Keep the Weight Off

Maintaining weight loss can be more difficult than losing it in the first place.

The American Council on Exercise suggests how to help maintain weight loss:

•  Weigh yourself every week.

• Move as much as possible, walking frequently, watching less TV and even fidgeting while you are seated.

• Stock your kitchen with plenty of nutritious treats.

•  Place your gym bag near the door, and keep any home exercise equipment where you can frequently see it.

•  Make exercise part of your social life.

•   Measure your waist once monthly and make changes to your diet and exercise routine if your waistline starts growing.

What is a riptide?

What is a riptide? It is a stream of rapidly moving water that is heading away from the beach and back out into the ocean, in effect forming its own current. If you are caught in this current, there is a risk of being pulled out deeper into the ocean that you want to be. The biggest thing to remember, though, is that riptides in general are not extremely wide in area. This means if you react smartly instead of fighting against the riptide, you can get yourself out of it. If you are ever in the ocean and feel a swift current trying to pull you out into the ocean, swim parallel to the shore. Do not try to swim towards the shore, the riptide will be too strong to swim into and will quickly tire you out and increase the risk of the current taking you out into the ocean. Continue to swim parallel to the shore until you feel the current from the riptide weaken and eventually break. At this point you can either swim (if you are in water too deep to stand), or walk back to the shore if your feet can touch the bottom of the ocean.

Take a Walk

Walking is a great form of exercise. The American Council on Exercise warns new walkers to start slowly and not to overdo it.

Here are the council’s recommendations:

• Start out with a short walk of about five minutes. Gradually increase your time and distance.
• Don’t walk too quickly; stick to a comfortable pace.
• Practice proper posture with your head up and shoulders relaxed.
• Allow your arms to swing naturally.
• Breathe deeply, and slow down if you can’t catch your breath.
• Don’t move so vigorously that you can’t talk while walking.

Children & Sunburn

Pictured:  Lisa Bohrer, R.N.,BC, Community Health and Wellness 

Manager for PharmaCare, discusses sun safety with 

St. Michael’s PreSchool children.

More than 90% of skin cancers are the result of sun exposure.  Unprotected sun exposure is even more dangerous for kids who have many moles or freckles, very fair skin and hair, or a family history of skin cancer.  We all need sun exposure.  It is our primary source of vitamin D, which helps us absorb calcium for stronger, healthier bones.  It doesn’t take much time in the sun for most people to get the vitamin D they need.

Every child needs extra sun protection.  The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that all kids, regardless of their skin tone, wear sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.  Although dark skin has more protective melanin and tans more easily than it burns, remember that tanning is also a sign of sun damage.  Dark-skinned kids also can develop painful sunburns.

The best treatment for sunburn is prevention.  Mild sunburn results in skin irritation and redness and can be safely treated at home.  Severe sunburn requires medical attention.

In case of a sunburn:

• Remove the child from the sun

• Place the child in a cool shower or bath or apply cool compresses several times a day

• Offer the child extra fluids for the next two to three days

• Give the child ibuprofen or acetaminophen as directed, if needed, to relieve pain

• Make sure all sunburned areas are fully covered to protect the child from the sun until healed.Think prevention.  Before the kids go out in the sun, remember, 

“Slip, Slap, Slop”:

Slip on a shirt.

Slap on a brimmed hat and sunglasses.

Slop on sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 and reapply every two hours or if the child has been in the water or sweating.

For more information, visit:  www.kidshealth.org.

This article was submitted by Lisa Bohrer, R.N.,BC, the Community Health and Wellness Manager, for the PharmaCare Network.  She is available to speak on various health and wellness topics.  For more information, contact her at 301.689.2909 or lbohrer@3ipc.com