Science + You, through April 19 – River Cities Reader

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Through Sunday, April 19Family Museum, 2900 Learning Campus Drive, Bettendorf IA

Presented in conjunction with scientists at the global bio-pharmaceutical company AbbVie, the interactive children's exhibit Science + You enjoys a stay at Bettendorf's Family Museum through April 19, demonstrating the role that science plays in keeping the body healthy through fun and fascinating scientific experiments and a child-sized laboratory appropriate for young visitors.

Created by the Kohl Childrens Museum of Greater Chicago located in Glenview, Illinois, Science + You debuted in 2011 and has subsequently traveled to national museums in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco plus international venues in Germany and Brazil. Children will enter the exhibit as if entering a real-life laboratory., and at the first station, they can pretend to wash their hands and then wipe their feet on a special gel-like floor mat that changes colors to represent the dirt particles it is removing. Museum guests can even walk through a pretend shower to be bathed in blue lights before they put on their white lab coat, while graphics communicate how important it is for scientists to work in a clean environment. Science + You then continues its entertaining education through seven distinct exhibit components:

Antibodies: Demonstrating how antibodies act in the body, this component offers children the opportunity to understand a complex process through play. A clear Plexiglas structure is filled with magnetic balls, which represent germs in the body, while the four stations outside the structure include a movable antibody that children can use to manipulate germs.

Glove Box: Children can use a glovebox a sealed container used by real-life scientists with gloves built into the sides allowing one to manipulate objects safely. Demonstrating how scientists use a glovebox to contain materials as well as protect themselves, the children will wear thick gloves to measure substances using beakers, funnels and other lab equipment.

Mixing and Separating Test Lab: Exploring how scientists use machines to mix liquids and solids, this component demonstrates how different types of equipment function. Children can see the machines in action and can also manually mix and separate liquids and solids themselves.

Magnification Area: This component features a specialized Wentzscope and video microscopes that magnify objects on a large video screen, allowing younger children to compare and contrast an array of natural and man-made items up close.

Healthy Lifestyle: In this component featuring an outline of a human body with a hollow center, children place puzzle pieces representing various forms of nutrition, exercise, and rest in different areas of the body. When a healthy balance of all the components is achieved, children hear a congratulatory message as Healthy Lifestyle promotes being active in a variety of ways, from traditional exercise such as riding a bike to common activities such as cleaning the house, doing the dishes, or walking to school.

Test Kitchen: Here, children will make a healthy soup choosing their own combination of appropriate ingredients. Teaching children the importance of a balanced diet, this component has stations with soup pots that can hold up to six ingredients. Children pick the ingredients from the five food groups, and the burner under their soup pot lights up when theyve selected the correct balance of healthy ingredients.

Science Reflection: Finally, children can share their scientific thoughts and reflections after experiencing the entire Science + You exhibit. A variety of images, drawings, and terminology is provided that children can use to create their own collage, while a display wall allows children to share their collage reflection with the public. Grease pencils will also be provided for children to write down their impressions.

Family Museum visitors can experience Science + You through April 19, with regular venue hours Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays noon to 5 p.m. The exhibit is free with $5-9 general admission, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)344-4106 or visiting FamilyMuseum.org.

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Science + You, through April 19 - River Cities Reader

Caring for the heart in later life protects the brain – Clinical Daily News – McKnight’s Long Term Care News

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News > Clinical Daily News

Adults who take steps to manage cardiovascular risk factors improve the odds that theyll remain cognitively sharp no matter their age.

Thats according to a detailed new report from The Global Council on Brain Health, a working group of scientists, healthcare professionals and policy experts founded by the AARP. Healthy lifestyle changes are not easy to make, the authors write, and clinicians need to assist and support their patients in their attempts.

We have something in our back pocket we can do something about, said geriatric psychiatrist Kristine Yaffe of University of California, San Francisco. Increasingly, what we understand is that cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular disease risk factors are probably our best strategy to reduce dementia at this point.

Among the reports top recommendations for adults of any age:

The full report and detailed recommendations are available through the AARP website.

