HEALTHY LIVING TIPS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE CLARION HOSPITAL

• American’s don’t get enough sleep, so go ahead…take a nap.
  Here’s how.  Sleep 45 minutes or less to avoid entering into deep sleep, making you feel groggy later.  Or, sleep about 2 hours to sleep through an entire sleep cycle.
• Sports drinks:  watch the sugar!
  Sports drinks are necessary only if you exercise for more than 60 minutes. If you drink them regularly or after short workouts, you'll end up consuming more calories than you burn off.
• Does your child get enough calories?
  Kids grow faster during adolescence than at any other time in their lives, except infancy. That requires a mountain of vitamins and minerals best found in food.  Your teen should take in an average of 2,200 calories a day, at least five servings of fruits and vegetables, and three glasses of milk.
• Keep your cold to yourself.
  Make sure you cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow.  By capturing the germs in cloth, you will reduce germs on surfaces by 80 to 90 percent.

• When to keep your child home from school
  Johnny has a big algebra test, but he’s not feeling well.  How do you know whether to keep him home or not?  Don’t send him if:

·         He has a fever above 100.4.

·         He is vomiting or has the diarrhea.  Keep him home for 24 hours after the last episode.

·         He has pink eye – or conjunctivitis.

·         He has a suspicious rash.  This could be a highly-contagious skin infection, like impetigo, requiring an antibiotic.

Take Johnny to a doctor if he has a bad sore throat or severe cold to have him checked for strep, bronchitis or pneumonia.

• Cereal, the morning staple
  Here’s the rule for picking healthy cereals.  Select one with at least 5 grams of fiber and less than 10 grams of sugar per serving.  If your kids just won’t eat a healthy cereal, try mixing it with their old favorite.