HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE
Children have a different lifestyle in this day and age. Basically they like to do so many more things indoors than ever before. This is the downside of LCD televisions, laptop computers, Ipods, high-tech video games and other modern toys. While TVs and video games were certainly around when I was a child in the 80s, my father forced us out the door to play outside. This was a good thing in retrospect. And to be completely honest, we loved it! This is probably the best source of exercise for children. Simply allow them to run around and frolic with their peers outdoors.
How much exercise do you suppose your child receives on a daily basis? What is his/her routine after school and during the summer months? You see, herein lies the dilemma. If you allow your children to lounge about indoors all the time, they are likely to become overweight. This is something you don't want! Imagine how fast that weight can add up. If your little one doesn't engage in the right exercise for children, he/she may definitely end up overweight by the time high school hits. Not to mention adulthood. It's your responsibility as a parent to ensure this doesn't happen. If by some chance your child frowns at playing outdoors with friends or even alone, you might want to consider indoor exercise for children. There are infinite regimens that can be taken advantage of. Work out with your child! Try various calisthenics such as push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, jumping jacks, jump rope, and stretching. And if you're looking for a back-up plan, there's always swimming. This is a wonderful exercise for children and adults alike.
Find out what sports your children harbor an interest in. Use your free time to play football, baseball, kickball, basketball, or volley ball with them. Have a blast with your children and help them get that imperative exercise they need. A plus to this is it allows you to spend quality time with your little ones and burns your extra calories at the same time. It's not just about exercise for children, but also about exercise for adults. It's high time we decrease the obesity in this country.
HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE - Children Exercise; Exercise for Children
Breaking News Around The World And Career Highlights
Meet the new cabinet, much like the old cabinet
Cabinet shuffles are mostly political. It's not about the ministers or the government structure. It's the equivalent of designing a new detergent package with big blue letters saying "New, Improved."
Even if the detergent is not much changed. There is only one new minister, Stephanie Cadieux, in community, sport and cultural development. No one was fired. Mostly it's the same crew in slightly modified roles.
There are a couple of significant changes.
George Abbott moves from aboriginal relations to education. Abbott has been in health too, so he's handled tough assignments. They haven't gone wrong, but it's hard to point to big accomplishments.
Premier Gordon Campbell wants to make education and the economy defining issues. So Abbott is going to face big challenges in managing change to the school system while facing well-organized interest groups, from the B.C. Teachers Federation to school trustees.
The other big changes come in the resource ministries. Those are tough to understand.
Basically, Pat Bell is responsible for forests, mining and lands. That adds mining to his former responsibilities, which could make sense. It provides a ministry focused on maximizing forestry and mining opportunities, which should be good for resource-based communities.
But there is also a minister of natural resource operations, Steve Thomson, and a junior minister for mining, Randy Hawes. (Plus Bill Bennett as the energy minister.)
So if you have a great mining opportunity, who do you call - Bell, Thomson, Hawes? Or all three? And how do government employees figure out who does what (especially over the next six months as this all gets sorted out)?
There are other interesting appointments. Rich Coleman is back as solicitor general, but keeps housing because he likes it.
Coleman's former responsibility for income assistance and cuts to services for developmentally disabled adults moves to Kevin Krueger, new minister for social development. Krueger's record in arts and tourism suggest that will end in tears.
The biggest change comes in the premier's office. Martyn Brown, Campbell's chief of staff for more than a dozen years, is out. Paul Taylor is in.
You won't find a more powerful job in most governments. Premiers have a deputy minister, charged with managing the public service and a chief of staff to direct the political agenda, manage the message and make sure the party gets re-elected.
Brown was Campbell's guy through three election wins. But part of the job is taken the fall when things go wrong. So Brown is off to a nice job as deputy minister of tourism, trade and investment. (A softer landing, at public expense, than most of his counterparts experience.)
You can't fault the decision. The Liberals have had an awful go wrong. Their communication strategy has been dreadful. They can't keep doing the same things.
