Posted Feb 26th 2010 11:58 AM by Amy Miller for Priority Health
Filed under: Health & Wellness
I had the best experience last week. I had the opportunity to join Maranda with my daughter, Quinn, to show families how they can stay fit even with a little one in the house. My friend and colleague Kendra Bylsma joined us with her five-month-old daughter Ava to give us tips on activities/workouts that we can do together.
It really was a revelation. Wow! I can get a workout in, while spending time with my daughter. That has been one of my biggest hang-ups. I spend a lot of time at work, away from Quinn. So when it comes to working out, I just have a hard time justifying spending more time away from her. Kendra really helped me realize that you can integrate workouts into play activities with your baby.
She recommended a few core muscle strength exercises like pushups and yoga moves. A few other ideas to get a workout with your baby include:
Dance parties. Babies enjoy music. Why not make it a dance party for both you and the baby. You can really get your heart rate going and your baby will enjoy the entertainment.
Baby carriers. My husband and I use a baby carrier all of the time. By strapping your little one to you, you add extra weight to carry around. We do normal chores, extra laps up the stairs all while getting in a good workout.
Baby airplane. My daughter is almost 20 pounds. She makes a great weight to strengthen my arms and legs with lunges and arm lifts. She loves these “games.”
These are just a few ideas to help you rethink your activities with your little one. It’s a great way to improve your health and spend time with those you love best – your babies!
For a while now, Maranda and I have wanted to do an entire show on babies. Whether you have a child or not, who doesn’t love a cute, cuddly baby….right? After talking about it for a while, it’s finally here. This weekend on Where You Live we’re talking to moms with newborns, looking at the latest in baby gear and gadgets and getting advice from experts about how to deal with all the changes that come with an addition to the family.
One of the things we did in our show was ask moms their best advice for a mom to be. Here are my three best pieces of advice:
1. Take advantage of sleep while you can. Sleep in, take naps and just be lazy because once that baby comes, you’ll NEVER get a chance to sleep in again. Don’t be scared, it will be okay.
2. It’s okay to ask for help sometimes. Those first few weeks can be a huge challenge. Running on little sleep, dealing with constant crying and just figuring out how to be a mom can be hard. Don’t be afraid to ask family and friends for a helping hand.
3. Don’t sweat the small things. I was obsessed with reading every baby book known to man and wanted to make sure Sophia was hitting every milestone ahead of time (hey, who doesn’t want an overachiever baby), but sometime you have to just chill out and enjoy the moment.
It seems like just yesterday my three-year-old daughter Sophia was born. In the blink of an eye that 7 lb. 7 oz. bundle of joy has turned into a fun loving, strong-willed preschooler. It sounds so cliché, but remember those special times with your baby because before you know it, they won’t be so little anymore!
This weekend on “Where You Live” we’re celebrating babies!! It’s a super sweet show you’re not going to want to miss! We visit the Spectrum Health Family Birth Center to meet some new moms and their newborns (they are so precious!). We’ll get some expert advise from Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital experts on safe sleep for infants. Priority Health wellness friends will share simple workouts to do at home with baby and you can check out all the latest in baby gear at Meijer! Plus, we have a tender story of a local family that recently adopted a toddler from Haiti through Bethany Christian Services. It’s a heart warming story for sure!! And a Pine Rest Christian Services therapist shares insights for all parents on making children feel like an important part of the family. We’ll also announce our 2010 Park Party schedule! It’s a big show this weekend, “Where You Live” Saturday at 7:30 a.m. and p.m. on WOTV 4 and 6:30 p.m. on WOOD TV 8.
Posted Feb 25th 2010 10:14 AM by Shari Steinbach for Meijer
Filed under: Healthy Living
Although my girls are now grown, I remember that taking them to the supermarket sometimes seemed more like a chore than a fun experience. However, the grocery store is a great place to get your children involved and start teaching basic nutrition concepts. Check out these get tips from Bridget Swinney, RD, author of Baby Bites, to make food shopping more fun and educational:
1. Focus on touch. Have your child hold a fuzzy kiwi or a smooth pepper. Ask her to describe how it feels and looks. 2.Make some noise. Give him a box of pasta to shake and point out the different shapes.
3.Play the numbers game. One your preschooler recognizes numbers up to ten, have her pick the cereal with the most fiber (show her where it is on the label). If your children are old enough, introduce them to the NuVal nutrition scoring system at Meijer and have them pick out the pasta with the higher score – the higher the number the more nutritious!
4.Take a tour. Point out the different food aisles and talk about the foods offered. “We should eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day so help me find some yummy choices.” “Milk, cheese, and yogurt keep our bones strong as we grow up, what’s your favorite yogurt flavor.”
5. Play the color game. “Can you find 4 different colors of fruits and vegetables to put in our cart?” See how many purple produce items your child can find (grapes, eggplant, cabbage, etc.)
6. Use your nose. Take a whiff of garlic, onion, mint and ask your child what these items might taste good in.
Grocery shopping can be difficult when you have little kids along for the trip. Our Meijer expert has some simple things you can do to make your next trip a little easier.
Posted Feb 22nd 2010 3:18 PM by Crash for the West Michigan Whitecaps
Filed under: Whitecaps Blog
Yup, you read the title right. I chickened out. After all my training for the Polar Plunge, I just could not do it. My Whitecaps friends all went before me. You should have seen the looks on their faces as they were climbing out of the water. Yikes! The crazy part is they all agreed it was not that bad and they would do it again.
Even though I did not plunge, I still helped our team raise $2,165 for Special Olympics! They all did an awesome job. We decided to do a beach theme, which made me think of how warm the baseball players must be in Florida. The Detroit Tigers Spring Training site is in Lakeland, and the final report date is February 23. Soon it will be opening day, and I am so excited for it!
Right now our food and beverage people are working hard in the kitchen. There are ten items fans can choose from to be served at the ballpark this summer. Voting ends February 23, and they will announce the winner in March. I would tell you my favorite, but they all look tasty.
One thing is for sure, I cannot wait for my first hot dog of the season. They always taste better when the Whitecaps are playing!
