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2 | Thursday, June 23, 2016

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By Melissa EricksonMore Content Now

Diabetes is on the rise for family pets. Just like in humans, a combination of

Healthy tipsFor many pets, especially dogs,

developing diabetes may not be avoided because it comes down to genetics, Hess said. For your pet to have the healthiest life possible, “make sure they have a good diet and are not eating junk food or snacking on people food. Make sure they get enough exercise,” Hess said.

genetics and lifestyle contribute to this disease that can be fatal if left untreated.

Since 2011, diabetes diagnoses have increased by 32 percent in canines and 16 percent in felines, and just

like humans, cats can be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, according to a massive study of 2.1 million dogs and 450,000 cats by Banfield Pet Hospi-tal in Portland, Oregon.

“I just can’t help but wonder if there is a correlation between the increase and prevalence of these diseases and the decreasing visits to veterinarians,” said Dr. Jeffrey Klaus-ner, chief medical officer for Banfield.

Know the signsDiabetes is a condition that

occurs when the body cannot process glucose (sugar) into cells, resulting in too much glucose in the blood and not enough cellular glucose for energy. Dogs typically develop type 1 diabetes, in which they do not produce their own insulin and need to have carefully monitored insulin injections for the rest of their lives, said Rebecka S. Hess, a professor of internal medi-cine at University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine.

Cats, on the other hand, develop an “insulin resistance” that mimics the human form of type 2 diabetes.

“The glucose in the blood increases, but because the cat’s body is resistant more and more of the hormone is needed to reach normal levels of blood sugar,” Hess said.

Diabetes is often a silent disease, so regular visits to the vet are nec-essary to discover it, Hess said. A simple blood test can measure your pet’s blood glucose level.

Watch out for the following risk factors:

DIABETESPETS AND

Instances of the disease have skyrocketed in 5 years PIXABAY.COM

• Weight: Obesity can make cells resistant to insulin.

• Breed: Some breeds such as samoyeds, Australian terriers, pugs and poodles, and purebred cats such as Siamese, Abyssinian and Burmese, are more prone to diabetes.

• Age: Pets most often develop diabetes during middle or older age.

• Gender: Female and neutered male pets are more likely to develop diabetes.

• Diet: Poor diets, especially ones high in fat, may lead to diabetes.

Increases in appetite and liquid consumption are signs your pet may be developing diabetes. Watch out for increased urination or cat litter needing to be changed more frequently.

“Well-trained dogs may sud-denly begin having accidents in the house or ask to be let out more often. Or, a dog may start to jump up on the table or into the trash to get food,” Hess said.

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Sports injuries are on the rise not only for children and teens but among adults, too. From pulls and sprains to concussions and torn ligaments, injuries occur as we try to be active to get healthier and have

fun.“The level of competition of both children and

adults is unprecedented compared to any time in the past. Both the incidence and prevalence of sports injuries has increased over the last 15 to 20 years,” said neuro-spine surgeon Dr. Ara Deukmedjian, chief executive officer and medical director at Florida’s Deuk Spine Institute.

Awareness helps diagnosisIncidence refers to the number of injuries over

time while prevalence looks at the number of inju-ries to the population. For example, high school athletes alone account for an estimated 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hos-pitalizations every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Just like youths, weekend warriors are also sustaining injuries playing soccer, riding bikes and running. According to the American Journal of Sports Medicine, between 200,000 and 250,000

Americans tear their anterior cruciate ligaments, or ACL, each year, and the largest increases are people younger than 20 and older than 40.

Concussions are in the spotlight, as are overuse injuries, which are more commonly seen among pro athletes but are affecting kids at younger ages, Deukmedjian said. More people may be play-ing sports, but the increase in injuries is also due to the fact that people are taking these injuries seriously.

“Before, many of these injuries were ignored. Coach would say, ‘Walk it off and get back in the game,’ or an adult wouldn’t seek medical help. Now they’re being diagnosed much more com-monly,” Deukmedjian said.

Parents also have a greater awareness of the possibility and severity of injury and are more involved.

“In a large part it’s due to all the retired football players who had serious concussions multiple times that caused permanent brain damage because they weren’t treated correctly. Now there’s more of an awareness of injury and how to identify injury,” Deukmedjian said.

Injuries are also on the rise in non-contact sports like gymnastics and golf.

