Moms-to-be, this one's for you!
 Starting next Friday, and continuing on five subsequent Fridays this summer, Nest at 13th and Locust is hosting free prenatal yoga classes taught by instructor Shiya Furstenau of Shanti Yoga Shala. Students will learn specific yoga poses, breathing exercises and relaxation techniques designed to relieve at least some of the discomforts moms-to-be face during pregnancy. The class is suitable for all stages of pregnancy. To register, email kids@nestphilly.com.
FREE, June 21st, July 12th, July 26th, and August 2nd, 16th and 30th; all classes start at 12:30 p.m., Nest, 1301 Locust Street, Philadelphia.
>> Have a health or fitness event you’d like to share with Be Well Philly readers? Email eleaman@phillymag.com with details.
|
According to new data, men in our area aren't earning any awards for their health. A local doctor offers tips on how to get them to care.
 If you’re wondering which is the weaker sex, or more specifically which is less healthy, it may not surprise you that men hold the title. At least, it’s true for men in Southeastern Pennsylvania. According to data released yesterday, based on the results of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey (SEPA), the National Institutes of Health confirm that men are less likely to get medical care than women, and that they are more likely to maintain unhealthy behaviors, like smoking and excessive drinking. In the U.S., life expectancy among men is consistently lower than among women.
This news does not surprise me at all. In my years of taking care of primarily women, I clearly see how this is the case.
I think much of this goes back to the hunter-gatherer roles in which we started. Men left to go out to hunt while the women stayed behind, gathering up the bounties of the land, caring for the children, and preparing for their return. While our roles have certainly expanded as we have evolved, traditional society roles still prevail much of the time. Men go off to work, and are expected to provide financially for a family. Women, whether they work or not, remain in charge of and are responsible for the care of the household. This includes looking after the well-being of its members. So they take their kids to the pediatrician, and they go themselves to the gynecologist. Men, for the most part, are not charged with the role of family-health maintenance, and therefore don’t develop a connection to the health-maintenance system. They typically get involved only when they have to, after sustaining an injury or suffering an illness. Health maintenance is not part of their routine.
READ MORE
|
11 farms in Pennsylvania and New Jersey that offer PYO strawberries and fun summer festivities
Who said picking your own fruit is just for apples in the fall? June is almost here (!!) and that means prime strawberry-picking season. Lucky for us strawberry-shortcake-and-homemade-jam lovers, lots of farms around Philadelphia offer PYO berry-picking options. Here, a list of strawberry-crazed farms and orchards to pick from.
P.S. Be sure to call the farm of your choice before heading out to make sure there are still plenty of berries available.
|
A new Center City wellness center focuses on the needs of moms and babies.
 Looking back on my years as a teenage monster (I remember it clearly; I turned 20 just last year), I can safely say that my mom deserves an award—or at least an “I Survived My Daughter’s Hormones” T-shirt. It’s clear: Moms and moms-to-be need all the lovin’—and support, and resources—they can get.
Enter Mama’s Wellness Joint. After building a local following through years of teaching yoga in Philly, Paige Chapman decided to found a family wellness center at 1100 Pine Street, set to open on October 5th. Mama’s Wellness Joint was born out of the idea that Philadelphia women and families need a safe and welcoming space to learn more about how to better care for themselves and their children.
Chapman will provide women and families with a range of alternative-wellness workshops and yoga classes meant to address the needs of women and their families before and after giving birth. On the jam-packed roster are adult, prenatal, postpartum and kids yoga classes; Mommy and Me and Daddy and Me classes; workshops including meditation, ayurveda and nutrition; and fertility-support groups. An in-house masseuse and retail space with all-natural products for mom and baby round out the offerings.
Related Post:
Special Delivery: Why Philly Moms Are Choosing Midwives
|
What's a mom to do when her kid will eat mac and cheese, PB&J and pretty much nothing else? Robin gets creative.
 From the get-go, I wanted to be one of those moms who made one meal for the entire family—no short-order cooks in this house, thank you very much. My kids were going to try new things, be exposed to all sorts of exotic cuisines, and never ever have to take vitamins because they would be such well-rounded eaters.
That worked until they each turned one and then it all went downhill.
While my son, Eli, will devour a plate of veggies and hummus and occasionally try new things, my daughter, Olivia, is a fairly horrendous eater. (Although she will eat fruit—I’ll give her that.) She eats the standard kid fare: pasta (plain), mac and cheese, PB&J, pancakes, etc. Her diet is mostly made up of colorless white food with the occasional cucumber and container of yogurt thrown in there. When I try to get her to try something new she just barely grazes it with her tongue and then enumerates the many reasons why she doesn’t like it. It makes my blood boil.
Now that school is back in session, I am packing her lunch every day—a task made even more difficult by the fact that everything in there has to be kosher. Not that my kid would eat a meat and cheese combo of any kind (or any meat at all), but it would be nice to have the option. Anyway, I started off this year with my standards from the past few years: PB&J, yogurt, bagel and cream cheese, plain pasta. My heart would break with each press of her lunch bag’s Velcro closure; I wanted so much more for her. I had visions of Molly Ringwald’s prom queen taking out her little bento box filled with sushi and wonder when my daughter was going to start bringing pretentious fare to weekend detention.
