Best Training Tips for the health of your life

Your training goals

The goal is to devote two or three half-hour periods a week to training. The reason for this form of training is that walking and running are natural activities. With large muscle groups at work doing these actions, exertion is moderate and the training effect is still good. You are not dependent on others, as in team sports and you can always find some place to train, even white traveling in your own country or abroad. It does not matter if you training the morning, afternoon or evening.

Practical circumstances will decide your schedule. Your tempo should be adapted to your degree of fitness, health and age. It should not be extended beyond a certain level and speed should not be your objective.

The course illustrates a basic principles in all training, large muscle groups work at varying speeds. Other sports can be designed according to the same principle. Joint and muscle exercises can be done most simply at home, but for overall fitness, you need to get all your muscle groups working together.
Why speed is not important

At present, covering as long a distance as possible within 12 minutes is a popular training method. In my opinion, this is overdoing things, from a physiological point of view. As was pointed out earlier, it is not necessary to aim a maximal performance if the goal is to improve the function of the cardiovascular system and to bum extra calories. As far as health is concerned, it is not the absolute amount and volume of training that is important, but the work in relation to the individual’s capacity is what is critical. The severe, prolonged training of the top athlete adds no health benefits to those of  a sub maximal training program twice a week. It would be a pity if point systems and stopwatches should become the be-all and end-all of regular physical activity.

How hard a pace should be sustained

As we mentioned previously, an effective training program should have large muscle groups working hard but not at a maximum for a few minutes. The reason why the pace should not be at certain pace (for example, seven miles per hour), the combustion engine, with its demand for oxygen transported by the blood, supplies the energy. When speed is further increased, the anaerobic motor has to satisfy the increased energy demands while the load on the heart is not further increased. The seven miles per hour speed provides full exercise for the heart and circulation while a still higher tempo develops the ability to utilize anaerobic processes and to tolerate lactic acid (the waste product of muscular activity). Training at maximum speed for a minute or so is very strenuous. It is an inevitable part of the athlete’s training program, but it is wise to exclude it from an average person’s training program. The conclusion is, thus, that a distance that can be covered in about three minutes can be run in three and one-half or even four minutes without being less effective in conditioning the cardiovascular function.

As a guide, I would say that if the heart rate rises to 200 minus your age in years (for example 165 for a 35 year old), a good training effect is being achieved.

Checking your heart rate 

To determine if you are exercising at the correct intensity, stop your activity momentarily take your pulse for 10 seconds and then multiply that number of beats by 6. Check the chart following and see if your pulse rate falls within the target zone. In the beginning keep  your pulse rate near the lower limit. As you become more fit, your target heart rate can approach the upper limit.

Within wide limits, when walking  fast, jogging, or running, the speed is unimportant as a determinant of the energy cost per mile. The point is then to cover a certain distance. A 150- to 160-lb, person consumes about 50 calories by walking at three miles per hour and about 80 calories by walking at five miles per hour or running at any speed about half a mile. Taking walks, preferably a mile or so a day, will provide long term benefits. You could, for example get off the bus a few stops earlier and get on a few stops later. If it’s not too far, you can walk or cycle to work in good weather

Tips for women

As you begin your training program, you should ave no fear of becoming heavily, unattractively muscled. On the contrary, with disuse or little use, muscles tend to become less elastic, weaker, softer. They lose tone. The exercises you will be working with are designed to firm your muscles, restore  their tone, increase their strength and flexibility. Your appearance will improve as certain muscles in the abdomen and back, for example become able to provide better support. As others, in the arms, legs become more responsive, every move you make is likely to be easier and more graceful.

Ergometry and the ergometer

The term ergometry stems from the greek ergon (work) and metron (measure) and it may be translated rather literally as “work measurement.” The instruments of work measurement are ergometers and they vary in their construction according to the form of analysis. Bicycling has proved to be a very suitable work form since, among other things at a given  (sub-maximal) load, it demands about the same energy output whether the subject is young or old, trained or out of condition, elite cyclist or unfamiliar with the sport.

The bicycle ergometer was invented several decades ago and has been widely used. This instrument provides an exact measurement of the performed external work and  thus a graded measureable load can be applied to the subject. The load is adjusted quite simply be varying the tension of belt running around the rim of the one wheel of the machine , acting as a mechanical brake, while the subject pedals at a constant speed in time with a metronome.

On a stationary bicycle ergometer a standard, sub maximal work load is applied for six minutes, the heart rate being counted during the last minutes of exercise and noted. In principle the lower the heart rate, the better is the pumping power of the heart rate, the better is the pumping power of the heart. The heart rate of an untrained subject may reach 170 beats per minute during the test. If he or she then starts to train a couple of times a week and after a month is tested again, the heart rate may be found to have fallen to 140 beats per minute, showing that the training has been effective.

This test has proved to be a valuable educational and psychological tool for stimulating people to start and to continue training. In Sweden, there are now about 6000 bicycle ergometers in use. They are available in every school and also in sports clubs, factories, and offices. Anyone who is interested can take the sub maximal test and follow his or her physical condition over the years.
Water activities

Swimming is one of the best physical activities for people of all ages and for many of the handicapped. With the body submerged in water, blood circulation  automatically increases to some extent pressure of water on the body also helps promote deeper ventilation of the lungs and with well planned activity, both circulation and ventilation increase still more.

