Works For Me Wednesday: A Sav For Anything

By MAD21

As I was growing up, if anyone in our family had any kind of injury to our skin (burn, scrape, dry skin, hang nail, blisters, etc.), my parents pulled out this green can of very stinky ointment called Bag Balm. I did not like smell, but I never had a problem with my parents using it on me for two reasons... One: It didn't sting or hurt, and Two: It worked! It made whatever was wrong heal very vast. Two very important things to a kid (and a grown-up).

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Tasty Bites: Omega-3 Fatty Acids

By Candy, RN (Steele the Day)

Omega-3 fatty acids are a big buzz in the world of nutrition. Chances are pretty good if you’ve found yourself glaring at lab results showing high triglycerides or high cholesterol, your doctor has recommended fish oil supplements. Many studies have shown that the anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects of fish oil slow the progression plaque build-up in the arteries, reduce the risk of heart attacks, reduce dangerous heart rhythms, and even reduce strokes in people who have heart disease. Many people swear by the benefits it provides in reducing arthritic pain and other joint discomforts.

Supplements are fine, but they are just that: supplements. I don’t consider them “in lieu of’s” and have always believed that a nutrient in its purest form is the healthiest. And supplements can have a hefty price tag, though not nearly as high as cholesterol medication. Enter the salmon, albacore tuna, mackerel, and the lowly herring. They are loaded with healthy Omega-3 fatty acids.

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Do Hand Sanitizers Work?

"Yes," says Dr. Jose Munoz, the director of pediatric infections diseases at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital in Valhalla, New York. But, he cautions, sanitizer and wipes shouldn't replace soap and water, especially if hands are visibly soiled. "You need to physically remove dirt to remove the germs," he explains.

For the best results, Dr. Munoz has these tips:

Use sanitizer sparingly. Many products contain alcohol or other ingredients that shouldn't go into little mouths. So teach your kids to use only a dime-sized dollop (adults should apply sanitizer to toddlers' and babies' hands). "Once the alcohol has evaporated, there's no risk of poisoning," he says.

Apply it thoroughly. Hand sanitizer evaporates quickly and doesn't spread as effectively as, say, a lotion might. So be sure to rub sanitizer all over your hands for at least 15 seconds.

Don't wipe it off. Hand sanitizer needs to air-dry. "The drying process is actually part of what kills germs," says Dr. Munoz. "As the alcohol evaporates, it essentially dehydrates them."

- Taken from the December/January 2010 issue of Family Fun Magazine (I highly recommend this magazine!)

It's Time To Get Off The Couch And Start Running!

By Kevin (Shooting the Breeze)

I want to share with you a running program that I have used to help me go from couch potato to runner!  It is called the Couch to 5K program.  This is a fantastic program that's been designed to get just about anyone from the couch to running 5 kilometres (that is 3 miles for my friends in the USA) or 30 minutes in just 9 weeks!  Its secret is that it's a gentle introduction to getting the body moving, starting off alternating between walking and running small distances, and slowly building up until after 8 weeks, you're ready to run 5 kilometres or 30 minutes non stop.

Too many people have been turned off of running simply by trying to start off too fast. Their bodies’ rebel and they wind up miserable, wondering why anyone would possibly want to do this to themselves.  This was me!  I must say that I was a little sceptical when I started the program.  I hadn’t run in more that 20 years but it worked!  By following the easy schedule outlined by the program I was able to overcome my scepticism.

Each session should take about 20 or 30 minutes, three times a week. That just happens to be the same amount of moderate exercise recommended by numerous studies for optimum fitness.  Be sure to space out these three days throughout the week to give yourself a chance to rest and recover between efforts. And don't worry about how fast you're going. Running faster can wait until your bones are stronger and your body is fitter. For now focus on gradually increasing the time or distance you run.

Here is the schedule:

Week One: Day 1-3 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Week Two: Day 1-3 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Week Three: Day 1-3 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then do two repetitions of the following:  Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds)/Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds)/Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes)/Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)

Week Four: Day 1-3  Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)/Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)/Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)/Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes)/Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)/Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)/Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Week Five: Day 1 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)/Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)/Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)/Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)/Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Week Five: Day 2 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then: Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)/Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)/Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)

Week Five: Day 3 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking. 6

Week Six: Day 1 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)/Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)/Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)/Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)/Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Week Six: Day 2 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then: Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)/Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)/Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)

Week Six: Day 3 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then jog 2-1/4 miles (or 25 minutes) with no walking. 7

Week Seven: Day 1-3 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).

Week Eight: Day 1-3 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).

Week Nine: Day 1-3 Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

I am planning on re-starting the program.  Unfortunately, I stopped running through the summer because of busyness but I am ready to get going again!  Who is willing to join me in getting off the couch and starting running?

Kevin Martineau has been married 16 years and has three beautiful daughters (10, 7 and 4). He has the honour of serving God through his role as Pastor at Port Hardy Baptist Church on Northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. He enjoys blogging, reading, photography and watching hockey.

Can Eating Candy Lead To Crime?

By MAD21

Ok. So my hubby sent me this story last week and when I saw the title, I was like, "Oh, common! Seriously?" I've had a few of those reactions this week, like here.

Yahoo News posted the story, "Eating Candy in Childhood Linked to Adult Crime." I almost didn't read it because it seems like just another one of those articles full of quotes from people/researchers who have gone off the deep end. But I was intrigued.

There seems to actually be some legitimate research to back up their claims. Even the researchers were skeptical at their results so they tried to eliminate and switch around their control factors. No matter what factors they changed, the results were the same.

"The research was led by Simon Moore, a senior lecturer in Violence and Society Research at Cardiff University in the U.K., who specializes in the study of vulnerable youngsters. Moore had been investigating the factors that lead children to commit serious crimes, when, during the course of his work, he discovered that "kids with the worst problems tend to be impulsive risk takers, and that these kids had terrible diets - breakfast was a Coke and a bag of chips," he says.

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