There is no one magic pill that will make you healthy, no one perfect exercise that will get you in shape and no one super food that will give you all the energy you need to face the day. The truth of the matter is being healthy takes all three:

1. Eating right
2. Getting regular exercise and
3. Taking vitamins to ensure you are the healthiest you can be.

Eat Right:

Before you grab something to eat, plan a meal for your family or pull something off the shelf at the grocery store, ask yourself a couple of questions. “Did this food grow from the ground?” and “What nutrients are in this for my health?” You will find very few truly healthy foods wrapped in cellophane or stored in cardboard boxes. Buy fresh fruits and vegetables that are grown and not processed. When choosing cereals, breads, pastas, and rice, go for the ones that use the whole grain, 100% whole wheat with lots of fiber and very little additives or sugar. When planning a meal, make sure you include protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables and open as few ‘packages’ as you can. Eating right gives your body the fuel it needs to be healthy.

Exercise:

There is no avoiding this one. In order to stay in shape and feel good, You Must Move. You heart, your lungs, your brain all need you to move. Exercise gets your blood pumping and keeps everything oiled to keep you going! Find something you enjoy doing at home, outside or at the gym. Fit in 15 minutes here and another 15 minutes there, then increase that 15 minutes to 30 minutes or more. Find a friend, mix it up to stay motivated, buy a workout DVD and use it. Get that heart rate going. Exercise gives your body the energy it needs for a healthy lifestyle.

Vitamins:

Do you really need to take vitamins? The perfect diet is rich in all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to keep your immune system functioning and ward off viruses. Truth is, not many of us eat a perfect diet. You need to eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, and protein daily to get all the vitamins you need. Since many of these nutrients are water soluble, they pass through your body and require daily replenishing. Taking vitamins is like an back up plan, it provides the nutrients your body needs should your diet not make the minimum requirement that day. Certain vitamins such as Vitamin D, Omega 3s, B-Complex and B12 can be difficult to get from foods alone and taking a supplement ensures you are covered. Vitamins ensure your body gets the nutrients it needs for optimal health.

BIO: Deb Lowther is a mother of 3 young daughters who, when not running after the kids, is running in the trails! She blogs about Raising Healthy Kids and ensures her own have fun while eating healthy & staying active.

You can visit her websites to learn more:

www.iron-kids.com & www.adultgummies.com

Every summer Canadians shed layers of clothing to soak up the sun – but as we all know, there’s no such thing as a ‘safe’ tan. Dermatologist Dr. Lisa Kellett, the founder of DLK on Avenue in Toronto and a Canadian Dermatology Association spokesperson, answers some sun-safety questions.

ParentsCanada: I don’t get a chance to put sunscreen on my kids till they’re running out the door. Does it need more time to absorb?

Dr. Lisa Kellett: It’s best to apply sunscreen at least 15 minutes before sun exposure to ensure adequate protection the minute your children step outside.

PC: Is one type of sunscreen more effective  than another?
LK: Sunscreen can be
divided into two main categories: chemical and physical. Chemical sunscreens contain ingredients such as cinnamates, benzophenones and salicylates that absorb into skin and fend off UV light. Physical sunscreens sit on the skin’s surface and contain ingredients such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide that reflect, block and shield the skin from UV rays. Both provide effective protection individually, and now many sunscreens combine the different types of ingredients for optimal protection.

PC: What type of sunscreen should I use on my family?
LK: Everyone in your family may have their own preference for sunscreen, whether it’s different formulations or brands. The differences are not in the actual content, since they all contain the same vital ingredients but are formulated differently for various skin types and sensitivities. Waterproof formulations are best for those who swim, exercise outside or perspire excessively. Using a sunscreen that is a clear spray is a better choice for men in hair producing areas and for people who have a tendency to acne breakouts.

