Vitamin D and Your Mood

Did you know that some health professionals recommend Vitamin D supplements for their patients suffering from depression? It’s especially indicated in the winter, when sunlight exposure is limited or non-existent (your body manufactures Vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight). It turns out that Vitamin D may play a significant role in regulating mood.

There have been reports of people experiencing much-needed mood boosts when they take Vitamin D supplements – so many reports that professionals are taking notice and, as noted above, recommending the vitamin to their patients and clients.

So what does Vitamin D do, and how can you get more of it in your diet? If you take supplements, how much should you take? What about foods that are high in Vitamin D? Let’s take a look at some of these questions.

How Does It Work?

Interestingly, Vitamin D is produced in the body first as a hormone. Then sunlight exposure causes the conversion of this “pre-Vitamin D” into usable Vitamin D. This conversion takes place in the kidneys, and is regulated so that you don’t get a Vitamin D overdose if you’re in the sun all day. When you eat Vitamin D supplements, they act like the pre-Vitamin D hormone your body produces.

Vitamin D works in the body with other nutrients and hormones to regulate hormone function. Hormones, of course, affect all sorts of things, including mood. Hormonal imbalances can cause mood slumps and odd “highs.”

How Much Do You Need?

Because deficiencies in Vitamin D are getting more common, the recommended daily allowance is being reconsidered. In other words, the previous recommendations of 200 IU may be far too low. Current recommendations say 2000 IU is probably more in line with what you need. Also, it’s been shown that the older you get, the less well you absorb Vitamin D. So adults may need more as they get older.

What’s the Best Source?

You can take supplements or eat foods high in Vitamin D. Remember it’s fat-soluble, so Vitamin D supplements and foods will be best absorbed if there is some fat ingested at the same time. Many foods with Vitamin D already have the necessary fat, such as salmon and eggs. Here are some other foods high in Vitamin D:

* Wild-caught salmon
* Oatmeal
* Soy milk
* Mushrooms
* Eggs

You can also drink fortified milk and eat fortified foods. Probably the best route is to get your Vitamin D from a variety of sources whenever you can. During the winter, any skin exposed to the sun may be helpful for boosting your Vitamin D and your mood.

How to Teach Your Child Healthy Fitness Habits

There was a time when kids just kind of kept themselves in shape; overweight kids were the exception. Nowadays, however, with childhood obesity on the rise, parents, teachers, and caregivers are all finding it necessary to implement fitness programs and encourage fit lifestyles for kids.

So how can you teach your child healthy fitness habits that will stay with them for a lifetime? Here are some ideas.

Participation

Let your kids in on your fitness routine. (Don’t have one? There’s the first step – implement one!) Have them come along on your morning walk or run, or let them do a workout video with you. It might take some time to get them integrated, but it introduces them to the concept of regular workouts and the idea that exercise is fun. This also puts you in the position of positive role model for your kids.

Playtime = Fitness Time

Children are naturally playful. Engaging in free play is one of the best ways to encourage them to get in shape and develop healthy habits. Toddlers like to dance and be active at all kinds of play, as do preschoolers. Older kids may enjoy playing sports or just running races with their friends.

If it’s snowing, get the kids to go outside and play in it; in the fall, rake leaves into piles and jump in. Spring and summer provide all kinds of outdoor possibilities. The point is to deliberately integrate active play time into your child’s day.

Make the Time

Because we tend to expect fitness to come naturally to kids, many families neglect to schedule it in. But these days, that’s an important step. Make sure your kids have the time to be active and move around. Sometimes, we spend a lot of our day telling our children to be still, be quiet, pay attention, and so forth. Try to schedule in some time when your child can be physically active.

Playgrounds

Playgrounds exist for a reason – play! Make it a point to take your child to a playground several times a week. Make playdates with other moms and kids if you like, and make it a regular thing. When the weather gets bad, see if you can continue your habit in an indoor play area, community center gym, or church fellowship hall.

Family Sports

Signing your kids up for sports is a great idea, but if your child is the shy type, he or she may benefit more from family sports. Also, if the family participates, it encourages Mom and Dad to exercise, too.

Treating Dry Skin in Winter

Winter can be very hard on your skin. The air is dry and cold, and your skin gets chapped and dried by wind and household heat. For some people, dry skin can become quite problematic in winter, resulting in flakes, redness, or even eczema.

Here are some tips and ideas for helping heal your dry skin, and preventing it from getting too dry again.

Night Creams

Night creams are generally formulated with oil rather than water. This is important for wintertime moisturizing – water-based lotions may be fine for summer, but in the winter you need something oil-based that will seal in moisture, sources say. Night creams tend to be oil-based.

Not all oils are created equal, though, and not all parts of your body will respond well to certain oils. For your face, experts point out that non-comedogenic oils are best. Jojoba and sweet almond oils are said to be good for the face, as they most closely resemble your body’s natural oils. For dry hands and feet, castor oil-based creams can be very effective.

“Spa” Footies and Gloves

Many of us like to slather on the moisturizer at bedtime. But then it all ends up getting wiped off on the bedding. An effective solution is thin cotton mittens or gloves and footies. You can usually get these for very little at your local pharmacy, drug store, or health food store. You can also use cotton socks.

Apply moisturizer heavily to hands and feet (start with your feet), and then cover them with the socks and gloves. The socks and gloves will hold the moisture against your skin all night.

Moisturizing Make-Up

One of the keys to healing and preventing dry skin is to use moisturizer daily. But it can be easy to forget, so using a make-up with moisturizer is a good way to get your skin moisturized each day. Some of these moisturizing make-ups are lightly tinted, while others provide more opaque coverage.

Moisturize the Air

Wherever possible, get moisture into the air in the winter. It will also make the air feel warmer. Sources recommend using a humidifier in the wintertime. If this is not practical, take some other humidifying steps: leave the bathroom door open when you shower; hang your wet laundry up in the house; leave pots of water on heating vents or on wood-burning stoves (safety first, of course).

Minimize Soap

Speaking of showers, we often unknowingly exacerbate dry skin in the shower. Many people scrub themselves all over with soap each time they shower, but this is really not necessary and can even be harmful. Instead, use soap “where it counts” (under the arms, for example) only, and just go over the skin of the rest of your body with a soft washcloth and water. Use soap on your body maybe once a week, and make it a moisture-rich cleanser.

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