Mike Kinnaird presents Book Review ~ Healthy at 100 by John Robbins posted at Passion for Health. Mike gives us a book review of John Robbin’s book Healthy at 100.  The book takes a look at healthy cultures to find out what they can teach us.

Karen at Thrifty Mommy gives us the Top 10 Thrifty Tips for Dealing with Eczema.  Many of us have dealt with eczema, whether it be with ourselves or our children.  Karen gives some tips to manage the disease.

Karen Shanley presents The Faery Woods posted at Author, Mom, Dog Nut.  Karen tells about the special times she and her daughter Cait would spend hiking into “The Faery Woods”.

Kevin presents Advantages Of Sports And Teens posted at More4kids Parenting & Family.  This article tells us about the many advantages of getting your teen involved in a sport.  I also saw some craft ideas on this site that I’m going to look into for my preschool class!

Dr. Hal presents North Star Mental Fitness Blog: Team Commitment Creates Success posted at North Star Mental Fitness Blog.  Dr. Hal shares with us that people can overcome obstacles and accomplish many great things when they work together as a team.

Jacqueline Lloyd presents Why Exercising for Kids is So Important posted at Hot Exercise. Jacqueline discusses why it is so important for children to exercise.  She gives us some ideas for making exercise fun and interesting.

Laura Collins presents Gisele Bundchen’s Mother’s School of ED Prevention posted at Are you “Eating With Your Anorexic?”.

Shamelle presents Relax and Unwind-Without Spending Any Money! posted at Enhance Life.  Shamelle tells us a thrifty way to relax.

Craig Harper presents Exercise Addiction – Anorexia Athletica posted at Renovate your life with Craig.   Motivational speaker Craig Harper tells his story of exercise addiction and gives us the warning signs to watch out for.

Alex Shalman presents Liquid motivation posted at Alex Shalman . com – Practical Personal Development.   Alex reminds us how important it is to drink water and he gives us some of the many health benefits of drinking more.

Next month’s Healthy & Fit Carnival will be hosted by Kate at Babylune.  All submissions must be on the topic of a healthy & fit family and 10 submissions will be chosen to appear in the carnival.  Only one article per blog is accepted.  You are encouraged to read articles from the former blog carnivals to get an idea of an acceptable submission.  Click here to submit an article.  Good luck! 

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Kelly and I have throughly enjoyed writing for Thrifty Mommy this past year.  Below are highlights from our top posts.  Here is our top 10 for 2006:

Top 25 Ways I Save Money – Obviously, this is a list of 25 ways I save money.  LOL

25 MORE Ways to Save Money – I decided the 1st list of 25 was too easy to write.  I decided to pick my brain for more.

Top 10 Ways to Exercise for Free – Kelly has suggested 10 ways that we can exercise without it costing us anything.  Free is a great word!

Top 10 Ways to Take Care of Your Clothes – Kelly gives us ways to take care of our clothes so that they will last a long time.

Top 10 Uses for Duct Tape – This was intended as a silly post and it received more attention than I thought it would.  Thanks, people. 

The Top 10 List to Beat All Top 10 Lists – This is a blog carnival featuring Top 10 lists from other blogs.

Oriental Ramen Noodle Salad – This post has a recipe for a great salad made with ramen noodles.

Kevin Federline Returns to Thrifty Lifestyle – Since the break up of Britney and Kevin, Kevin has returned to watching his spending habits.

Need A Thrifty Way to Make An Air Freshener? Ask Heloise. – This post features Heloise and the air fresheners that she makes.

Another benefit to vinegar . . . weight loss? – Vinegar has many medical and cleaning benefits.  Does it also aid in weight loss too?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Don’t stand underneath me as my sarcasm might just drip all over you.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Weight Loss

Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese.  More4Kids addresses this issue and gives some advice for dealing with childhood obesity.

Most people want to lose the “extra” weight they carry, but they simply don’t have the motivation.  The Ririan Project inspires us by giving us 20 Reasons to Drop 20 Pounds. 

Exercise

Kate from Babylune gives us her Top Ten Exercise Tips for Post Partum Mothers.  Even if you haven’t just given birth, you are sure to find some good tips for staying healthy and active.

Thrifty Mommy provides us with ten thrifty ways to exercise together as a family and have fun at the same time.

Most of us aren’t getting enough exercise because we are watching too much television.  Christine Kane tells us how to break up with our tv.  

Nutrition

Play Library gives us some ideas for nutritious snacks.  Kerri reminds us to keep nutritious snacks on hand during the holidays, especially since there will be plenty of sugary alternatives around.

Our Family Porch gives us a healthy alternative to chocolate.  If you are diabetic or are looking for a chocolate substitute, then you should try Revka’s recipe for chocolate fudge.

Me-Ander has a new and healthier take on an old-fashioned breakfast.

Medical Issues

Shannon Herod tells us about his addiction and how letting it go has been the most gratifying and exhilarating experience. 

Now that it’s cold and flu season, Self Help Diva has some great ideas for how to speed recovery and help you to feel like yourself again.

Kate is looking for someone to host next week’s Healthy & Fit Family Carnival.  If you’re interested, please contact her via the link on her site, Babylune.  If you would like for your story to be considered, you may submit your post here. 