So Taylor takes over his job.
It's interesting that Campbell turned back to a familiar figure. Taylor has been one of the most influential managers in Alberta and B.C for almost two decades. After Ralph Klein took power in 1992, Taylor came up with the plan to cut spending.
Campbell recruited him to do the same thing in this province. Taylor did the work for seven years, then Campbell appointed him to run ICBC in 2004. He left that job in April 2008, to run NaiKun Wind Energy Group, which hoped to score big green energy deals with B.C. Hydro.
That didn't work out. Taylor left NaiKun in June. The company was worth about $100 million when he arrived, and less than $8 million when he left, as B.C. Hydro shunned the wind-power proposals. (Which should be reassuring - Taylor's connections didn't help.)
Same people, yet another round of tinkering with ministry responsibilities, even more odd positions - Naomi Yamamoto is minister for building code renewal and John Les gets an extra $15,000 as parliamentary secretary in charge of selling the HST.
That's the other thing with shuffles. They never do bring the benefits the leaders hope for.
Footnote: Hours after the shuffle, Bill Bennett offered a rare internal critique. The overhaul of resource ministries was made without any consultation with caucus or the ministers, he said. When the government is so unpopular it's time to start involving people in decisions, Bennett said.
Even if the detergent is not much changed. There is only one new minister, Stephanie Cadieux, in community, sport and cultural development. No one was fired. Mostly it's the same crew in slightly modified roles.
There are a couple of significant changes.
George Abbott moves from aboriginal relations to education. Abbott has been in health too, so he's handled tough assignments. They haven't gone wrong, but it's hard to point to big accomplishments.
Premier Gordon Campbell wants to make education and the economy defining issues. So Abbott is going to face big challenges in managing change to the school system while facing well-organized interest groups, from the B.C. Teachers Federation to school trustees.
The other big changes come in the resource ministries. Those are tough to understand.
Basically, Pat Bell is responsible for forests, mining and lands. That adds mining to his former responsibilities, which could make sense. It provides a ministry focused on maximizing forestry and mining opportunities, which should be good for resource-based communities.
But there is also a minister of natural resource operations, Steve Thomson, and a junior minister for mining, Randy Hawes. (Plus Bill Bennett as the energy minister.)
So if you have a great mining opportunity, who do you call - Bell, Thomson, Hawes? Or all three? And how do government employees figure out who does what (especially over the next six months as this all gets sorted out)?
There are other interesting appointments. Rich Coleman is back as solicitor general, but keeps housing because he likes it.
Coleman's former responsibility for income assistance and cuts to services for developmentally disabled adults moves to Kevin Krueger, new minister for social development. Krueger's record in arts and tourism suggest that will end in tears.
The biggest change comes in the premier's office. Martyn Brown, Campbell's chief of staff for more than a dozen years, is out. Paul Taylor is in.
You won't find a more powerful job in most governments. Premiers have a deputy minister, charged with managing the public service and a chief of staff to direct the political agenda, manage the message and make sure the party gets re-elected.
Brown was Campbell's guy through three election wins. But part of the job is taken the fall when things go wrong. So Brown is off to a nice job as deputy minister of tourism, trade and investment. (A softer landing, at public expense, than most of his counterparts experience.)
You can't fault the decision. The Liberals have had an awful go wrong. Their communication strategy has been dreadful. They can't keep doing the same things.
So Taylor takes over his job.
It's interesting that Campbell turned back to a familiar figure. Taylor has been one of the most influential managers in Alberta and B.C for almost two decades. After Ralph Klein took power in 1992, Taylor came up with the plan to cut spending.
Campbell recruited him to do the same thing in this province. Taylor did the work for seven years, then Campbell appointed him to run ICBC in 2004. He left that job in April 2008, to run NaiKun Wind Energy Group, which hoped to score big green energy deals with B.C. Hydro.
That didn't work out. Taylor left NaiKun in June. The company was worth about $100 million when he arrived, and less than $8 million when he left, as B.C. Hydro shunned the wind-power proposals. (Which should be reassuring - Taylor's connections didn't help.)
