What Are Sick Visits In Encino?

When your child gets sick, it is the worst experience as a parent. It not only impacts the health of your child but also affects your physical, mental health, and your work as well. You visit your child's pediatrician once a year, but sometimes you may need to take your child to the doctor even before that. In this blog, we will read about sick visits in Encino. 

How Is A Sick Visit Different From A Well-Child Visit? 

Sick visits are the visits to doctors that you make when your child becomes ill. It is different from a well-child visit. Taking the child for general checkups such as checking the weight, growth, and other physical examinations to identify potential health issues and treat them at the beginning stage. Apart from the general checkup, administering immunizations is also a part of a healthy child visit. 

Indications Of A Sick Visit 

You should go to a doctor with your kid if you see the following medical symptoms: 

1. Fever 

In the initial three months, your baby should not get a fever. If his rectal temperature is 100.4 F or higher, you should consult a doctor because it can indicate a severe bacterial infection. Though you can check your child's fever orally, rectally, under the arms, ear, or temples, rectal temperature is the most accurate. 

2. Vomiting Or Diarrhea 

If your child has severe diarrhea or vomiting, take your child to the pediatrician, as severe diarrhea can lead to dehydration in just 12 hours. Signs such as dry diapers or blood in stools, or vomiting are some of the warning signals. 

3. Headache 

Kids may bang their heads, hold their heads, or might even complain of headaches verbally. It would be best not to take this lightly because headaches are generally infrequent in kids. Rashes If you see rashes over the back, arms, chest, or legs that don't fade even on pressing, it may indicate a severe infection such as blood vessel disease or meningitis. 

4. An Accident Or Fall 

Children often fall when they learn to walk and play. Take your child to a doctor if he falls or unfortunately meets an accident. The children's doctor will check for broken bones or any internal injury. 

Sick Visit Conclusion 

As a parent, it is normal to feel overwhelmed when your child gets sick, but you need to understand that you need to stay calm to make wiser decisions and make your child feel comfortable. Keep your composure and bring your kid in for a smart sick visit just to be on the safe side. It's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to their health!

Improve Your Smile And Appearance With Quality Braces In New York

A beautiful, healthy smile comes from a healthy oral system. A smile makes you more attractive hence, it is essential to smile more often. Regular brushing of teeth helps in fighting cavities and maintaining healthy gums and teeth.  A bad smile is unpleasant and may cause low confidence, which might harm your life, luckily there are treatments available to restore your smile and make it even more attractive. Brooklyn Heights Orthodontics specializes in providing comprehensive dental care to improve and enhance your smile by offering various services to make your smile better, including braces in Brooklyn, New York. To learn more about their services, call or book online to schedule your appointment. 

At Brooklyn Heights Orthodontics, Dr. Liebman is passionate about orthodontics and devotes to helping her patients smile achieve their desired smiles and oral health. She looks forward to giving everyone a healthy smiling experience for better life quality. She values the needs of her patients and looks forward to fulfilling them through personalized treatments. Dr. Liebman offers quality braces to align your teeth and enhance your smile. For a more appealing smile, visit Brooklyn Heights Orthodontics to enjoy their quality dental care. 

What Are Braces? 

Dental braces involve straightening or moving teeth for a more improved look. You can wear braces for various reasons, including the correction of crooked teeth and misaligned teeth. 

How Do Braces Work? 

Previously braces occurred by attaching brackets to each tooth. Usually, the brackets attach to the front of your teeth, but you can still have them on the back where a metal band will encircle your back molars. 

Braces involve a wire running through the brackets to attach to each metal band. During each visit, your provider hardens the wire. After some time, the wire and the bands exert pressure on your teeth, causing them to reposition. 

There are braces for both adults and children. For effective results, you are required to wear braces for one to three years. 

What Types Of Braces Are Available? 

There are different types of braces, but at Brooklyn Heights Orthodontics, Dr. Liebman offers two types of braces, namely: 

·       Metal Braces 

Metal braces are the most common. They consist of stainless steel brackets and metal wires. Metal braces are more affordable compared to clear braces. They do not break easily; hence they are ideal for children and teenagers likely to take hard and sticky foods. 

