Screen-Free Week is right around the corner. It’s timing, toward the end of the school year, can’t help but get us at Camp JCC a little bit passionate. The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that the average American child spends seven hours in front of screens every day. For many kids, that number increases dramatically…
If there were a drug that reduced stress, fought depression, strengthened cardiovascular health, improved the quality of your sleep, and even helped you maintain a healthy weight, would you take it? Sound too good to be true? It’s not; it exists, it’s very safe, and the side effects are minimal. No, it’s not a new…
Think for a moment about the children in your life: your kids, your nieces and nephews, your friends’ and neighbors’ children. How many of them do you think would be able to identify Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Leonardo as anything other than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? In today’s world of smartphones and selfies, we’ve seen…
By Tracie Guy-Decker Last year, I made a new year’s resolution. I wanted to work out five days a week, every week. Knowing this was a stretch for my very-occasional fitness habits, I resolved to work out five days a week if I could, but no fewer than three days in any given week. In…
With Hanukkah beginning this week, and Christmas next week, many American parents are thinking a lot about gifts for their kids. We’re planning and buying, wrapping and hiding. We’re thinking ahead to the look on the kids’ faces when they unwrap the latest gizmo or doodad. What we don’t always think about are the many…
You know you ought to work out (more). You’ve heard about the physical benefits. You’ve experienced the positive psychological effects. You wouldn’t mind losing a few pounds. You’re definitely going to start working out (more). But not today. If the above sounds familiar, you are not alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 80%…
The holidays can become a two-month indulgent eating fest, where the rules of healthy eating and exercise tend to not apply. To a majority of the population, surviving the season means just maintaining weight. Weight maintenance can be difficult during this time because we’re constantly surrounded by food and festivities, creating an obstacle course to…