“Golf has become tremendously popular in the last 10 to 15 years, and it’s led to an increase in lower back injuries,” Deukmedjian said.

THE RIGHT

CALLPreventing sports injuries

in youths and adults

Prevention tipsPrevention is key to curbing the tide

of sports injuries as well as avoiding repetitive trauma to joints and simply “not overdoing it,” Deukmedjian said.

“If you sprain your ankle playing basket-ball and it heals, you probably won’t have any problems later in life with the ankle. But, if you sprain your ankle again and again, it’s more likely to cause long-term harm,” Deukmedjian said.

Returning to a sport too early is another way athletes bring injury upon themselves, Deukmedjian said.

“If you return to play before you’re healed you are more likely to have an injury recur,” Deukmedjian said.

Before playing any sport be sure to stretch and warm up.

“Start with a fi ve- to 10-minute warm-up of some type of jogging or running fol-lowed by 10 minutes of stretching before moving into your activity. If you forgo warm-up or stretching you’re more likely to have an injury,” Deukmedjian said.

For people playing sports requiring pro-tective gear, “make sure it is current, new and fresh, the most advanced gear avail-able,” Deukmedjian said. If a helmet has been involved in a multiple hits or dam-aged, it’s time to get a new one because you may not be able to see a fracture of the material on the inside.

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D iagnosing autism spectrum disorders can be a long, costly and arduous pro-

cess difficult for both family and physician, but a new test developed by Cleveland Clinic researchers may help identify the condition earlier, leading to better outcomes for the child.

Cleveland Clinic’s autism risk index uses remote eye track-ing technology to spot signs of autism spectrum disorder. The study looked at 79 children, 40 with autism and 39 without, ages 3 to 8, who were at high risk for autism spectrum dis-orders. Usually children with autism can be diagnosed by age 2 and the rest by age 3, accord-ing to the Cleveland Clinic.

The children were shown different videos with people

NEW

RESEARCHinteracting and

making facial expressions to measure if the children were looking at the correct social cues on the screen – like people’s eyes, mouths and mannerisms – or if they were looking at non-social items, like the wall behind the speaker, the ground or an object in the room rather than the person.

Researchers did not know ahead of time which children tested had been diagnosed with autism and which had not.

They found that the children who were already diagnosed with autism often avoided look-ing at the people or the faces in the videos and instead focused on non-social items.

Current testsTo arrive at an autism

diagnosis doctors currently conduct interviews and obser-

vations, devise reports and, finally, use their judgement.

“The problem is the subjectivity. It hits par-ents hard and delays their ability to accept the diag-nosis,” said Dr. Thomas

Frazier, director of Cleveland Clinic Children’s Center for Autism.

What the research team led by Frazier hoped to develop was “an efficient and objective tool” to make a diagnosis.

“I like to say if you go to the doctor for a blood test for cho-lesterol and the test came back showing you had high choles-terol, people believe it,” Frazier said.

Autism spectrum disorders do

not currently have a clear test that allows doctors to make a solid early diagnosis. That leads to parents at times to question the diagnosis and the judgement of the doctor, Frazier said.

“Early identification of autism is key for getting children the treatment they need to maximize their functionality,” Frazier said. “By identifying them earlier, they’ll be able to get into treat-ments faster and ultimately their lives will be better.”

Abnormal eye contact is a well-known characteristic of autism spectrum disorders.

“People have been looking at eye contact for a long time,” Frazier said. What Frazier’s team did that was innovative is to combine what they saw on the videos “across many paradigms to create a clinical tool that we can use to quantify that a child has a high risk” for developing an autism spectrum disorder.

Cleveland Clinic test may help diagnose autism sooner


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S pring is the season of sneezing, with an estimated 50 million Americans living with seasonal nasal aller-gies, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Understanding your allergy triggers and using smart strategies to avoid them will bring relief.“The most common seasonal allergy triggers are pollens from trees,

grass and weeds, as well as mold spores,” said Alex Burgess, spokesper-son for the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America.

“As an allergist, I encourage my patients to prepare for their seasonal allergy symptoms well in advance of their allergy season. Seasonal allergies are some-thing you should think about year-round, not just when symptoms hit,” said Dr. Clifford Bassett, a board-certified allergist in New York and member of Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America’s Medical-Scientific Council.