Something had to be done.
READ MORE
|
Officials say childhood obesity has dropped in city schools.
Finally. Good news about childhood obesity in Philadelphia.
CBS Philly reports that the results of the city’s annual student-weigh-in efforts at public schools show a five-percent drop in the number of obese kids in Philly schools. Every year, the school district tracks kids’ BMI by weighing and measuring about 120,000 Philadelphia students. Using data from 2006 through 2010, officials noticed a measurable decline in the number of kids who fell within the obese range.
It’s definite progress in a city with a childhood obesity rate that hovers about 20 percent higher than the national average. And it’s a welcome shift in light of recent research, which shows that obesity among school-age kids takes a serious toll on academic performance. Efforts like removing sugary drinks from school vending machines are credited with some of the success.
Read more here.
|
A book I wrote when I was seven shows how my tastes have changed over the years. Take a culinary trip down memory lane with me, won't you?
 Look what I unearthed in the archives of my youth. My husband, Chris, turned 30 yesterday. To celebrate, my parents sent him a nice birthday card … and a stack of books I wrote when I was in first grade. No lie.
I had this terrific teacher at Glenwood Elementary School in Rose Tree Media (represent!) named Mrs. Loose, who used to have us write, illustrate and “publish” little hardback books, which my parents and grandparents dutifully saved all these years.
Among the titles in my series are such page-turners as My Woods, My Dog, Bike Ride, My Dog Kelly (the sequel to My Dog, I’m guessing), and My Friend Kelly (not to be confused with the dog, of course).
As I paged through them this morning (laughing hysterically), one title caught my eye: My Favorite Foods. Huh. I wonder if my favorite foods as a seven year old are still my favorites, now 21 years later?
Let’s find out. Below, check out my words and illustrations as a seven year old, annotated with my thoughts as a 28 year old. Read through it, then tell me in the comments: How have your tastes changed since you were a kid? If you’re a parent, how are you making sure your kids have a diverse palate when it comes to food? Share in the comments.
READ MORE
|
A unique way to really tire your kids out.
Love this: The Newtown Athletic Club is hosting its first-ever Kids Triathlon on Wednesday, August 22nd. There will be a free clinic tomorrow evening, August 8th from 5:30 to 7:30, to help prepare kids who have less athletic experience. Topics covered will be the three triathlon events—running, biking and swimming—and how to transition between them during the race.
Children ages five to 12 are welcome and should be registered by Tuesday, August 21st. Click here for more information and to register. Discounts available for sibling participants.
$25 members/$35 non-members, 6 p.m. on Wednesday, August 22, Newtown Athletic Club, 120 Pheasant Run, Newtown.
>> Have a health or fitness event you’d like to share with Be Well Philly readers? Email eleaman@phillymag.com with details.
|
Remember last year when all those fast food chains said they were going to make kids' meals healthier? Um...yeah. That didn't happen.
 Photo courtesy McDonald's You may or may not remember that at exactly this time last year the National Restaurant Association launched a healthy-eating initiative called Kids LiveWell. The voluntary program, which at first included 19 restaurant brands and now includes over 50, compels participants to offer healthier options for kids.
More specifically, according to the program’s website, kids’ meals are supposed to be 600 calories or less (inclusive of an entree, side and beverage); contain two or more servings fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein and/or low-fat dairy; and limit salt, fat and sugar to some very specific proportions.
The original restaurants that signed on to the campaign included Burger King, Cracker Barrel and Corner Bakery Cafe. Now the list includes the likes of Chick-fil-A, Boston Market, Denny’s and Sonic. Although fast food’s grand poobah, McDonald’s, isn’t a participant, it, too, announced last July that it would make kids meals healthier.
Fast forward a year. Washington-based advocacy group Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine decided to see how some fast food chains are doing on the kids’ health front. Turns out, er … not so well.
“It isn’t a healthy meal if the cheeseburger’s still on the plate,” said PCRM nutrition education director Susan Levin in a statement. “Fast food companies are trying to pull the wool over parents’ eyes by adding apple slices to a fat-loaded meal.”
I think she’s right. Check out these pretty terrifying findings.
READ MORE
|
You choose: a three- or five-mile run through the orchards and trails at friendly Linvilla.
 Looking for a way to lure the kids away from the video games and get the whole family some much-needed exercise? You may be in luck—this Saturday June 30th, is the annual Pickle Run at Media’s Linvilla Orchards.
The run offers two courses, the first an easier, three-mile journey through the orchard and dipping into the trails for the last half; the second continues for an additional two miles through rugged and hilly trails. With the playgrounds, farm animals, orchard and market at your fingertips, there will be plenty to do before and after the race. There will also be a collection of T-shirts and old running shoes as a benefit to Saint Vincent de Pauls. Register and find more info here.
$18, Saturday, June 30, at 8:30 a.m., Linvilla Orchards, 137 West Knowlton Road, Media.
>> Have a health or fitness event you’d like to share with Be Well Philly readers? Email eleaman@phillymag.com with details!
|