·       Clear Braces 

Clear braces have ceramic brackets, unlike metal brackets in the case of metal braces. The braces resemble the color of your teeth; hence the braces might be hard to be noticeable with this orthodontic solution. 

How Do You Care For Your Braces?

 

Dr. Liebman offers various measures to care for your braces. They include: 

·       Brushing after every meal. 

·       Avoiding sticky foods. 

·       Avoiding hard or crunchy foods. 

·       Wearing a mouthguard when playing sports. 

It is also advisable to go for your check-ups and dental appointments, to tighten your braces, and improve your braces treatment. 

Brace Yourself For The Best Braces

To sum up, braces help solve various teeth problems, including crooked teeth, misalignment, more spaced teeth, and sticking out of teeth. Achieve your desired smile and level up your confidence with braces treatment. Visit Brooklyn Heights Orthodontics for services with proven excellent results.

Teen Six Pack Abs and Better Biceps? Your Questions Answered!

Your Question:
Hey Frugal Fitness Just got a question for you. I used to do some small work outs at home about a year ago for a six pack i tried a few different sit ups and all but nothing was working? You have great abs so this should be a easy question for you . I am 15 i have good calves and back but i need a lot of work on my abs and biceps :D

Frugal Fitness Answer:
Well my friend, there are a few issues that need to be addressed to maximize your physique results. Achieving defined muscles is a byproduct of both building up muscle mass through resistance training and nutrition, and removing as much bodyfat between the muscle tissue and the skin through overall physical activity and dieting. First off, since you are a 15 year old male  you will most likely have a very high metabolism since you are in a crazy biological growth stage. This will help to reduce your bodyfat and usually teenagers have a good amount of energy (and time) for physical activity. That being said, your testosterone levels and muscle mass capacity aren't going to be as high as somebody in their early-mid 20's so you won't be able to put on massive amounts of muscle in your biceps etc. Also, because your growth plates, tendons, and ligaments are still developing, you do not want to lift too heavy, intensely, or frequently so your muscles do not develop out of proportion with your other connective tissue. This could lead to tears, inflammation, growth plate injuries, stunted growth, and other problems.

You also mention that you tried a few situp type exercises and it didn't seem like you did them for a very long period of time while expecting results. Now I'm not the most patient person, and I was even less patient when I was 15 years old, but it does take time to put on muscle and burn bodyfat. It takes the average person about a week to burn a pound of bodyfat if they are doing everything right, and usually much longer to add on a pound of lean muscle. Because of your age, you could probably burn bodyfat more quickly but not necessarily put on muscle mass very fast. It can take a few months or longer but try to follow some of the recommendations I have listed below to maximize results and minimize time and injury risk.

What I would recommend is that you do weight training 3 times a week, 30-45 minutes each time, at a repetition range of 12-15 reps per set and around 30-60 seconds between exercises. You can do 3 total body workouts a week, or 1 upper / 1 lower / 1 total body workout, or 1 chest / tricep / deltoid, 1 upper back, bicep, and 1 legs / abs workout per week. All of these are effective options or you could alternate. But the key is, don't lift much more often than that so you don't risk overtraining.

You can work biceps up to 1 day hard per week, and 1 day light-moderate per week for optimal muscle growth and recovery. Make sure you do not straight at the elbow, wrist, or shoulder or do cheat reps on your curls by leaning backwards or laterally. Regular dumbbell bicep curls, hammer curls, preacher curls, chinups, bent over rows reverse grip, underhand cable rows, and other similar exercises are all good options. For abs, 1-2x a week is fine, I usually just encourage 10-15 minutes of several different types of ab, oblique, and lower back exercises in a row without stopping for smaller leaner and more enduring abdominal muscle fiber stimulation. Try including russian twists, alternating heel taps, crunches, twisting crunches, V-ups (if you can), planks, side bridges, and leg raises along with lower back exercises of hip bridges, supermans, quadripeds, and skydivers. You can do abs on your total body days, lower body days, or on your cardio days.

