Louisville doctors give tips on how to stay healthy

October is Health Literacy Month and pediatricians from Norton Children’s Group want to make sure you know how to keep yourself and your kids healthy.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — October is a Health Literacy Month, a month dedicated to making sure you know everyday ways to stay healthy. Doctors at Norton Children’s Medical Group say that no matter what your age there are things you can do to ensure you’re living a healthy lifestyle. 

Dr. Beck Carothers, a Norton Children’s Pediatrician broke them down like this:

• Sleep
• Activity
• Diet
• Vaccinations
• Regular Checkups

Dr. Carothers says if you can adhere to those five guidelines, you’ll typically lead a healthier lifestyle. She says living that lifestyle all starts with making sure you have the energy to get through the day, and that comes down to sleeping well.

Sleep

“When we don’t sleep, we don’t feel good and that affects our decision making and our happiness and our body can’t fight infections if we’re not well rested,” said Dr. Carothers.

“3-5 years of age they may need 10-12 hours of sleep. School age children more about 8-10. And then teenagers may need 8, maybe sometimes 10 is what they need to feel good about how they go through the day,” she continued.

According to the National Institutes of Health, an adult should get seven or more hours of sleep a night to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Dr. Carothers says turning off screens an hour before bedtime will help promote quality sleep, and limiting screen time in general (especially for children) can be really beneficial.

“For children 2 and up, 2-5 maybe an hours of screen time is recommended. Now obviously, what you’re doing with that screen is different. For older age kids there’s not a specific number because they’re using those screens for school or maybe social for face time. But for just scrolling, the less is better. You know you used to say two hours, but that’s two hours of I think social screen time, you know playing a video game or scrolling. You know for teens on social media the less time scrolling the better. It helps with decreasing depression and anxiety to get off the screen, put the phone down and get out and get active so you’re getting your exercise in,” said Dr. Carothers.

Exercise & Activity

That exercise is also crucial for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Dr. Carothers says typically school-aged children should be spending at least an hour a day playing and doing some good aerobic activity in at least three times a week. That can look like a lot of things.

“Sometimes you know just walking or playing outside or just moving your body is a way that feels good can be enough activity. It doesn’t mean you have to run for an hour, but just having that body movement and not sitting and just watching TV or looking at your phone helps move muscles and move your body and increase endorphins and help you feel better,” said Carothers.

“It uses our muscles and helps us get stronger. It burns calories and then even after we’re resting, we’re continuing to burn more calories at our metabolic rate than had we not exercised at all. So that helps offset, maybe how much we ate and keeping our weight at a good amount, and then as I said it increases your endorphins, so you do feel better and you’re able to sleep better,” she continued.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that adults should get about “150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week,” which comes out to a 30-minute session, five days a week.

Diet

Going right along with exercise, a healthy diet is also a top priority for doctors. Dr. Carothers says when it comes to kids, you may have to get creative to make sure they’re getting their fruits and veggies each day, but decreasing the number of processed foods and added sugar they eat can be just as important.

She says even if your kids are picky eaters, continue to offer them a variety of foods.

“It may change what they do and so the more you offer it the more likely they’re going to eat it. So, getting a variety helps with our nutrition and vitamins and so even though it may feel like a losing battle, continuing to offer it is beneficial,” said Carothers.

Vaccinations

The last two tips go hand in hand. Getting regular checkups and making sure you’re up to date on vaccinations are extremely important when it comes to making sure viruses and disease don’t keep you down.

“The schedule that’s put out there through the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics, we know that that’s been studied through thousands and thousands of children and if you follow the schedule, we know the combination of vaccines work. We know that it’s in your immune system and it helps prevent the disease before you’re exposed,” said Carothers.

The CDC’s vaccine schedule is something that most parents should be familiar with, but there’s also a vaccine schedule for adults. That includes a yearly flu shot and COVID 19 vaccine.

The best way to get those shots is going into your doctor’s office. Dr. Carothers says finding a physician or pediatrician that you trust can make all the difference.

“I think a lot of it goes back to trust. And so if you have a good relationship with your provider and you trust them and they themselves get their children vaccinated -I would never offer anything to my patient that I wouldn’t do to my children, so I think it goes back to trust and your relationship with your medical home,” said Carothers.

So shut those eyes, get up and get active, eat healthy, keep up with your shots, and make sure you’re seeing your doctor regularly. Do that and you’ll be well on your way to living a healthy lifestyle.

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