for your family : 5 Reasons to Pack Your Lunch

Most schools are trying hard to upgrade their lunch programs and offer the best food they can. But not every school cafeteria provides appealing, healthy lunch choices. Educate yourself when it comes to what your cafeteria has to offer. For example, did you know chicken nuggets have more fat and calories than a plain burger?
Even if your school provides healthy options, it can be too easy to give in to temptation and pick a less healthy choice when you're feeling really hungry. How do you take control? Take a packed lunch to school!
Here are the top 5 reasons to pack your lunch — and snacks — at least twice a week:

1. Control. Do you ever wait in the lunch line only to find when you get to the front that you don't like what they're serving? So you reach for pizza again. A healthy packed lunch lets you avoid the lunch line (and any temptations). Bringing your own lunch also lets you control exactly what goes into the food you eat.

2. Variety. It doesn't hurt to cave in and enjoy the occasional serving of pizza and hot dogs. But if you're eating these foods all the time, your body probably feels ready for a change. A packed lunch a couple of times a week means you can enjoy some favorites that you might not find at every school — like a piping hot thermos of your mom's chicken soup; hummus and pita bread; or some crisp, farm-stand apples.

3. Energy. If you have a big game or activity after school, plan a lunch and snacks that combine lean proteins with carbohydrates to give you lasting energy and keep you going through the late afternoon. Some ideas: your own "trail" mix of dried fruit and nuts or sunflower seeds, whole-grain pretzels and low-fat cheese, or a bagful of baby carrots and yogurt dip.

4. Cold hard cash. Pack healthy snacks so you don't feel tempted to step off campus for a fast-food lunch, or hit the vending machine or corner store for chocolate and a soda! Put the money you save on such snacks aside.

5. That warm and fuzzy feeling. Remember when your mom or dad used to pack your lunch? Pack yourself a retro lunch featuring healthy versions of your old faves — such as PB&J on whole-wheat bread.

Whether you pack or eat in the cafeteria, what’s important is that you make healthy choices. If you're concerned that your cafeteria doesn't offer enough healthy choices, get involved in trying to make changes. Ask a teacher or someone in food service for advice on how to get started.

5 Reason all of girls should play sports

if you, the parents not allow your kids, specially girl, to play soccer, you so wrong!! Why play sports? You might say "to get exercise" and you'd be right. To have fun? That's true, too. But there's more. In fact, there are at least 5 more reasons. According to the Women's Sports Foundation, girls who play sports get a lot more than just fit.

1. Girls who play sports do better in school. You might think that athletics will take up all your study time. But research shows that girls who play sports do better in school than those who don't. Exercise improves learning, memory, and concentration, which can give active girls an advantage in the classroom.
2. Girls who play sports learn teamwork and goal-setting skills. Sports teaches valuable life skills. When you working with coaches, trainers, and teammates to win games and achieve goals, you're learning how to be successful. Those skills will serve you well at work and in family life.
3. Sports are good for a girl's health. In addition to being fit and maintaining a healthy weight, girls who play sports are also less likely to smoke. And later in life, girls who exercise are less likely to get osteoporosis
4. Playing sports boosts self-confidence. Girls who play sports feel better about themselves. Why? It builds confidence when you know you can practice, improve, and achieve your goals. Sports are also a feel-good activity because they help girls get in shape, maintain a healthy weight, and make new friends.
5. Exercise cuts the pressure. Playing sports can lessen stress and help you feel a little happier. How? The brain chemicals released during exercise improve a person's mood. Friends are another mood-lifter. And being on a team creates tight bonds between friends. It's good to know your teammates will support you — both on and off the field!

What are you to do if you "attacked" FLU?

You may have heard everyone talking about this year's flu season, but you might not give it another thought unless you actually get the flu. If you do get sick, knowing what to do can help you feel better faster.
Try these tips if you get the flu:

• Drink lots of fluids.
• Get lots of sleep and take it easy. This is a great time to chill with your favorite DVDs without your mom or dad asking you to help out around the house!
• Take acetaminophen or ibuprofen to relieve fever and aches. Over-the-counter cold or cough medicines may also relieve some flu symptoms. Avoid taking aspirin, though, unless your doctor says it's OK. Aspirin can put teens at greater risk of developing Reye syndrome, a serious illness that sometimes follows infection with the flu virus.
• Wear layers. You might be cold one minute and hot the next, and wearing several layers — like a T-shirt, sweatshirt, and robe — makes it easy to add or remove clothes as needed.
• Wash your hands frequently. You don't want to spread the flu to everyone else, if you can help it. Also, avoid sharing cups and eating utensils with other people.

Most people who get the flu get better without having to see their doctor. But if your flu symptoms get worse, if you have a high temperature for more than a few days, if you have any trouble breathing, or if you seem to get better but then feel worse again, call your doctor right away.

i give 5 Tips for Surviving Shots

Do shots make you nervous? You're not alone. Lots of people dread them because they have a very real fear of needles. So next time your doc asks you to roll up your sleeve, try these tips:

1. Distract yourself while you're waiting. Bring along a game, book, music, or movie player — something you'll get completely caught up in so you're not sitting in the waiting room thinking about the shot. Some doctors' offices schedule "shot clinics" where they do nothing but give shots so the wait time is shorter.
2. Concentrate on taking slow, deep breaths. Breathe all the way down into your belly. Deep breathing can help people relax — and concentrating on something other than the shot can take your mind off it.
3. Focus intently on something in the room. Find a picture, poster, or a sign on the wall. Concentrate on the details: If you're looking at a painting, for example, try counting the number of flowers in the garden, cows in the field, or other images. Or create as many new words as you can using the lettering on a sign. Think about how the message on a health awareness poster might affect you. Whatever it takes, keep focusing on something other than the shot until it's over.
4. Cough. Research shows that coughing as the needle goes in can help some people feel less pain.
5. Relax your arm. If you're tense — especially if you tense up the area where you're getting the shot — it can make a shot hurt more.

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What Is the Flu?

Influenza (say: in-floo-en-zah) is also called the flu. It's an infection that causes fever, chills, cough, body aches, headches, and sometimes earaches. The flu is caused by the influenza virus(say: vy-rus). A virus is a microorganism (say: my-croh-or-gah-nih-zum), which means it's so small that you can't see it without a strong microscope.

For most people, the flu is a drag, but it goes away in a week or two. But for some people, the flu can make them very sick. Those groups include:

• babies and kids younger than age 5
• people older than 50
• adults and kids who have health problems, such as diabetes and asthma

Anyone who's at risk of getting really sick needs to get a flu shot, or vaccine (say: vak-seen). People such as doctors and nurses also need the shot because they take care of sick people, and it's good for anyone who is around older people and younger kids to get the vaccine.
And now, experts say that all kids between the ages of 6 months and 18 years should get the flu shot. This is especially important for kids who have:

• heart or lung disorders, including asthma
• chronic diseases such as diabetes, certain kinds of anemia, or immune system problems, including HIV/AIDS

Flu vaccines are usually given in the fall, before flu season starts. Flu season means the months of the year when a lot of people have the flu and it's easy to catch it. It starts in November and usually ends in April.