In the last few years, social media has intensified the pressure to look perfect. Teens are especially susceptible to this pressure that makes them want to change themselves to fit a new picture-perfect mold. Over the years, there has seemingly been an influx of healthy teens trying to lose some weight unnecessarily.

To be clear, when there is a true need, there is nothing wrong with trying to lose some weight. This is especially true for teenagers as building intentional healthy habits early can help them to be healthy and mindful adults. Dieting due to a concern of your health is much different than dieting due to a fear of gaining weight when you are relatively healthy, though. Dieting when healthy can lead to disorders in teens, a potentially life-threatening problem.

Know the Difference Between Diets and Disorders

Before jumping into information about eating disorders, it is important to establish what is and is not healthy dieting. This is especially important for teens to understand as they are becoming more and more autonomous from their parents. You’re in a time where you’re gaining independence and responsibilities. There is nothing wrong with anyone trying to lose some weight and become healthier, particularly if they are overweight. These steps are usually mindful, enjoyable, and preferably given under the direction of a doctor or nutritionist.

If you are open and honest about your desire to lose weight and your dieting intent, research and compile a balanced diet full of varying healthy foods to lose weight at a moderate pace. A diet designed with the intent to lose weight will typically consist of a 250 to 500-calorie deficit per day, allowing the person dieting to lose a healthy 1-2 pounds a week.

On the flip side of the coin, do not allow fear of a disorder developing make you discouraged from switching to a healthier diet. Eating balanced meals, exercising, and reducing or outright rejecting junk foods is not necessarily an indication of a disorder, even if it seems to be a deviation from the norm. You should tell your family and friends your goals and to let them support you, because sometimes if there isn’t communication people can get overly worried and start to think things that aren’t true.

How it Starts

Many people fail to realize that eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia are mental disorders. Individuals that suffer with these disorders have developed anxiety about food and their looks which causes them to believe they must lose weight and rid themselves of food at all costs. Eating, exercising, and weighing themselves becomes a system of torture and reward.

This mental shift of trying to lose some weight can come on subtly, or there can be a defining moment that causes it. All of a sudden, certain foods are not foods that should be avoided but are BAD and CANNOT be eaten. Exercise MUST be done to counteract the calories eaten. Weight checks become habitual and can make or break their entire mood depending on what the scale says. Some even begin eating and exercising alone because of perceived shame. Many teens say this happens “before they know it,” so it is imperative for teens to pay attention for telltale signs that something is wrong. This is another good reason to tell those around you, so if they begin to notice you doing things that are unhealthy they can step in and help.

Signs to Watch Out For

There are a few common symptoms of eating disorders that people can usually pick up on, such as:

• Eating alone
• Eating abnormally small portions
• Being or becoming very thin
• Wearing baggy clothes to hide the body
• Exercising excessively, especially after meals
• Using laxatives regularly

Some of these symptoms are more specific to one disorder like anorexia, but making a diagnosis is not your main concern as they can all point to danger. If you notice any of these signs, you must take action quickly.

How to Stop Disorders Before They Begin

If someone is engaging in eating behaviors that seem extreme to you, speak to them openly and honestly about what they are doing. Are they simply taking a firm stand for their positive change, or is something more serious happening? There are subtle differences in language that can help you get a feel for what they are thinking. As previously mentioned, keeping a doctor or nutritionist involved from the very beginning of anyone’s weight loss journey can help prevent unhealthy ideas about food from developing when trying to lose some weight. It is important for you and the doctor to frequently check in on your progress. These mental shifts to disordered eating can come subtly and seemingly without warning if not checked. A simple conversation with a professional is usually enough to notice a change.

If you know someone who has unfortunately shifted from developing healthy habits to disordered eating, you must be bold and take action. Here are a few tips on how to approach your friend once you notice. If you see these behaviors in yourself, seek help from a trusted adult or an eating disorder helpline. There are healthy ways to lose weight and people who can help.

Ever hear ‘A stitch in time saves nine’ or ‘It’s the little things that matter’? You know you could have fixed that little rip in your fav T-shirt and regretted later that you didn’t stitch it up before it made the entire shirt into something you could only wear to bed. There are, however, some seemingly small daily details that can produce very unfortunate outcomes when ignored too long.

“It Doesn’t Really Matter If I Skip Brushing Sometimes, Does It?”

