Category Archives: Health

15 Ways To Improve Your Health This Summer

05/18/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

With everything going on with COVID-19, your family’s health has never been more important. Despite the risks to health right now, especially for vulnerable people, staying at home due to lockdown is actually encouraging some healthier habits among families.

How are your family adjusting to lockdown? Will it make you rethink your habits in the future once restrictions start getting lifted? Permanent changes to your lifestyle can help your family live better and longer, as well as boost your immunity against sickness in the future.

Whether you’re already making changes or you want to form better habits going forward, here are some ideas for 15 ways you can improve your health this summer.

summer, health, covid, immunity, virus — Image Credit: Unsplash under Creative Commons

1. Exercise daily

Daily exercise is important for keeping your body healthy. It not only helps you regulate your weight, but it can strengthen your heart and lungs, as well as your muscles. Exercise should consist of cardio, strength and flexibility to help ensure the best results.

There are some great exercises you can do at home to tone your whole body, making daily exercise easy.. Many people are looking forward to their daily exercise at the moment, so if you’re recently discovered a passion for running, cycling or walking lately – make sure you keep it up this summer!

2. Get some fresh air

Fresh air is important, and while a lot of people are making an effort to go for walks, etc., during lockdown, it’ll be easy to take it for granted again when restrictions are lifted.

Even if it’s just for a short time, a walk outside can do you a world of good. It can help you feel refreshed, get you some vital vitamin D and give you a break from whatever you’re doing.

Don’t forget you can enjoy fresh air at home too. Get involved in some garden games with your kids and enjoy some fresh air together.

3. Start each day with a hearty breakfast

A healthy, hearty breakfast is a great way to start the day. A lot of people grab something to eat in a hurry, which can often lead to some unhealthy choices. Even store-bought smoothies can be full of sugar, counterbalancing the added vitamins you’re taking in. Why not take it in turns to make breakfast each day so that it doesn’t all fall on one member of the household?

There are plenty of tasty make-ahead breakfast recipes to help you eat a good breakfast every day.

4. Make more meals at home

With most restaurants closed and takeout getting tired (and expensive!), more people are cooking from home right now. Some home cooking is ideal for preparing healthy dishes, without the processed ingredients that can be hidden in your food. Start getting into the habit of planning your meals for the week ahead, it’ll help you commit to eating healthier while cutting back on your food waste too.

One idea to get everyone excited about home cooking is to do theme nights. A simple theme like Mexican or Italian night can give you something to look forward to, and could encourage everyone to start helping in the kitchen.

5. Up your hydration efforts

During the summer months, hydration is more important than ever. Our bodies need water to function, and you’ll need even more of it when the weather is warmer and you’re losing more of it through sweat. There are plenty of ways you can stay hydrated, but drinking water throughout the day is the easiest and most important one.

Why not equip the whole family with their own water bottle and keep them close by to help everyone stay hydrated?

6. Take care of your skin

Taking care of your skin is important, and in the summer, when UV rays are at their strongest, it’s even more important. It’s easy to neglect your SPF, but by making it a part of your daily routine, you’ll be used to protecting your skin in all weather. Wearing SPF doesn’t just protect against skin cancer, but it can stop you experiencing premature ageing too!

7. Enjoy a break from tech

Technology can be all-consuming. We spend a lot of our daily lives on our phones, using computers, etc. That’s been even truer since lockdown restrictions have been put in place. Taking a break from technology is important, and when the sun is shining – why wouldn’t you want to get out and enjoy it?

Spending quality time as a family, away from tech, can be a great way for you all to bond and enjoy each other’s company. You might even find you don’t miss it as much as you thought you would!

8. Practice good hygiene

Practicing good hygiene is common sense. Washing your hands, keeping your home clean and showering often are things we should do anyway, but it might be time to turn things up a notch to help keep your family well.

There are steps you can take to keep your home germ-free, as well as practice better hygiene when you’re out and about. Carry hand sanitizer with you and use it regularly throughout the day – it could make a big difference to stopping germs from spreading.

9. Keep summer allergies under control

Dealing with symptoms of a cold can be miserable. But what if they weren’t caused by a virus, but by allergies instead? Hay fever and other seasonal allergies are common at this time of year, and can leave you feeling miserable. If anyone in your home suffers from common allergy symptoms during the summer, it’s worth making sure you have plenty of antihistamines and other medication to help ease your symptoms. It helps if you know what you’re allergic to, as this can make sure you treat your allergy symptoms accordingly. If you have air conditioning, use it instead of opening windows, but make sure to get the filters cleaned by an AC Repair company before you turn it on. The last thing you want is for pollen to be getting blown directly into your face!

10. Set some goals to keep you busy

Most of us focus on setting goals for the new year, but why not set yourself some part-way through the year instead? From making over your home to having a fitness goal, having something to aim for can give you some focus and put an end to those lazy summer days. By the time fall comes around, you’ll have achieved something amazing!

11. Walk more

Walking is one of the simplest forms of exercise, and it’s an effective way of keeping active. Staying at home recently has likely meant that daily walks are a part of your routine, and is something you can easily maintain when you’re at work or on weekends. A short walk at lunchtime or before dinner can help you make up for a day spent sitting down, while also boosting your cardio health.

If you find walking boring, why not try some fun walking apps that will be sure to get you moving?

12. Cut down on snacking

Snacking is many people’s go-to for relieving boredom, but all of those salty or sugary snacks could be contributing to weight gain, as well as making you feel tired and sluggish. Instead of reaching for the chips or chocolate, try a healthy snack instead. If you are snacking because you’re bored, you could take your mind off things by reading or finding a hobby that keeps you occupied.

