WebMD - ABCs of Sun Protection

Whether your skin is pale or brown, everyone needs to protect their skin from sun damage.

A = Away. Stay away from the sun in the middle of the day (from 10 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon).

B = Block. Use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher to protect babies' and children's very sensitive skin.

C = Cover up. Wear clothing that covers the skin, hats with wide brims, and sunglasses with UV (UltraViolet radiation) protection. Even children 1 year old should wear sunglasses with UV protection.

S = Speak out. Teach others to protect their skin from sun damage.

To read more from this article, visit the WebMD website!

The Three Elements of Fitness

Here is a great excerpt from Kidshealth.org about the importance of physical activity that we wanted to share with all of you! If you've ever watched kids on a playground, you've seen the three elements of fitness in action when they:

1. Run away from the kid who's "it" (endurance)

Endurance is developed when teens regularly engage in aerobic activity. During aerobic exercise, the heart beats faster and a person breathes harder. When done regularly and for extended periods of time, aerobic activity strengthens the heart and improves the body's ability to deliver oxygen to all its cells.

 

 

 

2. Cross the monkey bars (strength)

Most teens don't need a formal weight-training program to be strong. But all weight lifting should be done under the supervision of an experienced adult who works with them. Push-ups, stomach crunches, pull-ups, and other exercises help tone and strengthen muscles.  also incorporate strength activities in their play when they climb, do a handstand, or wrestle.

 

3. Bend down to tie their shoes (flexibility)

Stretching exercises help improve flexibility, allowing muscles and joints to bend and move easily through their full range of motion. Young people look for opportunities every day to stretch when they try to get a toy just out of reach, practice a split, or do a cartwheel.

 

Aerobic exercise can be fun for everyone.

 

Express Question: What are some activities that you enjoy each day that could be considered exercise? Reply to this post with your answer!

More Body Trivia!

Can you answer these human body questions correctly? Check your answers at the end of the post to see if you answered them correctly.

The largest part of the human brain is the:

A. Medulla oblongata
B. Cerebellum
C. Cerebrum
D. Brain stem

 

 

What makes bones strong?

A. Silica
B. Cartilage
C. Blood and marrow
D. Calcium and phosphorous

 

 

The main part of hemoglobin (protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen) is:

A. Chlorine
B. Iron
C. Calcium
D. Gold

 

 

 

Answer Key:

 

The largest part of the human brain is the cerebrum. It controls higher mental functions, such as thought, reason, emotion, and memory.

 

What makes bones so strong? Calcium and phosphorous. Foods like cheese or dairy products, sunflower seeds and soy beans are good sources of phosphorous and calcium. 

 

The main part of hemoglobin is iron.

WebMD: Bad Dental Habits

Forgetting the Basics

In order to maintain good oral hygiene, it’s important to brush at least twice a day, floss daily, eat a well-balanced diet and visit your dentist for regular check-ups with a dentist. Not only does brushing your teeth help prevent tooth decay (destruction of tooth structure), it also helps prevent gum disease, which is one of the leading causes of tooth loss in adults and has been linked to heart attacks and strokes. Regular check-ups and cleanings can prevent these problems as well as provide you with good oral hygiene. Removing tooth stains and avoiding bad breath are added benefits of brushing and flossing your teeth.

Gummy Candy

All sugary treats promote tooth decay, but some candies are harder to bare. Gummies stick in the teeth, keeping the sugar and resulting acids in contact with your enamel (hard white substance covering the crown of a tooth) for hours. If your day just isn't the same without a gummy critter, pop a couple during a meal instead of as a separate snack. More saliva is produced during meals, which helps rinse away candy bits and acids

Playing Sports Without a Mouth Guard

Whether you play football, hockey, or any other contact sport, don't get in the game without a mouth guard. This is a piece of molded plastic that protects the upper row of teeth. Without it, your teeth could get chipped or even knocked out when the action gets rough. Self-fitting mouth guards may be purchased at a store, or you can have one custom made by your dentist.

