How To Connect With Your Children

03/18/2019 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

children, parenting, family, kids — **Source**

At one time or another, every single parent fears that they aren’t connecting with their kids. When work, chores, and other daily toils overwhelm your schedule, you might start to worry that you don’t spend enough time with them or that you don’t even know them as well as you should. This anxiety can be almost paralyzing. That being said, this issue needn’t last forever – It can be resolved, even with a busy lifestyle. Here are six ways for you to connect with your children.

1. Ask About Their Life

The most basic way to bond with your children is to talk to them. Make sure you tell them about your day and always ask about theirs. You should also try to remember everything that they say. After all, if they bring up the conversation again, and you can’t recall important facts, it can seem like you don’t care. Ensure you give them your undivided attention by turning your phone silent.

2. Give Them A Hug

Not everyone is raised as a hugger. If you were brought up in a family that didn’t exhibit touching behaviour, then you might not feel comfortable being close to others, even your own children. However, that doesn’t change the fact that humans need touch, especially to increase their trust in people. Because of this, you should try giving your little ones a snuggle now and then.

3. Learn About Their Interests

Your child may not be a good “talker”, in which case, it can help to engage in activities with one another. For this to happen though, you need to learn a little bit more about their interests. If they’re a fan of baseball, for example, you could watch a few games, or, if they like LEGO, you can check out LEGO Ways. This shows that you’re invested in spending quality time with them.

4. Find A Common Passion

Whatever it is that your child enjoys doing, you should try not to judge them for it. As long as they’re not hurting anyone, there’s no reason for you to be concerned or stop them from doing it. However, that doesn’t mean that you need to force yourself to like it too. If you can’t find common ground with their hobbies, then work together to find something that you both want to do.

5. Act Like Their Parent

There’s no feeling greater than knowing that you’re your child’s friend. Unfortunately, it can be easy to take this too far. As close as you and your little one may be, you must remember that you’re their parent first. Your primary goal is to ensure that your kids grow up safely, happily, and healthily. If you sacrifice this to seem cool or fun, you can push your child even further away.

6. Never Use Their Guilt

Although you should make it clear that you want to spend time with your child, you shouldn’t guilt them into doing so. This is a cheap trick and is one that will only cause resentment in the long run. Kids can be challenging, and as such, may hold out for a while before they show any interest in wanting to connect with you. But, even so, you should keep trying until they do.

The bond you have with your kids will always be there, but, with these tips, you should find to a little easier to connect with them.

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Health, Life, Parenting

Dads – How to Fit Exercise into a Busy Day

03/15/2019 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

It can be really hard to juggle fatherhood and a full-time job not to mention your hobbies, socializing and seeing other family members. But it is also really important to stay on top of your health and well-being, so we’ve made a list of some great tips on how to squeeze exercise into your daily routine.

The Gym

A good hour-long session at the gym may seem like a distant memory to you by now and with such a hectic schedule you’re probably more likely to be wondering how to get a six pack in 3 minutes. However, it is important to free up time for yourself to focus on your own goals as well as those of your family. Come up with a plan with your partner that includes scheduled times where you are both free to partake in your own hobbies and interests. Getting back to the gym even once a week will do wonders for your self-esteem and will give you a new lease of life that you can make the most of with your children.

Walk, Don’t Drive

As a father, you will probably find yourself spending a lot of time in the car taking your children here, there, and everywhere. Try to replace some of the shorter car journeys with walking instead. Not only will this be great for your health, it will also give you some bonding time with your children where you can fully focus on their conversations.

Commute

Like most of us, your morning commute is probably too long to be able to get there on foot instead. However, try parking a little further away from work and walking the last stretch. You’ll be amazed at what a positive impact such a subtle change to your routine can have.

The Early Bird Catches the Worm

You probably won’t want to hear this, but a lot of parents eventually have to face the fact that getting up a little earlier can solve a number of time-related problems. By going to bed earlier you can set your alarm for a time that allows you to go for a quick morning run.

Socializing

Try to combine socializing with exercise by seeing if your friends would like to join you for a gym session, an exercise class or simply join you for a stroll rather than meeting up at a bar or coffee shop as you’d usually do. This way, you get to do both whilst saving some time.

Becoming a father doesn’t have to signal the end of a healthy lifestyle. It is important to make time to dedicate to your health and fitness and this will only have positive effects on your abilities as a father. You’ll have more energy to run around with your kids and it will teach them the importance of fitness too. For more tips on how to handle fatherhood, take a look at going-dad.com.

Going Healthy, Health, Life

3 Common Issues Misdiagnosed As IBS

03/01/2019 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, is a common, long-standing condition that affects the digestive system. Its typical symptoms are abdominal pain as well as irregular patterns of bowel movements. As a result, IBS is perceived as a functional gastrointestinal disorder that can be triggered by a variety of factors. However, it can be often misdiagnosed when a specific pattern of complaints leads to similar symptoms. The bottom line is that if you’re struggling with abdominal pains throughout the day, it might not be IBS. In fact, in our fast-paced environment, there are other causes of acute pain attacks that subside within a day or so.

IBS, irritable bowel syndrome, stress, gastrointestinal, digestion — **Stress, courtesy of flickr**

You’re stressed out

Stress can be a trigger for IBS, but, more often than not, the absence of stress management can lead to the development of a chronic condition. Indeed, stress can affect your digestion and gut health. Your brain controls the gut via the nervous system. When you are going through a hectic time, your gastrointestinal system responds to reactions in your nervous system, which impacts the effective release of enzymes to break down food or the categorization of nutrients. As a result, you can experience indigestion, difficult bowel movements, acid reflux, etc. Managing stress can prevent it from triggering IBS in the future.

You don’t look after your diet

We get it. You’re busy. You don’t have time to think about what you’re eating when you have a family. Consequently, you indulge in food that makes you happy. Your diet is not a top priority. You want food to create pleasure; however, you forget how it can affect your body. Unhealthy food clogs your arteries. Junk food destroys the microbiome in your gut. While you can have a cheat day here and then, you shouldn’t make it a habit!

You’ve got a food intolerance you don’t know about

Most people know about food allergy. However, food intolerance can be left unnoticed if minor cases. For instance, a minor lactose or gluten intolerance can not interfere with your diet in distinct ways. You might experience some abdominal discomfort as your body tries to digest the food, which can be wrongly attributed to IBS. To identify potential triggers, consider reaching out to companies like Advanced Food Intolerance Labs, who can provide tests to pinpoint specific food intolerances, and help you adjust your diet for better health.

How to tackle the issue?

Ultimately, you need to book an appointment with a specialist of gut health, a gastroenterologist, to make sure that your abdominal pains receive the attention they deserve. If you’re worried about a gastrointestinal condition, a specialist will be able to help you understand what is going on. More importantly, they will have the equipment you need to run tests and provide a safe diagnosis. In other words, not every tummy pain is IBS!

What to do before you see a doctor?

However, before you book an appointment, it’s a good idea to keep a health journal that lets you track what you eat, how you feel, and significant elements of your routine. This can be a helpful background to understand the cause of your pain. Additionally, it can highlight patterns you might not have noticed, such as how your meal or emotions affect your gut health.

IBS affects 15% of the population. However, it is often misdiagnosed in individuals who have not expressed abdominal concerns in the past. You can avoid extensive tests by listening to your body and recognizing the signs of stress, unhealthy diet habits, and food intolerance.