Also do 3-4 days a week of different forms of cardio to help reduce more bodyfat while keeping enough variety to avoid overtraining or hitting plateaus in your progress. An example would be run 1 day, bike another day, elliptical a 3rd day, and play basketball for an hour on a 4th day. If you just ran each day it would be the same repetitive microtrauma on your joints which could translate into chronic injuries like Ausgood Schlauter, stress fractures, shin splints, or tendonitis. Also make sure you are eating lots of protein, minimal sugar and junk food, drinking plenty of water, eating lots of fruits and vegetables, and getting in enough sleep. Protein powder or supplements aren't necessary for your age, I certainly got plenty of results without them when I was 15. Hope this all helps!

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Nutrition For Teenage Bodybuilders and Weightlifters

Competitive bodybuilding (reducing bodyfat as low as possible while maintaining high muscle mass for posing and judging) is not usually appropriate for most adolescents, especially those under the age of 16, but the discipline of bodybuilding (building muscle and minimizing or reducing bodyfat) can be practiced by adolescents. Adolescents boys are growing at a very fast rate and require large amounts of calories and nutrients to accomadate that growth regardless of any bodybuilding goals. Adolescents also have extremely high metabolisms so they can handle and require more calories than most older inviduals.If an adolescent is engaged in a lot of physical activities or sports then he will need larger amounts of calories for energy and protein for muscle recovery. For an adolescent or anyone else to put on additional muscle, they must consume even more calories and protein.

Adolescents looking to engage in bodybuilding will have somewhat similar nutritional requirements as any bodybuilder would. The best nutrition plan is usually to eat 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day with a Breakfast-Snack-Lunch-Snack-Dinner-Possible 3rd Snack structure instead of the traditionally larger "3 square meals a day". Eating every 3 hours or so will ensure that muscles are constantly being fueled with protein and carbohydrates, metabolism stays up to continue burning fat, and blood sugar does not get too low which compromises energy levels and workout performance. Caloric intake should be "frontloaded" so more food is eaten in the first half of the day when metabolism is higher than eaten in the second half of the day when metabolism is significantly lower. A healthy snack can be eaten after dinner but simple sugars should be avoided late in the day as they spike blood sugar and insulin levels which lead to increased storage of bodyfat. Small to moderate amounts of lean proteins should be present in all meals and snacks for a constant supply of amino acids (building blocks of protein and muscle). Excellent examples of this are low-fat or fat free dairy products, (grilled) chicken breast, turkey, tuna, salmon, soy, and lean cuts of red meat. The most important time to consume protein is post-workout so that the muscles broken down during exercise will be provided the raw materials to rebuild bigger and stronger.

Dairy products are also crucial for adolescents because they provide the Calcium and Vitamin D which is critical for the major bone growth they experience. The only nutritional supplements I would recommend for adolescent bodybuilders would be a multivitamin and possibly a scoop (about 20 grams) of whey protein powder per day, both of which would ensure they get at least the minimal amounts of these crucial nutrients.

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Teen Abs and Muscle Building: Your Questions Answered!

Question:
Hey I'm only a teen and I'm trying to get abs. What would the best exercise for the abs and building muscles?

Frugal Fitness Answer:
Take a look at my Ab Workout YouTube vid ( YouTube Channel is http://youtube.com/MyFrugalFitness )  for your midsection and preventing lower back injury (I used to have lower back pain lifting too heavy as a teen because I didn't do these exercises enough). You don't want to do all ab and oblique work and no lower back and posterior muscle work, gotta keep things in balance. Teens should focus on light-moderate weights, moderate repetitions, excellent form, free weights/cables, and avoid working through any joint pain. Eat a ton! You are growing and your metabolism is as fast as it will ever be, you gotta stoke the fire with many meals throughout the day. Also, check out my YouTube chest workout, Trapezius workout, and my future upper back workouts. I also have an eBook called The Frugal Workout on Amazon.com for $4.99 which has tons of workouts, exercise illustrations, and lifting tips for all teens and all ages/levels. Hope this helps, best of luck!

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Youth/Young Teen Beginner Resistance Training Program

For kids ages 8-12, even up to age 14, that are in good overall fitness and athletic shape to improve health, strength, and sport performance. Only do 2 workouts per week with light weights (no heavier than 8 lb dumbbells)

Workout Guidelines

-Keep rest time between sets at 30 seconds or less

-Only do 5 lb weights or lighter

-Try to do about 15 repetitions per set

-Breathe during every repetition!

