“Peace begins with a smile.” – Mother Teresa

Not only can smiling improve the lives of the people around you, it can also improve your life. Smiling is an incredibly easy way to make your life happier and healthier. At Moms Health Zone, we want you to be happy and healthy. We’ve put together this list of 5 health benefits of smiling.

1. Smiling lowers blood pressure

Take your blood pressure when you’re not smiling, then take it again with a smile on your face. The proof is in the pudding. You will notice your blood pressure is lower when you’re smiling, possibly because of the reduced stress. Read more →

A lot of moms are in desperate need of organizing tips because being a parent is a job like no other. Breaks are rare, to-do lists are lengthy and getting everything done often seems impossible. The good news is there are a lot of time saving tips that can help parents stay on top of their impossibly busy schedule.

Here are a few organizing tips to get you started:

• Keep an eye out for helpful tools, apps and resources. Whether you prefer an organizer on your phone or a hard copy you carry in your purse, keeping track of appointments and activities for the entire family is essential for moms. A planner is a must for any parent juggling a million and one things at once. Want more time saving tips? There are a lot of apps out there that can help you with meal planning, reminders throughout the day and more. One of my favorite resources for moms is The Mommy Coach. She can work in person or virtually and her tips, resources and kits are invaluable. Read more →

Have you been making time for yourself lately? Moms are busy, and as one myself I know it’s difficult to find even 5 minutes sometimes, but it’s important! You’ll be a better parent to your kids in the moment and throughout the day, in addition to becoming a powerful role model for your kids. Being a mom (or wife) doesn’t mean you’re last or not even on the list for getting taken care of… If you give time in your day to pamper yourself and let your mind relax, the payback is exponential. It will mean saying “no” more than you’re used to, but trust me – it’s worth it!

Once you’ve set aside ‘personal time,’ how do you pamper, enjoy and refresh yourself? Here are a few ideas for busy Moms to rejuvenate:

1. Make yourself a cup of tea, sit down and don’t get up until you drink the whole thing. Don’t drink it too fast, either! This is your time to savor the flavor and just breathe. Read more →

In the past 60 years, vaccinations have taken the medical community by storm. In the 1950’s, doctors only recommended five vaccinations. Since then, the number of recommended vaccines has more than doubled. Now doctors are encouraging people to get 14 vaccinations. This would not be so startling were it not for the fact that the government is starting to require that students attending any public or private school get vaccinated.

Assembly Bill 354, was signed in September 2010, and required California students entering or advancing to grades seven through twelve in the 2011–2012 school year to be immunized with a pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine booster called Tetanus Toxoid, Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid and Acellular Pertussis (Tdap). The increase in vaccinations in this decade may be making the United States as a whole less healthy as studies are beginning to suggest that excess vaccination has a possible correlation to health related issues. Read more →

As I mentioned back in May, “stress in and of itself is not bad. The right kind of stress is essential to health and growth; like exercising, and pushing for goals. It’s the unchecked, constant, anxiety-producing stress that undermines our health and needs to be reduced.”

The right types of stress can push you to do amazing things. Dr. Lynne Tan of Montefiore Medical Center in New York City explains, “stress is a burst of energy…our body telling us what we need to do.” The good kind of stress can help you be more efficient and improve memory, heart function and your immune system. Studies have even shown that the good kind of stress can help patients recover from surgery and serious diseases like cancer. Read more →

Moms, have you been stretching yourself a little too thin lately? Sometimes it’s hard to find time for yourself when you’re so busy worrying about everyone else. How do you make time for yourself as a busy mom? Moms Health Zone knows that too much stress is detrimental to the health of both mom, and the family. According to Stress Free Mama many conditions, such as “heart disease, high blood pressure strokes and other circulatory problems,” are caused by high levels of stress. One of the most important ways to stay healthy is to decrease the amount and types of stress. Stress, in and of itself, is not bad. The right kind of stress is essential to health and growth; like exercising, and pushing for goals. It’s the unchecked, constant, anxiety-producing stress that undermines our health and needs to be reduced.

Even if you are on a tight schedule, Moms Health Zone has some simple and easy ways to take a breather and reduce the stress that comes along with parenting and living a full life. Read more →

Meditation brings wisdom; lack of mediation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom. —Buddha

We all have stressful busy days. For some it’s every day, for others, it’s from time to time. Either way it takes a toll on our bodies,  minds, and spirit. There are a number of exercises and activities people do after a rough day in order to reset and wake up refreshed the next morning. Some go to the gym, go for a run, practice yoga or pilates, and others rely on meditation. Read more →

Do you have a regular sleep schedule that you try to follow each day? Not getting enough sleep can actually have a negative impact on your health, your productivity, and your energy.

Sleep deprivation induces significant reductions in performance and alertness. Reducing your nighttime sleep by as little as one and a half hours for just one night could result in a reduction of daytime alertness by as much as 32%. – WebMD.com

Here are six steps you can follow for a better sleep each night. They come from an article I found on Shape.com earlier this week. I’ve summarized them below and added my own 2 cents, in italics. The article includes six additional tips, so consider visiting the original article for a few more suggestions.  Go ahead and comment; let me know what you think of these 6, and/or the additional 6, or feel free to share your own best tips to a better night’s sleep.

1. Unplug from technology: Content from screens such as smart phones, laptops, or televisions can be very stimulating for your mind. To increase your chances of getting a good night’s rest, try turning off all electronic devices an hour or so before going to sleep. Not only will it improve your sleep but if you use your ‘reclaimed’ time off the screens to reconnect with your family and intimate relationships, you’ll find that area of your life improving as well.  Don’t let technology take over and become a wedge or divide in your home.  Read more →

Meaningful connections with our girlfriends impacts our health and well-being says the head of psychiatry at Stanford on the mind-body connection and the relationship between stress and disease. “One of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman, whereas for a woman, one of the best Read more →