PC: Does sunscreen interfere with vitamin D absorption?
LK: Sunscreen blocks the penetration of the sun’s rays. Since the sun is necessary for vitamin D synthesis, your body produces less vitamin D when you’re wearing sunscreen. Approximately 80,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed annually in Canada. While vitamin D has been shown to help prevent breast and colorectal cancer, just a few minutes of unprotected sun exposure every day could greatly increase the risk of skin cancer. In other words, in terms of your risk of getting cancer, it’s safer to take oral vitamin D supplements.

PC: Besides using sunscreen, how can I prevent myself and my children from getting a tan orsunburn?
LK: You and your children should always wear a hat with a brim wide enough to shade the face and back of the neck. Ideally, it would have a six-inch brim so the chest is protected too. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen to the front of the neck, and always wear proper sun-protective clothing. Proper sun-safety practices are especially important for children, who get the majority
of their lifetime sun exposure by the age of 18.

PC: Are waterproof sunscreens really waterproof?
LK: A waterproof or sweat-proof sunscreen is highly recommended if you participate in water sports. It isn’t 100 percent effective, however, so you should reapply it every couple of hours.

PC: Is SPF 15 still effective or should I be using SPF 30 or higher?
LK: The Canadian Dermatology Association recommends using SPF 30 for adequate protection.

Guest Blog Post – ParentsCanada

Kids should take advantage of the warmer months to be active outdoors. Riding tricycles and bikes is as much a part of summer as ice cream and running through the sprinkler. It’s our responsibility as parents to protect our children from unnecessary injury.

Biking is a fun sport and family activity but it can be risky without a safety helmet, particularly for children under three years of age. Babies are born with soft skulls to facilitate the birth process and allow their brains to grow, but this means their heads are especially susceptible to harm. The “soft spot” usually disappears around 2 years of age but children can still sustain a head injury even from a relatively minor fall if they are not wearing a proper safety helmet. I encourage parents to keep this in mind: if you dropped a ripe melon on concrete from 2 feet off the ground, what would happen? Of course, the melon would break open and the risk to children is equally great if they are not wearing a helmet. In Canada, children 16 years of age and under are required by law to wear safety helmets while riding tricycles and bicycles. Helmet use is also mandatory for children riding in a bike carrier on an adult bike, as well as riding in a “Chariot” pulled by a bike.

Please make sure your child’s bike and safety helmet are the right size. A child must be able to straddle the bike with both feet on the ground. The fit of the safety helmet is incredibly important. Parents often complain it’s difficult to find helmets for kids 3 years of age and under and it’s true because big box stores often do not sell the small sizes but specialty bike stores generally carry a good selection of toddler helmets. When choosing a helmet, your child should try on several helmets carefully. Level the helmet over your child’s forehead and adjust the chinstrap to fit snugly and comfortably. It should protect the forehead without slipping forward or backward and it should not move unless the scalp moves. A trained salesperson will help you ensure the fit is right. Today, there are several manufacturers producing helmets that are adjustable in size, enabling it to grow with your child and still provide a comfortable and proper fit.

Insist your child always wears a helmet when riding and that he or she buckles it up. It goes without saying that parents must set an example by always wearing their helmets when cycling as well. Remember, a helmet only works when you wear it!

Want to win a Tail-Wags helmet cover of your choice? Enter our May contest!

You’ve made sure that you put your kids in swimming lessons since they were tadpoles themselves, but summer increases the temptation for kids to play near water. Whether it’s poking around at slimy stuff, or tossing stones in to hear the giant ‘plop’, if there’s water, they’ll be near it. Keeping them safe is a summer-long challenge.

AROUND THE HOME
Even if you don’t have a pool, kids need to be supervised near any water source. It may seem unlikely, but children can drown in less than six centimetres of water! Watch them around fountains, playing near a water-filled ditch or birdbath or even a bathroom sink. And a child should never be left in a bathtub, even if it’s nearly drained.

“My daughter loved to float her little plastic animals in the bathroom sink,” says Nancy R., of Bradford, Ontario, “but one day, while I was just walking by, I noticed she was putting her face right into the sink. She said she wanted to see what the animals could see. If I hadn’t been there that second and if I hadn’t happened to look in, I shudder to think what could have happened.”

ParentsCanada Guest Blog