-Stretch during and after every workout!

-Workouts do not have to be done by the letter! Vary the exercise order

-Avoid exercises that bother your joints or lower back

-Hydrate before, during, and after each workout

-Have fun!

(x = 1 set)

Day 1: Upper Body

3x Pushups

3x Tricep Dips

2x Bicep Curls

2x Hammer Curls

2x Dumbbell Shrugs

2x Mountain Climbers

2x Plank Holds

Day 2: Lower Body and Abs

3x Jumping Jacks

2x Bodyweight Squats

2x Wide Squats

2x Lunges

2x Situps

2x Crunches

2x Hip Bridges

2x Heel Taps

2x Donkey Kicks

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- The Original Frugal Diet

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Beginner Male Adolescent Gym Lifting Workout Split

Workout Guidelines:

-Do each workout twice per week (4 workouts total per week)

-Workouts last 45-60 minutes

-Each set is in the 12-15 repetition range with perfect form to promote endurance, lean muscle gain, strength increase, general health, and calorie burning

-Rest between sets is 30-90 seconds

-Hydrate before, during, and after workout

-Protein and sugar right after your workout or when you get home

-If you are going to do cardio, 30 Minutes of Cardio after these workouts or on non-lifting days

Day #1: Upper Body

5 Minutes Row Machine Warmup (half wide grip, half underhand grip)

3x Pushups (15-20 reps)

3x Lat Pulldown Machine (about 35 kg)

3x Single Arm Dumbbell Row 25 lb dumbbell

3x Dumbbell Incline Bench Press 20 lb dumbbells

2x Dumbbell bicep curls and hammer curls 15 lb dumbbells

2x Tricep Dips on bars

3x Bench Tricep dips

2x Dumbbell shrugs 30 lb dumbbells

5 Minutes Row Machine Cooldown

Day #2: Lower Body and Abs

5 Minutes Elliptical Warmup

2x Leg Extension Machine 50 lbs

2x Lying Leg Curl Machine 50 lbs

4x Dumbbell Wide Squats holding 1 horizontal 20-25 lb dumbbell

3x Crunches on Ball

3x Situps on any Decline Bench

3x Plate-Loading Calf Raise Slide Machine (add a 45 lb plate to each side, keep knees straight)

4x Plate-Loading Leg Press Machine (add a 45 and 25 lb plate to each side)

5 Minutes Bike Cooldown

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Performance Nutrition Basics For Youths

Breakfast: The Most Important Meal of the Day!

1)    Always Eat Breakfast!

This will provide the fuel you need for the day, important for maintaining high energy levels in school, on field/court, and in the weight room.

2)    Drink Lots of Water Throughout the Day!

Always have a bottle of water with you to stay hydrated and healthy.

3)    Eat enough protein!

Important for muscle growth and repair after intense workouts

4)    Eat your fruits and vegetables!

Provides a good source of fiber as well as vital vitamins and minerals.

5)    Eat healthy snacks throughout the day!

Helps keep your energy levels up and your muscles fueled, eat many smaller meals throughout the day and not just 2-3 large meals.

6)    Avoid Fast Food and Junk Food!

This will only reduce your energy levels and pack on extra fat

7)    During a workout or practice, drink water or Gatorade!

Stay hydrated, no sodas before, during, or after practice!!!

8)    After a workout, replenish Protein and Carbs!

Ex) Chocolate Milk, Carnation Instant Breakfast, Gatorade, and fruit)

A Great Substitute For Whey Protein Powder For Youths and Teens

Carnation Instant Breakfast Essentials Drink Mix, Rich Milk Chocolate, 17.7-Ounce Canisters 

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Weight Room Orientation Outline for Middle or High School Students

Frugal Fitness

Weight Room Orientation for Medfield Elementary/Middle School Students

For a safe and effective baseline of knowledge and experience

I.                   Summary of importance of resistance training

II.                Safety Precautions and Age-Specific Limitations

III.             Stress Light Weights and Good Technique

IV.             Proper Warmup

V.                Machine demonstrations and Orientation

VI.             Bodyweight exercises (Pullups, Pushups, Bench Dips, Core Exercises)

VII.          Light Dumbbells and Barbell movements (no added plates)

VIII.       Cardio Machines

IX.             Stretching

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Eating Healthier At The College Snack Bar

             In college or at work there might be a convenient snack bar that you can go to but may be throwing off your diet. You should go for the healthier food options and get more bang for your buck. At first glance there may not look like too many healthy options, but there is plenty to eat at the den without worry of a subsequent heart attack. In many cases you don’t even have to sacrifice taste. After extensive examination of food options and trial and error over the years, I have compiled some pretty good guidelines for eating healthier at your local snack bar.