Same people, yet another round of tinkering with ministry responsibilities, even more odd positions - Naomi Yamamoto is minister for building code renewal and John Les gets an extra $15,000 as parliamentary secretary in charge of selling the HST.
That's the other thing with shuffles. They never do bring the benefits the leaders hope for.
Footnote: Hours after the shuffle, Bill Bennett offered a rare internal critique. The overhaul of resource ministries was made without any consultation with caucus or the ministers, he said. When the government is so unpopular it's time to start involving people in decisions, Bennett said.
High Blood Pressure (HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE)
HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE
There is a popular saying that if you have your health you have everything. I never paid a great deal of attention to this. I thought it was something that people that did not have the better things in life said to themselves to feel better. I had the luxury of thinking this because I had always been very healthy. I took this for granted and kept pushing myself harder and harder to achieve financial wealth. By the time I was forty years old I had a very nice bank account however I hardly knew my kids and my wife was ready to divorce me.
I explained to my wife that if she would just hang in there with me for five more years I would have enough money so I would be able to cut back to part time hours and we would do the traveling and other things that we had put off for the past eighteen years. I pushed myself even harder trying to achieve that goal. I started getting headaches and found that my face was flushed a good deal of the time. My wife convinced me to go to the doctor. I found out that I had high blood pressure and was on the verge of having a stroke. The doctor put me on medication to treat the high blood pressure. I felt awful on the medication. The doctor told me that I could try to lower the blood pressure by changing my lifestyle or we could try another medication. I decided that I would try to change my lifestyle rather than put up with the side effects of the medications.
I have always been a type A personality. I ate on the run, slept three to four hours a night and ate whatever I felt hungry for. Suddenly I found myself trying to eat healthy, get exercise and more sleep. I did not want to give up my financial goals; however my doctor was quite blunt with me. He told me that my wife and kids would be enjoying my life insurance money in the near future if I did not get my blood pressure under control soon.
My wife, being the great woman that she is, started reducing the salt in my food and began having healthier choices for me around the house. I ate more meals at home so I could watch the sodium level I was getting. I started cutting back on my work hours. With my extra time I started taking in the sporting events that my children were involved with. My wife and I started taking walks together as well as biking. With her help I managed to lower my blood pressure and I started feeling better. It was such a relief to be rid of the headaches, that in hind sight I realize had been getting worse. Now that I feel better and have better relationships with my family I realize that having your health is the most important thing.
HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE - High Blood Pressure
There is a popular saying that if you have your health you have everything. I never paid a great deal of attention to this. I thought it was something that people that did not have the better things in life said to themselves to feel better. I had the luxury of thinking this because I had always been very healthy. I took this for granted and kept pushing myself harder and harder to achieve financial wealth. By the time I was forty years old I had a very nice bank account however I hardly knew my kids and my wife was ready to divorce me.
I explained to my wife that if she would just hang in there with me for five more years I would have enough money so I would be able to cut back to part time hours and we would do the traveling and other things that we had put off for the past eighteen years. I pushed myself even harder trying to achieve that goal. I started getting headaches and found that my face was flushed a good deal of the time. My wife convinced me to go to the doctor. I found out that I had high blood pressure and was on the verge of having a stroke. The doctor put me on medication to treat the high blood pressure. I felt awful on the medication. The doctor told me that I could try to lower the blood pressure by changing my lifestyle or we could try another medication. I decided that I would try to change my lifestyle rather than put up with the side effects of the medications.
I have always been a type A personality. I ate on the run, slept three to four hours a night and ate whatever I felt hungry for. Suddenly I found myself trying to eat healthy, get exercise and more sleep. I did not want to give up my financial goals; however my doctor was quite blunt with me. He told me that my wife and kids would be enjoying my life insurance money in the near future if I did not get my blood pressure under control soon.
