Posted on Thursday, July 21, 2016

Prepping For A Healthy Vacation

Summer time is full of road trips and family vacations. Even though you want to have fun and enjoy yourself, it’s still important to stay on track in terms of exercise and healthy eating. This can be difficult to do when you lack typical amenities, such as a kitchen, or are stuck sitting in the car for hours at a time. I have put together a list of tips that will help you prepare for a healthy vacation.

First, plan ahead. Make sure you pack food and healthy snacks, especially for in the car. You don’t want to have to make an unnecessary stop for fast food. If you pack healthy sandwiches and veggies you can stop at a rest area and have a picnic. It will be fun for the kids and it will ensure they’re eating a nutritious meal. Check and see if your hotel room has a fridge. If it does, bring extras to keep while you’re there. This way you can snack on healthy treats between meals. It will also help save money.

Second, get some exercise. Go for a quick walk when you take a stop to go to the bathroom. If you’re at the airport, use the stairs instead of the elevator. Do something to get your heart pumping and your blood flowing.

Third, incorporate fun outdoor activities. Sitting on the beach is really nice, but you need to get some exercise too. Bring your bikes with you. Go swimming or rent a paddle board. This will be a great exercise for your core strength and balance.

Fourth, allow yourself treats; you are on vacation after all. Don’t turn down ice cream, or your favorite meal. Just try to eat healthy throughout the rest of the day. Deprivation will only lead to binge-eating at some point.

Fifth, don’t stress before you go. People like to leave the house super clean so they come home to it all nice and organized. That is good, but don’t stress about getting it all done before you go. If you have time, great. But focus on getting ready to enjoy time with family and friends, the house can wait.

Sixth, put your phone away. Make yourself as unavailable as possible. Being on vacation is all about relaxing and taking some for yourself and doing the things you don’t always get to do. If you’re constantly glued to your phone you can’t enjoy life’s little moments.

I hope you’ve found these tips to be helpful and I hope you have a wonderful vacation!

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Posted on Monday, July 18, 2016

Where To Go For Your Loved Ones Summer Injury

Unfortunately injuries are far too common in the summer time, especially if you have kids. And sometimes it can be difficult to determine if your loved one’s injury warrants a trip to the emergency room or if it’s something you can take care of at home. You don’t want to overreact but you also want to get them the proper care. In order to determine the type of care that’s necessary, I have put together a guide of where you should go for your loved ones summer injury.

Minor injuries can be dealt with at an urgent care. They typically have shorter wait times and you get in and out pretty quickly. Injuries that can be taken care of at an urgent care include UTIs, minor burns, insect and animal bites and wound infections.

More serious injuries warrant a trip to the emergency room. If your child falls out of a tree and breaks a bone, especially if it’s a compound fracture, you must take them to the ER. Breathing issues, allergic reactions and chest pain should also be treated in an emergency room. If you feel as though your loved one has a concussion you should take them to the ER immediately Signs of a concussion include loss of consciousness, nausea, vomiting, headaches and ringing in the ears.

Injuries sustained during sports, such as a sprained ankle, should be taken to the child’s primary care doctor first. Your doctor can determine the severity of the injury and the next steps that should be taken.

It can be difficult to determine the appropriate type of care for a specific injury but these tips should help you make a good decision on where to take your loved one.

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 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 11, 2016

Preparing For Baby: Making Sure They’re Healthy

Once you find out you’re pregnant, you have to make a lot of decisions; what color will you paint the nursery? What will the child’s name be? But possibly the most important decision is choosing the right pediatrician.

As many of you know my youngest daughter was born with a life-threatening illness. In my first days home with her she showed no signs of being as ill as she was. She was my quiet one. At her two-day check-up her pediatrician noticed she had jaundice, which isn’t uncommon. Because I already had a two-year-old at home, doctors thought it would be easier to readmit her in to the hospital to give her light therapy until the jaundice cleared. This was divine intervention. The child that I thought was just quiet and sweet was actually very sick. After a few days, on Mother’s Day, a possible diagnosis was given. The disease my daughter had required an operation, and she was only four days old. After that she had a colostomy for about a year.

But things are much different now. She is a healthy, thriving, beautiful, 20-something-year-old, living in New York. Looking at her now, you would have never known how sick she was as an infant. Without the right medical care and guidance from doctors, we may have had a different outcome.

I sympathize with parents who have sick children. And in order to help make this process easier on you I have put together a list of things I found helpful while going through this process.

First, before your baby is born, be sure to interview pediatricians. Make sure it is someone you can communicate with. This saved my daughters life.

Second, be serious about where you deliver. Make sure the doctor’s viewpoints are aligned with yours. If you want to do things naturally, make sure they are accepting of your birth plan. So many moms are looking for a hotel-like experience — a gorgeous room with concierge. However, when you have a sick baby, you need a hospital with all of the services, such as NICU and pediatric surgeons, among others. You’ll only be there for two days; the resources are more important than the room.

Third, once you have confidence in your pediatricians and hospital, follow their advice. You don’t want birth to be the first time you’ve met.

In the end, remember that if you have other children you need to make a plan to take care of yourself, your other children and your marriage. It’s a balancing act. Many moms just focus on one sick child, allowing many marriages, including mine, to fall apart.

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!