3 Tips for Dealing with a Fever During the Holidays

Cooler weather around the holidays means that your house is probably closed up for the winter. Every door and window is shut. Heaters are working their magic on your household, but this cozy scenario can lead to illness. Germs brought in from the outside have nowhere to go but into your body. If you develop a fever during the holidays, consider these tips to move past it.

Take Advantage of Restful Periods

Around the holidays, you probably have a lot of time off. Your entire family may be on vacation. Take advantage of any restful periods during this time. The nights are long so sleep for as much as possible. Fevers can be fought off when your body heals during rest. Heading out to shop or cooking in the kitchen creates too much stress on the body. Sleep and relaxation are the best weapons against high temperatures so that germs don't overwhelm you.

Pull Out Mom's Old Recipes

It's been proven among scientific circles that chicken soup is a useful tool against rising temperatures. Slow boil some chicken with onion, garlic and spices. The cooked meat and broth create a soothing meal for your body. Scientists believe that the nutrients founds in chicken broth can boost your immune system while calming the body with a warm meal. Sip on the broth when you aren't necessarily hungry to continually benefit from the nutrients.

Let It Run Its Course

Your high temperature is a tool used by the human body in order to fight off a germ or infection. Taking heavy doses of painkillers will only prolong your ailment. If the temperature is below 100 or 101 degrees Fahrenheit, allow it to run its course. Keep track of the temperature until it breaks. A temperature running higher than 101 degrees F. is cause for concern, however. An infection may be complicating the situation. This temperature must be dealt with by a professional. It can actually be hazardous if a temperature rises too high.

Dealing with a fever in children is slightly different than when you treat yourself. If you're taking care of the grandchildren, keep their doctor's number handy. Fevers in young children should be checked by a professional to ensure that their health isn't severely compromised. Fevers are useful when they're carefully monitored and controlled.

3 Delicious Salad Recipes That Are Anything But Traditional

Lettuce, croutons and a bit of vinaigrette are the components of a standard salad. Although they're certainly attractive ingredients, the combination can get boring at times. You still want a healthy salad at dinnertime so think outside of the box. There are some delicious salad recipes that aren't full of the standard items. Get excited about your next meal by trying these top three recipes that sparkle with flavor. 

1. A Cool Trio

Forgo the lettuce by sticking to the cooler vegetables in the produce aisle. Collect ripe tomatoes, avocados and cucumbers. Chop these items into uniform chunks. Ideally, make them small enough for easy chewing during your meal. Toss the ingredients together until there's a little bit of each item in every bite.

Your choice of salad dressing is up to you at this point. Some people like to drizzle a chipotle ranch onto the salad for a Hispanic twist on the ingredients. You're welcome to maintain the ingredients' integrity by using only oil and vinegar across them as well.

A simpler choice of dressing is a squirt of lime and salt. The lime's acidity brings out a liveliness in the vegetables and fruits. It also reduces the chances of the avocado turning brown between your meal preparation and enjoying the dish. Don't salt the ingredients too heavily either. You still want to taste the subtle flavors found only in nature. 

2. Make it a Sandwich

If you're a fan of the BLT or bacon-lettuce-tomato sandwich, you're in for a thrilling meal when you turn it into a salad. Chop up romaine lettuce into bite-size chunks. Pull out some canned corn. Drain it, and sprinkle the kernels onto the lettuce. Add chopped tomatoes and avocados to the mix as well. In essence, picture the ingredients on your sandwich but just in chopped form.

Instead of bread holding your sandwich together, toss a few croutons onto that salad. The best part is adding the bacon to the mixture. Cook your bacon until it's thoroughly warmed and browned. Break apart the pieces, and add them to your salad.

Mustard and mayonnaise are normal accompaniments to a BLT sandwich, but not for these salad recipes. Consider a lime vinaigrette or ranch sauce. You might choose a honey Dijon as a unique alternative. Experiment with the dressings so that you're always thrilled with a BLT salad whenever you're in the mood. 

3. Berries to the Rescue

Salads don't have to be savory by nature. Think of the sweet side of life. Berries come in many shapes and sizes. Try a mixture of three or more types. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are interesting choices for a salad. Chop up any large berries so that they match the size of your smallest ingredient, such as the blueberries. 