Weight training

Weight training also is an excellent method of developing muscular strength and endurance. Where equipment is available at most sporting goods stores. A good rule to follow in deciding the maximum weight you should lift is to select a weight you can lift six times without strain.

Sport

Soccer, basketball, handball, squash, ice hockey, and other sports that require sustained effort can be valuable aids to building endurance. But if you have been sedentary, it is important to pace yourself carefully in such sports, and it may even be advisable to avoid them until you are well along in your physical conditioning program. That doesn’t mean you should avoid all sports. Excellent sports in which exertion can be easily controlled and in which you can progress at your own rate are bicycling, hiking, skating, tennis, running. Cross-country skiing, rowing, canoeing, water skiing and skin diving. You can engage in these sports at any time in the program, if you start slowly. Games should be played with full speed and vigor only when your conditioning permits doing so without undue fatigue. For a view of sports by the experts, see the appendix.

Posture

There is a relationship between good posture and physical fitness one helps the other. Good posture acts to avoid cramping of internal organs, permis better circulation, prevents undue lengthening of others. It contributes to fitness.

For good posture, centers of gravity of many parts of the body feel, legs, hips, trunk, shoulder, and head must be in a vertical line. As viewed from the side when you ae standing, the line should run through ear lobe, tip of shoulder, middle of hips, just back of kneecap, just in front of outer ankle bone. Get the feel of proper posture positions. Practice them until they become habitual. Some
Strength training and isometric exercises

 A distinction should be made between isometric or static and dynamic work. With static contraction of the muscles there is no movement in the joints in question but movement arises with dynamic work. There are in fact few exercises which are completely dynamic since a great many muscles always have to work statically to provide muscles working dynamically with good support and work conditions.

If you wish to improve your maximum strength, you must work against hard resistance. Endurance training, on the other hand, is best undertaken with lighter resistance and with many repetitions.
For general training of the muscles, work should be chosen against  a load big enough to be managed just 5-10 times. You can use barbell weights, muscle developers or your own body weight as loads. Strong persons could for example do 5-10 push ups at a fast pace. Weaker persons could do the push ups with their hands on a sofa, table or wall instead of the floor. The position of the hands can be lowered as muscle strength increases.

You can strengthen your abdominal muscles by lying the floor on your back with knees bent and lifting your trunk with full sit ups. The movement is easier if the feet are supported. It should be done 4-16 times, possibly repeated after a pause.

The back muscles can be forced to work if you lie on your stomach and try to lift your legs and the upper part of your trunk off the floor. People with stiff backs should lie on a proper cushion placed on a level with the pelvis. The exercise is repeated.

Leg muscles are trained by walking up stairs, skipping rope and jumping or running in place. A good way to train is to climb up and down from a steady chair the classic (but somewhat boring) step test! Running 20-25 strides up a steep hill or up as many stairs, walking down and then running up again about 5 times is also effective training in this respect.

Muscular strength is dependent on both muscle mass and the function of the central nervous system. The repetition of a given movement will result in an improvement in that particularactivity, but will have much less effect on another movement even if it happens to be related. The transfer effect as it is called is fairly weak. Personality, I believe that dynamic exercises have a more all around effect than isometric training. Certainly trunk muscles work predominantly isometrically in many daily activities but they will become trained for these tasks, for in many of the activities that engage the arms and legs they work isometrically to stabilize the pelvis and trunk.

Cardiac patients should avoid isometric exercises and also heavy work involving small muscle groups (like push ups, chin ups). Such activities load the heart abnormally since the heart rate and arterial blood pressure become higher than in dynamic work with large muscles.

Smoking and its effects

Within a few minutes of smoking two cigarettes a persons breathing resistance increases to two or three times the normal value. He or she may not notice this increase at rest since relatively little air is required, but breathing may become the limiting factor during exercise with these increased demands on the respiratory system. The smoker is usually short of breath with a little exertion.

Smoking also affects the heart and blood circulation. Two cigarettes just before muscle work may, thus, raise a person’s heart rate to a level 20 to 30 beats above the normal. Both the carbon monoxide and nicotine in the smoke play important roles in triggering this increase in the heart rate. Carbon monoxide combines wih the haemoglobin in the red blood cells 250 times more readily than oxygen. A smoker may have about 5% or more of his or her blood cells blocked by carbon monoxide and the presence of this gas makes it more difficult for the red blood cells to yield oxygen to the tissues. Thus, the smoker’s heart has to pump more blood per unit of time in order to transport a given volume of oxygen and the load on the heart increases. Recent evidence has shown that nicotine levels in the blood are contributory factors in disease and arteriosclerosis and coronary disease.

Accordingly, smoking causes a decline in a person’s physical condition, the extent of which is determined by the number of cigarettes smoked. Cigarettes it should be mentioned have a greater unfavourable effect on the body than cigar or pipe smoking.

The instinct of self-preservation undoubtedly explains why athletes in endurance seldom or never smoke!

The Need For Physical Activity Must You Know

The saying goes “You can get used to anything.” This is, indeed, a fortunate attribute for human beings. You can get used to heat, cold, high attitudes, heavy work. But you can get used to inactivity, as well. The latter represents the reverse side of the coin. The problem is that we are scarcely aware of what happens to our bodies when we are too inactive. Today, various sophisticated methods of study have disclosed major, and sometimes dramatic, changes in our bodies as a result of inactivity.

