Category Archives: Going Healthy

Join Me for the Run Dad Run! Virtual 5k Walk/Run

04/27/2016 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

The National At-Home Dad Network is holding a virtual 5k on April 30, 2016 and I’m asking you to join me. This is their first ever Run Dad Run! spring fundraiser going to the extremely important cause of men’s mental health with the funds going to the operating costs of this wonderful organization.

I had the pleasure of attending the National At-Home Dad Convention last September in Raleigh, NC where I was overwhelmed with hundreds of other supportive, at-home dads just like me. I cannot stress the importance of having a network of other guys to share our thoughts, concerns, laughs, and sorrows enough. The NAHDN truly does play a major role in all of our mental health and helps fathers be the awesome fathers and husbands every family deserves.

I signed up during the Super Early Bird registration back in October, but since it’s only a few days away, there’s no more Early Bird specials. The good news is that you can still sign up now as an individual for $25 (including 1 free medal) or a family (including up to 8 free medals) for $50. For an extra $25, you can get a shirt, or simply donate whatever amount you like.

Register Now

Are you on the edge of registering and need a little push? No problem, they just posted 4 Reason You Should Join For RunDadRun this Saturday. Check it out and hopefully that’s the push you needed to sign up the entire family.

The details that you will find on the National At-Home Dad Network’s site are below. Give them a good read and go register your entire family to run or walk the virtual 5k with us on 04/30/16!

WHAT IS A VIRTUAL 5K?
So glad you asked! A virtual 5K is an organized, co-ordinated event where participants can do their run where they are, when they want, at their own pace. This is an opportunity for dads and families to be active in their own neighborhoods, running with their friends and family and community. Since our organization represents dads and families from all over the country (and beyond!) this is a great way for us to be out and active together without being together.

HOW DOES THIS WORK?
Run Dad Run works pretty simply: just register for the run here — the cost for participation is $25 for individuals, or $50 for families — and on the day of the race you run (or walk!) the 5K at your own pace, where you are. For participating you will be sent a shiny exclusive medal! In addition you will have the opportunity to purchase a Run Dad Run t-shirt to wear during or after your run.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY RAISED GO?
This is the National At-Home Dad Network’s major annual fundraiser, and all registration fees will go to funding the costs of running the organization throughout the year. This includes things like administrative costs and filing fees, web hosting and marketing costs, accounting fees, as well as the numerous expenses related to the planning and execution of the Annual At-Home Dads Convention. As always, we are a volunteer-run organization, and no money goes to paying salaries.

Click Here To Register Now!

Going Healthy, Guest Post, Parenting

6 Fun Ways to Get Healthy as a Family

04/25/2016 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Today’s post is from a guest who shares the same passion with anyone who wants to get healthy and stay healthy for life. I’m one of those people, and I’m happy to have Jennifer McGregor share her well-written post on getting healthy as a family.

Whether a family or just one person, Jennifer offers solid advice for all. Enjoy the read and hopefully we’ll see another article from her on here again. Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing!

If you’ve tried to start practicing healthier habits in the past, you may have realized that it’s hard to eat clean when your kids refuse to consume anything other than pizza and chicken nuggets (or ice cream and chocolate, of course), and it’s challenging to get regular exercise when you’re barely home for five minutes in between rushing to meetings, practices, and play dates. Good news: Getting healthy is much easier when done as a family. Here’s how to get healthy as a family and have fun while you’re doing it.

Create a Family Scoreboard or Goals Chart

Kids love games, but gamifying your health journey can be just as fun for adults. With a bright, colorful family scoreboard and a points system for rewarding various activities (such as choosing a healthy snack over chips or cookies) and reaching goals, your family’s new
healthy lifestyle can become a fun competition. If your children have specific health goals, such as brushing their teeth three times each day or reducing TV time, these goal-oriented printables can make any healthy change fun. Jennifer McGregor_Get Healthy as Family_Stock Photo

Plan Fun Fitness Games to Keep Your Family Active

Getting more physically active doesn’t have to mean regimented, choreographed exercise routines. Swimming is a great option for all children, but it is especially great if your child has ADHD. Regardless of the season, there are great options for diving in. Plan a surprise trip to the indoor pool at your local recreation center in the fall or winter, or book a night at a local hotel to take advantage of the indoor pool for the evening. Plan an outing to a local river or lake for some swimming fun in the summer. Exercise isn’t always a miserable sweat session.