A recent survey from the foundation and drugmaker Merck found that many Americans with seasonal allergies think most about managing their seasonal allergies only when they experience symptoms or at the start of allergy season.

SEASON OF

Know allergy triggers and prepare for them now

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“Most often, individuals can address their symptoms with over-the-counter medica-tions; however, AAFA always recommends individuals experiencing seasonal aller-gies schedule appointments with their primary care physicians to be properly diagnosed, and if need be, to seek care from board-certified allergists for those experiencing severe symp-toms,” Burgess said.

Is it allergies?How can you tell if the

coughing and sneezing is a cold or seasonal allergies?

“The No. 1 most important thing for people to know is, if they are experiencing uncom-fortable symptoms for more than five days in a row, they are likely experiencing sea

sonal allergies rather than a cold or flu, and should seek help from their personal clini-cians immediately,” Burgess said.

Certain foods can make sea-sonal allergies worse.

“Individuals who experi-ence seasonal allergies related to pollens or spores can have their symptoms exacerbated by certain foods. Pollen-food allergy syndrome is a type of food allergy that can develop in individuals with high sen-sitivity to pollen allergens,” Burgess said. Mild swelling of the mouth and throat can occur immediately after ingesting raw fruits like apples, pears, berries, peaches. and some nuts and raw vegetables. Stop eating if you start to feel your lips tingle or your throat feels scratchy.

Indoor culpritsUnlike seasonal allergies,

indoor allergies may last all year long and are triggered by a variety of culprits including dust mites, mold spores, cockroaches and dander from cat, dog and rabbit hair/fur. If you’re seeking relief from a commercially avail-able product, check the label to see if it carries a certifica-tion from the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America.

“AAFA’s asthma & allergy friendly Certification Program offers a substantial list of prod-ucts that have been scientifically validated to support manufac-turer claims of efficacy,” Burgess said. “The program is 10 years old and offers individuals an excellent resource with which to select products for their homes. The program can be found at www.asthmaandallergyfriendly.com.”

“Individuals who experience seasonal

allergies related to pollens or spores can have their

symptoms exacerbated by certain foods.”

Alex Burgess, Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America

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When your college-age child comes home for the summer, the happy family

reunion can quickly turn tense when they reach for the car keys and stay out all night. What are parents to do?

“The transition can be chal-lenging for sure,” said Wayne Parker, About.com’s fatherhood expert. “Adapting to the new relationship is often the hard-est part. College kids are used to more independence while parents still tend to think of their child as their child as opposed to an adult. So adapting schedules, finances and friends can be particular sticking points.”

Unless the family has experi-enced major life changes, parents and siblings often seem to be about the same as when the stu-dent left for school nine months before, while the college student has changed significantly, said Karen Levin Coburn, author of “Letting Go: A Parents’ Guide to Understanding the College Years” and senior consultant in residence at Washington University in St. Louis.

“They’re used to making their own decisions, coming and going as they please. They’ve gotten used to a different way of func-tioning, living on their own terms. I don’t think they even realize how much they’ve changed,” Levin Coburn said.

Communication tipsThey certainly aren’t used to

someone telling them to wear a jacket if it’s going to be chilly out, and that’s why the key to living happily together is for both sides to communicate their expectations.

“Talk about mutual expecta-tions and what will happen. Understand how meals will be handled. Talk about sharing costs (food, utilities, car, etc.) Make sure that there is a common

Welcome BACK?

understanding about general house rules. Parents own the turf and expect to set the rules, but the returning student can some-times feel that mom and dad don’t respect his or her judgment or independence,” Parker said.

Frame the conversation positively.

“Say, ‘I’m thrilled that you’re back, but let’s talk about it.’ Par-ents need to take the initiative and cover the ground rules,” Levin

Coburn said. For example, if the student

expects to have use of the family car, what do parents expect? Do they need to fill it with gas, wash it occasionally and chauffeur younger siblings, too?

Discuss the best way to connect. It may be by text rather than phone or email. Be clear that if you con-tact them, you expect a response, Levin Coburn said.

Keep texts short and to the point. “Parents often write too much,” Levin Coburn said.

If possible, meet weekly “to sit down and calendar and do a little evaluation about how it is going. Text check-ins when the student is going to be late getting home or cannot keep a family commitment is a simple courtesy. That can be hard and feel a little overbearing when a student is used to operat-ing independently, but it is part of trying to fit back into a family routine,” Parker said.