Your body adapts to inactivity

If we are habitually inactive, if we succumb to the philosophy of easy living, we must then pay the price in decreased body efficiency. The most extreme form of inactivity is continuous confinement to bed. In a particular study, volunteers who submitted to bed recumbency for weeks at a time reacted with skeletal decalcification, reduced blood volume, reduced muscular mass, and impaired ability to take up and transport oxygen due to reduced stroke volume and cardiac output. They also displayed a marked increase in heart rate, at rest and also when working. This latter situation is one of the most easily detected changes as a result of inactivity.

Let’s look a little further into exactly what happens when a person begins to feel the effects of prolonged inactivity. A job that would normally have been accommodated by a heart rate of 120 beats/min may, after several weeks of continuous bed rest, require 170 beats/min. The reason for this is that the body requires a given level of cardiac output, the product of stroke volume and heart rate. Reduced heart muscle strength and less efficient regulation of blood circulation will reduce the stroke volume and therefore contribute to this rise in the heart rate. After a long period of inactivity, you may feel dizzy and may even faint when standing up. Your heart must compensate for this impaired stroke volume by beating more rapidly. In such a situation, the heart muscle requires more energy and a greater blood supply with this increased heart rate.

This rapid decline in physical condition create very awkward medical problems particularly when quick rehabilitation is desired. Anyone who has had an arm or leg in a plaster cast for some time has surely observed how rapidly muscular mass, power, and mobility are reduced. In many cases, rational physical exercise during convalescence can rapidly restore the patient’s ability to work. Geriatric care would also be more effective if older people could be activated and trained to work in some way. This problem of inactivity is a severely neglected social and economic issue.

Increased exercise means decreased heart rate  

Any muscular activity requiring increased oxygen uptake will also lead to a strengthening of the heart and circulation, that is, to an improved physical condition. The effect of increased activity are just the opposite of inactivity. Muscular mass, blood volume, the power of heart muscle, and even the number of blood vessels all increase with exercise. If a relatively inactive person has a heart rate at rest of 70 beats/min, exercise can reduce this rate to 60 or less. A job that previously required a 170 beat/min heart rate can be managed with a 150, 140, or less rate, depending on the intensity of the training. With a lower heart rate, the work being done by the heart is more efficient and less demanding. Unfortunately, active training is the only realistic “medicine” that can induce this beneficial effect physiologically.

Studies have been made which involved the monitoring of people’s heart rate continuously for a 24-hour period. Such recordings have shown that even moderate training ( as suggested in this book) can save some 10.000 to 20.000 heart beats per day. The actual medical consequences of this are difficult to evaluate but the figures are of great interest as an illustration of how heart work can be modified.

Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular diseases are the cause of more than every second death in most industrialized countries. Naturally, intensive research is being done to investigate the cause of these disorders and how they can be counteracted. They certainly cause personal suffering and their social and economic consequences are enormous.

Arteriosclerosis is a chronic disease characterized by a thickening and hardening of the walls of the arteries. The first traces of arteriosclerotic changes in the blood vessels can be found in many teenagers. If those changes have not reached an advanced stage, they are reversible. When well established, however the condition is much more serious. It should be pointed out that several factors, such as heredity, diet and way of life, seem to be of importance in the development of cardiovascular diseases. Individuals showing high blood pressure or obesity or a high concentration of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood or a combination of these run a higher risk of death from cardiovascular diseases than those non-obese people with normal blood pressure and a low cholesterol and triglyceride level.

In studies published so far, it has been shown that inactive individuals run a risk of death from cardiovascular disease which is two to three times greater than run by the first heart attack is statistically two to three times greater for those who have previously been physically active than for those who have been inactive. These are, of course statistical correlations and do not prove that the degree of physical activity has actually been the sole and decisive factor. The studies were carried out on selected groups of individuals, and decisive factor. The studies were carried out on selected groups of individuals, and it is possible that certain factors that determined choice of profession or degree of activity during leisure time may also have independently given rise to some sort of prevention against cardiovascular diseases.

There  are however physiological explanations as to how physical activity could be beneficial. Investigations on animals and observations of men have revealed that physical training can open up more blood vessels may develop in peripheral arteries. A narrowing , or occlusion of a vessel due to arteriosclerosis will not have the same consequences if there are other vessels that can take over the transport of blood with its necessary oxygen and nutrients to the tissue nearby the damaged vessel.

Regular physical activity will also favorably influence the level of triglycerides and possibly of cholesterol in the blood, particularly in patients with elevated blood lipid levels.

Research in this area is very complicated and it may take a hundred years or more of intensive study to demonstrate with certainly that there is or is not connection between cardiovascular diseases and habitual inactivity. The question is then whether we should wait so long for final proof or whether we should consider the preminilary results. In my opinion, there is much indirect evidence that regular physical activity, or training has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart and that the opportunity must be seized now. We should actively work to affect health in a positive way through a systematic improvement in physical fitness.

Disease in the spinal column rank very high on the list of common diseases. They are responsible for many days of sick leave and thus give rise to economic problems and cause much related suffering. When a load is lifted or carried, a reflex mechanism calls the trunk muscles into action to fix the rib cage and compress the abdominal contents. The intra cavitary pressures are thereby increased and aid the support of the spine. Scientific observations emphasize the important role that the trunk muscles have in supporting the spin. While flabby abdominal muscles may leave the spine exposed to injurious stress, well-developed abdominal muscles, on the other hand, are an important protective device that can prevent damaged to the spiral column and help avoid possible resultant backache.