The idea of a daily family trip to the gym might not be appealing, but how about a game of balloon volleyball in the living room? You can also use fun fitness games to get your kids – and your spouse – off the couch. Plan these activities ahead and your whole family will have something to look forward to.

Get Everyone Involved in Meal Planning

One reason kids tend to resist healthy diet changes is because they feel as though the choice is being forced upon them. Take your kids to the store or the farmer’s market and let them choose some of their own fruits and vegetables. Then, let them participate in preparing meals. Make it a contest to see who can come up with the best (or worst) recipe. They might think of some scary combinations, but they’re more likely to try new things when they have a sense of ownership. Plus, you’ll get to spend quality time in the kitchen – mess or no mess, it’s sure to be a fun time.

Adopt a Dog

Did you know that dogs have been proven to reduce stress, heighten mood, and even improve cardiovascular health? A fun-loving canine can be the perfect motivation to get your family on their feet! The best part is, you can exercise her together and it won’t even feel like work. A spirited game of fetch, an evening walk around the block, or even a family hike are all great workouts that everyone can look forward to. Plus, your kids are a lot more likely to stay active with a constant play companion at their disposal!

Run a Household Chores Race

A healthy lifestyle isn’t just about exercising and eating right. Your environment plays a role in your health and well-being, too. If your living room is cluttered and your kitchen a mess, everyone is likely to be more stressed. Stressed family members lead to arguments, and it becomes a vicious cycle of endless bickering that ultimately helps no one.

Not to mention, a home that’s not clean is a home that is more likely to harbor germs, bacteria, and dust that can make your family sick. Do your family a favor and get everyone involved in keeping the house clean and tidy. Divvy up chores and offer a prize to the family member who finishes the race by getting their chores done first.

Conversation Starters and Feel-Good Jars Boost Emotional Health

It’s important to have dinner together as a family, but what makes that time so important is that it provides together-time for discussing your day and supporting each other. When a family member has a tough day at work, dinner time is often when the day’s hassles are discussed. Likewise, achievements at school or work are proudly boasted at the dinner table.

Make this special family time even more fun with conversation starters or feel-good jars – jars filled with slips of paper with vague statements that you must build a conversation around or a jar that each family member helps to fill by writing something positive about another family member each day. Use the time to invent silly stories or help a child or spouse cope with an especially difficult day. All of these discussions contribute to your family’s emotional health in a positive way.

Getting healthy can be a tough journey all alone. But getting healthy with your whole family can be tons of fun when you embrace the joys of family and togetherness and get everyone in your home on board with your journey to health. By making healthy habits fun and exciting, you’ll turn getting healthy into an enjoyable adventure.

Jennifer McGregor has wanted to be a doctor since she was little. Now, as a pre-med student, she’s well on her way to achieving that dream. She helped create PublicHealthLibrary.org with a friend as part of a class project. With it, she hopes to provide access to trustworthy health and medical resources. When Jennifer isn’t working on the site, you can usually find her hitting the books in the campus library or spending some downtime with her dog at the local park.

(Photo from Pixabay by Rudy Anderson)

Going Healthy, Life, Parenting, Promo

Nerves, Needles, and Stress: Our Story of Trying to Conceive

04/19/2016 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

While I have received compensation for this post from Fertility Planit, all opinions are my own.

Before we had our daughter, my wife and I never considered that becoming parents would be so complicated. Once we were ready to start trying to conceive (TTC), she would just get off birth control, wait several months, and we figured pregnancy would come easily and naturally after that. My wife tracked days/cycles, took her basal temperature you do as you begin trying to conceive.