Even when you don’t eat very much on a given day, bacteria still flourish in your mouth and eat away at your tooth enamel. Once that enamel is worn down enough, the interior of your teeth is under constant attack. The only thing standing between your teeth and that bacteria is your regular practice of brushing, flossing and rinsing with a fluoride mouthwash, combined with regular dental care. Leaving all those food particles on your teeth leads to plaque formation, cavities and ultimately, many reasons a root canal may be necessary. Root canals are never a pleasant experience and almost always are a far more expensive process than the simple practice of keeping your mouth clean on the regular.

“80 Percent of Sun Damage Occurs Before Age 18, So Why Worry About It Now?”

Wrong! Try 25 percent, which means the earlier you begin protecting your skin with good quality sunscreens, the less likely that you will be dealing with the damage associated with cumulative sun exposure, such as skin cancer (melanoma), wrinkles, thinning skin, dark spots, and ‘broken’ capillary veins on the skin.

“What’s So Important About A Good Night’s Sleep?”

Getting your daily rest is more important than most of us realize. When we are genuinely exhausted, it can lead to such serious issues as heart disease, lowered immune response, inflammation, erratic moods and inappropriate behavior, forgetfulness, and irritability. Cutting your sleep short over time can contribute to things like poor motivation, being unable to crush it at the gym, and an irresistible craving for high-fat, high-carbohydrate foods, due in part to a rise in cortisol, the stress hormone. Chances are, you’re staying up late because you’re looking at your phone, which can add a whole bunch of other issues as well.

To avoid all these significant problems, try this simple recipe: good dental hygiene, sunscreen SPF 30, and seven hours of sleep a night. For more health tips, check out our other articles!

You might have heard about the ongoing opioid crisis and the devastation it’s had on communities across America. However, if you don’t know someone coping with opioid addiction, it can be difficult to realize the immense toll it takes on people. This information will help you understand the opioid crisis better.

Prescription Gateway

When you think of opioids, you might just think of heroin. However, many opioids are given as legal prescriptions by doctors. What often occurs is patients will be given strong painkillers following a significant injury. They will develop a dependence on these substances but be unable to keep taking them when their prescription runs out. So, they will turn to use heroin, which seems affordable but becomes more expensive the further they come to rely on it. Over-prescribing of pain medications is definitely a factor in the current opioid epidemic.

Getting Clean

Getting sober from opioids can be incredibly difficult. Dependence can shape an addict’s mind and body in the worst ways. It is definitely possible to get sober, but it needs to be done responsibly and with medical supervision. There are two treatments right now, methadone and suboxone, what’s the different? Methadone primarily helps with opioid addictions (as well as chronic pain), while suboxone helps with opioid dependence. Deciding between methadone vs suboxone (big difference in volume) is, of course, going to be up to the attending physician.  

A Fatal Disease

There were approximately 64,000 deaths due to drug overdoses in 2016. Of that number, over half can be contributed to opioids. Opioid addiction isn’t just a matter of being well or unwell. It’s a matter of life and death. The number of people who die from opioids is unquestionably significant.

It Can Happen To Anyone

When you don’t know anyone experiencing opioid addiction, it can be easy to distance yourself from it. It’s important to remember that no one plans to become addicted to opioids and that addiction can happen to anyone. It doesn’t discriminate based on age, race, gender, or class. Take a moment to think about the people you know and love. It could be family members, friends, or coworkers. People just like them are dealing with opioid addiction.

Even if you have never dealt with opioid addiction, it’s important to understand the dramatic effects of this disease. With this knowledge, you can help your peers focus instead on health and fitness by reminding them of the impact of the opioid crisis in American today. Remember this information and just how severely addiction can take over someone’s life.

References:

Right Path Addiction Treatment Center

The New York Times

Health Line

It’s not a crime to stay up late playing on your phone, but there are definitely some very well-documented deficits to your health when you regularly engage with smartphones close and during bedtime.

While some adolescents in your household might think so, they aren’t exempt from the shortfalls in health as a result of using mobile phones late at night. If they needed some proof of the bad effects that come from not putting the phone down at certain times, we have a collection of informative and factual reasons that will serve to point them in the right direction.

Using a smartphone can interrupt good sleep

You can fork out all the money in the world for bedroom furniture that will give your teens the best night’s sleep, but if they’re glued to their phones, then the blue light will act to disrupt the production of melatonin; this is the hormone that regulates the body’s sleep cycle.