Ranking today as one of the most frequently voiced of all complaints, chronic tiredness can stem from illness. But in many people, investigators report, it is the result of gradual deterioration of the body for jack of enough vigorous physical activity.

Continue inactivity produces muscular athropy and the individual soon becomes under muscled for his or her weight. The result that person lacks  the strength and endurance to do his or her daily work easily and efficiently.

One important end result of the increased end result of the increased muscular strength and general endurance provided by exercise is an increase in the body’s capacity for carrying on normal daily activities, a pushing back of fatigue limits. Valid research indicates that a fit person uses less energy for any given movement or effort than a flabby or weak person

Aging

There is strong authoritative support for the concept that regular exercise can help prevent some degenerative diseases and slow down the physical deterioration that accompanies aging. The evidences is conclusive, individuals who consistently engage in proper physical activity have better job performance records and fewer degenerative diseases. By delaying the aging process proper exercise also prolongs your active years.

Obesity

A common misconception is that exercise does not aid in weight control. This is not the case. Research has shown that fat piles up in most people by only a few calories a day, that an excess of only 100 calories a day can produce a 10 pound gain In a year’s time and that obese people almost invariably tend to be much less active than those of normal weight and that individual weight is a factor in energy expenditure. If you are overweight, you will burn up more calories in performing exercise than a person of normal weight.

Inactivity is the most important factor explaining the frequency of “creeping” overweight in modern society. And the consensus now among medical authorities is that the most effective way to take off weight and keep it off is through a program which combines proper exercise and reasonable diet.

To summarize, certain tissues such as muscles, bone, and blood, and also a number of bodily functions can adapt to inactivity and to stress. Inactivity impairs the capacity for physical work, while a well adjusted load improves it. Exercise can provide the following benefits :

-         -  Increased strength, endurance, and coordination

-          - Increased join flexibility

-          - Reduction of minor aches, pains, stiffens, and soreness

-          - Correction of remediable postural defects

-          - Improvement in general appearance

-          - Increased efficiency with reduced expenditure of energy in performing both physical and mental tasks

-          - Improved ability to relax and to voluntarily reduce tension

-          - Reduction of chronic fatigue

We are constructed for activity, we once had to run in order to survive and if we are to maintain ourselves in a state of optimum function, we must from time to time be physically active, we still have to run for our lives!

FIT TIPS

-         -  For your daily routine, add a little fitness perspective

-         - Start each day with a stretch, bringing your muscles into activity

-         -  Walk every chance you get, walk to the next bus stop, walk the dog, walk to the store

-         - Eat and enjoy yourself but remember to maintain your level of activity

The Human Body A Working Machine

In most animals, the demand for good mobility dominates body construction. This also applies to human beings. The human body contains more than 600 muscles; overall, it is more than half muscle. Muscles make possible every overt motion. They also push food along the digestive tract, suck air into the lungs, tighten blood vessels to raise blood pressure when you need more pressure to meet an emergency. The heart itself is a muscular pump. Technological advances have changed our way of living and have made strenuous physical exertion largely unnecessary but the needs of the human body have not changed. Muscles are meant to be used.

Many of our important organs and functions are dimensioned and designed to give service to the muscles during work-organs such as the heart and respiratory system. With the body at rest, the heart pumps out about 5 liters of blood every minute and at the same time from 5 to 8 liters of air are inhaled by the lungs. Keep in mind, however, that the heart’s construction permits it to pump from 15 to 20 liters (or more) of blood per minute and a person’s pulmonary ventilation may exceed 100 liters per minute. The nervous system can also be said to be dominated by the body’s demand for motion. To a large extent, the nerves receive and provide impulses that result in muscular movement: speech, gestures, physical work, running, etc. Depending on situation.

We’re built for action

The human body is built for action, not for rest. This was a historic necessity, the struggle for survival demanded good physical condition. But optimal function can only be achieved by regularly exposing the heart, circulation, muscles, skeleton, and nervous system to some loading, that is to say, training. In the old days, the body got its exercise both in work and at leisure. In our modern society, however, machines have taken over an ever increasing share of the work elements which were formerly accomplished with muscular power alone. Our environment has come to be dominated by sitting, riding, and lying. Thus, the natural and vital stimulation that tissues and internal organs receive through physical work has largely disappeared.

That we are, to a great degree, what our muscles make us weak or strong, vigorous or lethargic is a growing conviction among medical men. Offering strong support for this conviction is the following observation by a former president of the American medical Association : “It begins to appear that exercise is the master conditioner for the healthy and the major therapy for the ill. “A recent survey of physicians showed that almost all now believe strongly that positive health benefits, both physical and mental accompany physical fitness resulting from regular, moderate exercise.

Prevent trouble before it could begin

Paul Dudley White, the noted heart specialist, once said that “prevention of disease has attracted much less attention than its diagnosis and treatment. It obviously deserves the first priority, but it is less dramatic than surgical procedures, is rarely asked for by the not-yet-educated public, and the doctors are overworked simply taking care of sick people.

