Posts tagged Garden at That's Fit

Posts with tag garden

9 ways to help your overweight child

Posted: Sep 26th 2008 4:00PM by Maggie Vink
Filed under: Healthy Kids

Martha recently posted about whether or not parents should be notified if their children are overweight. A recent user question on Momtourage shows that some doctors are doing just that. ... and I think it's a good thing. The parent asking the question is wondering if they should even be concerned that their child is overweight because they feel that their child is active and happy.

Some children are clearly, unmistakably overweight. But for other kids, it isn't always easy to tell. After all, kids go through growth spurts and they grow at different rates. But if a medical professional expresses that your child is indeed overweight, it's time to take action.

As parents, there are many things you can do to help your child live a healthy lifestyle and maintain an appropriate weight.

Continue reading 9 ways to help your overweight child

Getting your garden ready for fall

Posted: Jul 28th 2008 9:00AM by Maggie Vink
Filed under: Food and Nutrition

Growing your own produce is an economical way to feed your family healthfully. As an added perk, pulling all of the weeds helps to burn a few calories each day.

If you haven't gotten around to planting a garden this summer, you're not too late. There are plenty of veggies that can still thrive even into the fall. Perhaps even into the winter, depending on the weather conditions where you live. Divine Caroline has a list of edible goodies that can be planted now and enjoyed in the coming months:

Long-maturing crops such as carrots, cabbage, and potatoes can be planted now for regions with October frost dates, or in August for regions with November frost dates.
Medium-maturing crops like broccoli, Swiss chard, and kale take about two months to mature. You can plant them now or hold off a bit longer for fall growth.
Fast-maturing crops such as spinach, arugula, and leaf lettuce mature in about a month and can be planted as late as September. Plant some now and then plan to plant again for a second crop in the fall.

A garden tale

Posted: Jul 12th 2008 7:30AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Food and Nutrition

"Have you written about our garden yet?" my seven-year-old Joey asked me the other day after finding me typing away at my laptop. "No, I haven't," I told him. "But I should." I wrote about our garden before we even started it. Makes sense I'd write about it now, months after our seeds plunged into the ground.

As promised, my hubby John tilled up a portion of our back yard, and Joey had the pleasure of putting his collection of seeds deep in the dirt. We've got all sorts of peppers, pumpkin, watermelon, peas, and tomatoes. There's cucumber and strawberries too. Several of our plants are bearing fruit -- and vegetables. We've got a few green tomatoes, a few green peppers, and our cucumbers and pumpkin plants are flowering nicely. We can't wait for the day when we can actually pick and eat something we've grown. For now, we're just happy for the blessing our garden has bestowed upon us.

Our garden has inspired Joey to care for something. He checks his crop each morning, waters it late each afternoon (unless a plentiful rain falls down), walks visitors out back to see what he's growing, and offers the family a progress report each night at dinner. "Dad, did you see how big that green pepper is getting?" he has announced on several occasions. Our garden has also sparked lively conversations about how food from the Earth is healthy, how food from boxes and packages usually is not. Our garden attracts butterflies, it brightens up our yard, and it allows us to witness the wonder of nature. When it offers us food we can use to nourish our bodies, it will be one grand lesson for two little boys who are just learning about the world -- and for their parents too.

Daily Fit Tip: Get planting!

Posted: Jul 9th 2008 6:02AM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Daily Fit Tip

House doesn't feel like home? Why not add a little 'green' to the interior? Having a houseplant can have an amazing effect on your health, mood and decor.

Continue reading Daily Fit Tip: Get planting!

Daily Fit Tip: Play in the dirt to work out stress

Posted: Jun 16th 2008 6:00AM by Maggie Vink
Filed under: Emotional Health, Fitness, Daily Fit Tip

Feeling stressed? One of the best ways to manage stress may be waiting for you just outside your back door.

Continue reading Daily Fit Tip: Play in the dirt to work out stress

Flowers in a food garden

Posted: May 30th 2008 1:30PM by Deanna Glick
Filed under: Food and Nutrition, Healthy Home, Organic, Sustainable Community

I'm trying, along with two of my friends and neighbors, to grow an organic food garden. Until we can harvest, I buy mostly organic produce to avoid residual pesticides and GMOs harm the environment and could be compromising to human health as well. And I've been researching the methods behind the concept.

Options for pest control include physical barriers such as netting as well as natural concoctions to replace chemical pesticides. These options aren't very glamorous or aesthetically pleasing. I realize we're growing food, but I'm a sucker for eye-pleasing landscapes. That's why I was thrilled to learn that incorporating flowers into our food garden could be an effective method for pest control.

