Core exercises are an important part of a well-rounded fitness program. Aside from occasional situps and pushups, however, core exercises are often neglected. Still, it pays to get your core muscles – the muscles around your trunk and pelvis – in better shape. Read on to find out why.

Core exercises improve your balance and stability.

Core exercises train the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen to work in harmony. This leads to better balance and stability, whether on the playing field or in daily activities. In fact, most sports and other physical activities depend on stable core muscles.

Core exercises don’t require specialized equipment or a gym membership!
Source: Mayo Clinic

There’s one simple liquid that has a huge effect on how well your family feels today: water.

Yes, good old water. More than half of children and teenagers in the United States might NOT be properly hydrated, but even if they’re drinking water, they’re still not getting the good stuff. In fact, 54.5% of the students in the study had urine concentrations that qualified them as below their minimum daily water intake.

I am surprised that almost one in four kids drank no water during the course of their day according to the latest research. And get this. Not all children and adolescents were equally dehydrated, according to the study. Boys surveyed were 76% more likely to be inadequately hydrated than girls, which was a statistically significant finding.

While mild dehydration typically isn’t life threatening, not drinking enough water could result in some things you might think are wrong with your children. Things like cognitive impairment, headaches and even nausea in severe cases.

For younger children who are not hydrated, symptoms include: fussiness, infrequent urination, dry mouth and a lack of tears when the child is crying. Keeping kids hydrated can help them with learning and to perform better in school.

So how much water is enough? For kids and teenagers, daily water requirements vary quite a bit and depend on several factors, including age and activity level.

*For total water intake, experts recommend that kids get the majority from drinking water, but also a small amount from food. Kids 1 to 3 years old need roughly four cups of drinking water daily. For kids 4 to 8, five cups is recommended a day. Once kids reach 9, the requirements differ by sex. For boys 9 to 13, eight cups of water is recommended daily, while girls need about seven cups.

When you think about losing water from the body, urination typically comes to mind. But breathing, sweating and your skin are all other paths that water can take to exit the body. In fact, YOU lose nearly 4 cups of water a day through the skin and normal breathing. That’s why it’s important to regularly rehydrate your body, which are roughly 60% water by mass depending on age and body composition. The best type of water, and the cleanest is pH water. (ask me about this if you don’t drink it currently.)

Your kids should steer clear of caffeinated and sugary beverages because they contain other ingredients that don’t provide nutritional benefits. Even worse, beverages with caffeine are mildly diuretic, meaning they cause the body to produce more urine. This means that caffeine could even make dehydration worse.

Some schools built before the 1980s may have contaminated drinking water because of lead water pipes. For these communities, purified water from outside sources or bottled water are possible alternatives, but again, if you can give your children pH water, you’re way ahead of the game.

Schools need to do a better job of providing kids access to clean drinking water, and not just during lunch time and if it were up to me, they’d have a pH water system instead of what they now have. Some schools have already taken steps in the right direction by providing water in attractive pitchers, refillable water bottles and easy-to-use fill stations.

At home, parents can start by setting by a good example: drinking primarily plain pH water to create a “culture of hydration. Children shouldn’t even have to ask for water,” and younger children in child care should have pH water, or at least some clean drinking water available to them at all times.

Here are 3 healthy behaviors that can go a long way toward improving your health and lowering your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and osteoporosis. And they’re not as complicated as you might think. Choose one behavior below to start with. Once you’ve got that one down, move on to the others. I have more, but three is a good starting point.

1. Maintain a Healthy Weight

Keeping your weight in check is often easier said than done, but a few simple tips can help. First off, if you’re overweight, focus initially on not gaining any more weight. This by itself can improve your health. Then, when you’re ready, try to take off some extra pounds for an even greater health boost, call me at the office.

• Integrate physical activity and movement into your life.
• Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
• Choose smaller portions and eat more slowly.
• Limit children’s TV and computer time.
• Encourage healthy snacking on fruits and vegetables.
• Encourage activity during free time.

2. Exercise & Get Adjusted Regularly

Few things are as good for you as regular physical activity and adjustments. While it can be hard to find the time, it’s important to fit in at least 30 minutes of activity every day. More is even better, but any amount is better than none. Make sure you make your appointments here at the office as well.

• Choose activities you enjoy. Many things count as exercise, including walking, gardening and dancing.
• Make exercise a habit by setting aside the same time for it each day. Try going to the gym at lunchtime or taking a walk regularly after dinner.
• Stay motivated by exercising with someone.

3. Don’t Smoke

You’ve heard it before: If you smoke, quitting is absolutely the best thing you can do for your health. Yes, it’s hard, but it’s also far from impossible. More than 1,000 Americans stop SMOKING… for good… every day. If you smoke you can do it too.

• Keep trying! It often takes six or seven tries before you quit for good.
• Talk to a health-care provider for help. We think our services should be at the top of your list of health care providers.
• Join a quit-smoking program. Your workplace or health plan may offer one.
• Try to quit as soon as possible. If you smoke, your children will be more likely to smoke.
• Don’t smoke in the house or car. If kids breathe in your smoke, they may have a higher risk of breathing problems and lung cancer.

When appropriate, talk to your kids about the dangers of smoking and chewing tobacco. A health-care professional or school counselor can help.