Chop up some mint, and mix it into the berries. Drizzle lemon juice and honey onto the berries. Serve this dish immediately for the best flavor. The antioxidants and vitamins within the berries are perfect accompaniments to a healthy lifestyle. Eat this salad at any meal, including breakfast. The natural sugars give you some energy for the day ahead.

As you grow into retirement, you have more time than ever to devote to healthy living. Experiment with your own salad recipes because an imaginative mind can create a superb meal. Enjoy your salad on the side or as an entree. Regardless of your arrangement, healthy eating only supports a long retirement for you and the entire family.

3 Unconventional Therapies for Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety and depression are serious mental health issues that should be addressed with a health care professional as early as possible. Educating yourself about treatment options can lead to a more productive conversation with your doctor about ways to deal with anxiety and depression so that you can lead a full and productive life. These therapies are on the more innovative side of treating mental health issues and may surprise you with their effectiveness and ease of implementation. 

1. Walking and talking therapy



Time outdoors can do wonders for your overall mental state and relaxation. You may be able to find a therapist who holds therapy sessions outdoors while walking. This relaxed environment can help to clear your mind and talk more freely about the issues that you are facing. Sitting in a sterile therapist's office can seem daunting and unappealing to many people. Embracing Mother Nature is a great way to avoid that stigma and allow yourself to open up in new and engaging ways. 

Finding a therapist who employs this method could be as easy as asking for a recommendation from your doctor. It may involve trying out different therapists until you find the right fit for you to feel the most comfortable. 


2. Hypnotherapy


This therapy often gets confused with hypnosis, which involves someone else controlling your thoughts and actions. On the other hand, hypnotherapy is about reorienting your focus and channeling your energy toward a positive outcome. This is typically used along side other therapies for anxiety and depression to increase their effectiveness. The best thing about this therapy is that it allows you to take control of your own healing process and harness your own focus.


3. Laughing



Laughter has been shown to reduce your blood pressure and help you to process stressful situations. While mediation is often praised as one of the most effective therapies for relaxation, laughing has been shown to have many of the same benefits. It also does not require the same level of focus and concentration as meditation does. 

One of the great things about laughter therapy is that it does not necessarily have to be done in a formal setting. While many hospitals and exercise studies may attempt to incorporate laughter and humor into their regular sessions, laughter therapy is different for everyone. Spending time watching a funny movie or television show can be just the remedy you need to get that laughter going. 

3 Best Vegetarian Lasagna Recipes

Most of us know that receiving the proper nutrients on a daily basis will ensure overall great health. However, consuming the right foods isn't always easy. These three simple vegetarian lasagna recipes feature creative ways to incorporate key nutrients into your diet. 

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe #1

Ingredients 

1 diced onion 
About 9 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 cups cottage cheese
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 red or green bell pepper 
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 1/2 cups marinara pasta sauce
1 egg
1 sliced zucchini or squash
2 tablespoon parsley 
2 tablespoon basil
1/2 Parmesan cheese 
2 sliced mushrooms 

Instructions 

After preheating your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, completely cover a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. 

Use the oil to sauté the mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and zucchini in a large skillet over medium heat. Gradually stir in the marinara sauce when the veggies are finished cooking. This process should take about five minutes. 

Combine the egg, cottage cheese, parsley, basil, 1/4 cup of Parmesan, and 1 1/4 cup mozzarella in a medium bowl. 

Grab the prepared baking dish and spread about a quarter of the veggie-marinara sauce at the bottom. The next layer should be 3 no-boil lasagna noodles followed by a third of the cottage cheese mixture. Lastly, add another layer of veggie-marinara sauce. Repeat these four layers about three more times. 

Top the lasagna off with the remaining Parmesan cheese and mozzarella and then cover the baking dish with foil that is coated with cooking spray. 

The veggie lasagna should be baked for 40 minutes with the foil. After 40 minutes, remove the foil and then bake for another 10 minutes. 

