If you have a child that pays attention to what you say, brushes their teeth for the correct amount of time, and does a good job while doing it, it is very likely that you will be the envy of parents everywhere.

For something that is seemingly such a simple task, it can be difficult for adults to do correctly, let alone children, so in order to keep their oral hygiene in tip-top condition, this article will take a look at tips on how you can help your children brush their teeth.

Change the Toothpaste

While mint is generally considered a universal flavor for toothpaste, it is hardly a surprise that not everyone enjoys it. It can be particularly strong on sensitive tastebuds, which can make brushing our teeth unpleasant – pair this with a child and their lack of willingness or understanding, and you could have a difficult task on your hands. It is not hard to empathize with not enjoying the taste of something, so changing the toothpaste could help your child adjust much more easily to brushing their teeth or even enjoy it. You can get kids flavors such as strawberry or watermelon, which can make the taste of toothpaste a little more bearable – something that closely resembles sweets in taste is sure to be a hit.

Novelty Toothbrushes

We are now blessed to be in a day and age where children (and adults alike) can get their favorite cartoon characters printed on dental products. As with any shiny new thing, it can be exciting to use it for the first time, and having a toothbrush that they love can definitely soften the blow that they have to use it to brush their teeth rather than play with it. Children’s toothbrushes are also much softer than adult toothbrushes, and the softer brushes can help mitigate some of the pain that can come from brushing teeth with hard bristles. We should all take care when brushing our teeth that we are not brushing too hard as this can damage the enamel, and soft bristles can definitely help with that – whatever your age! Children’s teeth are more fragile, though, so opting for soft bristles from the get-go can only be a good thing. If you need help choosing the best toothbrush for you and your children, head over to Alex Jones Dentistry!

Turn It into A Game

Plenty of children love games, so turning something that has to be done into a game can very much be a sure-fire way of getting them to participate without too much aggravation, or even willingly! You can make up your own game or simply brush your teeth with them as a bonding exercise. Children do love to play ‘grown-up’, and seeing you do the same thing with them is a great way to spend time together and take away the connotations of what brushing their teeth can mean – bedtime!

Another tip that should not be overlooked is an explanation as to why they are brushing their teeth. It can be easier for children to do what they are asked to do when they understand why it will be good for them, rather than just because “someone said so”.

Sometimes the time to visit a grocery store may not be available, so don’t have to stave because you can always order from your home. Online stores have become popular since the use of the internet has increased. When shopping online, you save time and resources because you don’t have to use fuel to drive to the store to get the groceries. Again, it takes a shorter time to look through the online stores to find what you want with ease. Online stores also allow you to get some items that are not locally available. For instance, some vegetables are not available in your locality or are not in season, but the online store can have them. These tips will help you when shopping for grocery online:

Having a Shopping List

Before logging into the online store website, ensure you have a list of the items you need. The shopping list should be listed in order of priority, such that when you want to reduce the list, you start from the end. Having a list also allows you to save time as you will know which items to search for on the site before making your purchase. The list will also give you an easy time to confirm the grocery once delivered. For example, after getting grocery delivery Melbourne stores, you use the checklist to counter-check what the delivery van has brought. Similarly, the list allows you to order the correct quantities; if you need 5 Kg of beef, there is no way you will forget and order 3kg if you have it written in your list.

Be Ready to Make Adjustments or Swaps

When adding items to the cart, you may find that the store has a slightly different product version. Since most of the items in your list are maybe available, it will force you to adjust and buy another version of that one product. At times, the units of the product available may not be the same as what you want. So, you can swap and take smaller pieces that total the quantity you wish to buy. A good example is when you ordered 1kg of cheese and the store only has 500gm, you will opt for two 500gm. Often, the store does not have all the items listed in the stock, so you may have to wait for a while before it is delivered.

Master how Each Platform Works

There are many online stores, and they operate differently. Before shopping on a site, take time to learn and understand its operation. Find out how to place products in an online cart, how to change already picked items, and how to cancel an order before doing the actual shopping. Again, it helps if you confirm the delivery schedules of the store. You may find that highly trafficked cities and densely populated cities get frequent deliveries compared to scarcely populated towns. If the suggested delivery period is long, you may opt for a different store or wait, depending on the urgency.