Marigolds and lavender are among a long list of components that can be used as part of companion planting, which, as it turns out, has been a standard method used by organic gardeners for some time. Other bloggers over at Green Daily have covered it as well. It's too soon to tell if it's working in our garden, but it sure looks pretty. And that works for me. For now.

Stress Less: Grow your own tranquility

Posted: Apr 8th 2008 10:00AM by Deanna Glick
Filed under: Emotional Health, Healthy Habits, Stress Less

Medicinal herbs can be welcome relief for stress and it's side effects, including nervousness, anxiety and loss of sleep. Thus the market for consumption via herbal teas and supplements in pill or liquid form. Last week I wrote about the benefits of getting out in the garden to relieve stress. Then I got to thinking, why not include some stress-relieving medicinal herbs while you're at it?

Planting lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, passionflower, California poppy, and others in the relatively long list of herbs known for their calming effects would provide a constant supply of remedies and the peace of caring for them. Herbs that provide stress relief are often classified into various categories for treating related ailments, including anxiety , insomnia , nervousness and restlessness. There's also a breakdown of which herbs to use according to potency according to David Hoffmann's book Medical Herbalism. The same article describes such herbs as nervines: a plant remedy with some kind of beneficial effect upon the nervous system. Nervine relaxants are most important in times of stress and confusion, as they can alleviate many of the accompanying symptoms.

If you can't find appropriate plants or seeds at your local nursery, you can buy many of them online . There are also plenty of tips for growing herbs as well as ideas for growing indoors.

Stress Less: Get out and garden

Posted: Apr 1st 2008 12:30PM by Deanna Glick
Filed under: Stress Less

I did a ton of yard work last weekend. Layed out a lasagna-style garden plot, mowed the grass, planted some pansies and cleaned off the patio furniture so I could relax and admire my handy work.

My back hurt, but my head felt great. The mental benefits of being outside and getting your body moving have always been crucial for me. Winter is tough for that reason. Combating stress during colder months means hot tea, hot baths and exercise in a gym. And the affect wears thin after a while. So, for me, spring's arrival doesn't just mean warmer temperatures feeling good on my skin and enjoying the sight and smell of flowers.

The vitamin D and work in the yard make for huge stress relievers. If you haven't tried it, get out and garden. It may work for you too. Just keep the muscle rub and ibuprofen handy.

A garden in the works

Posted: Feb 19th 2008 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Food and Nutrition, Healthy Habits, Healthy Kids

We're going to plant a garden. This is the year. We're really going to do it. Our kids have been begging to plant seeds and watch them grow for a while now and we just haven't made it happen. But a garden is in the works now. It has to be. We made a promise.

John promised Joey and Danny that he'll till up a portion of our back yard so they can bury their seeds deep in the dirt. He even asked his mom, a successful gardener herself, for tips and tricks. And for a quick start, he's decided to buy a strawberry pot and begin this crop while the rest of the garden takes shape. They boys are thrilled and while they experienced a temporary set-back last night when they couldn't locate such a pot at any of our garden shops, they are patiently optimistic that their garden will soon be up and sprouting.

Besides strawberries, we hope to grow tomatoes, zucchini, carrots and if Joey has his way, we'll have pumpkins, sunflowers, beans, watermelon, peppers, and more. He'd buy every package of seeds available if he could. He's that excited.

I'm excited too -- about the prospect of growing our own healthy foods, about saving a few pennies at the grocery store, about my boys witnessing firsthand the wonder of nature. The family time will be a treasure too. What better way to grow together than joining forces and enjoying the fruits of our labor.

Make your own herb garden, then eat it!

Posted: Sep 19th 2007 12:02PM by Brian White
Filed under: Food and Nutrition

One of the great joys of cooking ultra-flavorful dishes these days (or reviving bland foods) is to add herbs. I add herbs to almost everything I eat except fruit. From whole-grain muffins to fresh broccoli, herbs make everything taste good and are quite a bit more healthy that loads of salt.

Wouldn't it be nice to grow your own herbs? Many people I know do this in windowsills and other lightful areas in their homes. I tell you what -- those folks never have a bland-tasting meal that I've ever seen.

Get a nice foot-tall terra cotta pot, some sunlight, water and soil and you're prepped for growing a small (but fruitful, heh) mini-herb garden right inside your home. Try that fresh dill on salmon and thyme on top of red potatoes. Oh my -- my stomach's already rumbling!