The standout negative effects of this will result in increased sleepless nights, which is never a good thing when younger members of the family are still developing. Fatigue is also bad for their overall mood, not to mention the potential for the onset of depression and anxiety.

Using a smartphone can damage your eyes

The blue light that’s emitted from your mobile phone is one element of the full light spectrum. This is something that we are exposed to via the sun’s rays; however, when humans, particularly adolescents are exposed to this at nighttime, it can be damaging to their vision.

Direct exposure to blue light can also damage your retinas over time. This might not be an instant concern for younger members of the family, but loss of vision should not be taken lightly, therefore, making them aware of the dangers they are faced with is important.

Using a smartphone can affect attention spans

Your teens might be alone when they are using their phones at night, but this doesn’t mean that the effects stay in the bedroom. You might think that they don’t listen at the best of times, but just imagine if their attention spans are lessened due to smartphone use at bedtime.

Let’s be honest, we’re all guilty of using our phones too much, especially at night, but you’ve got to lead by example because adults are more likely to be aware of the fact that the simple presence of a smartphone causes a distraction.

Using a smartphone might cause electromagnetic radiation problems

At present, there’s no concrete evidence on the matter, scientists claim that radiation from smartphones has been said to be connected to health problems.

The scientists who conducted the study have called on the World Health Organization and governments and the UN, to introduce rigorous regulations concerning mobile phones that produce electromagnetic fields.

What can you do to overcome these issues?

If you are concerned with the problems associated with adolescents in your family using their smartphones at night, there are ways that you can approach the subject to help them reduce their nighttime usage.

Obviously showing them the points raised above will help but talk with your teen about their phone use is also a really effective method too.

It could do more harm than good if you were to lay down a new set of stringent rules in regard to mobile phones use in the bedroom, so have a chat with them and see if they are aware of the health issues themselves.

Put the ball in their court and give them choices, explain how scrolling through social media right throughout the night can have negative effects on their health and wellbeing.

Another informed choice you can opt for is to form a regular bedtime routine that the entire family can/will realistically adhere to.

Bedtime routines for young children are frequently talked about, but bedtime rituals are also just as important for the adolescents in the family, too.

Promote quiet activity in the two hours leading up to before bed, whatever that may be. You can show that you are practising what you preach by having a certain room, or spot in the house where each member of the family can deposit their phones within an allotted time period before you tuck yourselves into bed.

You can also adopt, the use of mindfulness apps or listening to soothing music to aid in relaxing their minds and bodies before bed.

These are just a couple of the ideas you can use to help your teens to understand how to overcome the negative effects associated with using a smartphone at night. Essentially, there isn’t a stock, black-or-white answer that works for each family, it’s about finding a balance and bringing awareness on the matter.

As summer creeps closer, it’s essential to educate yourself on drowning prevention. This is an accident that should never occur. Drowning is not what we are used to seeing in the movies – with someone splashing around and calling for help. It is usually silent, especially with young children who do not realize they won’t be able to breathe underwater.

That’s why it is important to assign one person as a designated Water Watcher and change shifts every 15 minutes when children are in the pool. Active supervision means:

• Sitting close to the pool with your full attention on the child/children
• No phones or reading materials!
• Do a regular headcount
• Step in when there is too much horsing around
• If you have to step away, another adult must be designated as the Water Watcher

Do not leave a toddler or young child in the pool area without adult supervision. Older children are not always as sensitive to the dangers of drowning, and my not recognize the warning signs.

Look for these signs of drowning:

• Head low in the water, mouth at water level
• Head tilted back with mouth open
• Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
• Eyes closed
• Hair over forehead or eyes
• Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
• Trying to roll over on the back
• Appear to be climbing an invisible ladder.

Sometimes the most common indication that someone is drowning is that they don’t look like they’re drowning. They may just look like they are treading water.

One way to be sure is to simple ask them, “Are you alright?” If they can answer, they are probably okay. If they return a blank stare, you may have less than 30 seconds to rescue them.

That’s also why every parent, babysitter, and teenager should be trained in CPR. This training is essential to get oxygen to the brain and can make the difference between life, permanent disability, and death.

For more pool safety tips, download the Pool Safety Guide from Life Saver Pool Fence. https://www.poolfence.com/pool-safety-guide/

Article provided by Life Safer Pool Fence