To avoid inconveniences, ensure you make your orders in advance before your stock is depleted. If grocery delivery from Melbourne stores is done every Wednesday, you may consider ordering a week before your supply is depleted.

As the weeks roll by at a seemingly alarming rate, you might be starting to think about lazing by the pool during the hot summer months and perhaps taking a beach vacation. However, after months spent cocooned in thick jumpers and sweat pants during the covid winter, you might be feeling less than confident about baring your body in swimwear and skimpy summer clothing. To help you get your confidence back and enjoy your summer to the max, here is how you can get beach body ready in time for summer.

Exercise

While washboard abs and toned arms are not a prerequisite for being beach body ready, the mood-boosting endorphins produced during exercise can certainly help to increase your confidence levels. Furthermore, with longer days and increased sunlight hours, summer is the ideal time to establish an exercise regime. Low-intensity workouts, such as Pilates and swimming, are great for toning up and getting fit without putting an undue amount of stress on your body. Or, you might prefer something more intensive that really gets your blood pumping, like HIIT or weight training. The key to establishing exercise as a routine is to settle on a regime that you enjoy and that suits your lifestyle and fitness goals.

Hair removal

You might want to remove body hair from certain areas before you feel comfortable baring all in swimwear. Shaving is perhaps the quickest and easiest way to remove unwanted body hair; however, it is very temporary, and you may find yourself shaving almost every day during the summer. Waxing is more long-lasting than shaving, but it can be painful and result in skin damage. As an alternative, you could research the best laser hair removal treatments. This will, over the course of several treatments, remove the hair entirely and reduce the need for time-consuming and painful shaving and waxing.

Pedicure

After months spent encased in thick socks and boots, your feet may not be fit to been seen in sandals and flip flops, but with a bit of TLC, they will soon be beach ready. An aromatherapy foot bath is a great way to relax tired feet and soften the skin; follow this up by filing away hard skin with a pumice stone before applying an indulgent foot cream. Discolored toenails can be treated with an anti-fungal nail lacquer. After trimming your nails – remembering to cut straight across to prevent ingrown toenails – you can paint them in a bright, cheerful color. Classic reds and corals or vibrant turquoises or purples are great for summer.

Tanning options

Most people love the healthy look of a tanned complexion; however, the destructive nature of harmful UVB rays makes frying in the sun for hours on end an unhealthy way to tan. Fake tan is a healthier alternative to achieve a deep, even color without the sun damage. Make sure you exfoliate and moisturize your skin beforehand to prevent the tan from becoming patchy.

Dysphagia is an umbrella term for people living with swallowing difficulties. For example, they might cough or choke when eating and drinking, regurgitate food, experience persistent drooling, feel as if food is stuck in their throat or chest, or struggle to chew food properly.

As a result, people living with dysphagia might experience weight loss or repeated chest infections. Plus, the uncomfortable sensations can take a toll on their mental health.

If you have recently been diagnosed with dysphagia, you might want to adopt tactics that can ease your swallowing difficulties. Keep reading to learn how to cope with dysphagia.

Change the Consistency of Your Food

A doctor may recommend avoiding certain foods, or you may need to make alterations to some dishes. For instance, they might suggest pureeing your food to make it easier to swallow.

Also, it might help if you thicken liquids, as it can slow the flow and provide greater control of the liquids in your mouth. As a result, it can reduce liquid entering your airways and making its way down the wrong pipe.

There are some fantastic thickeners on the market. SimplyThick is a great choice, as its thickener has been clinically tested on dysphagia patients and can help people living with a swallowing disorder to drink more liquids.

Improve Your Posture

Monitor your posture when eating or drinking to support swallowing. You must sit in an upright position with your back straight and try to focus on your food or drink. It might help to switch off the TV or put down your device and place a pillow against your back for support. Also, it will help to sit in an upright position for a minimum of 30 minutes after a meal, which can lower the risk of aspiration.

Attend Speech and Language Therapy

Speech and language therapy could help you adopt new swallowing techniques, which could ease any discomfort or pain. A speech therapist can help you embrace various exercises that can coordinate your swallowing muscles. Plus, it could help to restimulate the nerves that will trigger your swallowing reflex.

Don’t Skip Swallowing Exercises

After attending speech therapy, you must continue with your exercises at home to improve your symptoms. Even if you have a busy lifestyle, you must complete the exercises each day to alleviate any pain and discomfort when swallowing. However, you must not change your recommended food or liquids without talking to your doctor, even if the exercises are helping. If your swallowing improves, you may be able to adjust your diet in time.

Conclusion

If you follow the above tactics, you could ease your swallowing difficulties and enjoy a varied diet in the future without pain or discomfort. However, if the above dysphagia tips don’t work, you may need to undergo surgery to widen your esophagus, which will require the insertion of a stent. Also, you must ensure you never avoid food and drink due to fear of choking or discomfort, as this can lead to dehydration and malnutrition.

If you’ve just found a fast electric bike for sale, you may have just discovered the secret to getting more exercise and vitamin D while also earning some extra cash. Many restaurant delivery services have opened the door for their employees to use bikes, instead of cars, in select areas. If you’re searching for a new side gig, or even potentially a new full-time job, here are five companies to consider that embraced the eco-friendly, practical option of using e-bikes to deliver food to people’s doors.

1. Grubhub

By far one of the most popular food delivery companies, GrubHub is available in over 4,000 cities in the United States and has a large network of restaurants they partner with, meaning more consistent work.

In qualified cities, or what GrubHub labels as “zones,” delivery by bike is welcomed. Deliverers are provided with plenty of order info to go off of, orders are prepaid, and tips from app-users are heavily encouraged.

 2. UberEats

UberEats is recognized as one of the highest-paying delivery services. While there are some incentives to driving a car, such as having the flexibility to being an uber driver as well, bike use and even walking is accepted. If delivering by bike, UberEats will only assign trips three miles or under.

The designated “boost” hours offer an extra bonus and with the most people ordering, which can mean less distance traveled. Deliverers can also refuse orders, avoiding trails with steep hills.

3. DoorDash

DoorDash also offers competitive pay and is one of the most successful in terms of sales. Delivers can select their vehicle type, which is broken down into specific categories:

• Car
• Motorcycle
• E-bike
• Scooter
• Bicycle
• Pizza Bicycle
• Walking

Assigned orders are customized based on your bike type, reducing competition among deliverers with different types of vehicles. Deliverers are also promised a certain minimum rate for every delivery, regardless of distance.

4. Caviar

While now owned by Door Dash, Caviar is less popular than the other delivery services on this list, which can mean fewer customer orders in your area but also less competition. Almost any vehicle type is accepted, including an e bike for commuting. Deliverers can opt for an instant payout option, rather than having to wait for a designated pay date for compensation.

5. Postmates

Postmates offers competitive rates, allows deliverers to keep the full tip, and accommodates bicycles as a mode of transportation. This delivery service is unique in that you have the option to deliver more than food. With the option to add grocery deliveries and personal items to the list of items you can take to people’s doors, there is more opportunity for work. However, you’ll need to consider your e-bike’s storage capacity when taking on non-food orders.

Many people across the country are willing to pay an extra cost for the convenience of not having to leave their homes to purchase a hot-and-ready meal. Browse womens or mens electric bikes for sale to get in on this new money-making opportunity without having to waste gas or put more miles on your car.

Mental health issues like depression and anxiety are common in seniors. Having mental health problems can harm your physical and emotional wellbeing and reduce your quality of life. Fortunately, there are lots of easy ways to improve your mental health in later life. Here are some ideas to help you feel your best at any age:

Take good care of your body

Your mind and body are closely connected and you need to take care of your physical health if you want to feel good emotionally. You must keep your body active and exercise regularly as you get older. Ideally, you should aim to do around 30 minutes of exercise a day. You could go for a walk in the park, go swimming at your local fitness center, or do exercise videos at home. If you want something a bit more exciting look into Bjj Townsville classes (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) or other martial art gym classes, that will keep you fit but also be interesting and engaging.Take a look at this blog by silversneakers.com for other fun exercises for older adults to try. Alongside the physical benefits, regular exercise will also improve your mental health as it releases feel-good endorphins and improves mood. You should also take care of your body by eating a nutritious diet, drinking enough water, and getting plenty of sleep.

Combat feelings of loneliness

Senior loneliness is a widespread issue and many elderly people report feeling lonely and isolated in their older years. Sadly, many seniors lose their partners and friends due to age and illness. It can also become more difficult for elderly people to socialize due to health conditions or mobility issues. You must socialize in later life and maintain a strong social network. Try to meet up with family members and loved ones regularly and make an effort to meet people in your local area. Moving to a senior living community can be an excellent way to meet new people and build social connections. According to Brightview Senior Living, the sense of community and the connection with other residents is one of the biggest benefits of moving to a senior living facility.

Explore new hobbies and interests

You will have a lot more free time on your hands once you retire and you must find fun ways to spend your days. Use your retirement as an opportunity to explore new hobbies and interests. Jefferson Bank explains how “hobbies can reduce stress and improve your emotional wellbeing.” Many hobbies also involve social interaction and encourage you to build relationships with like-minded people. Another advantage of pursuing a hobby in later life is that it can keep your mind sharp and improve your memory and cognitive function. Some fun hobbies to try in later life include golf, ballroom dancing, gardening, hiking, and scrapbooking.

Final thoughts

Aging brings several challenges and it is not uncommon for seniors to develop mental health issues. You must make your mental health a priority as you get older and take steps to lead a healthy and happy life. The above tips should help you look and feel your best and boost your emotional wellbeing in later life.

If you’re not happy with your current weight and want to lose some extra pounds for your health, self-confidence, or a combination of the two, you’re already off to a good start. Weight loss should never be something that you do to punish yourself, but rather because your body deserves to be healthy – and you deserve to feel great in yourself. Finding a plan that incorporates making simple changes to your lifestyle so that it fits in easy and does not restrict you so much that you start to resent it is the best way to tackle any weight loss journey. Whether you have a specific health or weight loss goal in mind or just want to feel better within yourself, keep these tips in mind.

Set Realistic Goals

It can be easy to want to try and lose as much weight as possible in the shortest amount of time – but this isn’t realistic in the long-term and will only leave you feeling deprived. Ideally, you should look to lose a maximum of two pounds per week in weight for healthy weight loss that is sustainable over time. Consider your lifestyle and your nutritional needs. While eating very little is sure to work in terms of weight loss, it’s never good for your health if your body isn’t getting the right amount of fuel.

Work Out a Calorie Allowance

One of the easiest ways for most people to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than their body needs on a daily basis. You can figure out the ideal number of calories for you to aim for using a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) calculator. This will take factors such as your gender, height, weight, age and activity level into account to determine how many calories your body expends on a daily basis. Then subtract around 300-500 calories from this amount to set yourself a calorie goal that is in a deficit of your TDEE. For example, if your TDEE is 2,000, you should aim to eat around 1300-1500 calories per day to lose weight.

Drink More Water

Drinking more water is key to healthy weight loss. Not only does it rid your body of toxins, keep your bodily functions working healthily, and help you avoid water retention, but drinking more water throughout the day will also help you to feel full, which makes it easy for you to resist treats and snacks since your appetite is curbed. General advice for drinking water is eight cups or two liters per day, but this can vary from person to person so you might want to get even more specific and figure out exactly how much water you should be drinking for optimum health with this water intake calculator.

Track Your Meals

Planning and tracking your meals is an excellent habit to get into when it comes to successful weight loss. One of the best things that you can invest in right now is a good set of kitchen scales so that you can weigh everything that you eat and work out the exact calories. You can find several fantastic apps that allow you to easily work out the calorie value of anything that you are eating and even figure out how many calories are in a portion of a recipe that you are making so that you can easily continue to eat the same meals as your family with little extra effort.

Don’t Be Too Restrictive

Moderation is key if you are looking to lead a healthier lifestyle and drop some extra pounds. It’s worth trying to avoid the diet culture mindset and forget about restricting yourself to only eating salads and drinking water – it won’t work over the long term. When you deprive yourself of the foods that you enjoy, you are only going to be miserable. Instead, it’s a much better idea to allow yourself the foods that you like in moderation and find a way to fit your favorite treats into your calorie allowance for the day with a little planning.

Up Your Protein Intake

Last but not least, increasing the amount of protein that you eat with each meal can help you lose weight by keeping you fuller for longer and curbing your appetite throughout the day, making it easier for you to say no to snacks. While cutting out carbs altogether isn’t necessary, you should try to limit the amount of starchy carbs in each meal and fill up with healthy protein sources like lean meat, eggs, fish and legumes.

Weight loss doesn’t have to be a miserable diet of eating lettuce leaves and carrot sticks – you can lose weight by making some simple changes to your existing diet habits.

Everyone deserves to get a good night’s rest, but it can seem an impossible feat for a lot of people. The idea of getting a healthy night’s rest without any issue can be a distant dream for those people who can’t easily fall asleep (or stay asleep).

If you’re wondering what might be causing a difficult night’s sleep, here are a few hacks you could try to help tackle the most common problems.

• Upgrade Your Bed and Mattress

Your mattress should be one investment you’re happy to make, but it’s surprisingly not one that many people will remember, seeing as it’s quite an expensive one-off purchase. However, this is an investment you’re never going to regret; and aside from that, the right mattress will have a number of health benefits, both for your physical body and a healthy night’s rest.

It’s important to find the mattress firmness which works for you so that you can be as comfortable as possible and also have your body and spine supported in the right way.

You should also make sure you have enough covers and pillows as you need. Some people can benefit from body pillows for spinal posture, and you may even love a weighted blanket.

• Go to Bed a Little Earlier

If you find yourself worrying about how long it’s going to take you to drop off (and doing the calculations of how many hours of sleep that will be), this can lead to more panic and result in you staying awake even longer. If you know you usually toss and turn for a little while, try going to bed earlier than you need to.

• Avoid Scrolling on Your Phone in Bed

Try to avoid lying in bed scrolling through social media and your bright phone screen right before you want to go to sleep. Make your bedroom a safe haven from bright technology or things like social media which are going to keep your brain awake and active.

• Do Evening Yoga

Exercise in the evening can help your sleeping pattern in many ways. High-energy exercise can help to tire you out more easily, but relaxing exercises like yoga can help you to feel more at ease, shed the weight of the day, and relax your mind and body in time for sleep. You can find the perfect pink yoga mat or any color your like, or you can even do certain yoga stretches while in bed.

• Avoid Eating Too Late

Eating is great at making you feel sleepy, but that doesn’t mean you should be eating right before you go to bed. Your body needs a chance to properly digest the food you’ve eaten, so make sure to eat at least a few hours before you’re planning on going to sleep for a more restful night.

• Avoid Caffeinated Drinks in the Evening

Choose your evening drinks wisely so that you can avoid highly caffeinated drinks and sugary drinks, both of which are going to make it more likely you’ll be wide awake. If you do want any caffeinated drinks, try to time your meal and drinks, so they’re not too close to when you want to go to bed.

There are many good reasons to stop drinking alcohol. You could notice an improved mood, more energy, better sleep, clearer skin, and even weight loss. The benefits are certainly numerous, but for many, actually quitting alcohol can be extremely difficult. If you want to cut out alcohol, here are some tips to help you on your journey to sobriety:

Set a Goal

The first thing to do is to figure out your reason for quitting alcohol and whether you want to quit for good or set yourself a target—one month, six months, a year.

Perhaps you’ve noticed that you’ve been feeling run down and want to give your health a boost by not drinking for six months. Maybe you’ve realized that alcohol is impacting your relationships with those around you, or you’re exhibiting signs of addiction.

Whatever your reason, it might help to write down your thoughts and set yourself a proper goal, whether that’s quitting for good or not.

Tell Your Friends and Family

A good next step is to let your friends and family—anyone in your immediate social circles—know that you’re planning to stop drinking. This can be a great way to hold yourself accountable for your decision. If someone you see often knows you’re not meant to be drinking, they can call you out on it if you’re about to succumb to temptation.

If you hang out with heavy drinkers, it might mean reducing your contact with them for a while or finding something else you can all do together that doesn’t revolve around alcohol because the next step is to…

Stay Away from Alcohol

This sounds an obvious point: if you’re planning to quit drinking, surely it’s pretty self-explanatory that you shouldn’t be drinking?

For many, though, even being around alcohol can be tempting. If there are beers or bottles of wine in the house, then it’s possible for you to drink them. With none in the house, you won’t be so tempted. Similarly, if you go to a bar, you’re more likely to drink than if you visit, say, a coffee shop.

Keeping alcohol out of sight and out of mind is an essential step for many, especially in the early stages of sobriety.

Focus on Things You Enjoy

Once you stop drinking, you may notice that you have a lot more free time on your hands. If you’re struggling to fill the days, why not try your hand at some new hobbies?

Find new activities that you enjoy, and fill your days with them. Join a book club, go for long walks at the weekend, or join a gym. Replace the hours you’d normally spend drinking with more positive activities.

If you’re finding it difficult to stay away from alcohol, you may be suffering from an addiction problem. Talk to your doctor and consider spending some time at a residential rehabilitation facility like Harris House. You’ll be provided with top-quality care and support to get you on the right track.

Take it Day by Day

No matter your sobriety goal, whether you want to quit forever or for now, it’s important to take each day as it comes. If you’re struggling with the thought of never drinking again, just say to yourself that you won’t drink today. Once you’ve made it through today, you know you can get through another ‘today’ tomorrow.

Never be afraid to seek help for drinking problems. You don’t have to go through it alone, so talk to a healthcare professional to see what they recommend.

Getting older doesn’t have to be all about doom and gloom. You can grow old while still looking and feeling fantastic; all you need to do is focus more on what you are consuming and how you are living your life each and every day.

Pain-Free Movement

Pain and discomfort are a part of getting older that nobody enjoys, but there are many ways you can take charge of the situation, such as by taking CBD, for example. CBD is linked to easing pain, which will help you move with more ease and less discomfort. CBD Guru has a wide range of gummies, tablets, and even oral solutions that you can use daily to potentially ease the effects of any pain or discomfort you may be feeling. As well as easing pain, you should try and move as much as you can. When you move, you improve your circulation, which can improve how you are feeling, and it can also help ease any discomfort you are in.

Rest and Relaxation

Sleep is very important in allowing your body to regenerate each night so that you are alert and refreshed the next day. You should aim to get at least eight hours of sleep a night so that you can perform at your best. Prior to sleep, it is important to unwind so your brain is not processing problems hindering your sleep quality. Reading a book before bed is a good way to achieve this to change your train of thought. A poor sleep pattern will erode health over time and lead to lethargy and fatigue as well as a deterioration in mental health. Good mental health and wellness should not be underestimated. It is easy to get stuck in a rut and to not focus on yourself, so before you fall into this trap, take action and do something that will benefit you. Start with a good night’s sleep and rest during the day, and try to look at taking up exercise (if you currently do not do any).

Exercise and Looking Good

Exercise is another major factor in reducing the prevalence of disease. Even if you are time-poor and you find it difficult to exercise within your busy schedule, you should try and integrate at least 30 minutes here and there. The key to incorporating exercise is to try and do something that you love. You can even exercise from home, so what you choose to do can be completely flexible and suited to your life. It is important to remember that exercise can take many different forms to accommodate your needs and does not have to entail a pricey gym membership. Getting your heart rate up for a sustained period will bring long-term benefits if performed frequently, and this will also release endorphins into your bloodstream, giving you a feel-good factor and encouraging you to exercise more. Exercise can also combat mental health problems and reduce levels of stress. Gentle levels of exercise can also ease any pain or discomfort you may be feeling.