Family Health

Confused about what good nutrition is?

You shouldn’t be — we know what works and what doesn’t.

In a moment, I will share five simple tips to help you optimize your nutrition and achieve vibrant health, but first let me clear up a few misconceptions.

By The FIRM Master Instructor Kelly Branning

When I lived in Alaska, I went from my heated house to my heated car to my heated exercise room. Now, in South Carolina, there are days that I go from my air-conditioned house to my air-conditioned car to my air-conditioned exercise room. If you find yourself gazing out the window mid-workout, lingering just a little longer when you retrieve your morning paper or volunteering to walk the dog … don’t fight it! It’s time to get outside.

Ah, summer — longer days, a less structured lifestyle … NOT. If you’re stressed out by your kids’ summer activities, friends, meals, constant messes and late night hours (I have three teens; I can relate!), you know it’s easy to feel you can’t fit in workouts on top of everything else. But study after study has shown that regular exercise is one of the best things you can do when you’re stressed.

Most people don’t know how poorly they feel until they feel better. In fact, most of us don’t recognize that fatigue, digestive problems, aches and pains, allergies, headaches and more aren’t just annoying symptoms. They are early clues to impending diseases that can disable and kill us.

Parenting is a full time job. It’s no wonder many of us have trouble finding time to take care of ourselves and fit fitness into our lives. But in a world where childhood obesity is a national threat and our kids are inundated with technology that makes sitting still all day seem fun, fitness is a crucial life skill we need to be teaching our children. And children learn best by mimicking their parents’ behavior. As a trainer and mom of three teens, I know these ideas for parents of kids in specific age groups make it easier to add more movement and fitness into your family life and your own busy schedule.

Especially when there are flu and virus outbreaks in your community, added protection against germs is often warranted. Try these homemade essential oil mists — an easy way to add antiviral and antibacterial yet natural scent to your home. They are proven allies in the fight against germs, and they don’t pose the health dangers of many store-bought disinfectants.

When you’re doing everything you can to eliminate chemicals in your 1-year-old’s environment, getting gifts can sometimes cause a bit of a conundrum. Take the pajamas my mother-in-law sent us this week, which were treated with fire retardants.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), which created a cosmetics database outlining and analyzing the ingredients in tens of thousands of personal care products, recently revealed that much of our lipstick is still lead-filled — a year after first releasing such shocking news.

If we’re screaming for change, nobody’s listening.

I get a lot of questions about getting back into shape postpartum. Let’s face it, having a baby changes your life in many ways, including the changes your body goes through during pregnancy and afterward. I have three kids so I know how hard it is to get back into your normal lifestyle routine after having a baby … you’re tired, hormonal, busy trying to feed, bathe, etc. I know it’s a struggle. Here’s my best advice for getting back in shape after having a baby:

Michelle in Made of Honor.

Everybody always wants to know the secrets to how celebs bounce back so quickly after pregnancy. For Michelle Monaghan, it’s breast-feeding and eating organic.