                For hot sandwiches, the healthier options are the Grilled Chicken Sandwiches and the Tuna Melts. The Chicken Tenders in the Chicken Tender Wraps unfortunately are deep-fried which adds massive amounts of calories from saturated fats. Sodexho may be celebrating a year since ridding its food of Trans Fats (fats that cause heart disease) but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of saturated fats in many of their foods. The greasy Steak and Cheese also contains a massive amount of calories, especially from saturated fat. Paninis show some promise and are healthier options than the old standbys just mentioned. The cold sandwiches you ask them to make for you can also be pretty healthy. Pack them with lean tuna, turkey, or chicken for protein then add plenty of veggies for fiber and vitamins/minerals. Skip the mayo and go for spicy mustard or another lower calorie condiment.

            Salads of course are excellent options, just make sure that you don’t pick out one of the 200 calorie dressings that are available. Go nuts with the all the healthy fruits available as well. Stick to soups that are light and contain mostly chicken, veggies, and brown rice for less fat and higher protein amounts. If you are a big yogurt eater, go for the “Light and Fit” Dannon Yogurt which has significantly less sugar and fat than the “Fruit on the Bottom” option. Pass on the pre-made Calzones and Pizza and go for a Bagel with peanut butter instead or one of the healthier sandwiches mentioned earlier. The mozzarella sticks and French fries are great if you like eating pure grease and clogging your arteries so they probably shouldn’t be a consistent choice. If you’re stocking up on cereal, Raisin Bran or Raisin Bran Crunch are your best bets compared with our childhood favorites Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs, etc. which aren’t much better for you than candy. 

            As for chips, again there are poor choices and healthier choices to make. The standard Doritos, Fritos, and Lays potato chips should be subbed in for much lighter Baked Lays, Baked Doritos, Sun Chips, or Stacy’s Pita Chips. In each of these healthier options there is either less calories, less overall and saturated fat, more protein, or more complex carbohydrates. In my opinion I think these healthier choices taste great except for the Baked Doritos which taste more like cardboard than any Dorito I’ve ever eaten.  Oh well, can’t win them all. Other snacks that are pretty healthy include the Nature’s Valley granola or nut bars which will satiate you much more than those sugary and refined Rice Crispy Treats. Sorry to break it to you, but Poptarts are not the breakfast of champions.

            Drink choice at the den is pretty extensive and there are plenty of good options to choose from. If you’re a coffee fiend, for instance, take it black or sweeten with Splenda and Skim Milk for a very low calorie pick-me-up. Even better would be to take advantage of their wide array of teas which usually contain large amounts of antioxidants, especially green tea. Tea has about one third to one half the caffeine content of coffee which can be better for those trying to lower their caffeine intake. The hot chocolate at the den is absolutely delicious but unfortunately that is because it is loaded with cream and sugar so I would avoid that in excess. Diet sodas are obviously superior to regular sodas. Making the switch can save you hundreds of calories and a spike in blood sugar that will cause you to crash shortly after. Orange juice has a little more nutritional value than apple, cranberry, or grapefruit juice. Gatorade is really only a beneficial drink after a workout or during a workout lasting over an hour in which you sweat profusely. Sobe’s Lifewater is pretty much Gatorade with a few vitamins added to it and a less potent mixture of electrolytes. I’d obviously recommend going for the skim milk or the low fat Milk Chugs over the whole milk options. The Chocolate Milk Chug can actually be an effective makeshift post-workout drink though in the absence of a protein shake since it contains the sugars and protein needed after intense exercise for optimal recovery. The regular bottled tea drinks have more sugar than antioxidants in them so opt for the diet tea drinks. When in doubt, a bottle of plain water is never a bad decision.

