Cold and flu season—it’s here! As I write this, I am keenly aware of the scratch in my throat, wondering if I am going to come down with the same cold that each of my children has had over the past week or so. It is making the rounds in our home and I hope that it will pass over me!
I was listening to a radio program this morning that was discussing the cold and flu season that has descended up us, talking about ways to prevent the catch of these viruses. The two main areas that this program highlighted were adequate sleep and stress management. With these two building blocks of health in place, warding off colds is more likely. The standard sleep recommendation is over seven hours a night…I wonder how many of you can say that this need is being met for you?
And stress management—who knew that this has such an influence on our physical health—not just impacting heart attacks and chronic diseases, but little viruses like seasonal colds? If you think that you could build some skills in managing the stress of your life, believe me, you are not alone. Here are some tips on keeping stress in check:
Pick your calming activity—take a good look at yourself and determine what makes you feel calm and collected (deep breathing, reading, journaling, etc) and make sure to practice this activity routinely. If self care is not a part of daily life for you, it needs to be to ensure that you can meet the needs of those around you.
Be aware of what you are expecting from yourself, and if it is realistic. None of us are superhuman, but it consistently surprises me how much people expect from themselves. Examine what your day holds and if you are pushing it to the point of becoming frustrated and resentful. This likely signals that you have unrealistic expectations of yourself.
Recognize thatasking for help does not mean that you are weak. There are many of us that walk around with this belief…and then we end up stressed out and burned out. Drawing on your support system, delegating tasks if you can, and knowing who you can trust to vent to once in a while is another way of keeping stress in check.
For more information on behavioral health services, or to seek assistance, go to http://www.pinerest.org
Posted Nov 10th 2010 9:56 AM by Crash for the West Michigan Whitecaps
Filed under: Where You Live, Whitecaps Blog
First of all, sorry it has been a few months since I wrote to everyone. The season was a lot of fun. We had a lot of new guys join the team, but that also means I had to say good-bye to some of them. It is always sad, but I love being around baseball so I just keep on cheering!
Do any of you remember Cody Ross? He played for the Whitecaps in 2000. Do any of you remember Andrés Torres? He played for the Whitecaps in 1999. Both of them played for the San Francisco Giants this year, so they were part of the World Series Championship team. How cool!
Well, there is another off-season that has begun. I LOVE to read, so I am able to catch-up on some fun stories and read some of my favorites. Dr. Seuss is fun to read, probably because I like to use my imagination.
Today I am going to read outside. It feels like baseball weather!
The Cranbrook Institute of Science is an adventure land for kids who love science and history. If you haven’t had a chance to visit the Museum in Bloomfield Hills, watch the segment and see how you can win free passes for your family!
The Cranbrook Institute of Science is home to The Bat Zone! It’s a place where kids and adults can get up close and personal with some creepy nocturnal friends.
One of my favorite things about my job is discovering cool places for families to visit so they can enjoy time together. This week on “Where You Live” we’ll be showing you one of those amazing places! It’s called Cranbrook Institute of Science near Detroit and it’s an great place for curious kids (and parents!). They have an incredible dinosaur exhibit, a massive collection of gems and minerals, a exhibit that shows energy in motion and a personal favorite-the bat zone!! It’s a bit creepy but seriously cool. I’ve never seen bats up close and trust me it’s a memorable experience to be nose-to-nose with a vampire bat! Check out the show this weekend, if you like what you see you can register to win one of eight family four packs to explore this place for yourself. As you watch the show listen for our word of the week. You’ll need that special word to register to win the passes!
Watch “Where You Live” this weekend at 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on WOTV 4 and 6:30 p.m. on WOOD TV 8.
Have you noticed that Christmas comes earlier and earlier every year? I noticed this over the weekend. I was doing some shopping at my daughters’ favorite craft store and observed the employees, all decked out in their Halloween costumes, assembling Christmas displays. Thanksgiving décor was on sale, even before this holiday has passed! A couple of weeks ago, I was walking into Costco, when one of my children exclaimed, upon seeing lighted trees and reindeer, “Mommy! It’s Christmas—I didn’t even know it was time!”
I have to admit that I’ve been slightly bothered by these experiences—there is so much pressure from culture around us, which includes all the marketing efforts of retailers, to look toward the future and be distracted from the present. Going beyond this holiday phenomena, this reality shows up in other areas too—there is a tendency to feel unsatisfied with what we have and feel pressure to move on to the next thing, whatever that might be.
Posted Nov 2nd 2010 11:04 AM by Jamie Allen
Filed under: Where You Live
This month we have some great shows planned with some great giveaways. Each week we’ll be launching a new contest and all you have to do is watch the show to win! We’ll be putting a “keyword” in each week’s show that you’ll need in 0rder to enter the contest on our website. Here’s a peak at some of the cool things we’ll be giving away.
Cold and flu season—it’s here! As I write this, I am keenly aware of the scratch in my throat, wondering if I am going to come down with the same cold that each of my children has had over the past week or so. It is making the rounds in our home and I hope that it will pass over me!