13. Take some time to yourself

It’s important to take some ‘me time’ now and again – life gets busy, after all. When you’re working and taking care of a family, it’s easy to become exhausted. If things start getting too much, make sure you ask for some help – friends and family might not realize that you’re struggling.

Treat yourself to some time to do the things you enjoy – it can help you rest and recharge ready to face a new day.

14. Get plenty of sleep

Sleep is important, but do you ever find it’s harder during the summer months? There are many reasons for this. The sun rises earlier and it’s hotter – making sleep uncomfortable. Learning to sleep in the heat will help you get your 8 hours, so try everything you can to keep cool at bedtime.

15. Don’t forget about your mental health

While it’s easy to just think about your physical health, it’s important to focus on your mental health too. You can take care of your mental health by following many of the steps above, especially by exercising and taking a break from time to time. If you’re concerned about your mental health, or anyone in your family, make sure you book an appointment like you would for a physical problem. There’s help available to you, you just need to seek it out.

Taking care of yours and your family’s health should always be a priority, even during the carefree summer months. It’s a great time to form new habits and enjoy being outdoors, as well as spending time together as a family. Use the time you have at home to help your family become healthier and stronger – when restrictions are lifted, you’ll be able to keep up your self-care habits ready to enjoy your time together.

Health, Life

Dealing With Special Events During Quarantine

05/18/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

quarantine, health, family, covid — Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels

If they haven’t already, you are probably going to encounter some special events during the COVID-19 pandemic. From birthdays to anniversaries and cultural celebrations. Adults understand that we are living through difficult times, so having a birthday in quarantine isn’t too much of a disappointment. We accept that money is tight and getting out to the shops, planning celebrations or seeing our friends is out of the question. However, it can be challenging for our children even if it’s a parents birthday or special occasion.

It’s essential to help guide our children through this time and give them as much normality in a crisis situation as we are able. So keeping to traditions in our household is important. If you always do something special for mother’s day, then you need to stick to the plan. If your child is used to birthday parties, it’s time for some outside the box thinking.

If you are tight on budget, then getting creative with your children is a great place to start. Re-purposing items you already own and presenting them as gifts, will not only keep your kids busy, it will also give them pride. You could create your own fathers day shirts or bake a birthday cake with your children for their sibling. Young children love to give, but this doesn’t have to be a vast, expensive gesture. Even collecting up flowers in the garden and creating a beautiful bouquet would work.

If you’re worrying about birthday parties during quarantine, there are some great solutions to making the day special. You can send out invites to all the members of your household, including the cat or the dog. You could also send virtual invitations to friends and family, asking them to join your special party via a video call! Ask them all to dress up if there is a theme. What could be better than grandpa appearing on a TV screen dressed as a Disney princess or a wrestling character?

With the technology we have, it’s easy to set up a karaoke night or a disco. So getting children in the party mood isn’t hard. You could also play games in the garden or have a competition. It’s worth considering what makes your child excited about birthday parties. Often it’s the small things we don’t think about. Like the party bags at the end of the night. So make sure you pay attention to all these elements.

Food is the center of every event. Whether it is an anniversary breakfast, a birthday cake or a traditional day of celebration, get your kids involved in working out the menu and then helping you to prepare all the elements of your big meal. Make sure you create something unique and not just prepare a usual meal. Ask your children to lay out the table and let them choose where everyone is going to sit.

You can make events more memorable in quarantine and really help children to deal with this challenging time. Plus, you will have a great time too!

Going Healthy, Health, Life, Parenting

Garden Games To Play With Your Kids

05/04/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

With the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, families with children have been looking for more and more ideas of things to do with them outdoors. If you’re lucky to have an outdoor space, then it really can be a blessing, and be transformed into a playground, to create lots of fun for the kids. Garden games are not only just for kids, though. All members of the family can get involved, and throughout all times of the year, not just during this lockdown period. Here are a list of things that you could try out:

garden, games, kids, parenting, fun, health, excercise — image

Water Balloon Dodgeball – this can be a lot of fun, and is perfect for a warm summer day. All you need is water balloons, filled with water. If you can get two colors, and two teams, then you just play a normal round of dodgeball, but you’ll get wet if you get hit! You could introduce no firing zones and other rules; whatever will suit your family.

Cornhole: this is a fun game for the family to play, that can improve accuracy and throwing skills. A homage to a classic fairground game, you could even play for cotton candy! You can make your own cornhole game with cardboard and beanbags, or you could look at a site like Cornhole Worldwide to get things of your own. It works well for children of a variety of ages, and is the kind of game that will grow with them.

Natural Art: this is all about collecting a variety of things that you can find in your yard, such as leaves, grass, sticks, and flowers. Then you can use what has been collected to make small things like nests and bug hotels. Of course, you could use some things like crayons, string, and tape that you already have, to help their works of art to last longer.

Cup Races: for this game, you will need some empty cups, string, and something to make a hole with (like scissors). Water guns are also a must, but water balloons could work well too. What you need to do is to build some parallel tracks using the string. Then make a hole in the empty cup, and thread the cup onto the string. Then you have to make the cup move by using the water gun (or popping the balloons). The cup that gets to the end the fastest wins. If you’ve got some competitive kids with lots of energy, this can be a great idea.

Tug Of War: all that you need for tug of war is some players and rope. Make two teams that are fairly equal, and put a marker or flag in the middle of the rope. Once all players are ready to go and have the rope ready, the games can begin. Once a team succeeds at pulling across most of the other team, the rope will slide towards them, and then they will win the game. This can be fun for big kids and teens especially.