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Caring for the heart in later life protects the brain - Clinical Daily News - McKnight's Long Term Care News

Sick of sitting in your seat? Here are some fun ways to stay healthy at work – Hindustan Times

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In the corporate world, most of our days are spent sitting at our desks for a long period of time. It is hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle especially when it comes to balancing both work and good health together. Stuck in the monotonous routine and with the roller coaster ride of life, our routine has now been just rushing to work and somehow getting through the day no matter how we feel. Moreover, before we even realize, this sedentary lifestyle coupled with unhealthy eating, high stress levels and inadequate sleep will give us a set of various lifestyle diseases in the long run.

Even though there is a constant competition in the workplace, a little dose of healthy eating and exercises in simple forms always does the trick. And how can office life and a happy life go hand-in-hand? Sheryl Salis, Dietician and Diabetes Educator, lists below a couple of fun ways to make your life easier, healthier, and happier.

Take up smart snacking!

As the evening strikes and the hunger pangs kick in, we automatically navigate towards that bag of unhealthy food. Knowing how hungry we get especially in the evenings, we forget how many of those unhealthy calories we take in. Instead of binging on chips or that vada pav, indulge yourself in nutritious meals that are high in protein and superfood nourishment like soups. The one minute instant soups are the ideal evening healthy snack as they are convenient to make, healthy and filling. These days you even get soups that have 4X* protein compared to regular soups. Moreover, as the chilly days continue, soups do create a nourishing option to keep you warm and agile thereby making it the perfect snacking option in the evenings

Dont just sit there!

Considering that many of us have desk work, we tend to spend a lot of time sitting and as per studies, sitting for approximately more than 9 hours a day could conjure up a lot of health risks. Sitting is the new smoking. So get moving! Take a break between your mails, back-to-back meetings, work calls and indulge yourself for a stroll for at least 5 minutes after every 30 mins. This will help you concentrate more, boost your mood and help you avoid those muscle cramps.

Be positive!

With the amount of stress that keeps building up, its no wonder you feel so bogged down with work. The pressures of your job ultimately make your tasks even more difficult to complete. It is important to start your day with a positive mindset and filled with energy. Try to take criticism as constructive feedback. Ensure your work place (a place you spend almost your entire day) is a fun place and not a war zone that tends to surround you with negativity. Find your source of happiness in the little things like a completion of a task or a compliment from the boss.

Dont let it be the hunger games but make it the Office Games!

As soon as you see those shoulders drop and eyes droopy, it is high time to play a few games. Call it a fun team bonding session or stress-busting games, there are various means to ensure a fun time. One of the best ways to club fitness and entertainment together is to go to an indoor adventure and a trampoline park. Bouncing on a trampoline creates the perfect playground to beat the stress in the most fun way and at the same time helps you burn those calories and has multiple health benefits too. Whether it is a Cliff Jump, landing onto a giant air bag, a Slam Dunk bouncing basketball or dodgeball war game, it surely will help you relive those childhood memories and for that matter, even beat your colleagues to a fun game.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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Sick of sitting in your seat? Here are some fun ways to stay healthy at work - Hindustan Times

10 Steps To Promote Healthy Habits And Encourage Good Mental Health Of Employees – Entrepreneur

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A comprehensive preventive healthcare programme will help to keep employees healthy, reduce employee healthcare expenses and improve the overall performance of the business

January4, 20206 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Both corporates and start-ups continue to struggle with the increasing rate of employee absenteeism. This calls for strategic actions which can reduce employees absences and increases productivity at the workplace. A comprehensive preventive healthcare programme will come to the rescue to keep employees healthy, reduce employee healthcare expenses and improve the overall performance of the business.

You cannot overlook the magnitude of the impact employee absenteeism will have on the cost of operating business. Its time to appreciate the solutions that will encourage employees to deploy a healthy lifestyle and improve their mental health.Employees are the asset of every organization and taking care of their wellbeing will have a positive impact on teamwork, productivity, attrition rate and finally on revenue.

Every workplace should conduct workshops or programmes to encourage employees to set health and wellbeing goals. Embracing a healthy lifestyle should come from withinbe it hitting the gym regularly, practicing yoga, quit smoking or eating healthy.

Also Read:Innovative Employee Management Trends That Make Workplace Exciting

Here are 10 tips on how you caninculcate a healthy culture at your workplace and encourage employees to set health and well-being goals.