For more dental habits to avoid, visit webmd's website.

Fruit: Color Coded

Red fruits help keep your heart strong.


Blue and purple fruits help your memory.


 

Orange fruits help keep your eyes healthy.

Yellow fruits help keep you from getting sick.


Green fruits help make your bones and teeth strong.

 

 

 

Express Question: What fruits do you enjoy eating the most? Reply to this post with your answers!

To Be or Vitamin B

Vitamin B is found in green leafy vegetables, eggs, fish, milk, yogurt, peas and beans. There are different types of vitamin B.

Thiamin (B1) and Riboflavin (B2) are important for healthy functioning of the muscles, nerves, and heart.

Niacin (B3) helps regulate the nervous and digestive systems.

Pantothenic acid (B5) helps us maintain a healthy digestive tract, and it helps the body use other vitamins.

Pyridoxine (B6) supports the immune system and aids the body in breaking down protein.

Biotin (B7) is involved in the production of hormones.

Folic acid (B9) helps cells make and maintain DNA.

Cobalamin (B12) helps the body make blood cells and maintain a healthy nervous system.

Each of these vitamins is labeled ‘B’ because they all are involved in cell metabolism, the process used by the body to turn food into energy and produce healthy cells.

Human Body Trivia

Can you answer these questions about the human body correctly? Check your answers at the end of the post to see if you answered them correctly. No cheating!!

 

The total volume of blood in a normal adult human being is:

 

A. 5-6 liters (25 cups)

B. B. 3-4 liters (16 cups)

C. C. 8-10 liters (42 cups)

D. D. 10-12 liters (50 cups)

 

 

The pancreas secretes (produces and releases) what substance?

A. Insulin
B. Bile juice
C. Peptic juice
D. Tears

 

The tibia is a bone found in the:

A. Skull

B. Arm

C. Leg

D. Face

 

 

Answer Key:

 

The total volume of blood in a normal adult human being is 5-6 liters.

 

The pancreas secretes insulin which is a hormone that helps the body absorb sugar from our blood and regulate our metabolism.

The tibia is a bone found in the leg.

8 Ways to Conserve Water

1. Fill a pitcher with water and keep it in the refrigerator. This way, anytime someone wants a drink of cold water, they won’t have to run water in the sink.
2. Fill a pan with water to wash fruits and vegetables in.
3. Clean outdoor walkways or driveways with a broom instead of the hose
4. Check outdoor faucets and hoses for leaks.
5. Limit the time you shower to 7-10 minutes.
6. Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a leak.
7. Reuse one cup for drinking water each day to decrease the number of cups to be washed.
8. When you are brushing your teeth, turn the water off until you need to rinse.

For more suggestions on water conservation, visit www.wateruseitwisely.com today.

Express Question:  What other ways can you conserve water? Reply to this post with your answers!

Testing Tips

Many students are testing at this time of the year. Here are some tips from pbs.org to help you get through your tests successfully.

Expect and accept a little bit of stress. Don't worry if you still have some stress while you begin the test. Almost everyone feels this-it's there because you want to do your best and get a good grade. The key is to accept it and not let worrying about the stress make you even more stressed. Tell yourself, "I'm a little worried, but that's okay. I'm going to do well on this test because I'm prepared."

Read the directions. Take a minute to read the test instructions, if there are any, before you get started. This will keep you from making simple mistakes and guarantee that you won't have to waste time going back and redoing any work because you didn't understand the directions.

Pace yourself. Your test will probably be timed. Know ahead of time how many questions there are and how quickly you will have to move through each one. Don't focus on the clock as time ticks away, but glance up every once in awhile to make sure you're not falling behind pace.

For more tips visit the PBS webpage: http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/school/teststress/article10.html

Did You Know?