In many countries, cardiovascular diseases often account for more than 50% of all death. Naturally this fact motivates the intensive research presently being carried out to discover the genesis and treatment of such diseases. They certainly cause personal suffering and their social and economic consequences are enormous. In many countries, medical care is actually one of the largest industries, with a direct budget that has increased enormously during the past decades. In America, cardiovascular disease costs more than 22,7 billion dollars annually. In Sweden with a population of 8 million, the health budget covered by direct tax revenue is now close to four billion dollars. However, more money spent does not inevitably equal better health. Longevity, measured as the average remaining lifetime increased markedly in America in each decade from 1900 to 1960 but appears to have reached a plateau in the early sixties. Since that time, there has been virtually no increase for males and only a slight increase for females.

Admittedly, life expectancy is in no way an accurate refection of the state of health of a country. Life expectancy is determined from the death rate, whereas we measure our health, not when we die but while we live. The health of a country can only truly be measured by the quality of the life led by its citizens.

It is unrealistic to permit the cost of medical care to increase at the same rate as during recent decades. It would soon consume the total gross national income. Instead, much more effort and time should be devoted to preventive health programs. This booklet presents a summary of the physiological and medical information which analyses the connection between health and fitness. This type of message has proved to be quite successful at least in Sweden!

Actually, the increase in life expectancy over the past 70 years is largely due to a reduction I deaths of infants. In fact, the life expectancy of a 40 year old man over the past half decade has increased by merely one year! Many diseases, particularly infectious diseases, have effectively been conquered, but diseases of a degenerative nature, particularly cardiovascular disease, have increased extensively. One cannot avoid the thought that our modern way of life could be one important factor and that the main determinants of longevity are now more cultural than medical.

In recent years, interest has been focused on the possible role of physical inactivity in the genesis of these diseases. The pioneer in studies of the “epidemiology” of cardiovascular diseases, J.N. Morris, has emphasized that “habitual physical activity is a general factor of cardiovascular health in middle age, and that coronary heart disease is in some respects a deprivation syndrome, a deficiency disease”.

Why Exercise?

Athletes need to train to improve performances, but why should the rest of us keep in shape? As you will see from the following pages, the human body has been built for movement and that movement is a prerequisite for good overall bodily function. Regular exercise can be compared to the lubrication of a car. The regular lubrication keeps auto parts moving freely and exercise aids the overall performance of our body. In certain situations, good physical condition can even save lives; for examples, in emergency situations in the aim of regular training and exercise is not to produce great maximum strength but to achieve the essential by products which training provides. 

All About Newborn (Baby) Care Which You Need To Know As A Parent

Caring for your newborn is a challenging job. When awake, your baby will need feeding,changing, cleaning, and variety in stimulation. It iss through his/her senses that your baby learns about life. Give your infant the necessary time and plenty of loving.

YOUR BABY’S ENVIRONMENT

Both you and your baby need time to yourselves. If an extra room is available, make it into a nursery. Try to make the nursery a place that will be exciting to your child wih brightly colored objects, mobiles, and other stimuli.

Your baby’s room should be kept at a comfortable temperature (68 to 72 F or 20 to 2 C). During the winter the heat at home is drying, so use  cool mist humidifier where your child sleeps. In the hot summer, the room should be well ventilated.

There is no need to confine the baby to the nursery. You can give your child varied experiences by providing new environments such as a play area and other rooms at home or at a friend’s house. Also take your infant outside when the weather is nice. Special protection may be necessary when taking your infant out in cold weather (appropriate winter clothing) or in bright sunlight.

SLEEPING

There is considerable confusion among parents and in print about infant sleep positions. Your baby probably has a preferred sleeping position in which he/she is most comfortable. It is not necessary to place your infant in another position unless so instructed by your physician. It is best for infants to sleep on a firm matteress. A pillow should not be used because your infant may not be able to lift his/her head out of it.

If you go about your daily business a s usual, your child will become accustomed to sleeping with household sounds. If you are tired or have no other children or responsibilities, use your baby’s nap time to rest.

CLEANLINESS

Until your child’s cord has come off and the navel heals, it is best to only sponge bathe the baby. Remember, a soapy baby is a slippery baby! It is  good idea to rest your child on a towel while sponging. It is not necessary to bathe your baby daily.

Real bathing can be done in any object that holds water and is convenient, such as a large pan, sink, or baby tub. Again, placing a towel or washcloth on the bottom of the tub will make it less slippery. When using a sink, be sure the hot water spigot has cooled. “Always test the bath water to be sure that it is not too hot!”. Use a mild soap and infant washcloth for bathing. For shampooing, the same soap or a mild shampoo will be fine. Bath time should be a stimulating, cheerful, wet experience for both you and your child.

There is often considerable concern about caring for the ears. They should be cleansed by gently using a washcloth. It is not necessary to clean the canal with cotton swabs. Wax is a normal product of the ears and is not dirt. The nose, too, can be adequately cleansed using a washcloth. In general, it is not necessary to clean, prod, or dig mucus out the genitals, particulary between the lips (labia), washing from front to back.

After bathing, pat dry with asoft towel. It is not necessary to powder, lotion, or oil your baby. Some infant’s skin is sensitive to these substances. Sometimes these provide a place for infections to begin. If you feel compelled to rub something on your child, use a lotion, a petroleum jelly or oil does not allow the skin to breathe. If you feel compelled to powder your baby, use cornstarch or cornstrach-based powder, the talc in some powder is harmfull is inhaled.

