3 Kids and Us

Getting Fit With Your Kids

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Staying in shape is so important to a healthy life, and yet sometimes – more times than we’d like to admit – working out and exercising takes second priority. Everyone works so hard, hours are long, and downtime is precious. That’s why, when we want to spend time with our families, we don’t want to forsake them for the gym. What if you could do both, though? What if you could get fit and healthy and spend time with the kids? What if the kids benefitted too? Now wouldn’t that be awesome? Well, here are some ideas on how to do exactly that.

Get Outdoors

Getting fit and healthy doesn’t necessarily mean lifting weights or going for a run. You can take it pretty easy and still get some goodness into you. Going for a walk when you would have normally taken the car is a great start. Children spend a lot of time strapped into car seats, chugging along the road. Try something different and go exploring in your local neighborhood, or head out to the park and run around.

Join A Kid-Friendly Gym

If you do want to join a gym, do your research before picking the one that’s closest, or has the best deals. They might not be the best ones in the long term. There are gyms that are family friendly, and these are the ones you want to look out for. These gyms will have family days, with activities for everyone, or they might have kids’ classes which they can enjoy while you work out – afterwards, you can meet up for a healthy meal, and a debrief on how your various classes went! This is perfect for having a little bit of ‘me time’, which is something we all sometimes need. If you want complete solitude at the gym, don’t forget to find the best wireless headphones for working out so you can really enjoy it.

Another selling point can be whether the gym has a swimming pool – not only can this provide swimming lessons for younging children, but it’s also a great way to keep the whole family in check without it seeming like exercise!

Sports Night

For super busy moms and dads, organising a weekly sports night could be the answer to getting fit and spending time with your kids at the same time. It could be anything; you could even pick a new sport each week if that’s what you’re into. For the more competitive families you can tally up the scores and the monthly winner can get a prize. For those who prefer the taking part to the results, just go ahead and have fun. Swimming, tennis, soccer, baseball… there are dozens of sports to choose from, and all of them will make you feel healthier.

Around The House

You don’t even have to leave the house to get fit. Does the yard need tidying? Spend an hour out there with the kids and get it looking good. Working hard sweeping leaves or picking weeds is still exercise, even if it’s not a sport or a gym class. Washing cars, cleaning windows, walking the dog (okay, that one requires leaving the house, but you get the idea), anything and everything that means moving about is good. There will be a huge sense of achievement when the jobs are done, at which point you can reward yourself – and the kids – with a movie, a video game, or whatever else makes you all happy.

James P DeVellis – How to Avoid Having Orthopedic Problems

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Source

When someone tells you they need to see an orthopedist, it means they are having problems with their muscle or joint. These body parts can have many types of problems that lead to limited function and mobility and severe chronic pain. Combined they produce inhibited function and a reduced quality of life. In extreme case they can also be life threatening. Many orthopedic issue can be treated with outpatient therapies. The most serious orthopedic problems however will require an orthopedic surgeon like James P DeVellis  to get involved.

Although some orthopedic issues happen due to accidents that are unavoidable, many others occur because of habits we have or issues that can be avoided. Here is a short list of things you can do to minimize your chances of having orthopedic issues:

Have a Balanced Diet

Eating right is a great way to ensure that your body has the nutrients it needs to build and maintain strong bones, muscles and tendons. If you have vitamin or mineral deficiency from a poor diet, your chances of having orthopedic problems increases dramatically. So you should follow a diet rich in proteins, carbohydrates and good fats, to ensure you have all of the nutrients you need.

Get Regular Check-ups

Unfortunately most of us do not get regular check-ups and only visit the doctor after we think too much time has passed since our last visit or we have a pain or congestion or some other ailment that won’t go away. As a result we do not catch the earlier stages of a problem. Part of the reason this is so common is the overly expensive costs of healthcare and the fear of finding out you have a condition that will bankrupt you. But the flip side is that when you the doctor’s office like an emergency room, you only end up paying high prices for your medical care.

Everyone should have an annual check-up and receive the tests that are commensurate with your age. At that check-up you should tell your doctor of any pains you have big or small and if they have lasted and unusually long period of time. Remember, chronic conditions usually start out as intermediate conditions that get worse over time. Catching something early can correct it and save you pain and money.

Low Impact Exercise

Regular exercise is one of the most important things you can do to maintain good health and we all need regular exercise as part of our regular good health routine. But not all exercise is equal when it comes to orthopedic health.

Exercises that place less strain on our muscles, tendons and bones is a much better choice for out keeping them healthy. This means that exercises like bike riding, walking water aerobics, treadmill, swimming and other exercises that do not place much strain on the muscles and tendons and constant impact on the bones are the ones you should do consistently.  To be clear, the exercise should be strenuous enough to get your muscles working and your heart rate up, but it should not have all of the pounding that you get from some exercises like tennis or basketball. These exercises over time will cause problems for your joints and may lead you to need to see an orthopedist.

Combat Joint Pain with Effective Medication

Arthritis is one of the most frequently diagnosed conditions in the United States. While surgery is often a last resort, the pains are often remedied with the recommendations on this page as well as medication. More recently, medical marijuana has been approved by many states as a drug for arthritis and other pain-related qualifying medical conditions where inflammation is involved. This is providing for an effective anti-inflammatory medication without the side effects or addictive qualities of other common arthritis drugs such as opioids.