When it comes to curfew, things get tricky.

“It kind of depends on the parents and the other siblings at home. There is probably more flexibility if the college student is the only sibling there, but if there are younger siblings, it can make parenting them a lot tougher if there isn’t an appropriate curfew,” Parker said.

Keep in mind“There isn’t one right set of

rules. All families are different. When the child first comes home, they’ll probably want to be taken care of but later they will want to flex their independent muscles,” Levin Coburn said.

“Willingness to be flexible and to compromise on both sides of the equation is important. Every family relationship changes when one member of the family leaves or returns, and old patterns usually won’t work as they did before the student left. Communication and flexibility are the keys on all sides of this new and interesting rela-tionship,” Parker said.

Tips for parents of college students returning home for summer

“They’ve gotten used to a

different way of functioning, living on their

own terms. I don’t think they even

realize how much they’ve changed.”– Karen Levin Coburn

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PHOTOS: PROJECT REPAT


W ith all the family photos, children’s art projects, charity run T-shirts and vacation mementos, it’s easy for keep-sakes to get out of control. But there are plenty of ways to keep these special memories organized and within reach to

be enjoyed for years to come. Here are a few tools to help you get started:

STORY OF YOUR

LIFECreative ways to save, display keepsakes

Savor“For many people, organizing

keepsakes is a source of dread,” said Jennifer McAllister-Nevins, co-founder of keepsake organiza-tion company Savor. “People have things they want to save from their children, but they don’t have the time or inclination for a baby book. Or they don’t know where to put them, so they shove them into a plastic bin at the top of the closet, but it shouldn’t be this way. Our family memories deserve more than the basement.”

Savor boxes are handmade, book-cloth-covered cases appro-priate for keeping on display and passing down.

“It’s amazing that we can digi-tize so much of family life today, but you can’t digitize everything. No matter how hard you try, you can’t digitize your child’s blankie. Those physical objects we still keep take on even greater promi-nence in our lives today, because we aren’t gathering around the cloud to feel closer as a family. These objects tell the stories of our lives. They transport us right back to specific moments of childhood that would otherwise be lost,” McAllister-Nevins said.

To buy (starting at $70), visit savor.us.

Project RepatFor those tough-to-part-with

T-shirts, turn to Project Repat, which gives them a second life as a

fleece-lined quilt. “T-shirts have become the

modern form of scrapbooking,” said Nathan Rothstein, president at Project Repat.

He credits the company with saving marriages, too.

“The wife is sick of seeing all these shirts with pit stains, but the husband does not want to throw them away. It’s the perfect compromise,” he said. “It has also become a way to memorial-ize a family member who passed away and acts as a family heir-loom,” he said.

To buy (starting at $74.99), visit projectrepat.com

KeepyParents can save and share their

kids’ artwork, schoolwork and mementos and enrich them with audio and video narration with mobile app Keepy. Snap a picture of the item, upload it and save, then share.

“As a father of two young children, I created Keepy to easily save and share all of their cre-ative moments and milestones in one safe place,” said Offir Gutelzon, chief executive officer of Keepy. “Connecting families with their loved ones, Keepy’s simple platform enables even less technically-savvy grandparents to enjoy posts and leave com-ments with ease.”

To buy (from free to $9.99 a year), go to keepy.me.


They say that herbs are the gateway to garden-ing. Growing and cooking with fresh herbs not only

boosts the flavor, color and aroma of home-cooked meals, it’s a great way to save money while adding essential nutrients, minerals and antioxidants to your diet.

“Growing your own herbs gives a sense of satisfaction, fresher flavor than store-bought herbs and con-nects a person to nature even if they are just growing in containers,” said Rhonda Daniels, a former organic herb nursery grower and herb gardening educator, now owner of Growing Herbs for Beginners.

While herbs are easy to buy, they are expensive when compared to growing your own.

“Boxed, fresh herbs are costly. For the price of a box of fresh basil, you can buy a seedling that will give you batch after batch of fresh leaves. For pennies you can start your own (plants) from seeds,” said Brighid Brady, brand manager for Chef’n, a kitchen gadget retailer.