Almost a year later and we were still not pregnant and becoming a little upset. It didn’t make sense, we never went out to eat, cooked all of our meals with fresh, whole foods, drank only in moderation, and always kept active. What were we doing wrong to that was keeping us from getting pregnant?

We decided to make our first of many visits to a fertility clinic to see what was (or wasn’t) going on. After running the usual tests on both of us, the doctor found several factors working against us. Kelley had endometriosis which was surgically removed, and my blood labs showed several abnormal readings including low testosterone and thyroid.

I didn’t want to accept the results as true. I strive to live a healthy and active lifestyle, and this is all I have to show for it? I felt defeated. HCG injections were prescribed twice a week to combat my low levels. Self-administered shots in the lower abdomen at home became the norm every Thursday and Sunday each week.

Time passed and my blood tests showed my levels were barely up. The doctor suggested we try intrauterine insemination (IUI) as it seemed like we had a good chance with the procedure. I was prescribed natural thyroid, and Kelley was given several prescriptions which required injections. She cringed at the thought of giving herself shots, but luckily she had a husband who had become proficient with the task.

After 2 failed cycles of IUI, the doctor suggested In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), and we both agreed to give it a try. To stimulate the growth of her ovaries, Kelley needed 2 daily shots in her stomach. One to help her eggs grow, and another to help keep them from over-growing since Kelley was expected to respond well. The eggs grew just as needed and were ready to be retrieved.

After retrieval, Kelley needed a progesterone injection to prepare her uterine lining for egg implantation. Instead of her stomach, this one had to be given in her rear-end.

I’d have to work within a specific area of the buttocks, use enough force to get through to the muscular region, make sure the needle went in straight, not angled, and make sure no blood came into the syringe as that meant I did something wrong. This was to happen every day precisely at 7:00 p.m. for several weeks. After this, I figured I should be a pro at giving shots!

Several injections later and we were ready for implantation. We had many high quality embryos to choose from and picked just 1 since 1 kid was our goal. The first round IVF was a success, be we still had to do the shots to keep her uterus in good condition for the newly implanted egg.

The first positive pregnancy test Kelley took was almost missed. She woke up at 5:00 a.m. since it’s better to test after not using the restroom for a while and took a test. She didn’t see anything, so she tossed the stick in the trash and came back to bed upset.

Later that morning, I was going to throw something away and saw the stick and what appeared to me to be a faint line. I had no clue how to look at a pee stick or what it meant, so I kept it to myself. Kelley did the same double take at her trashed test and noticed the line too. She mentioned it to me, I grinned, and we both gleamed with excitement.

Today, we have a precious little girl who means the world to us. I can’t believe how fast she’s growing, but we’re glad that part of our past is over. It wasn’t fun, but so worth the outcome. We had never heard of the Stork OTC by Rinovum Women’s Health home conception kit back then, but now I wonder if it would’ve saved us a lot of time, money, and stress.

The Stork OTC is an easy to use, drug-free, non-prescription conception kit that couples can use in the comfort of their own home while trying to conceive. It is the only at-home conception device cleared by the FDA and is a great cost-effective option for those just starting out on the path of trying to conceive. The Stork OTC collects semen into a cervical cap with a condom-like sheath worn during intercourse. There is the option of using donor sperm with the device as well. The sperm is then delivered to the opening of the cervix by way of the applicator. The cap remains in place for up to 6 hours, after which it is removed with a simple tampon-like pull chord.

My wife and I both agree that we could’ve tried the Stork OTC as our first option and avoided many doctor’s visits had worked out. If you or someone you know is trying to conceive, check out the Stork OTC as great option to use in the privacy of your own home and avoid numerous doctor’s visits and tests.

Be sure to follow The Stork OTC on Facebook and @StorkbyRinovum on Twitter as well as checking out the Stork OTC website to learn more. For a chance to win your own Stork OTC device join the #StorkStories Twitter Chat on 4/21 at 9pm EST.