Tips, Tools and Activities

May is national bike month! Do you have bikes in your home? Is there air in the tires? Can you rent bikes for the day or for a few hours? Plan a bike ride or learn how to ride a bike this month. Parents, encourage your employer to support Bike to Work Week, May 13th – 17th or designate at least one day during that week as ”Bike to Work Day.” Kids, go for a bike ride after school or participate in “Bike to School Day” on May 8th. Do not forget to wear your helmet, this goes for grown-ups, too!

Sleep Well

May is a great month to practice better sleep habits and enjoy the benefits of quality sleep. We talk a lot about nutrition and regular physical activity as a part of our wellness journey, and the importance of sleep may slip out of focus. The Better Sleep Council recognizes the month of May as Better Sleep Month, and has information that supports many families are falling short of a restful night's sleep at least one day per week. Review your practices around sleep, your routines that lead up to periods of restful sleep, and assess how the family functions when sleeping well. Keep a sleep log this month and look for patterns or connections to how the family responds to physical activity, stress, meal planning, homework, or family dynamics. Some questions you may answer in the log include: what was the routine that lead up to bed time, was the night restful, how long was the period of sleep, what was the mood at wake time, and what was the mood at sleep time. Have fun looking for connections and enjoy a better night's sleep for the entire home.

Eat Healthy

Start planning for summer snacks that are healthy, tasty, bright in color, and fun to prepare.  Have a family huddle and take the summer snack challenge.  Use the following ingredients to make your own personal healthy snack:

• Low-fat cream cheese
• Carrot
• Wheat crackers
• Cucumber
• Chives, black pepper or dill
• Wheat or corn tortilla
• Real peanut butter
• Peach
• Strawberries

Try to use at least 3 of the ingredients, and if that is too easy, explore a healthy snack that uses 5.   Spend time writing out your new recipe. Be sure to include how much to use, how each ingredient should be prepared (sliced, diced, toasted, etc.), and how to combine the ingredients. Enjoy experimenting with your personal snack, and have fun naming it too!

Q&A

Our ketchup bottle touts that it has lycopene.  What's its nutritional importance?

Lycopene is part of the carotenoid family and is considered a phytonutrient. The benefits of consuming carotenoids may include protecting us from certain cancers, heart conditions and may even help with some side effects of aging. Carotenoids are found in bright, deeply colored fruits and vegetables. Common food sources of lycopene include tomato products, pink grapefruit, watermelon and guava. Remember, consuming a variety of fruits and vegetable is the preferred source of receiving these important nutrients.

Eat Healthy   •   Play Every Day   •   Get Together   •   Go Outside   •   Sleep Well