At first, it will be necessary to cut the nails frequently. This is best done using blunt ifant nail scissors or nail clippers when the baby is aleep or sleepy as there may be less of a struggle. Cut the nails in a straight line rather than curves, which contributing.

CLOTHING

Your baby needs to be dressed comfortably for the temperature that he/she is experiencing. Ususally this means dress as you dress, in less clothing than you think the baby needs and much less clothing than grandparents think he/she needs! A baby’s hand and feet often feel cool.. feel his/her chest or back to see whether your baby is really cold.

Your infant’s clothes should be washed only in mild detergent. It is good idea to wash all new clothes before your child wears them. This removes any of a number of possible irritatans.

DIAPER

Because most newborn wet frequently , they may require diaper changing 15 to 20 times each day. The number and type of bowel movements will vary according to what your child is fed. Formula-fed infants move their bowels on the average of 1 to 4 times a day. Breast-fed babies will have a movement as often as every feeding, which will be light yellow and pasty in consistency, or infrequent movement every 2 to 4 days of same consistency. It is common for bowels to move after feeding since this stimulates the intestinial tract. It is normal for your infant to appear to grunt and strain. As long as the movement is soft, he/she is not constipated.

It is important to clean the baby after each bowel movement. Use a washcloth, cotton balls, or tissue moistened with lukewarm water. Wipe gently from front to back. If your baby has sensitive skin, you may also need to wash his/her bottom when changing a wet diaper.

Soiled diapers should be rinsed in the toiled before they are placed in the diaper pail. Diapers should be washed with mild soup or detergent. If they are washed by hand, rinse enough to get the water clear. When bleaching, use a double rinse. Diapers can be line dried for sn bleaching, avoiding chemicals. Many  babies are sensitive to fabric softeners. Diaper services and disposable diapers are nice conveniences

Sleeping Problem In Infants Or Toddlers And What Can The Family Do

Sleeping difficulty may be due to number of reasons. Sometimes it is because your infant is hungry or has soiled his/her diaper and is uncomfortable. Occasionally, during the first three month, it is a sign of colic. Some children need less sleep than others. Though young children fall into a routine that gives them a lot of sleep, the amount of sleep can vary just as your sleep pattern varies. However, it is not uncommon for your child’s pattern to be different from yours. The only cause of your child’s sleep problem may be the difference between his/her sleep pattern and your sleep pattern.

When your child reaches the age, usually around six month, when he/she recognizes being alone from being with mother or other , then bedtime may become a trying period. This separation anxiety is a normal feeling that he/she will learn to accept. This is a normal part of development. These feelings are different from those that occur with fright. At this age it is difficult for your child to communicate his/her thoughts. 

Thus “bad dreams” may occurs and cause sleep disturbance. The most common age is from 2,5 to 3 years, when the child becomes aware of parents’ night time activities and interaction.

Sleep problems may also begin after an illness when awakening brought pleasant attention and pampering. Then, when well, your child still desires this attention.

HOW LONG DOES IT LAST?

Sleep problems are usually temporary

HOW COMMON IS IT?

Most children experience temporary sleep disturbances from one cause or another

WHAT CAN THE FAMILY DO?

Your doctor recognizes and you must recognize that your child’s sleep problems are both emotionally and physically disturbing to you and the rest of the family. Try to remain calm, be understanding and patient with your child.

For the infant, you must check to see if the diaper needs changing or you child is hungry. Remember, at first infants may feed every two to four hours. It is normal for them to awaken to be fed. Some infants, particularly ones that started unswaddled, in an incubator situation, may awaken in the night during the first year for brief holding. Often you may find that neither is the problem. If there is no other problem evident, briefly comfort your infant and return him/her to the crib.

Try not toallow the child to sleep in your bed. You will still have the problem of returning the baby to his/her own crib. It is important to try not to reinforce the behaviour of awakening by responding to the slightest whimper or brief cry and then being too comforting or too rewarding. If awakening seems to be occurring with regular frequency, one method for limiting this behaviour is to not respond immediately to his/her cry. This is particularly useful if your child is testing the bedtime schedule. Your new tactic of not responding may make things worse for several nights until the child learns you are not coming.

It is best to estabilish a bedtime routine. This includes trying to put your child to sleep at a regular hour with a kiss, hug and reassuring word. Try to keep the routine simple and unhurried. With the older child incorporate some hygienic measures such as going to the toilet, washing and brushing his/her teeth. Incorporate a bedtime story or reading. The consistency of your behaviour will be reassuring to your child. If your child is experiencing difficulty at bedtime it may help if he/she has a night light or a favorite object, such as a blanket or toy. Children find it reassuring to open the door a crack allowing light in.

What Is The Rheumatic Fever And What Are The Symptoms

Rheumatic fever is a serious disease which affect the heart, joints, skin, and nerves. It is caused by a reaction of certain body tissues to the common strep bacteria. Often rheumatic fever occurs several weeks after a strep throat.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS

Usually there is a fever along with other symptoms  that can be mild or severe. There can be swelling, tenderness, and redness of the joints, called arthritis. There can be twitching of the muscles or writhing movements of the arms and legs, called chorea. Involvement of the heart is indicated by chest pain or shortness of breath. Involvement of the heart valves is indicated by a blood-flow noise, which your doctor can hear, called a murmur.

HOW COMMON IS IT?

Rheumatic fever occurs most commonly between ages 5 and 15 years.