Also Read:Why it's Important to Build a Good Work Culture

Dont impose healthy behavior on employees. Make slow strides

While the above points are conducive to improve the mental health and productivity of employees, forcing healthy behavioral changes will also not work. Organizations need to positively influence the eating habits and lifestyle of employees. Out of 13 waking hours, employees spend 9 hours at the office. So, helping them to build nutritional habits at workplace will keep them away from various chronic diseases.

Also Read:Here's Why Entrepreneurs Should Focus on Work Culture Before Chasing Numbers

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10 Steps To Promote Healthy Habits And Encourage Good Mental Health Of Employees - Entrepreneur

Is Your Bed Hurting Your Health, Education Or Career? – Forbes

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Are you having a hard time focusing today? If so, a lack of sleep might be to blame. Sleep deficiency can alter activity in the brain so people may have trouble making decisions, solving problems, be more easily distracted and less likely to catch mistakes, observes Dr. Raj Dasgupta, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern Californias Keck School of Medicine and a spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Although individual sleep needs vary, AASM recommends that adults get seven or more hours of nightly sleep for optimal health, productivity and daytime alertness, he adds.

Your mattress and pillows need to do more than look great.

Teens and children need even more hours, and all age groups can be impacted by sleep deprivation. Dasgupta notes, Cognitive and motor performance impairments from sleep deprivation are comparable to those induced by alcohol consumption at or above the legal limit. While texting and distracted driving are commonly-cited causes of car accidents involving teens, sleeplessness can play a role, too. It can also play a role in school performance. In fact, California just passed a law requiring public middle and high schools to start later, citing research that shows academic performance and attendance improve when older students get more sleep.

Bad beds to blame

If you or your kids dont have insomnia or other health issues that could be impacting sleep, one big factor in not getting enough of it could be your beds. If your mattresses and pillows are not supportive and comfortable, they can keep you from enjoying the restful night you need, points out Coronado, California-based chiropractor Dr. Chris Coulsby.

If you think of what a mattress does on its most basic level support the body while we sleep it makes sense that a worn-out mattress will not be able to do that job. The most common problem as a mattress ages and loses its firmness, he shares, is the proverbial hole that we fall into all night. The body reacts to the sunken position by engaging your core and hip flexor trying to keep you more level and can give rise to back pain in the morning or a restless night.The same can be true of a newer but overly soft mattress that doesnt properly support your body.

Children and teens also need supportive mattresses.

Pillows can be an issue, too, Coulsby says. Having a bad pillow will increase neck soreness, headaches and shoulder pain. It all comes down to support of the neck; too much or too little will ultimately lead to dysfunction.There isnt one right type of pillow for everyone, Coulsby and Dasgupta agree. Your body and sleeping position will determine whats best for you, the chiropractor adds. Basically your body needs neutral support of the head and neck, the rest is personal preference, he says. There isnt an optimal number of pillows either, he reports. See what gives you support without strain.

Choosing the right mattress and pillows

Firmness or softness mean different things to different people, notes Detroit-based interior designer Armina Kasprowicz. Take advantage of in-home trials, she advises; many mattress companies offer them now. Sleep on the mattress for a month and see how you feel. She also recommends educating yourself; mattress shopping is not necessarily a simple process. Ask yourself what the highlighted features will do for you, she advises.

You want to know whats inside a mattress, as well, she adds. Is it a foam, spring or hybrid model? If it is foam or hybrid, ask about density. It should be three pounds per cubic foot, she recommends. If the mattress has springs, ask about the kind of gauge, she suggests, adding, Pocket coils are best for motion isolation, and if they are between 12 and 15 gauge, it is a good sign of durability.

Quality doesnt come without costs, but considering how many hours youll spend on your mattress, the $2,000 to $3,000 youll invest for a highly-rated queen or king set can improve both your health and career. You should purchase a good quality mattress with natural fibers like cotton and wool covers, and high coil counts that will stand up to more wear and tear, Kasprowicz suggests. Pillows are important, too, she notes. The right pillow will have just as much of an impact on your quality of sleep as the mattress.

A quality mattress and pillows are investments in your health.