My wife, being the great woman that she is, started reducing the salt in my food and began having healthier choices for me around the house. I ate more meals at home so I could watch the sodium level I was getting. I started cutting back on my work hours. With my extra time I started taking in the sporting events that my children were involved with. My wife and I started taking walks together as well as biking. With her help I managed to lower my blood pressure and I started feeling better. It was such a relief to be rid of the headaches, that in hind sight I realize had been getting worse. Now that I feel better and have better relationships with my family I realize that having your health is the most important thing.
HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE - High Blood Pressure
Health Food Store (HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE)
HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE
It is amazing how one concept or idea can stick in you head for a long period of time and influence how you think. I tend to be a very opinionated person. I try to monitor this as best I can by gathering facts and information prior to making an opinion. This is not always easy for me, but at least I do recognize that I do this. I try to remind myself that one bad experience should not be generalized.
Back in the late seventies when I was in college I shared a house with nine other women. I knew two of the women from high school. Six of us share a kitchen on the main level of the house and four shared a kitchen in the lower level. It was interesting as college students to see how we all prepared meals. I made a lot of sandwiches and ate cold cereal. The woman that was considered our “house mother” ate only natural foods. She and her parents had lived in a commune that served only organic foods that were raised in the compound.
One day we were the only two in the house. She asked me if I wanted to go to the health food store with her. I did not know there was such a place in the city where we attended college, so I agreed to go along. The health food store had whole grains, spices, dried fruits and organically grown vegetables and fruits. It was not very well cared for. I saw mouse droppings in several places and the place had a funky smell. I helped my house mate carry her things to the car and then into the house and I never set foot in a health food store for ten years.
Ten years later I was married and we were living in another city. I was making a special recipe for a family gathering and needed a spice that I was not able to find at any grocery store. One clerk suggested that I try the health food store because they had a large selection of fresh and dried herbs and spices. She gave me directions on how to get there. I was reluctant to go into the health food store, but I wanted the recipe to turn out so I went. I was pleasantly surprised at the health food store. It was clean and well organized. They had wonderful herbs and spices that were in bulk so you could buy small or large quantities. They also had natural juices and many different grains. I had passed the store numerous times without stopping because I had generalized that all health food stores would be dirty and smelly. I now shop their frequently.
HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE - Health Food Store
It is amazing how one concept or idea can stick in you head for a long period of time and influence how you think. I tend to be a very opinionated person. I try to monitor this as best I can by gathering facts and information prior to making an opinion. This is not always easy for me, but at least I do recognize that I do this. I try to remind myself that one bad experience should not be generalized.
Back in the late seventies when I was in college I shared a house with nine other women. I knew two of the women from high school. Six of us share a kitchen on the main level of the house and four shared a kitchen in the lower level. It was interesting as college students to see how we all prepared meals. I made a lot of sandwiches and ate cold cereal. The woman that was considered our “house mother” ate only natural foods. She and her parents had lived in a commune that served only organic foods that were raised in the compound.
One day we were the only two in the house. She asked me if I wanted to go to the health food store with her. I did not know there was such a place in the city where we attended college, so I agreed to go along. The health food store had whole grains, spices, dried fruits and organically grown vegetables and fruits. It was not very well cared for. I saw mouse droppings in several places and the place had a funky smell. I helped my house mate carry her things to the car and then into the house and I never set foot in a health food store for ten years.
Ten years later I was married and we were living in another city. I was making a special recipe for a family gathering and needed a spice that I was not able to find at any grocery store. One clerk suggested that I try the health food store because they had a large selection of fresh and dried herbs and spices. She gave me directions on how to get there. I was reluctant to go into the health food store, but I wanted the recipe to turn out so I went. I was pleasantly surprised at the health food store. It was clean and well organized. They had wonderful herbs and spices that were in bulk so you could buy small or large quantities. They also had natural juices and many different grains. I had passed the store numerous times without stopping because I had generalized that all health food stores would be dirty and smelly. I now shop their frequently.
HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE - Health Food Store
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