Life Style

It's a common question asked by new and experienced parents alike: when can a baby face forward in their car seat? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and National Highway Traffic Safety, the answer is not until they are at least 2 years old. In fact, the AAP now recommends that all children ride rear-facing until they reach the maximum height and weight limit for their car seat. When Is the Right Time to Transition? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently updated its recommendations and stated that “it is safest for infants and toddlers to ride rear-facing in a car safety seat as long as possible until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by the seat’s manufacturer. Once a child outgrows the rear-facing car safety seat, they should be secured i...

Where on the Physical Activity Pyramid do Lifestyle Activities Belong? You may remember the food pyramid from health class in elementary school. The food pyramid was a simple way to visualize the different food groups and how many servings from each group you should eat per day. Recently, the food pyramid has been updated to reflect a more realistic approach to eating. Now, the USDA recommends that we focus on consuming mostly fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while limiting our intake of processed foods, saturated fats, and sugars. Similarly, the physical activity pyramid is a tool that can be used to visualize different types of physical activity and how much of each you should do per week. The bottom of the pyramid shows the most important physical activities one should do daily ...

Can I get abs by doing yoga? The answer to this question is… maybe? It depends on how you define “abs.” If by “abs” you mean a six-pack of well-defined abdominal muscles, then probably not. However, if by “abs” you mean a strong and healthy core, then the answer is a resounding yes! While yoga will certainly help you tone your muscles and improve your overall fitness, it won’t specifically target your abdominal muscles the way that other exercises will. This is because most yoga poses focus on lengthening and stretching muscles rather than building them up. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. Some yoga poses, such as Navasana (Boat Pose) and Kundalini Kriyas, specifically target the abdominal muscles. However, these poses are generally only suitable for experienced y...