Building a Swing Slide Playset

As parents we are constantly reminded that it is our responsibility to encourage our youngsters to be active, to get exercise and not to lie around eating burgers while playing computer games. Many parents will probably agree that tearing their children away from their televisions and computer games can be tougher than pulling teeth.

Last year I invested a significant amount of hard earned cash in a few pieces of outdoor play equipment, chosen by my two youngsters. They always enjoy a visit to our local park where they can race around, swing on the swings, slide on the slides, bounce on the bouncy things and climb the climbing frames. Unfortunately our nearest park is about 3 miles away so these visits are not as frequent as they or I would like. So I bit the bullet and shelled out quite a bit of money on a wooden swing slide playset and a good quality wooden climbing frame for our garden.

Now I would like to report that my generosity has paid off and my children are now fit and active and can’t get enough of their new outdoor toys. But nothing could be further from the truth. Since I installed the equipment (which presented many headaches, took a lot of hammering and quite a bit of swearing) they have probably only played on it three times. Admittedly I didn’t get the equipment until the Autumn of 2008 and since then our weather has been atrocious.

At least that is the reason they give when I try to convince them that they’d enjoy some outdoor fun. It’s too cold, they say. Or they say ‘the swings are too wet to sit on’ when it’s been raining.

I’m hoping that, as we move into spring and the weather improves, they will naturally want to get out into the garden and get some much needed exercise on their new outdoor toys. I’m dreading another miserable, wet summer as this will result in my fat children just getting fatter instead of working off those layers of blubber with a little outdoor adventure. Nobody ever said that being a parent was easy.

Tags: active, children, climbing frame, Exercise, outdoor play, play, swing slide

There are times when every overweight person feels alone. In reality they are not. There are over one billion overweight adults found throughout this world. Three hundred million are considered obese. Each day it is hard to cope with the excess weight because of the health risks involved. As an overweight person, you have to worry about things such as high blood pressure, increased depression, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. If you have tried countless diets and exercise regimes to no avail, then it may be time to consider Lap Band surgery.

The Lap Band system has a great success rate and offers fewer complications than previous weight loss surgery options. Previously, the preferred method was that of Biliopancreatic Diversion or the laparoscopic Roux en Y surgery. The Lap Band surgery is a much easier and there are generally less complications and hospitalizations than with the other two options.

If you have tried several of the traditional top 10 diets without success and you are considering the Lap Band procedure, then there are a few things you have to keep in mind. The first is that it will mean a dietary change for life. There are a number of do’s and don’ts with this type of surgery. You have to constantly be mindful of what type of food you are placing in your body. Instead of three meals a day, you will most likely be eating small, three ounce meals, ten to twelve times daily.

The second thing to consider is that there are Lap Band complications. This will most likely occur in the first few weeks as patients try to learn and adapt to their low diet. Overfilling the stomach is the number one complication for most patients. They simply do not take into account that the stomach pouch is one-third the size it used to be. So there will not be any gorging at Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.

The third thing to consider, post surgery, is that you still have to exercise. This is not some miracle cure that will happen overnight. You will still need to exercise in order to keep your heart and the rest of your bodily systems healthy. The surgery may work as a weight loss cure but you will still need to follow a diet and exercise regime.

The final factor is that you may need to have plastic surgery after weight loss. You will be losing up to fifty percent of your body fat so this will lead you to have excess skin. Exercise will help somewhat with the skin but most patients still have to turn to plastic surgery. Lap Band surgery is going to change your life. It will mean exercising more and eating the right foods in order to lose the weight and keep it off once you reach your optimal goal. But you can find the success that you so desperately want if you follow the guidelines from your physician and nutritionist.

Tags: lap band procedure, lap band success, Lap Band Surgery, lap band system, plastic surgery after weight loss, top 10 diets, weight loss