Herbs are easy to grow, and growing your own offers the opportunity to choose more exotic varieties than are available in the grocery store.

“Choose varieties you know you’ll use, staples like basil, oregano, parsley and rosemary. Then pick some herbs you haven’t tried before to open up a wide spectrum on new taste sensations,” said Joan Casanova, spokeswoman for Bonnie Plants.

How to startGetting started is easy. “A large container with a few

herbs of comparable sun and water requirements can be the best way to get started. Even one container with a lone plant can be fun for beginners,” Daniels said. “Sunlight, water and a spot to grow are really the basics. Started plants can be purchased; that is the simplest way


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lamb with garlic and olive oil or as a nice addition to tomato sauce, pizza and pork.

• Oregano: Sprinkle on salads, pizza and in tomato sauces. Add chopped oregano to vinaigrette or use it in poultry, game or seafood dishes to perk them up and infuse a Greek or Italian taste.

• Cilantro: One of the most versatile herbs, cilantro adds distinctive flavor to salsas, soups, stews, curries, salads, vegetables, fish and chicken dishes.

• Parsley: Try a mixture of chopped parsley and garlic on roasted lamb, grilled steaks, fish, chicken and vegetables.

• Dill: Add fresh, sharp flavor to all kinds of foods such as cheese, omelets, seafood (especially salmon), potato salads and all kinds of cucumber dishes.

Sweets• Rosemary: Complements

tarts and is great with sorbet; pairs well with apricots.

• Tarragon: Works well in light glazes or sauces for cakes and pairs well with any lemon dessert.

• Sage: Pair with fruit like oranges, apples and pears.

• Basil: Goes well with summer fruits, especially berries,

pineapple and watermelon. Strawberries and basil pair

amazingly well together, especially when served

over vanilla ice cream.• Mint: Mix with any

berry and a super-sensational pairing

with chocolate. Add sweet mint to chocolate chip

cookie mix.• Thyme: Surprisingly deli-

cious with bananas, lemons, limes and oranges. Try it with vanilla ice cream, too.

Drinks• While many people use mint to

flavor lemonade, try using a sprig of rosemary.

• Try basil in spiced tomato juice or add to pineapple juice with lime and club soda.

• Add blueberries and lavender to pink lemonade.

GETGROWING

Herbs are easy to grow and use in summer dishes

to get growing. Just keep in mind the size of mature plants; they can get quite large.”

Once harvested, herbs can be saved and stored for future use.

“For herbs like basil, parsley and cilantro, trim the ends and place in a glass with about an inch of water to keep fresh for about a week,” Brady said. “For herbs like chives, thyme and rosemary, wrap the herbs loosely in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator – the door is perfect for this – do not rinse until ready to use.”

Perfect pairingsHere are a few tips from Casa-

nova about how to incorporate herbs in summer foods, desserts or beverages:

• Basil: Use in sauces, sand-wiches, soups and salads. Delicious when combined with tomatoes, mozzarella and olive oil.

• Mint: Not just a garnish on your dessert plate, mint is versatile and can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. Great with lamb, peas, carrots or any veggie salad.

• Rosemary: Use while roasting

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The lazy days of summer are just that for too many kids who spend hours laying

on the couch watching TV and playing video games instead of enjoying healthy activity.

Studies have shown that kids are more at risk for gain-ing weight over the summer months because they are less active and have more oppor-tunity to eat fattening snacks, said Dr. Ihuoma Eneli, medi-cal director of the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutri-tion at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Studies in the Journal of School Health and the American Journal of Public Health found that children gain weight two to three times faster during summer break.

Parents have to take the ini-tiative, provide guidance and set a good example for their children when it comes to pro-moting physical activity, said former elementary physical education teacher and parent of two Cheryl Richardson, director of programs for the Society of Health and Physical Educators.

Diverse activityChildren should be getting

60 or more minutes of physical activity each day — all at once or broken in segments, accord-ing to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While maintaining a healthy body is vital for physical well-being, it’s also important for mental and emotional well-being, Richardson said.

“The problem for some parents is that they don’t feel comfortable sending their chil-dren outside to play. They may not feel it’s safe. For children

GET OUT AND

PLAYTips for keeping

kids active

whose lives are so scheduled these days, they have less ability to come up with ways to play on their own,” she said.