HOW LONG DOES IT LAST?

Depending on the type of involvement, the episode of rheumatic fever may last from several weeks to several months and occasionally longer. Rheumatic fever can recur.

WHAT ARE THE COMPLICATIONS?

Though many of the problems  caused by rheumatic fever will disappear over the following weeks and months, half of the children may be left with rheumatic heart disease. Of those who have rheumatic heart disease about one third will experience improvement with age. Rheumatic fever is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children. Remember, it can recur. Subsequent attacks can be life threatening, especially those that involve the heart. Therefore your child may need to take medicine for the rest of his/her life to prevent infections.

Take Your Child To The Hospital And Check Her Health Regularly

If you child must be hospitalized it is important that you are prepared. The main aspect of being prepared is to develop a calm attitude about the hospitalization. This is often difficult because many parents feel responsible for their child’s illness or feel unable to manage the problem. In order to do this you need to find out as much as possible about the hospitalization. You can do this by discussingyour concerns with your child’s doctor, talking with other parents who have previously been in similar situations (your doctor may suggest some families that you may contact), or by visitingthe hospital in advance. The latter may not be possible in an emergency situation. Hospitals and hospital personnel vary inntheir responsiveness to and accommodation of parental concerns. As a parent, you are your child’s advocate. As an advocate, your duty is to make the circumstancesthe least trying for your child.

Once you are prepared for your child’s hospitalization you can prepare your child. To some extent these preparations depend on your child’s age. A younger child, one less than 5 years of age, fears separation from the family. The older child has considerable fears surrounding what will happen to him/her during the hospitalization. This child may be afraid of personal harm or damage. Many children often feel that they are going to be hospitalization is not a form of punishment. Your child will be better prepared if he/she can find out as much as possible about the hospitalization just as you did for yourself. You can do this by having your child talk with other children who have previously been in similar situations (your doctor may suggest some families that you  may contact), by visiting the hospital in advance, or by using well illustrated books (see additional resources for children for children). Remember to always be honest with your child. Answer his/her question in a calm and logical manner. The child is, as a result of this procces of familiarization, reassured about the hospitalization as well as the protection of his/her parents in difficult.

AT THE HOSPITAL

As your child’s advocate you should try to stay with him/her during the hospitalization as much as possible. Your staying helps the younger child avoid fearing separation and abandonment. Most hospitals do have provisions for a parent to stay except in extremely unusual circumstances. If for whatever reason you cannot stay with your child, then you must explain to your child when you will be at the hospital. Your child will count on you to follow through with these promise. It may be helpful for you to have other family members or responsible friends stay with or visit your child. To make your child’s stay more comfortable let him/her bring a familiar toy and comfortable  clothing. Whoever stays with the child  should encourage hospital personnel to explain their role and what they are doing as well as answering your child’s concerns.

Children in the hospital often manifest different behaviors. It is quite healthy for the normal child to protest hospitalization and many of the procedures. A child who becomes too compliant or even withdrawn is having a bad psychological experience with the hospitalization. Though the hospital personnel may find this behaviour pleasing, it should serve as a warning sign for you and/or the child’s physician to explore the reasons for this behaviour.

AFTER THE HOSPITALIZATION

After a hospitalization it is very common for children to exhibit regressive behaviour such as sleep disturbances or regression in control of elimination habits. Your child may also have feelings such as anger that need to be ventilated. The child who has been well-prepared for the hospitalization often feels a sense of accomplishment after handling the situation.

All Things Which You Must Know About Newborn Baby

Each newborn is an individual. Your baby probably looks different from what you expected. At birth, its skin is covered with a thick, white, creamy substance called vernix, which, when removed, leaves a reddened, puffy, curried-up being-your new baby.

Your baby’s body may be covered with fine, downy hair (lanuago). The amount, color, and areas covered vary. The lanuago is shed naturally during the first weeks. The hands feet may be bluish and cold because of immature circulation.

SKIN

The skin may become dry and wrinkled because of the change from the moist womb environtment to room air. It is not necessary to rub the skin and scalp with oil.

Approximately 40 percent of all babies may have a rash during the first few weeks consisting of small, raised, white spots on the face (milia). This is the normal beginning of the function of oil and sweat glands. No treatment is needed as these spots disappear on their own (and should not be squeezed).

Fifty percent of all babies may have a rash consisting of red, raised patches (erythema toxicum). This rash begins during the first days of life and usually disappears within a week. The rash frequently occurs on the chest, abdomen, back, or bottom. No treatment is needed.

Babies are born with different amounts of hair. Some babies are even bald. The scalp hair may be rubbed away, in patches, as your baby shifts its head about. The hair color at birth is often different from that in childhood. Newborn fingermails are thin and long from growth in the womb.

The head appears large in relation to your baby’s body. Because of the head’s weight, it needs support when the baby is handled. The head may be misshapen because passage through the birth canal has molded the soft bones. This is normal and the skull will round out during the next year. The brain has not been damaged. If your baby favors lying in a particular position, that side of the skull may appear flat. This , too, returns to normal as the bones mature. There are two soft spots (fontanelles) in the head where the brain is overed by a tough membrane until bone grows over them during the nest year. The size of the soft spot is different for each child. There is no danger in washing or climbing the skin and hair over these areas.

The color of the eyes at birth may be different from that as an adult. Most newborns have eyes that are gray-blue or, if they are darker complected, brown in color. Occasionally, there will be a red blood spot (haemorrhage) in the white portion of one eye. This is due to the b reaking of a tiny blood vessel that often occurs during the birth process. Though the spot looks bad, it will resolve without treatment. Passage through the birth canal often causes considerable swelling of the eyelids which will take several days to resolve. Occasionally, swelling, mattering, or tearing from both eyes may be due to the eye drops used at birth. Coordination of your baby’s  eye movements develops gradually over the nest year.

The newborn’s face is usually rounded with the cheeks being pudgy. In the first few days, the lips will begin to form sucking callouses which look like tiny blisters. Occasionally, a baby’s tongue is short but will lengthen with age. This rarely causes speech difficulties. Your baby’s teeth will not break through the gums for many month.

In some babies, during the ensuing days, the breasts become enlarged and may secrete a milky substance. This is due to the transmission of the mother’s hormones prior to delivery. As their influences wears off, you baby’s breast size will return to normal and milk flow stop on its own during the next few weeks. Do not massage or squeezes the breasts.

The umbilical cord was the connection from the baby to the placenta inside the uterus. Though glistening white at birth, it turns brown during the first few days as it dries. If kept dry, it will fall off during the first few weeks. Some people dab it with alcohol, using a cotton ball, or swab several times daily to aid this drying process. At the time the cord falls off, it is normal to see some blood like drops on the raw naval, clothing, or diaper. Continue to keep the raw area dry and clea until it heals. If the area of attachment develops a bad odor, redness, or pus, contact your physician. Do not tub bathe your infant until the raw area has healed. Many babies particullary black infants, have an out-pouching of the belly button area (umbilical hernia). This hernia is due to a gap in the muscles of the abdominal wall around the naval. Most of these hernias disappear on their own during the first few years.

Often the genitals will seem large in comparasion to the rest of the body. Females may  a discharge from the vagina varying from white to red or brown in color. This is also due to the influence of the mother’s hormones and usually starts and stops in the first few weeks.

In a male infant whose  penis has been circumcised, the edge will take a number of days to heal. Care should be taken to prevent  irritation of the wound. Wash and dry this area gently. A dab of petroleum jelly on the wound will prevent it from sticking to the diaper. If not circumcised, after 6 month of age, you should begin trying to retract your child’s foreskin once daily. This may be most easily accomplished during his bath. It is normal, and of no significance, for erections to occur.

The arms and legs will often temporarily stay in a position similar to that in the womb. The legs may be bowed for the same reason. The feet, too, may be at an odd angle. As your child matres, particularly after walking has begun, the feet and legs return to more normal positions.

Though your infant looks helpless and is dependent on you for most of his/her needs, there are anumber of things babies can do. They posseses language, communicating with you by crying various ways. Each cry is different in characteristic. There is one to get attention, feeding, diapering, or for just being uncomfortable. Babies may normally have fussy periods during each day when they cry for variable amounts of time without apparent reason. Most commonly, this occurs in the late afternoon or early evening when the household is least relaxed.

Your baby can perform the basic life functions of breathing, sucking, swallowing, keeping warm, and expelling waste. These functions are performed with a pattern of regularity peculiar to your child. Your infant’s normal breathing pattern will vary, just like yours. Your child has the ability to see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. Newborns are quite capable of movements. A number of these are involuntary reflexes: rooting (turning the head toward that cheek which is touched as a prelude to feedig), sucking, starling to sudden contact or noise (known as the moro reflex), with drawing the limbs (a means of protection), grasping, blinking, yawning, gagging, coughing, and sneezing. The degree of active movement varies with each individual. Hiccups is another normal process which stops on its own.

With all this activity as well as considerable  growth, it is of no surprise that the average newborn sleeps 12 to 18 hours a day.

The frequently and intensity of each of these behaviors is different because each newborn is an individual.  

Preventive Health Care For Children which you need to know

Many parents wonder about the need for periodic well-baby or well-child exminations. This program of medical encounters provides your child with health screenings and preventive care. Additionally, it aids the parent in carrying ot the very important responsibility of maintaining their child’s health.

During the periodic well-baby or whell-child exams the doctor will review your child’s growth progress by comparing his/her height and weight with measurements from previous visits and with standart growth charts. The doctor usually performs a thorough physical exam. This exam includes observation to acces your child’s developmental progression in comparasion with previous visits against standars for his/her age. The doctor should explain the findings to you so that you may be reassured of your child’s health status. The older child should be specifically reassured of his/her physical normalcy.

Most significantly, these periodic examninations should review your child’s health history, deal with your particular concerns, and also introduce you to additional aspects of parenting. The doctor will be interested in many adpects of your child’s health history including eating, sleeping, elimination, crying, and other behaviour. One way of explaining these to the doctor is to try to give a simple organized explanation of the routine day. At these visits you as parents should try to develop a communicative relationship with your child’s doctor. The doctor too should be striving for this type of interaction. The resulting confidence in each other is extremely helpful in dealing with the many minor and few major health  crises that make up the average.

The frequency of these visits should be variable, based on your skills and your child’s health. First-time parents may require frequent encounters with the child’s doctor for guidance in rearing. Usually an infant is seen monthly during the first six months, then every other month during the second six months. The doctor may want to see your child two to four times yearly during the second and third year, with annual visits threreafter.