Summer Safety
Today is the last day of school for my 4 children. Summer brings such great joy and freedom yet more children are sent to the emergency room from injury in the summer than any other time of year. Here are my summer safety tips to help keep you and yours safe!
Dr. Deb’s Summer Safety Tips (more…)
Well I got a girl named Boney Maroni
& She’s as Skinny as a Stick of Macaroni!
Hard to believe but that was the song that my Dad sang to me when I was a child. That quickly changed with puberty and estrogen transformed my body from straight to curvy then quite round. Common wisdom at the time was starvation diets from the Scarsdale to fasting liquid protein. Those helped me to lose weight quickly, only to pack it back on plus more until I ballooned to over 200 lbs.
We’ve learned a lot about healthy ways to lose weight but our society has abandoned many healthy habits that kept us thin to begin with. More than 30% of children in the United States are now overweight or obese.
“Spring Break 85’..We’re just here to have fun.” That was our motto and fun we had, spending most of our time frying on the beach. Sure I hit the tanning bed before I left so I wouldn’t burn, but burn I did. The tops of my hands blistered, yet I stayed out in the sun. Now I have freckles and scars on the tops of my hands to remind me of my youthful transgression but younger people are still not getting the message of the real dangers of tanning.
We now know that excess UV radiation causes wrinkles and skin cancer yet 30 million Americans visit tanning salons each year. Many will become extreme tanorexics or tan addicts. Paleness or a fading tan becomes the obsession. I recently witnessed this when I went to a salon and saw a very tan girl checking in. She said to the receptionist, “I wish that I could stop but I have a date this weekend so I have to tan.” Her whole psyche revolved around her tan. Some studies have shown that 26-53% of beach goers have a tanning dependency.
In 2001, I was nursing my 3 week old daughter while my twin 2 year old boys climbed all over me when I realized why February has only 28 days. It’s the longest damn month of the year!
It wasn’t just that I was trapped in the house with 3 kids under 3, drowning in various body secretions (who knew what belonged to whom) but more that darn cement ceiling of a sky that didn’t let the light in my house or my heart.
Holiday Stress Remedies
This is the year that I have finally accepted, despite my best-laid plans; things are going to go wrong. I will not have all my shopping done early. I will eat too much of the wrong thing. I will feel a bit melancholy or blue for no reason at all. You know what, that’s OK. It happens every year… but the difference is that this year, I am not going to beat myself up about! I am going to keep moving, move on and savor all of the imperfections of this holiday season.
Here is my 2009, Dr. Deb prescription for a healthier, happier less stressed holiday.
5 Holiday Stress Remedies
1.Make your List and check it twice.