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

With childhood obesity on the rise, it is important to make time to exercise with your children.  Now is the time to teach them the value of an active lifestyle and I’m sure your family will have fun in the process.  Here’s some of my exercising suggestions.  Many of them are thrifty ideas. 

1.  Go to a skating rink.  This could be roller skating or ice skating.  It’s getting cold outside and either of these would be a good choice.

2.  Take a theme walk with your kids.  One time your theme could be pointing out birds, another time cars, another time it could be different kinds of trees, and so on.  Make it an interesting learning experience.  Don’t forget to include the dog.  He could use the exercise too.

3.  Play a game of touch football, soccer, basketball or some other sport that will be fun and get your heart moving.

4.  Build an outdoor obstacle course in the backyard that includes running, climbing, jumping, rolling, and swinging.  The kids will think its fun that you are competing against them and everyone will get a workout. 

5.  Have a jump rope or hula hoop contest.

6.  If you’re watching tv, exercise with your kids during commercials. 

7.  Join a family gym such as the YMCA.  This will enable everyone to workout all year long, no matter how hot or cold it is outside.  Many family oriented places offer family swimming and other family friendly activities.

8.  Ride a stationary bicycle, do stretches, push ups, etc while watching your favorite tv program.

9.  Get outside and rollerblade or ride your bikes.

10.  Play capture the flag, kickball, or tag.

It’s also important to keep a positive attitude about exercising together.  Instead of using the word “exercise” maybe you could say “Let’s go outside and play together.  What would you like to play?”

What activities do you do with your children?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

If you are trying to lose weight, then you should check out Katiebird’s Eat 4 Today. 

Eat4Today is an online support group specifically for that purpose. So many of us have lost substantial amounts of weight only to gain it back as soon as the focus is gone. I’m hoping that together, we can keep our focus and lose the weight forever.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Healthy and Fit Family is a weekly update from bloggers who are working to improve the health and fitness of their entire families.  This carnival is to share your posts about the experience of leading (or starting to lead) an active life as a family.

Click here to submit something for next week.  Only 10 posts will be accepted each week.  The deadline for submissions is Sunday, November 19th at midnight. 

Here are some links to the past 3 Healthy & Fit Family Carnivals. 

The First Healthy & Fit Family Carnival

The Second Healthy & Fit Family Carnival  

The Third Healthy & Fit Family Carnival

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

• Play with your kids on the playground. They love having the time with you without sharing you with cell phones or computers or other adults.
• Grab a milk jug and fill it with water. Lift it with each hand to do curls and arm extensions. Who needs those fancy weight lifting machines anyway!
• Take a walk. The leaves are changing and it will be a great time outside before it gets too cold.
• Clean. This will burn calories while giving you a great house to come home to. My husband wishes I would do this more often.
• Shop! Just kidding. Wanted to make sure you are paying attention. But seriously, window shop. It will give your daily walk a new flavor if you power walk at the mall. Just do it before the teenagers get there or they will look at you funny (don’t ask me how I know this)
• Cheap but hard Squats. Take a beach ball and put it behind your back and roll down until your knees are at 90 degrees. Repeat this 10-15 times twice a day and you will be hurting tomorrow. But your butt will look great!
• Wash your car. This has to be done and if you do it with vigor, it will burn as many calories as a short walk.
• Dance. Every kid I know likes to clown around and dance. Take the time to be silly with your kids and dance to their favorite music.
• Play horsy with your kids. Am I reaching for a filler, you ask. NO! This will help you round out your back and strengthen your arms and shoulders. And your kids will have a blast!
• Stairs. Do you live in a multi-level home? Do the stairs several times a day. Don’t’ try to conserve and take everything up at one time if you want to exercise. Take things up periodically throughout the day. Or just go up and down several times on purpose.
• Park far away from the store or mall. You will have to walk further and thus add miles to your feet.

These things seem silly but they work. Try them out a few at a time so you won’t hate yourself in the morning. Don’t forget that some of these tips are specific to your kids. They need exercise too and want to spend quality time with you. So slow down and enjoy your kids. Besides, these exercises are way cheaper than joining a gym.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

My little girl just found the playground over the last few months.  Before that, she wasn’t coordinated enough to walk and play at the same time.  She’s getting so big.  But let’s talk about exercise.  I was playing with her on the playground at our church and was having a ball!  The next day, I felt muscles that I didn’t know existed any more.

So playing with your kids is the cheapest and most fun way to exercise.  I know my little girl loves hanging out and playing with mommy and daddy.  And sometimes we are so busy that we don’t take the time to play anymore.

I have always heard that once you have kids, you can’t blink, because if you do, you will miss their childhood.  I totally agree.  So take the time to exercise by playing and horsing around with your kids.  Their laughter and smiles will warm you heart more than any sweaty towel will!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

To have the energy to play in the floor and the flexibility to get up afterwards.

I have a heart condition that requires me to exercise several times a week.  I never find the time and I know I should.  My problem is that I  need knee surgery and don’t have the time.  I just need to find it.

This should remind all of us that we need to keep ourselves “healthy” for our kids and spouses if nothing else.  This is very thrifty as it would cut down on your medical bills.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy