Posted on Thursday, August 4, 2016

My Greece Vacation

I just returned from an amazing trip to Greece. On my vacation, I traveled to Athens, Mykonos, Santorini and Crete with several wonderful girlfriends who regularly travel together.

Although I had a fantastic time once I was in Greece, it was extremely difficult for me to make the decision to go on an extended vacation abroad. It’s always difficult to leave daily life, work and children behind. I struggled with the idea of being away from my business and in a different country than my daughters. My friends convinced me that the trip was a necessity, and now I know they were right! I needed the trip to relax, unwind and enjoy myself. My daughters were fine and my business was still standing upon my return home.

Vacations are so important for your personal health and well-being! People forget the importance of getting away from the daily grind. In 2014 in the United States, employees only used 51% of their vacation time and 15% of people didn’t take any time off at all. Recently, some employers have started to encourage their employees to take vacations given the many health and workplace benefits.

Vacations are good for you — they increase your productivity and they reduce your stress. Vacations allow you to unwind, recuperate, and feel healthier. People even have a reduction in cholesterol after a vacation and feel more satisfied with their lives in general after a vacation.

Given all the perks of vacations, where are you going this summer?

For more healthcare tips for you and your family, check out my workbook for dealing with caring for your children, as well as your aging parents: Life in the Sandwich Generation. Life in the Sandwich Generation is a workbook filled with information, tips and tricks for managing the demands needing to care for your aging parents, as well as taking care of your children. It details how you can involve your children in the process and how to learn more about your parents health and finances, while still making time for yourself and your spouse. You can find it here for only $10!

Posted on Monday, August 1, 2016

Eight Benefits of Breastfeeding For You and Your Baby

August is National Breastfeeding feeding month. In order to celebrate we will be discussing everything you need to know about breastfeeding throughout the whole month. Today, we will be talking about the benefits of breastfeeding for you and your baby.

Breastfeeding can help boost your newborn’s immune system. Breast milk is chock full of proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. These components help reduce the incidence of illnesses such as diarrhea, colds and the flu. Breastfed babies have less trips to the hospital than formula-fed infants.

Breastfed babies also have a lower risk of developing allergies. Breast milk contains specific immunoglobulins that boost their immunity, preventing allergies from setting in.

Breastfeeding can decrease your child’s risk of becoming obese. Children who are breastfed are better at determining when they are full. Also, infant formula is filled with insulin, which increases fat gain, which can lead to obesity later in life.

Breastfed babies have a tendency to be whiz kids. Breast milk contains choline, which increases brain cells. All of the nutrients found in breast milk can also help the brain to develop quicker.

Breast milk is unique as it customizes to your baby’s needs. Right after delivery colostrum, aka pre-milk, comes in. Colostrum is full of antibodies to help boost your newborns immune system. It also has a high protein content to help baby stay full and to keep them keep a stable weight post-delivery. Several days after birth mom’s the full milk comes in. Full milk is higher in sugar to help your baby to grow.

Another added bonus to breastfeeding – it’s FREE! It’s basically liquid gold. This can save thousands of dollars each year.

Breastfeeding isn’t only beneficial for baby, mom benefits from it to.

Breastfeeding is a calorie incinerator, helping mom to shed those pregnancy pounds. Every ounce of breast milk contains around 20 calories. Thus, torching upward of 500 calories a day! Say bye-bye to baby weight!

These are only a handful of the benefits of breastfeeding for you and your baby.

For more healthcare tips for you and your family, check out my workbook for dealing with caring for your children, as well as your aging parents: Life in the Sandwich Generation. Life in the Sandwich Generation is a workbook filled with information, tips and tricks for managing the demands needing to care for your aging parents, as well as taking care of your children. It details how you can involve your children in the process, how to learn more about your parents health and finances, while still making time for yourself and your spouse. You can find it here for only $10!

Posted on Monday, July 25, 2016

Caring For Your Sunburn

So you screwed up. You were out in the sun a lot longer than you anticipated, and you wound up with a sunburn. You can try and practice safe sun, but sometimes no matter how careful you still get a sunburn. Follow these tips to help to get your skin to heal as soon as possible.

First, take a shower or bath to relieve the pain. But be careful about the soap you use, it can irritate the burn and make it worse.

Second, once you get out of the shower use a lot of aloe and moisturizer. The aloe will aid the skin in healing and help to soothe it. Just be sure to avoid using a petroleum-based lotion, it will trap the heat in making the burn worse.

Third, drink lots of water. This will help prevent dehydration and restore moisture to the affected area.

Fourth, use a cold compress. This will help take down the inflammation. If the burn is severe take an aspirin or ibuprofen to help reduce pain.

Fifth, if you have to be back in the sun make sure to take extra good care of your skin. Reapply sunscreen often and cover sensitive areas like your scalp.

Sixth, take a calcium supplement. All of the vitamin D from the sun pulls calcium out of your system. Supplementing with a good quality calcium will help the burn to heal much faster. This can also be used to prevent burns. If you’re someone burns easily and you’re taking a trip to a sunny place try increasing your calcium intake several days before your trip. This will help avoid sunburns and even sun poisoning.

Remember, a sunburn can cause lasting damage to your skin. And just one burn can increase your risk of developing skin cancer. Therefore, prevention is key, but if you do get a sunburn these tips will help restore your skin.