You’ve tossed and turned all night. As you start out the next morning, you have only to rub your tired eyes to know the importance of getting a good night’s sleep. Sometimes it’s easier said than done, however. Here are some tips to help you get the rest you need:

Set a regular schedule. Most people have a natural waking/sleeping pattern called the Circadian Rhythm. The more in tune you are with your body’s natural sleep schedule, the more energized and refreshed you’ll feel. When the body is in rhythm, it can make better use of the time it has to rest.

Are you getting your daily servings of fruits and vegetables? You can usually find delicious local produce during the summer months. Make healthy eating child’s play with these fun activities.

Have a picnic at a farmer’s market. Local markets offer an amazing variety of produce and other homemade products. Find a farmer’s market near your home and turn an ordinary afternoon into a scavenger hunt for nutritious and delicious food. Make silly games out of trying new foods. For example, is it possible to make a whole meal from foods of only one color?  Or can you find a different food for every letter of the alphabet? When the shopping is done, find a place to spread out a blanket and gobble up the freshest food of summer.  

Census statistics are an indicator of trends over years, even decades. Why do we care about statistics about walking? It makes us stop and look at our own activity compared to the overall population. Where do we fit? What are we doing for our own health?

More than 145 million adults now include walking as part of their physically active lifestyle. That’s more than 6 out of 10 people. 

Summer is here and with it comes heat and more heat. That means it’s really essential that we pay attention to staying hydrated.

Dehydration is a serious matter and nothing to mess around with. Seniors, children, and anyone with an acute or chronic medical condition are especially at risk.

Are you looking for ways to incorporate more exercise in your daily life? Your body is consistently burning calories. Here are some simple ways to give your body a calorie-burning boost. 

Exercise and physical activity are good for just about everyone, including older adults. No matter your health and physical abilities, you can gain a lot by staying active. In fact, in most cases you have more to lose by not being active.

Here are just a few of the benefits. Exercise and physical activity:

Creating a budget and staying with it is hard work, so it’s no surprise that an estimated two-thirds of Americans don’t do it.  But if you'd like to be more in control of your finances, then it's a necessary evil. Fortunately there are ways you can make budgeting more fun!

Members of the Central Labor Union first staged a Labor Day celebration in New York City on September 5, 1882. By 1884, the holiday moved to its current spot on the first Monday of the month of September, and the idea started to spread like wildfire among American workers around the country. In 1894, the holiday got the official approval of Congress, and Labor Day has marked the end to summer ever since. 

Remember the back-to-school ad with parents frolicking through a store followed by their unhappy children, while the song, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is playing? Cute commercial, but for parents on a tight budget, back-to-school shopping can be anything but wonderful. Read on for some ways to keep your spending under control.

We all know with summer comes the heat! It's so important to be aware of the dangers of heat and how to keep safe.

Elderly people (that is, people aged 65 years and older) are more prone to heat stress than younger people for several reasons:

• Elderly people do not adjust as well as young people to sudden changes in temperature.
• They are more likely to have a chronic medical condition that changes normal body responses to heat.
• They are more likely to take prescription medicines that impair the body's ability to regulate its temperature or that inhibit perspiration.

What are the 5 most important things you learned from your father? 

Father’s Day is right around the corner, on Sunday, June 20th. This is a good time to give some thought to what the ‘old man’ taught you and show him appreciation for it. Even if your dad is no longer around, it can be beneficial for you to take a few minutes and remember the tips and life wisdom he gave you as you were growing up.

Ever picked your own tomato from your garden? Or cut your own fresh herbs to add to the supper you are cooking? If you haven’t, you are missing out on one of the great natural rewards in life.

Growing your own vegetables or herbs can be fun, good exercise, cost-saving, and rewarding at the dinner table. All good reasons to consider gardening, if you aren’t already doing it.

It’s spring break time and that used to mean family trips. Saying good-bye to winter blues by taking a family vacation was a nice plan for spring break. With COVID restrictions still in place, staying closer to home may be part of the plan this year. Ensure the success of your break—whether you’re going to a beach resort, ski mountain, or day trips close to home—by planning a healthy and safe holiday. Check out the CDC’s guidelines for the latest travel recommendations. 

Food is trendy, and not just because we’ve been dealing with it in some form or another since we were born. No, by trendy we mean that like fashion, some foods are in style and some are ‘oh so last year.’ One of these new trends is gluten-free eating. If you’ve decided that it’s time to kick gluten out of your life, either because of health problems like Celiac disease, or just for your overall health, here are some things to consider: