​You know stretching important. It gives you the muscle flexibility to perform your daily activities with ease, such as getting out of bed, lifting your child, doing yard work or house cleaning. It also reduces stress, improves posture and decreases injuries. And seeing as flexibility deteriorates with age, it’s important to keep working at it.
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The good news is that stretching is one of the most rewarding activities because you can see results fairly quickly. If at the start you could only bend as far down as your knees, by the end of the first week you might see your fingers reaching an inch or two lower. Eventually you will be showing everyone how comfortably you can touch your toes, or clasp your hands behind your back, or even do the splits! 

So here are some tips to help you get your ‘pretzel’ on:

Most parents can relate to the daily challenges of finding foods that their children will eat and enjoy. Perhaps our job as a parent is to serve and expose our children to a variety of healthy foods whether they choose to eat those foods or not. 

Taste buds do change.   
Toddlers and young children have more taste buds than adults (they decrease as we age). Children can taste the bitter, spicy and salty in foods that a parent may not which means that spinach and broccoli may taste bitter to a child.   

Allow children to take part in food preparations.   
Apart from touching a hot stove, boiling water or sharp knives there are many ways that children can be helpful in the kitchen.  Allowing children to take part in meal preparation is an important step in getting them to try new foods.

Your brain is 2% of your body weight yet uses 20% of the energy of your body.
Children’s brain health and emotional health affects every decision they make every moment of every day. When our children’s brains are nourished with whole foods they function at a very high level.

Nutrition is more important than we think when it comes to your child performing better at school and life. Below are some healthy foods to assist in your child’s brain growth, brain function, memory and concentration.

1. Alaskan Salmon 
Fatty fish like salmon are an excellent source of the omega-3 fatty acids.  DHA and EPA are both found if fatty fish are essential for brain growth and function – especially DHA. The best sources of fatty fish that are high in omega-3’s oils are salmon, mackerel, anchovies and sardines. When purchasing fish in tins limit your amount and purchase in the health section of the store.  When choosing tuna look for “skypjack” as opposed to “albacore” which has more mercury.
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Lunch Idea: Instead of tuna sandwiches make salmon and mix with “real” mayonnaise, plain yogurt or avocados.  Add organic raisins, chopped celery and carrots. A wonderfully healthy bread is “Silver Hills” Squirrely.  It is sprouted, organic and children love the taste.  Always choose a bread that has at least 4 – 5 grams of fiber per slice.