Balancing fatherhood with having a healthy lifestyle

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You don’t need to be told that becoming a father is a life-changing experience. The fact is telegraphed from a thousand different directions. Your time will never be your own again, your sleep patterns will be messed up beyond recognition, you’ll have scant time to see your buddies, you’ll know more about children’s TV shows than what’s happening in the NBA or the NFL. But you already knew all that, right?

Of course, you did. But you probably didn’t know the 100 other ways in which parenthood changes your life. The good news is that most of these are incredibly positive, which is why most new dads reel off lists like the one above with a smile on their face – who cares who’s making the playoffs this year, you’ve got more important things on your mind now, and you wouldn’t change it for the world.

However, there are some things that can creep up on you that are not so life-affirming – for example, the dreaded phenomenon that the Brits have dubbed the dad bod. Let’s find out how you can keep in trim, particularly when there is a rapidly growing ankle biter to keep up with.

Eat properly

The problem stems from a combination of the fuel that you are putting in and the exercise that you are doing to keep in shape, but the single largest issue with new dads putting on some extra inches concerns diet. Many are quite certain that they eat less as they find themselves rushing off to work without having had breakfast due to lack of time, and then bolting something quickly in the evening.

Therein lies the problem. Skipped meals do not help – they just mess with your metabolism and increase the temptation to grab something fast and unhealthy to keep hunger at bay. The body likes routine, and by eating regular meals at regular times, you will metabolize food faster and more effectively.

The truth is that babies and kids thrive on routine, so there should really be more reason to eat properly and regularly than there was before.

Get out there

You have more in common with your kids than you might realize. Not only do you both need regular healthy meals, but you also need fresh air and exercise. The archetypal image of the dad out there kicking a soccer ball or throwing some catches with his youngster are great to put into practice, but the important thing to remember is that it is never too early to start.

Your three-month-old baby is not going to be throwing a ball like Joe Montana, but get out there every day with the stroller, take a walk, and get into the routine of venturing out together. The time will disappear faster than you know, and the transition from those first tentative steps to you struggling to keep up will happen in the blink of an eye.

Get checked out

A healthy diet and regular exercise will put you on the right course, but if you are still feeling less than 100 percent, it is always worth getting checked out medically. As we enter our 30s and beyond, there are a number of potential ailments that can crop up, and almost all can be alleviated quickly, just as long as you get them diagnosed.

Even the healthiest dads can find their cholesterol level creeping up as middle age approaches, while a testosterone blood test can be booked online and can identify issues such as calcium deficiency.

Don’t forget your social life

Despite all the tongue-in-cheek comments earlier, it is important for dads to have a little time out and remember that they are still one of the guys, just as much as moms need their girl time.

Schedule something, even if it is just a couple of times a month, and take the opportunity to do more than sink a few beers. This is an ideal moment to relive those youthful days and throw a ball around in the park for half an hour. Chances are, your friends are in a similar position to you, and they will love the idea – and you can always have a beer or two afterwards!

A schedule that works

Most things in life are about achieving a balance, and keeping fit in fatherhood is no difference. The most important thing to try to achieve is routine so that the good habits are convenient and become second nature. If they are a chore, they will end up being dropped, and that’s a guarantee. Good luck!

Ingredients & Baby Skin Care Products: How Important Are They?

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Many baby product ingredients on the market have no place on an adult’s skin, let alone on a baby’s delicate skin. Human skin in general is porous, like a sponge, and anything we put onto it soaks right in – sometimes causing quite a bit of damage to the system.

So why do companies use ingredients that seem like they belong more in a science lab than in a personal hygiene product? We can’t be sure of other baby skin care companies’ motivation, but we fear it often comes down to cost, convenience, and pure marketing hype.

Fewer Ingredients is More

Even though we sell baby skin care products, we’ll be the first to tell you that your baby doesn’t need loads of ingredients and tons of products to stay clean and soft. A simple cleanser, lotion, and perhaps a baby diaper rash ointment or a few other gentle products are all an infant requires when it comes to personal care.

Further, a healthy baby certainly doesn’t need ingredients with hard-to-pronounce names that have been synthesized. Plant-based ingredients that are naturally cleansing, hydrating, and healing are good for promoting and maintaining healthy baby skin.

The EWG Says to Avoid These Toxic Ingredients

The ingredients that we and many experts (including the EWG) don’t believe should be in your baby’s creams, soaps, and other personal care products include: talc (known to be a drying agent, a lung irritant, and a possible carcinogen), synthetic fragrance (may cause skin, eye, respiratory, and neurological damage), propylene glycol (a penetration enhancer that easily absorbs into the skin and might be carcinogenic), and 1,4-dioxane and ethylated surfactants (the EWG reports that 57% of baby soap is contaminated with this known breast cancer inducing agent), among others.

Baby Mantra thinks that baby skin care should be made with simple ingredients from nature. Many are known to clean, moisturize, and heal gently, such as nut and vegetable oils, flower essences, and herbs. We want to keep babies protected and feeling good, so we make sure that all of our products – including our popular organic baby lotion – are clean, non-toxic, and naturally safe.

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We left our home in Sydney, Australia many moons ago in May 2012 and, other than a brief stint back in Perth for Christmas and a wedding in early 2014, we have been travelling the world nomadically ever since, running a business from our laptops and we’re here to show you how to do it!