Get Healthy and Stay Healthy

posted on Mon Mar 1st, 2010 at 8:59 AM by Mike Rathfon


Hi Everyone,
Carnival of Health
It’s approaching two months now, since the new health and wellness gallery, Carnival of Health, debuted at Whitaker Center. After spending a lot of time there, I realized all the valuable messages the exhibit communicates to children on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

With the recent snow storms the area has experienced, it’s critical for us to maintain our health throughout the flu season and more importantly ─ teach children about what they can do to stay healthy all year round.
 
Through watching TV or flipping through magazines, we see many “how to’s” on staying healthy all the time: Eat lots of vegetables, drink soy milk, work out five days a week, etc. Some healthy advice is expensive and not easily accessible ─ much of the info can seem overwhelming. But, being healthy does not necessarily mean just physical health – mental health is just as important. Here are some quick tips on how to become and remain healthy inside and out.


# 1 Tidy Up

According to the Department of Health and Human Services  (Click here for 10 tips on healthy eating and physical activity), lack of activity can be harmful to your health. We are accustomed to being afraid that excise has to be vigorous to be worth our time. Movement is still movement and the more you move, the healthier you will become. Helping mom with dishes or sweeping the floors, and even shoveling the snow for 30 minutes, does make a difference.


#2 Sing Your Heart Out

Listen to your favorite music and sing like a ‘rock star’ whenever you can. It helps to reduce your stress, which promotes positive mental health. You can also sing and dance at the same time and burn twice the amount of calories at once!


#3 Healthy Munchies

You can snack on a bag of potato chips every once in a while, but try to limit your junk food. Instead, switch to healthier snack ideas like apples and grapes. Fruits are refreshing and contain lots of vitamins, which are necessary for our bodies.
 
Do you want to learn more about health and wellness? Visit Carnival of Health for a fun look at health and wellness.

And if you haven't watched it yet, to view a tour of Carnival of Health with Cap'n Science and our favorite little tour guide, Niko, check it out here:

 
Cheers to healthy living,
Cliff