June, 2016

Make a Splash for Safety

Summer just wouldn’t be the same without a nice sandy beach or the cool splash of a pale blue pool. But there's a serious side to playing in and around water that deserves a great deal of respect, especially among children. These tips can help to reduce the risk of drowning and keep everyone safe around water. Keep an eye out. Keep you kids within arm’s reach while they are in water, and resist the temptations to become distracted when keeping watch over them. Teach your children wel...

Tips for Wearing Flip Flops

Flip flops are a summertime staple, but they can also prove problematic for your feet unless you take certain precautions. DO • Choose brands made of soft, but sturdy leather. Plastic and rubber flip-flops are more likely to cause blisters. • Flexibility is important. The flip-flops should allow you to bend at the ball of your foot, but you shouldn’t be able to bend the entire flip-flop in half. • No part of your foot should hang over the edge of the flip-flop. • Co...

Making a Family Plan for Better Health

Board games, movie nights and vacations—lots of things are better as a family. And that includes getting and staying healthy. So, moms and dads, get the whole family involved in moving more and eating right. If that sounds great in theory, but you're not sure how to make better health a family affair, here's a five-step plan: 1. Make family time active time. Bike to the library together or explore a nearby park. Encourage everybody to train for a charity walk or run. Is somebody's birthday...

Four Tips for Stopping Mosquito Bites

We've all had those itchy red welts that tell us one pesky mosquito—or even 10—got the better of us. Usually, we don't worry too much about the little bumps that go away after a day or two. But mosquitoes can carry germs, like the West Nile virus, that may make us sick. West Nile tends to be a yearly threat in the U.S., especially during the summer. Although most people infected with the virus have no symptoms or only relatively mild ones—such as fever, headache or nausea—...