Doctors’ Notes

Staying Active & Healthy in Autumn

The leaves are turning, days are growing shorter, and there’s a cool, crisp breeze in the air… FALL IS HERE!

As we say goodbye to summer and prepare for winter, it’s important to stay active and healthy. Here are some tips on how to do just that…

Apple Picking

Fall is apple season. A great way to have some fun, and get some exercise, is to go to a local farm or orchard and pick your own apples. This will get you outside, walking around, and stretching for the perfect find. Picking a bushel of apples also leaves you with a great, healthy snack! Local farms like Simmons and Triple B have great orchards where you can pick your own apples!

Pumpkin Finding

Halloween is coming quickly, and one of the best things about fall is finding and carving a pumpkin. Going to a local farm and walking around the pumpkin patch for the day is a great source of exercise. You can also save those pumpkin seeds for a healthy snack. Sprinkled with a small amount of seasoned salt and baked in the oven, they taste great! They also give you a great source of fiber and Vitamin E.

Corn Mazes

Another great outdoor fall activity is a corn maze. What could be more fun than getting lost in the middle of a cornfield and working together, as a family, to find your way out? Corn mazes keep everyone in the family active and interacting as a team. Simmons farm has a couple of great corn mazes. If you’re feeling really brave, Trax Farms has a 4-acre corn maze!

Nature Walks

This is the perfect time of year to go outside and enjoy nature. Go for a walk in one of Pittsburgh’s many GREAT parks. Make a game out of collecting all the different colored leaves. You can also stop at the library and pick up a book about trees and birds and learn about them along your stroll. After a great day through the park, enjoying the sights and sounds of fall, go home and make a collage with all those beautiful leaves!

Backyard Football

Instead of sitting home all day Sunday and watching the football games, go outside and play your own! Get all the friends and family together and organize a touch football game. This is a really fun way to fight the lazy Sunday afternoon slump!

Raking Leaves

If you have a yard where a lot of leaves fall, a great form of exercise is to rake leaves. You can turn this activity into a game so everyone is having fun while doing it. Give the kids an appropriate sized rake and have them do fun things like clear out a path that spells their name, or tell them to rake leaves of a certain color, or you can get those fun leaf bags to fill up and decorate for Halloween. This one helps clear the yard, gets everyone active, and lets everyone have fun all at the same time!

Other Tips to Stay Healthy This Fall

Remember to get your Flu Vaccine! Now is the perfect time to get one to help protect yourself, from the dreaded flu this winter. Our office has both the injection and mist. If you don’t have an upcoming visit scheduled, make sure you make a nurse’s visit to get protected!

Remember to wash your hands. One of the best ways to stay healthy and prevent the spread of germs is to wash your hands. Wet your hands with water and lather soap on. Rub your hands together for 20 seconds (which can be measured out by singing the “ABCs”). Rinse and dry on a clean towel.

Teach your kids to cough and sneeze into sleeves or a tissue. A lot of viruses spread through respiratory droplets. By sneezing or coughing into your sleeve, you help decrease the amount of germs being spread. Remember to still wash your hands frequently!

Schedule your yearly Well-Child Visit. Everyone should have a yearly physical to make sure they’re staying as healthy as possible. If your child is due for a yearly check-up, make sure you give us a call!

Brianna Rothbauer is a former Kids Plus Provider.