HEALTH & WELLNESS

By Family Features | ContributorNo matter where your summer plans take you, make sure you’re equipped with the knowledge and tools you need for safe, fun days in the sun.Keep a First Aid Kit on HandHaving basic first aid supplies handy lets you take care of minor boo-boos so the summer play can carry on. Plan to include cleansers, wound dressings, bandages and tape; antibiotic ointment; scissors and tweezers; bug bite treatment; and over-the-counter medications such as pain relievers and antihistamines for allergic reactions.Learn CPRSudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any age. Summer activities like swimming, boating and other watersports can lead to drowning or serious injuries, but so can outdoor play and sporting events in extreme heat. In fact, more than 23,000 children expe...

By Family Features | ContributorRising food costs can make healthy eating a challenge for many families. In fact, a poll conducted by Research!America foundabout 60% of Americans cite the cost of healthy food as their single biggest barrier to achieving better nutrition.“Food is deeply rooted to family and community,” said Arlen Vanessa Marin, M.S., R.D., a national volunteer for the American Heart Association. “Recipes are passed down through generations, but as grocery prices rise, finding creative ways to stretch your budget while maintaining a nutritious diet is key. Simple swaps – like homemade vinaigrettes instead of sugary bottled dressings, frozen veggies instead of fresh or lentils instead of processed meat – can make a big difference without sacrificing flavor.”Consider these sim...

By Mercedes Korngut and Anastasia Korngut | Co-Founders, Smallbitsofhappiness.comIn our fast-paced, constantly busy world, it can be really easy to just stay indoors for all (or most) of the day. We’ve got plenty of entertainment: TV, social media, mobile games, video games, and countless others. These can occupy and fill those moments of boredom. However, going outside for a walk can be beneficial in countless ways. But you’ve heard this before. We’re told all the time that going outside is good for you. We decided to take a deep dive into how exactly going for an outdoor walk benefits us, and what we discovered has transformed our perspective on getting outdoors.Below we’ve broken down the benefits of going for a walk into a few different categories:ExerciseWhen we go for a walk outside,...

By American Heart Association | ContributorDo you wake up happy to face the day or exhausted before you even get started? According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in three U.S. adults gets less than the recommended amount of sleep!Quick question:How much sleep do you really get most nights?According to the experts, you need seven to nine hours every night. How do you compare?Why does sleep matter so much for health and wellbeing?So you can be more productive:From a productivity perspective, missing out on your zzz’s is not good. Ariana Huffington, who used to routinely work crazy hours but is now leading the sleep revolution, says, “The irony is that a lot of people forego sleep in the name of productivity. But in fact our productivity is reduced substantially when we’re sleep dep...

By Family Features for American Heart Association | ContributorStrokes can happen to anyone, at any age – even young people. Despite being one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability in the United States, strokes are largely preventable, treatable and beatable – if you can control your risk factors.According to the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke. Keeping blood pressure in check, living a healthy lifestyle and knowing stroke warning signs may help protect you and your loved ones.Here are key insights from the American Stroke Association’s Together to End Stroke initiative, nationally supported by the HCA Healthcare Foundation.Controlling Risk FactorsUp to 80% of strokes may be prev...

By The American Heart AssociationYour body is your vehicle, so you have to keep your engine running when you work out. That means fueling your body by eating nutritious foods and staying hydrated. Good nutrition can enhance the performance of, and recovery from, sporting activities. You don’t have to adhere to a rigid schedule, and there are no hard-fast rules. But there are some things you should do before, during and after you work out.Before: Fuel up!Not fueling up before you work out is like driving a car on empty. You also may not have enough energy to maximize your workout, and you may limit your ability to burn calories.Ideally, fuel up two hours before you exercise by:Hydrating with water.Eating healthy carbohydrates, such as whole-grain cereals (with low-fat or fat-free milk), who...

By American Heart Association | ContributorWork out at workIf you’re like most American adults, you spend most of your waking hours at work and struggle to fit everything else (like exercise) into your “free time.” And who are we kidding? Sometimes by the end of the work day there’s little time or energy left to get active.What if you could work out while you work, without having to carve out a big chunk of time? You can by taking little opportunities to move more throughout your day. Just because you have a desk doesn’t mean you have to sit at it for eight hours straight.Ways to move more through the workdayWhen you take a break, move to a different room or floor, and stretch versus sitting in place.If you sit at a desk, make it a habit to stand up or move every time you make or answer a ...

By American Heart Association | ContributorWhen it comes to simple ways to be healthy, walking is all the rage. Follow these tips to get started and learn more about fitness walking.You can get active in lots of ways, but walking is one of the easiest! For most people, it’s safe, easy to stick with and low- or no-cost. It doesn’t require any special skills or equipment. For such a simple activity, it has so many benefits.Research has shown that walking at a brisk pace at least 150 minutes a week can help you:Think better, feel better and sleep better.Reduce your risk of serious diseases like heart disease, stroke, diabetes and several types of cancer.Improve your blood pressure, blood sugar and bloodcholesterollevels.Increase your energyand stamina.Improve your mental and emotional well-be...

By Karyn BrodskyThey say that knowledge is power. In the case of mental health and suicide among children, teens, and young adults, it’s more important than ever to have access to education. Families need to understand how to recognize the signs that their loved ones are struggling and get them the help they need.It was exactly those two things—education and resources—that the Halliburton family realized they were missing when their son Grant, a Dallas teen who battled depression and bipolar disorder for several years, took his own life in 2005 at the age of 19.The family didn’t want Grant to be remembered as a mental health statistic; rather, for all of his strengths and gifts as an artist, writer and musician. Grant’s mother,Vanita Halliburton and her family’s strength and resolve to hon...

By Aliza Rosen, a digital content strategist in the Office of External Affairs at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthA measles outbreak in the southwestern United States continues to grow as public health officials work to contain the spread and boost vaccination rates. At a time of rampant mis- and disinformation about vaccines, public health experts worry outbreaks like this may only become more common.The current outbreak began in late January, and as of February 25,Texas has confirmed 124 cases—the majority in Gaines County—andnine cases are confirmed in neighboring Lea County, New Mexico.A death reported on February 26is the first death from measles in the U.S. since 2015.“Most of the cases are occurring in a Mennonite community that largely homeschools, so there would...