Physical activity keeps mus-cles strong and helps prevent obesity, Richardson said. While aerobic activity like running is great, no one type of activity is better than another.

“Being active in diverse ways

is great for kids, and summer is a great time to introduce something new, such as put-ting up a badminton set in the backyard. Kids don’t even have to follow the rules. It’s the same with jump ropes and sidewalk chalk. Let them use their imagination and have fun,” Richardson said.

Another idea is to teach

your kids the games you enjoyed as a child.

“I remember when my mom taught my sister and I games like jacks and kick the can,” Richard-son said.

Schedule timeMaking time for physical activ-

ity is imperative. “You have to schedule the time

otherwise time gets away from you, especially in summer when kids have more free time and less structure,” Eneli said.

“You have to build the time into their day,” Richardson said.

For younger children parents can schedule 30 minutes of play at the park, while teens and parents can agree on a set amount of time, she said.

Eneli breaks activity down into three levels: Organized, family and me:

• Organized activity usually is something you drive to, such as volleyball practice or a baseball game.

• Family activity is when two or more members of the family do something together, like two sib-lings going for a bike ride, an aunt taking a niece swimming, or mom and son doing yard work together.

• Me activity is when parents provide a safe environment for a child to direct and lead her own activity.

Not all activity needs to be outdoors.

“Chores are a form of activ-ity,” said Eneli, who advised that parents allow kids some leeway to negotiate. If you ask them to vacuum the basement every day, they can respond with a proposi-tion of three times a week, for example.

Lastly, set time limits on screen devices, especially if you’re not home to monitor their use, and wear sunscreen when doing out-door activity, Richardson said.

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JOBFAMILY


W hile women make up nearly half of the Ameri-

can workforce, more than a third (69.9 percent) of those women were working moms in 2015, according to an April report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The same report said 75 percent of single moms were employed in 2015, compared with almost 83 percent of single dads or 81.4 percent of married couples with kids.

For complicated reasons it’s becoming both easier and harder for women to balance a career and family, said Rosalind Chait Barnett, senior scientist in the Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.

“On one hand, expecta-tions have risen to such a level that it is hard for parents to meet them. In some circles, mothers are expected to nurse their babies for months, be avail-able to them at all times, and give them every opportu-nity as they grow, including

lessons of all types and extra tutoring. It is also harder because parents today get less help from extended families, and the cost of everything, including college education, keeps escalating,” Chait Bar-nett said.

“On the other hand, elec-tronic devices make it easier for parents and children to keep in touch with each other, to monitor their activities and to connect with them. Also,

changing cultural norms make it easier for fathers to ask for time off for child care and for mothers to expect such engage-ment from their husbands,” she said.

Companies that are tackling the issue realize that flexibility is key to work-life balance.

“In crafting flexibility poli-cies, however, the important point to remember is that not all flexibility schemes are equally helpful. Employees

male as well as female need usable flexibility, flexibility that meets their needs and whose uptake does not expose them to negative career con-sequences,” Chait Barnett said.

Putting in place a five-day, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule option rather than the standard 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. option creates flexibility, but it may not be useful for employees who need to match their work hours to their children’s varying school demands. Such employees may need to start work at 8 a.m. on some days, at 8:30 a.m. on other days and 9 a.m. on still other days, Chait Bar-nett said.

“Companies need to moni-tor their behavior so that they can detect whether employees who opt into the flexibility schemes are not penalized, either by lack of promotion, slower promotions, fewer raises or (fewer) other perks,” she said.

Lastly, companies must “make sure that all programs and communications con-cerning child-related issues are addressed to mothers and fathers. Highlight male employees who are taking up paternity leaves. (Facebook CEO) Mark Zuckerberg is a prime example,” Chait Barnett said.

Are workplaces really adapting to working moms?

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Fundraiser runsSign the family up for a charity run or walk, and stick to a manageable distance. Train together as a family team. Make a training schedule that is low-intensity and works with everyone’s schedule. The key is to make this something for the whole family to look forward to, not dread.


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TV commercial fi tnessTurn commercial breaks into fi tness breaks and come up with fun names for exercises. Physical therapist Peter Kofi tsas of New York City sug-gests “princess sit-ups” or “Bob the Builder muscle builders.” Have each member of the family take turns playing coach. Moves could be as simple as jumping jacks, marching or running in place while a show is on a commercial break.

