D76 Wellness Newsletter January 2017

Happy New Year! Have you made a New Year's resolution for this year? Did you know that most resolutions are broken by Feb. 1? So what can you do to maintain the resolution you have made? Make sure the resolution is SMART! Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Based. Sounds familiar, right?!

To make a Specific Health and Fitness Goal: Make sure your goal provides direction. I want to run faster this year OR a better goal would be... I want to lower my time for a 5K by 5 minutes.

To make a goal measurable, you want to have the ability within the goal to tweak the direction and provide more motivation to you. So instead of saying I want to lose weight and go to the gym more this year, you should state that you want to lose 10 pounds and go to the gym 3 times a week.

Is your goal Achievable and Realistic? Can you lose that 50 pounds by Spring Break while working 2 jobs and going to school? Do you really need to lose the 50 pounds? Do you have the resources to help you lose the 50 pounds? Too lofty of goals lead to anger, frustration and lack of confidence. By setting achievable goals, you gain confidence which will build and lead you to achieving even bigger goals. You also must be realistic in what you can achieve with the resources you have. Do you have a gym membership, a doctor, nurse or dietician helping you make the changes that are needed to lose the 50 pounds?

Last but not least, is the goal time-based? By setting a deadline for your goal, you add motivation and it helps you strategize how you will achieve the goal by the deadline. Smaller goals and multiple deadlines are a good way to achieve a larger goal.

So are you ready to make your New Year's Resolution? Hopefully, this year's resolution will be achieved and not broken by February.

Croup! 'Tis the season!

Besides RSV, Bronchiolitis and the Influenza, there is another infection that pops up once winter settles in. Croup usually occurs in children six months to 6 years of age. It is a common childhood respiratory infection that causes inflammation of the upper airway. Common cold viruses are the culprits and these viruses peak in early Fall and winter. Children from six months and 6 years old are most affected by croup because their airways are smaller and the inflammation is more detrimental to their bodies. Most children with croup present with upper respiratory symptoms such as a runny nose, low-grade fever and then a harsh voice and barking cough with stridor. Stridor is noisy breathing while at rest.

There is no cure for croup. But children respond well to supportive care. Here are some tips to help parents combat croup at home. First, encourage fluids when your child starts to get sick to prevent dehydration. Second, give Tylenol or ibuprofen for comfort. Check with your pediatrician or pharmacist for the correct dosage since dosages vary with the size and age of the child. Third, if the child has a severe cough, place a cool mist humidifier in their living spaces or give them a steamy shower. Fourth, help relieve the coughing by taking the child outside in the cold air or by letting them breathe in front of the freezer. Lastly, encourage hand washing and avoid sick contacts during the cough and cold season.

If you notice stridor (the noisy breathing at rest), barking cough, drooling or labored breathing with abdominal retractions (you can see the child's ribs when they breathe), the child should be immediately taken to see a physician or the Emergency Room. Most children with breathing difficulties will receive steroids to help decrease the airway inflammation and some children will receive racemic epinephrine nebulizers and close monitoring in the hospital.

Monthly Workout Challenges

This month I have 2 workout challenges. The first will work our core and get us some summer arms! It's the 28 day Push-up challenge! Check it out here or get your own copy on the Health Office door of your school.

The second workout challenge requires no gym memberships. Cooking Light Magazine has set up this 31 day workout plan that links you to free workouts, meal plans and apps. It has many new and different ideas to try. You can do one or both workouts if you are so motivated. Have fun!

Garlicky Green Beans

Ingredients: 1 teaspoon olive oil; 1 to 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced; 1 tablespoon of finely chopped ginger (optional); 1 pound of fresh green beans, washed and trimmed; 1/4 cup of cold water; 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Directions: In a large skillet on the stove, heat oil, garlic and ginger until they just start to turn color, about 30 seconds. Add beans and stir until they are lightly coated with oil. Add the water, raise the heat to high, and cook until the pan is almost dry, about 6 minutes. Move beans to platter or plate, then taste a bean and add salt if you think it needs it. Enjoy!

Let's Find a Beach!

Baby it's cold outside! Let's find a beach and remember the warmth of summer! We are only 74 days from Spring! On January 20th, let have a beach day. Wear your Hawaiian shirts and flip flops. Dress up your classrooms like a beach. Maybe some Hawaiian music in the teacher's lounge. Be creative and have fun with your students.

Salad Day and Chef Tasting Table

As part of our New Year's Resolution to eat healthier, there will be a Salad Day for the staff on Jan. 18th. Sign up in the Teacher's Lounge at your school. The next Chef's Tasting Table at West Oak will be on January 12th. The students will be tasting cucumbers and kiwis! Yum!

Coming up in February's Newsletter! Stay tune!

Credits:

Created with images by Nicholas_T - "Icing" • ryancboren - "Chase Coughing" • hang_in_there - "Fitness" • rpongsaj - "Green beans" • Sean MacEntee - "Beach" • verygreen - "Salad" • stevepb - "tomato red fresh" • stevepb - "cucumber salad food" • Meditations - "background bitter breakfast" • WDnetStudio - "mineral water lime ice" • werner22brigitte - "football player man human" • jill111 - "valentine's day little boy snow" • skeeze - "mardi gras mask party"

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