your child. That way, if your child becomes ill or shows certain symptoms, the doctor is better able to recognize the change in your child’s appearance or behavior.

Well visits are also a wonderful opportunity to build a relationship with your pediatrician. When they see you regularly, they more easily recognize you and your child if something comes up. Also, they may be able to better answer a question over the phone if they have seen you in the office recently.

Building a history with your child’s doctor also means that when you need to get a copy of your child’s records for school or to sign them up for a sport, you will feel confident that your child’s file is complete and up-to-date.

Also, as your child gets older, it is often appropriate for your doctor and your child to have private conversations without you present.  They might discuss sexual activity, bullying, depression and other subjects that your child might not want to talk about with you.  If your child is seeing their pediatrician regularly, they will feel more comfortable when these private conversations need to occur.

There are many benefits to scheduling a yearly well visit with your child’s doctor, so why not call them today and schedule your child’s next appointment?

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Signs of Depression in Senior Citizens

Sad senior woman Yesterday we completed another successful webinar on assisted living. Thank you so much for continuing to tune in! During the webinar, we received many excellent questions. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we were unable to answer them all. I wanted to take the time to answer one question that I found to be particularly important:

What are some warning signs of depression in the elderly, and what do I do if I think my senior is depressed?

Depression is extremely common in senior citizens and the elderly comprise a disproportionately large amount of the population who commit suicide each year. Looking for certain signs in your loved ones can be the key to helping them feel better and to get their mental health back on track.

First, it is often counter productive to ask anyone if they are depressed. The word depression can have a certain stigma to it. Therefore, I find it better to ask about changes in their interests or their daily routine. As my father aged, I began to notice that he was not himself. He was not sleeping well, his personality had changed slightly, and his appetite had decreased. I recognized these as obvious signs of depression in my normally positive and full-of-life father. However, my dad was a proud man who was used to helping others and had difficulty accepting help for himself. When his doctor asked him if he was depressed, my dad quickly denied it. We found a doctor who understood how difficult the aging process can be, and he asked my dad a different set of questions to determine that my father was indeed showing signs of depression. After my dad was put on mild mood stabilizing medication, he quickly returned to his old self.

It is essential to be an advocate for your senior and pay attention to changes in their mood and behavior, whether they are big or small. Signs that the senior citizen in your life may be depressed might include: fatigue, inability to concentrate, decreased memory or confusion, loss of interest, weight loss or loss of appetite, increased pain or discomfort, sleep disturbances, social isolation, loss of self-worth and talk of suicide. Listen to your senior’s complaints and make note of any changes you see in their behavior.

If you have seen any of these symptoms in your senior or loved one, it is time to get them help. You should take them to a doctor, who might prescribe a low dose anti-depressant.

If your senior is down, but not clinically depressed, there are plenty of ways to help boost their mood. If your senior is physically able, they can volunteer at a local animal shelter or help an elderly neighbor who may need a little more assistance to help them feel useful. You can also suggest that your senior get a pet. Having a pet to look after will keep them company and help them to get exercise, which is an additional mood booster. Many seniors are lonely or bored. Remind them they are loved with pictures of family and frequent visits and phone calls. Keeping your senior busy will be the best thing for their mind and body.

Depression in senior citizens can be detrimental to their health and well being. But these simple tips can help you take good care of your loved ones.

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