Hard work made funWhen your kids help out with household chores, turn on some music and encourage them to dance while cleaning. Have everyone contribute favorite songs to a playlist. There is always some kind of yard work to do year-round as well. Have a competition on who can pick up the most leaves in the fall. In the winter make snow angels to help clear the drive-way and fi nish with a shovel. Gardening has innumerable health benefi ts: Your kids might love digging in the dirt and deciding where to put the fl owers or vegetables.

Learn your child’s sportAs your kids try differ-ent activities, they will likely fi nd one sport that becomes “their thing.” This may include skateboard-ing, ballet, karate or rock climbing. Whatever sport your kids are drawn to, it is important to let them teach you what they are learn-ing, and you may even try taking a class yourself. Your kids will feel empowered, and the whole family will have something fun to talk about.

By Kate WilkeDailyParent.com

There are plenty of ways for families to stay fit together. Teaching your kids healthy values could be as simple as encouraging them to stretch when they wake up or go on a walk before

sitting in front of the TV.

Creative family fi tness ideas

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Walk to unwindWalking as a family before or after dinner will help everyone decom-press from the day. This bonding experience forces everyone to step away from electronics and work and talk with each other. Walking daily is good for your heart, tones your lower body and boosts positive feelings.

TV.

Start stretching earlyIt is never too early (or too late) to start practicing yoga or daily stretching. At a younger age, kids have natural fl ex-ibility, and turning yoga into a habit could protect them from injury later in life. Yoga relieves stress, which makes it great for mom and dad, too.

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15


Music legend Prince died in April without a will, leaving his assets — estimated at $49.7

million by Forbes — to be fought over for years to come.

Few things are sure in life, but it’s a certainty that we will all die. Prince’s situation underscores the need for all families to think about what happens when they pass.

“If you’re an adult, you need a will. It’s a misnomer that wills are just for the rich or the old,” said Laura Goldberg, chief marketing officer for legal services search site LegalZoom. “Everyone who

WILLMAKING A

has a job, has a bicycle, has a life insurance policy has assets. Don’t be complacent. If the unexpected happens, a will allows you to be in control of what’s going to happen” to your estate.

“Grieving family members are in no position to be bicker-ing about who gets what or try to figure out what your intentions were. Making and maintaining your will is incredibly important,” said Raphael Vernassal, attorney services operations at legal advice site Rocket Lawyer.

Not only does a will protect your money and your property, it also protects your children and loved ones. If you die with under-age children but without a will, it

may be up to the government to decide who their guardian will be, Vernassal said.

Modern optionsSixty-four percent of Ameri-

cans die without a will, according to a 2015 Rocket Lawyer estate-planning survey by Harris Poll, and that’s a shame because creating a will can be easy and affordable for most people.

“It’s a grim topic and people don’t like to think about their mortality,” Vernassal said. “It’s intimidating. People think, ‘I have to go see an attorney and that it will be complicated,’ but it’s not. Technology takes away a layer of intimidation.”

Online options like LegalZoom, Rocket Lawyer and Quicken WillMaker Plus offer legally bind-ing wills, some for less than $50. LegalZoom’s estate planning bundle costs $149 and includes the three key documents: a will, health care directive and financial power of attorney, plus unlimited access to an attorney for a year, Goldberg said.

If you have a will, the question is, when did you last update it?

“People say ‘last will and testa-ment,’ but it’s not the last will. You have to touch base annually and revisit it,” Goldberg said.

Your will should be updated every three to five years or any time major life changes occur, she said.

“Is the person you designated as guardian for your children 10 years ago still the same person you would choose today? Has the person you appointed to settle your affairs changed?” Goldberg asked.

Three key documents1. Will: Appoints someone to

settle your affairs and ensure your beneficiaries receive their inheri-tance. It specifies how you would like your property transferred to your heirs, as well as naming the legal guardian for underage children.

2. Financial power of attor-ney: Allows you to choose someone you trust to make impor-tant financial decisions if you are unable to do so.

3. Health care power of attorney: A document in which you designate someone to be your representative in the event you are unable to make or communicate decisions about all aspects of your health care.

Why every family should have an estate plan

“Grieving family members are in no position to be bickering about who gets what or try to fi gure out what your intentions were.”– Raphael Vernassal of Rocket Lawyer


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