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe #2 


Ingredients 

2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese 

1 pound mashed tofu

3 cups steamed vegetables 

1 jar pasta sauce 

8 ounces no-boil lasagna noodles 


Instructions 

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

The layers of this vegetarian lasagna dish are as follows: 

1. A thin layer pasta sauce
2. no-boil noodles
3. A third of soft tofu
4. A third of pasta sauce
5. A third of steamed vegetables 
6. A third of mozzarella 

Repeat these layers twice starting with the no-boil noodles and ending with the mozzarella. Place for over the baking dish and bake for 40 minutes. This delicious entree serves six to eight people. 

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe #3


Ingredients 
Two minced garlic cloves 
1 chopped yellow onion
1 egg
5 cups marinara sauce
1 package no-boil lasagna noodles 
1/2 teaspoon salt
Vegetable cooking spray 
1 chopped yellow bell pepper 
1 1/2 cup Riscotta cheese 
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 
1 red bell pepper chopped 
4 sliced zucchini 
5 sliced mushrooms 

Instructions 

First, preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the zucchini, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and garlic in a pan coated with cooking spray for about 14 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit after the vegetables have browned.

Combine the egg, ricotta, 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. 

Begin the layering process by spreading 1 cup of marinara sauce in the pan. Next, add the no-boil noodles, marinara sauce, 1/3 ricotta mixture, and 1/3 of the vegetables mixture. Repeat this layering process twice. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella cheese on top. 

These three vegetable lasagna recipes are great for people who may have trouble receiving the proper intake of veggies on a daily basis. The benefit of these recipes is that you can customize the ingredients to your liking.

3 Tricks to Get Yourself Exercising

At any age, you might find it difficult to exercise on a regular basis. Work, family and other responsibilities simply take priority in life. During the retirement years, you have more time on your hands that can be dedicated to exercising. Ideally, working out for about 150 minutes a week is optimal. Get this time in by using these basic tricks and get yourself exercising. Feeling and looking younger than ever is a reward for every 50-something.

1. Do it First Thing

One of the most common reasons why workouts don't happen is the time factor. You promise yourself to exercise in the afternoon, and shopping or babysitting gets in the way. For most of the week, you hope to exercise but nothing occurs. Trick yourself into exercising most days of the week by simply doing it first.

Get up in the morning, brush your teeth and head to the gym. When you make exercise a priority with breakfast and dressing yourself, there are no other excuses to create and miss that workout. You'll feel energized afterward, which helps with every other task during the day. It might be necessary to wake up a little bit earlier than normal, but the effort is worth the rewards. As you grow into the senior years, exercise becomes a critical activity for your overall health. Add in aerobic and resistance training to round out your morning regimen.

2. Make it Social

By nature, humans are social animals. Every task in life can be social, from cooking dinner to solving a problem. Exercising is another activity that definitely benefits you from a social perspective. Find a friend that encourages and inspires you. Commit to a weekly workout goal together. It's much harder to skip a workout when your friend is urging you to join him or her. 

During the buddy workout, each person offers their own challenges to the other participant. The faster person inspires the other one to pedal harder on the bike or to run faster on the treadmill. These small challenges make each workout more fun than the next one. Because you'll notice a more toned body as a result of the challenges, you'll want to exercise even more with the friend. This scenario continues on its cyclical pattern as you get healthier each day.

3. Create a Reward System

You may have heard of reward systems before and wondered about their value. Many people perceive a reward as a fatty snack or food, which negates the health benefits of the workout in the first place. Think of a reward that's not food based, such as watching a favorite movie or buying art supplies for a project. These rewards cannot be achieved in any other way besides working out on a regular basis. 

As soon as you complete the workout, reward yourself. The brain responds to this situation by associating exercise with a positive outcome. Although a healthier body should be the reward, it helps to have a more tangible prize to focus on. Continue to reward yourself so that a pattern emerges in your mind. The workout habit will be ingrained in the mind after only a few sessions.

Don't forget that household chores can count toward your exercise goals. Vacuuming the entire house is essentially an aerobic routine. Consider all of the activities that you perform in a given day so that you can add up the exercise time. You may be more active than you first thought.