Bethesda Park Aquatic Center will be hosting an interactive job fair Friday, February 3

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Recycle Christmas Trees

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While preparing for exams, students generally study, read, and cram as much information about a subject as quickly as possible. However, not much time is generally given to taking practice tests. While they may seem like lost time, practice tests can be very beneficial in preparing for the real thing.

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Want to learn more about the successes of two of the Norcross Cluster Schools? Peachtree Elementary and Pinckneyville Middle Schools teachers and parents have planned two opportunities for parents of rising kindergarteners, upcoming middle school

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The Nancy Minor Team - Keller Williams will be sponsoring its Coat, Food and Toy Drive for the Norcross Cooperative Ministry. The drive runs from December 3rd through the 10th.. The team is asking for your help them fill up the truck.

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Tis the season characterized by hectic holiday schedules, lengthy “to-do” lists, family gatherings and parties that include calorie-rich foods, and shopping and gift giving. Too often we put healthy eating and exercise “on hold” until January. Why not make this holiday season different? Be intentional and incorporate gifts of health and wellness into this holiday season. Here are a few ideas to get you started.  

 

Healthy Eating Gift Ideas:   

Recipe cards: Share your favorite healthy recipes by filling a pretty recipe box with personalized recipe cards.  

Healthy Cookbook or Healthy-Cooking Magazine Subscription. For busy families choose a cookbook with quick and easy recipes that are low in sugar and fat and have only a few ingredients. My favorites are those with photographs and nutrition analysis of recipes. Some of my favorite publications include Cooking Light, Clean Eating, Weight Watchers, and healthy editions of Fix-It-and Forget-It and Taste of Home.

Good-for-You Food Gifts that might include a Colorful Seasonal Produce Basket,

             Homemade Granola, or a Healthy Decorative Snack Jar filled with packages of    

             healthy snacks (dried fruit, whole-grain snack bars, trail mix, nuts, baked chips, and  

             pretzels).

“Gift Certificate” for fresh, healthy home-made treats or to a specialty health food store.  

Gourmet Spices and Herbs add new zest and flavor to family favorites.  Given that most Americans consume a diet dangerously high in salt (sodium) a collection of No-Salt Seasoning Blends would make an excellent gift. One of my favorite spice/herb companies is Penzeys Spices ( www.penzeys.com).

“Gadgets:” My personal favorites include rice cooker (with a setting for brown rice), blender/juicer, small double sided grill, crock-pot, and salad spinner.

Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) membership. Buy local and eat healthy all year with a CSA membership that provides baskets of fresh, seasonal produce that can feed two to four people weekly.  

Creative aprons for everyone to encourage everyone to get involved in food preparation, 

Fitness Gift Ideas:

Heart-Rate Monitor is great for people at any fitness level. Using a heart-rate monitor while exercising ensures you are exercising at a safe and efficient level for you. In general, exercising at up to 70% or 80% of your maximum heart rate is recommended for fat-burning. Some monitors have a GPS (global positioning system) feature for walkers, runners, and hikers that want to track their mileage, pace, and location.

A pedometer is an inexpensive gadget that can be clipped to a belt or waistband. It measures the number of steps taken daily. A good fitness goal to start is 10,000 steps daily. Other walking-related ideas are walking sticks/poles to increase intensity and calorie expenditure, a MP3 player and ear phones for enjoying music or audio-books while walking.  

For the workaholic: a FitDesk bike. ($200 to $290) pedal away while getting some work done. The FitDesk Space-Saving Semi-Recumbent X Bike has a spot for your laptop so you can type away while burning calories.

Exercise clothing, particularly outdoor clothes for cold weather exercise, is a great gift.

Stability/Balance Balls are inexpensive and versatile. Just sitting on the ball while working at your desk or watching TV can strengthen core muscles. Bouncing on the ball is a fun way to relieve stress. Be sure to purchase the correct ball size for your height.

Gifts for Children and Families:

Jump rope is recommended by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) for kids and fit adults. A 130-pound person jumping rope at a moderate pace for 30 minutes burns about 250 calories.  

Basic Sports Equipment (balls, hoops, nets, bikes, scooters, Ping-Pong table) that allow families to have fun while getting in physical activity.  

Gift certificate for one or more of the following: nutrition counseling; fitness or health coaching; gym membership; or a month of fitness lessons or classes (karate, yoga, Pilates, dance, etc.). Seek out licensed and credentialed professionals and programs in your area that would be a good fit for the person you are gifting.

Stocking Stuffers: BPA-free Water bottle to encourage water intake. Colorful, battery-operated toothbrush for dental health.

Gifts for Baby Boomers:

Resistance Bands with Instructional Book/Video for strength training. These are easy to use, take up little space, and prevent muscle loss.  

Workout Video or DVD is like having a personal trainer on call. A wide variety of programs (Pilates to Zumba) and levels (beginner to advanced) are available.

Board Games, Puzzles, and Books promote mental fitness and are a great way to socialize. Frequent reading may reduce the risk of dementia.

 

Enjoy giving the gift of health and wellness this season!

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