For children

Susan Wintersteen, a San Diego-based interior designer, started a nonprofit five years ago that remakes spaces for children facing cancer and other medical crises. Each mattress we specify, we consult with a vendor and explain the size and age of the child. We tend to do firmer mattresses for younger children and more medium firmness for older kids, she shares.

Wintersteen also looks for lower profile mattresses for small kids. As they are climbing in and out of bed, I dont want an extra-high profile where their distance to the floor is too great. I also look for something that can be encased in a waterproof cover. When it comes to pillows, she prefers hypoallergenic versions for her clients.

Low profile beds and mattresses are safer for small children.

Children spend more than a third of their young lives in bed, and Wintersteen would like to see its components be easier to shop for, she says. I find the industry somewhat cryptic. As a designer, I want to understand the products I am putting in a space. There is a perception that children dont need a good safe mattress; they can fall asleep on the floor. The reality is that bones are setting and forming, and for our medically fragile children, sleep is incredibly restorative. We want to play a big part in that healing.

Parting thoughts

Sleep is restorative and healing for humans of all ages. Even if youre not spending thousands on your mattress and pillow sets, spend the time to find mattresses and pillows that work for your body.As Dasgupta and AASM will tell you, Sufficient sleep is one of the three pillars of a healthy lifestyle. The other two are good nutrition and regular exercise, but you probably knew that already.

The right bed can be healing and restorative.

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High blood pressure: Do this for 30 minutes in the morning to lower your reading – Express

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High blood pressure happens when your blood pressure, which naturally naturally fluctuates throughout the day and night, is consistently too high. It means that your heart has to work harder to pump blood around your body - a mechanism that can lead to cardiovascular complications if steps are taken to lower your reading. Fortunately, making healthy lifestyle decisions can lower high blood pressure and ward off the threat of developing serious health conditions.

Exercising regularly is one key lifestyle measure proven to lower high blood pressure, as the Mayo Clinic explained: Regular physical activity makes your heart stronger. A stronger heart can pump more blood with less effort. If your heart can work less to pump, the force on your arteries decreases, lowering your blood pressure.

Crucially, as the health body points out, becoming more active can lower your systolic blood pressure the top number in a blood pressure reading by an average of four to nine millimetres of mercury (mm Hg).

That's as good as some blood pressure medications. For some people, getting some exercise is enough to reduce the need for blood pressure medication, noted the health site.

Blood pressure is measured using two numbers - the first number, called systolic blood pressure, measures the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart beats.

READ MORE:High blood pressure: Avoid eating these five foods to reduce risk of serious complications

The second number, called diastolic blood pressure, measures the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart rests between beats.

According to Blood Pressure UK, systolic blood pressure is more important than diastolic blood pressure because it gives the best idea of your risk of having a stroke or heart attack.

Knowing where to begin with exercise can sometimes seem overwhelming but recent research suggests that doing a simple exercise every morning may provide blood pressure-lowering benefits.

The study, published in the journal Hypertension, found that just 30 minutes of exercise every morning may be as effective as medication at lowering blood pressure for the rest of the day.

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The study found that a short burst of treadmill walking each morning reduced high blood pressure, and that the effect was more pronounced in people that took additional short walks later in the day.

To gather the findings, 35 women and 32 men aged between 55 and 80 followed three different daily plans, in a random order, with at least six days between each one.

The first plan consisted of uninterrupted sitting for eight hours, while the second consisted of one hour of sitting before 30 minutes of walking on a treadmill at moderate intensity, followed by 6.5 hours of sitting down.

The final plan was one hour of sitting before 30 minutes of treadmill walking, followed by 6.5 hours of sitting, which was interrupted every 30 minutes with three minutes of walking at a light intensity.

Commenting on the findings, study author Michael Wheeler of the University of Western Australia in Perth, said: For both men and women, the magnitude of reduction in average systolic blood pressure following exercise and breaks in sitting approached what might be expected from anti-hypertensive medication in this population to reduce the risk of death from heart disease and stroke.

The study echoes extensive evidence that shows regular physical activity can help lower your blood pressure and help reduce your risk of heart attacks and strokes, said Chris Allen at the British Heart Foundation.

It can also give both your body and mind a boost, which is why 30 minutes of activity in the morning is a great way to set yourself up for the day, he said.