            Hopefully after reading this article, you’ll change a few of your choices at the Den. Every once in awhile we all need a nice greasy Steak and Cheese Sub or some Crispy Chicken Tenders but most of the time you should think before you place that order. If you eat correctly there, instead of putting on some fat you may just find yourself leaner than ever. Now time to get to the gym and hit the treadmill! Bon appetit baby!

Healthy eating doesn't need to be a pain in the neck or a drain on your bank account!

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Eating Healthier at Your College Cafeteria

Most people complain about how lousy the food is at their college cafeteria (at least I did at Merrimack College). That means you’re going to have to make the most out of it. From my perspective, if you’re going to eat mediocre food, you might as well eat the more nutritious mediocre food and at least get some benefit from it. You don’t want to get sick of eating the same food every day, but here are some suggestions that can make your café meals build up your muscles and trim your waistline instead of just simply filling you up. 

 Breakfast/Brunch:

            Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so you want to make the best of it. There are plenty of options available that will give you the energy and nutrients to begin your day right. Eggs in any form are excellent sources of protein, vitamins, and healthy fat so don’t pass them over. Omelettes are excellent especially if you fill them with vegetables as well. If you are really trying to stay lean or keep cholesterol down then go for egg white omelettes but then you will be missing out on the healthy fat and vitamins from the egg yoke portion. If you are going to have toast with your eggs then opt for the more nutrient dense wheat toast. There aren’t many healthy cereals offered at the café except for raisin bran or granola so these are your best choices. Like  wheat toast, these two cereals provide a higher ratio of complex carbohydrates that will provide a more consistent and longer lasting source of energy throughout the day.  Any cereal can become healthier though by adding slices of fruit or some skim milk to it. You can never go wrong with a piece of fruit in the morning either. Waffles aren’t a bad choice as long as you aren’t heaping too many unhealthy toppings onto them. Avoid or eat in moderation any of the sausage or bacon because of the massive amounts of saturated fats that they contain.

Lunch/Dinner:

            The café has more to offer than the same old burgers, fries, and pizza for lunch and dinner. The sandwich line will give you the materials you need to make a good wrap, healthy turkey breast sandwich, or a high protein tuna melt. Pile on the leans meats, add cheese and veggies, and again try not to eat it on white bread. Don’t slather anything with mayonnaise, you’re better off using spicy mustard and shave off a couple hundred calories. Making a salad is always a safe bet as well as long as you don’t drench it with high calorie dressings. When you are in the main food line try to stock up on vegetables, rice, pasta, potatoes, and meat that isn’t deep fried. The new Stir Fry line is very promising with plenty of veggies, rice, noodles, and meats that aren’t enveloped in a crispy coating of grease. There’s also nothing wrong with a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat bread for a mix of simple and complex carbs and heart healthy fat and fiber from the peanut butter. Again, grabbing an apple or a banana is always a good addition to a meal for extra fiber and nutrients. If you are going to get any dessert, it might as well be ice cream because at least this way you will get some protein, calcium, and Vitamin D from the milk used in it. Just keep the toppings light and it isn’t that bad of a way to end your meal.

Drinks:

There are plenty of drink choices at the café to choose from and picking the right ones can go a long way towards a trim body. Stick to the diet sodas over their regular versions to save hundreds of calories and avoid a sugar high that will cause you to crash an hour later. Fruit juices are a little better than regular sodas but they still contain plenty of simple sugars and very little if any actual fruit. Stick to the skim milk if you can, especially if you drink a lot of it. Chocolate milk works pretty well as a poor man’s protein shake after a workout but other than that you mostly want to avoid the large amounts of fat and sugar it contains. Hot chocolate is pretty much chocolate milk without the protein so I wouldn’t recommend drinking much of that either. Coffee is relatively healthy when taken black or sweetened with Splenda and skim milk, as long as you don’t drink it too often. Tea (Green Tea especially) is an even healthier option with powerful antioxidants that can help you from getting sick during this cold and stressful time of the year.

            Try out some of these suggestions and I guarantee it will help you stay healthier and reach your fitness, athletic, or dietary goals. 

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