Aside from unique fingerprints, human beings have distinct tongue prints too. Just imagine if everyone had to get their tongue scanned to get into movie theaters. Talk about a mouthful!!

Valentines Cucumber Bouquet

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, superhealthykids.com created this vegetable bouquet to encourage kids (and adults) to eat healthily.

Click here to check out the recipe and then try it at home! If you want more variety, try using other vegetables or fruits!

"For kids to develop healthy habits, it's important for them to learn to love a variety of fruits and vegetables, in a variety of ways. Serving fruits or vegetables in different forms, textures, and temperatures will actually help children develop a mature palate, which is more accepting to a wider variety of new foods. Don't hesitate to offer fruits and veggies fresh, frozen, dried, canned, juiced, pureed, blended, etc!" --superhealthykids.com

Stay Positive

A lot of things can happen that affect your confidence. We all thought of scenarios on how to encourage a friend to stay positive.

Muscle Man's Scenario
When someone laughs at you, it can make you feel bad. Try ignoring these people. Once they see that you are still smiling, they will leave you alone.

The Running Man's Scenario
If you see one of your friends being teased, give them a compliment to make them feel good about themselves. Tell them that the people who tease them are drinking 'hater-aid'.

Young Wonder's Scenario
Maybe one of your friends didn't pass a grade. You could offer to help them study and encourage them to go to summer school so they can continue on to the next grade when school starts.

Saphhire Diamonds' Scenario
Someone might feel like they are too short. I would tell them that being short is ok because everyone develops at their own pace. There are other people who are going through the same thing, so you are not alone.

PrettyHealthyMe's Scenario
Maybe one of your friends doesn't know how to do their hair and gets teased about it. I would offer to help them with their hair, saying that we could be twins.

Express Questions: What have you seen happen to others that would make them feel sad? How would you help encourage them? Respond to this post with your answers!

Why Self Esteem is Important

Our class talked about self esteem the other day and came up with this definition for it. Self Esteem is how you feel about yourself or how much confidence you have about yourself. We all agreed that having high self esteem is important. Each of us gave our personal thoughts on why everyone could benefit from a positive self image.

Sapphire Diamonds said, "It's important because a person feels bad about themselves; they might say things to hurt others."

PrettyHealthyMe said, "Low self esteem could be the cause of bullying, fights or make someone cry."

Young Wonder said, "I think you should love yourself for you, not what boys or girls say about you. You should have faith and confidence in yourself".

The Running Man said, "Everyone needs to feel important."

Muscle Man said, "Feeling good about yourself can keep you from hurting yourself or others."

Express Question: What other reasons are there for a person to have high self esteem? Respond to this post with your answers!

Welcome to the Health Express Online Magazine!

We created this blog to help our peers and community learn fun and interesting tips about Eating Well, Exercise and a safe, healthy Environment. You can expect to see tips, articles and fun activities that you can try at home. We plan to update our webpage weekly, so be sure to leave us comments and questions on the posts you read. We have decided to choose pen names for this project, so expect to see each of us listed under a fun alias like ‘Noodles’ or ‘Jumping Jack'.

We are also open to sharing your ideas and projects too! If you have written about a health related topic or are working on a project that will help our community members live healthy lives, we want to hear about it! Please send your article, along with your name, grade or occupation and any pictures you would like to share to healthexpressjackson@gmail.com. Your story may even be posted to our website!

To stay updated on whenever we update the site, please become a subscriber by entering your email address into the ‘Subscribe via Email’ box in the left column of our blog and click ‘Submit’.

We welcome you aboard the Health Express, where you can take a on the roadway to health!

Sincerely,

Ms. Hardy-Smith’s 3^rd period Health Class
Blackburn Middle School

Get Fit with Video Games

Written by. The Running Man

Are you tired of everyone telling you to get your lazy butt up and exercise, but you are in the middle of your game? Well kiss those complaints goodbye and come with me to do some gaming exercises.

Game Time

• Use your Wii or Kinect to help you stay fit during the winter.
• Choose your favorite games to exercise with.
• You can dance to your favorite game music or buy your own.

Play Safely

• Tighten your straps to make sure your controller doesn’t flip out of your hand.
• Move all furniture to avoid injures.
• Use loose clothing so you will be able to move freely.
• Make sure to take breaks every 30 minutes and drink plenty of water.

Play with your friends and family

• You can play together or go head-to-head in health challenges.

With these tips, you can get fit without ever turning off your game system!

Express Question: What fitness games do you like to play on your game system? Respond to this post with your answers!

Workout with the TV

Written by. The Muscle Man

If you want to stay healthy in the winter, you can work out with the TV! Most cable providers have a network that airs different exercise shows. You can view them at any time to work out. The one I recommend is Zumba.

The first thing you need to do is move your furniture so you won’t injure yourself or others. If you have exercise equipment, get ready to use it but it is not necessary for every workout. Next find a program. Get moving with the people on the program and on the road to fitness!

But, if you want to make things even more fun, invite family and friends over to exercise with you. You can make some healthy snacks for your guests so everyone can eat well and have fun.

Express Question: Is there a workout program on TV or DVD that you like to watch? Respond to this post with your answers!

Winter Skin Care

Written by. Pretty Healthy Me

Now that winter is here, it is time to turn up the heat in your homes and offices. In the winter your skin can get dry, rough, and itchy. According to Dr. Susan Taylor, dermatologist, the reason we get so dry is because moisture diffuses from our skin cells (which are made primarily of water) into the air. Here are some tips to help you keep your skin beautiful, soft, and moisturized.

When you are done taking a bath or shower, rub lotion or baby oil on your body. Only take baths and showers for 5 minutes a day. Use only warm water, not hot. To soften rough skin, grab a banana, peel it and rub the peel on your skin before you shower.

It's fun to go outside and play in the snow. When you are outdoors, choose winter clothes that protect your skin. Clothing protects your skin from the cold, dry air. Don't you hate chapped winter lips? I avoid this by putting on lip balm.

When your skin is too dry and it’s itching like crazy, try using cocoa butter lotion. It always works for me. At the end of the winter months, you can go back to your normal skin care routine and do things like taking long showers again.

Express Question: Do you know of other ways to keep your skin healthy during the winter months? Respond to this post with your answers!

Winter Workout Clothes

Written by. Young Wonder

If you want to stay in shape, it’s a good idea exercise in the winter. It will be cold, so you will need to choose the right clothing and shoes to avoid getting sick or hurt. Here are a few suggestions that will help you prepare for your winter workout sessions.

If you’re going outside, it is good to wear sweatpants, jogging pants, jeans, or tights. Anything that goes all the way down to your ankle is a good option for winter workout gear. You should also wear warm clothing underneath your jacket. This means you need a long sleeved shirt or something that covers your upper body and keeps you skin protected. These clothing items should be worn to prevent health problems like the common cold, flu, hypothermia, and frostbite. After all, who wants to be sick?

Express Question: What's your favorite outfit to wear when you go outdoors in cold weather? Respond to this post with your answers!

Deck Your Halls!

Written by. Sapphire Diamonds

Many people love to decorate their homes for the holidays or special occasions! Here are a few helpful tips about home décor safety.

I love decorating with lights. Use non-combustible or flame resistant materials. To avoid injury, wear gloves when handling items that are not safe for your skin to touch. You can also try decorating with paper and string instead.

If you are like me, you may have younger family members to worry about. Avoid placing hanging décor in or around baby play areas to prevent the touching, chewing or eating of harmful items. Tell young children to keep away from electric sockets and chords. For more tips, read the decoration packaging. They usually provide information on what the products are made of and how to handle them safely. Have fun!

Express Question: What occasions do you enjoy decorating for most? Respond to this post with your answers!