In addition to exercise, overhauling your diet is also essential to lowering high blood pressure and warding off the threat of developing deadly complications.

Eating too much salt, for example, can send your reading soaring so to keep the risks at bay, you should cut your salt intake to less than 6g (0.2oz) a day, which is about a teaspoonful, advises the NHS.

According to Mayo Clinic, upping your potassium intake can counter the negative effects of eating too much salt.

The best source of potassium is food, such as fruits and vegetables, rather than supplements, noted the health site.

It added: Eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood pressure by up to 11 mm Hg if you have high blood pressure.

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High blood pressure: Do this for 30 minutes in the morning to lower your reading - Express

Panel VI – Future challenges and actions for promoting healthy lifestyle – Video

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Panel VI - Future challenges and actions for promoting healthy lifestyle
On 23-24 February an international high-level conference took place within the framework of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU, bringing togethe...

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Home Base Business TEN Vitamin Spray 12 09 14 NC TEN Healthy Lifestyle Call Pat Lowe – Video

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Home Base Business TEN Vitamin Spray 12 09 14 NC TEN Healthy Lifestyle Call Pat Lowe
TEN Team Effort Network Oral Health Sprays Tuesday Team Call With Pat Lowe. This call is every Tuesday and Thursday night at 9 pm eastern and 6pm pacific tim...

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‘Meal Prepping And Discovering CrossFit Helped Me Escape A Vicious Cycle Of Emotional Eating’ – Women’s Health

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My name is Frances Carpenter (@isfrannyfityet), and I'm a 30-year-old executive assistant in Riverside, California. At 331 pounds, I felt like my weight was holding me back in life, and I decided to commit to a healthy lifestyle. By following a low-carb diet, meal prepping, and trading emotional eating for gym time, I was able to lose 151 pounds.

Growing up, I would always turn to food to make myself feel better about any and every situation, good or bad. My childhood was full of dysfunction, which caused me to constantly overeat. Through adolescence and into high school I gained a lot of weight. I was around 200 pounds my senior year.

I moved to another state after graduation and gained even more weight over about seven years, and I found myself at my highest weight of 331 pounds. I would constantly eat fast food. I was a nonstop snacker, eating between every meal, and I always found myself eating late into the night.

I had limited physical ability when I was at my heaviest and I was very sad and depressed, so I continued to eat to soothe myself with food. It was an extremely hard cycle to break.

I was 26, and I was at my highest weight of 331 pounds. I was always tired because my weight was constantly interrupting my sleep.

I couldn't walk for long periods of time, and I couldn't comfortably fit in restaurant booths or movie theater seats. I was in a horrible place physically, but it was also hurting my mental state. I knew I wasn't living my life to its full potential, and there were so many things I wanted to experience without my weight being the first thing I always had to consider.

Low-carb has always been my go-to approach for weight loss. With my low-carb meal plan, I am able to eat decent-sized meals, feel energized, and lose weight all at the same time. There are so many great low-carb meal plans and recipes available to people now, and I know it will be my long-term lifestyle.

I also have a regular exercise schedule. I currently work out five days a week, alternating between different body parts. Three days a week I do 60 minutes of cardio, and the other two I do 30 minutes of cardio, which is usually the StairMaster. I also spent about three years doing CrossFit, which helped me build a workout routine and get stronger as well.

Before I started this journey, I wish I knew more about the emotional aspect of weight loss and how it would impact me. It's fun and exciting to lose weight, but I found myself having to deal with a lot of emotions, old and new. Before I lost my weight, I was using food to comfort myself and soothe past traumas, and I can no longer do that. Now, I have more time to think about and process things that before I would have shut out with foodbecause I'm not spending that time and energy eating. It's possible to get through it, but its a lot of work from the inside out.

My weight loss has changed me in ways that I did not know were possible. It has of course made me more confident in the looks department, but I have gained a new level of self-love. Even four years later, this lifestyle is still somewhat new considering how much of my life I spent obese. I choose myself now, and have made it my priority to never go back to my old ways. I have a new outlook on life and enjoy the little things that I so desperately wanted before.

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'Meal Prepping And Discovering CrossFit Helped Me Escape A Vicious Cycle Of Emotional Eating' - Women's Health