Summer in the Mediterranean changes one writer's diet

Posted: Jul 25th 2007 1:04PM by Lauren Greschner
Filed under: Food and Nutrition, General Health, Healthy Habits, Healthy Places, Healthy Recipes

This article is one of my recent favorites because I love to travel and I love to eat, but I'm always afraid of coming back from a trip to hear a chorus of "well, you certainly didn't starve!" So I took heart when I read about the author's 3-month journey to Greece nearly 2 decades ago. She had the same fears as I do when she set off, but found that eating well on holiday does not necessarily equal a rounder, fuller figure.

Sure she was eating a traditional Mediterranean diet, which is now considered one of the healthiest in the world, but she also discusses how what she ate didn't matter as much as how she ate. Fresh, organic foods straight from the garden were the norm, as was cooking with heart-healthy olive oil instead of fatty butter. She found that the Greeks tend to incorporate lots of healthy vegetable dishes into each meal, making them a regular part of the diet rather than an afterthought. Meals took several hours to eat, so everyone was able to fully enjoy the flavors in the food, as well as their dining company. Plus, not rushing allowed them to realize when they were full, rather than gorging on too much too fast.

If you love the idea of the eating the Mediterranean way as much as I do, take a look at the article to see ideas on how to make it a reality in your life. There are also a number of recipes for delicious-looking Greek dishes you can try at home.

Growing the biggest vegetables EVER

Posted: Jul 17th 2007 5:58PM by Rigel Celeste
Filed under: Food and Nutrition

When it comes to growing and eating healthy vegetables, the Alaska State Fair isn't messing around. There are vegetable growing contests at pretty much every state fair around the country, but those in Alaska have an edge. The summer months in Alaska mean hyper-extended daylight hours, which means ginormously overgrown veggies -- like this 73.4 pound cabbage grown by Brenna Dinkel. In fact, cabbages do so well up in Alaska they have their own category at the fair. I really do love cabbage, but there's no way around the fact that it stinks when you cook it -- that must be one smelly neighborhood the days after the fair is over and everybody's having cabbage (lots of it!) for dinner!

Healthy living on a budget

Posted: Jul 9th 2007 7:07PM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Food and Nutrition, Healthy Habits, Organic, Sustainable Community

Fresh foods, organic produce, gym memberships -- let's face it, creating a healthy lifestyle isn't as easy as it should be, and it can get expensive too! But if you're really committed to healthifying your eating habits (and you should be), there are ways to eat well without breaking the bank. MSN has these tips:

Check out local farmer's markets
Buy what's in season -- and buy lots of it. You can freeze what you don't use
Shop around
Join a food co-op
Buy a share in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). For around $400, you get fresh produce every week
Use coupons
Buy bulk
Shop the sales
Learn how to use any ingredient (including leftovers) in your meals

And my favourite:

Grow your own produce. (I love this idea -- not that I'll be trying it any time soon. Maybe next year)

How do you keep your family healthy on a budget?

eDiet's fresh summer eating plan

Posted: Jun 28th 2007 7:22PM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Food and Nutrition

Summer to me means fresh fruit, herbs from the garden, grilling on the barbecue and long evenings with cool drinks and lots of laughs. It's a season that's not usually conducive to weight-loss, but it can be.

If this summer is the time you're going to lose that extra weight, eDiets has a solution for you -- the Fresh Diet Plan. They've put together a bunch of recipes that combine healthy, weight loss-inducing amounts of carbs, proteins and fats, and the recipes are full of fresh ingredients and flavours that make summer such a wonderfully tasty season.

What's your favourite healthy summer recipe?

Your spirit is like a garden

Posted: May 23rd 2007 11:26AM by Rigel Celeste
Filed under: Spirituality and Inspiration

Being healthy is about so much more than just eating more fruits and vegetables and working out (although those are very important!), it's also about having a healthy outlook on life and having healthy relationships. It's that whole "well-rounded and balanced" idea we can't seem to get away from, because everything really does work together. So in tune with the season of getting your garden started this spring, check out this inspirational (and also a little cheesy) analogy on why you should plant squash, lettuce, peas, and turnips in your garden this year (squash gossip, let us love one another...)

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#	Blogger	Posts	Cmts
1	Martha Edwards	159	0
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4	Kristen Seymour	49	0
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12	Karla Carrington	7	0
13	Rigel Celeste	5	0

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