january 2016
Wichita Family • January 2016 - 1
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Wichita Family Magazine is published 12 times a year by Lucky 7 Publishing LLC. Wichita Family Magazine is available free, at schools, stores, restaurants, libraries, retailers and local attractions, as well as other places families frequent. For a complete list of where to find Wichita Family, or for subscription rates, email us at publisher@wichitafamily.com or visit our website at www.wichitafamily.com. Copyright 2016 by Lucky 7 Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. Wichita Family Magazine is not responsible for errors, omissions or contest fulfillment from third parties. Reproduction in part or in whole without written permission is strictly prohibited. Wichita Family is distributed free of charge. The magazine’s advertisers make this possible, so support them! We reserve the right to edit submitted material. All submissions will be considered for publication, but we reserve the right to refuse material. Materials will not be returned. Any editorial content or advertising published is the property of Lucky 7 Publishing LLC. 2 - www.wichitafamily.com
Message from the Publisher With the arrival of a new year comes the obligatory New Year’s Resolutions. Every year I chart out my course for the year in hopes of bettering myself and improving my situation. Usually this involves 10 or more goals. Some years I have vowed to read at least two books each month. Other years, my goals focused on items such as obtaining my master’s degree, blogging more often, being physically active or becoming more organized. Looking back over my resolutions of New Years past, I have accomplished a lot of what I set out to do. I did earn my master’s degree, and I have become organized to a point where I feel truly lost without my calendar and Wunderlist, which is a great little to-do list app on my iPhone. Of course, I haven’t really become more physically active, and my blogging ebbs and flows. I have increased my reading, which is something I resolved to do every year as far back as I have keep some record of my resolutions, but even that hasn’t been consistent. Some months I might tear through three books, but then I will hit a stretch of a month or two where I don’t Todd Vogts even pick up a publisher@wichitafamily.com
book for the simple pleasure of reading. And herein lies my problem with New Year’s Resolutions — those items left undone. Even though I reached several goals over the years, some of them larger than others, the ones I’ve come up short on haunt me. They make me feel as though I haven’t accomplished anything. Going from year to year feeling like a failure is no way to enact positive change in one’s life, so I’m done making long lists of resolutions I will undoubtedly struggle to accomplish. Instead, I am going to focus all my attention on one resolution. I am going to write more. Sure, I still plan to do a few other things, but those are things I am already working at making a part of my everyday life. Resolving to do them more would feel like cheating. It equates to setting the bar too low. Instead, I am simply going to resolve to write more. Writing is a passion of mine. I’ve self-published one novel, and I have written two more, which I aspire to get published as well, if I can only find an agent. Since writing is a passion of mine, you might think that is already a part of my everyday life, but you would be wrong. It should be a part of my everyday life, but I have been extremely lax in my writing. It’s been nearly a year since I seriously wrote, and that kills me inside. When I write, I am a happier person. Even if every word I put down
on the page is absolutely garbage, I feel better. My soul screams for me to sit down and do my work of writing. So why haven’t I been doing this if it is such an important activity to me? Well, it comes down to time. I have been putting other tasks ahead of my writing, and with the dawning of 2016, that ends. I resolve to carve out time, which I will hold onto dearly, and write. This time will be sacred. I’m not going to go as far as saying, “I will write 2,000 words every day.” No, that would just be setting myself up for failure because life does tend to happen despite best-laid plans. However, that will be my goal, and it is attainable. In the past, I have taken part in National Novel Writing Month, during which I wrote more than 50,000 words in 30 days, so I can do it if I just do it. For this resolution, though, I will simply plan to write more days than not. I am going to enter a few short story contests, which will give me deadlines, and I will start a new novel. Hopefully, along the way, I get my other two novels published by finding an interested agent, but even if I don’t, I will continue to write. The goal is to craft stories. Having others read them and maybe make a little income is purely icing on the cake. So wish me luck, and I wish you all the best as you tackle your resolutions for 2016. Hopefully by this time next year, we will both be looking back on a very successful year. Wichita Family • January 2016 - 3
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f getting a fresh start on a new year seems daunting, try tackling your get-healthy goals one step at a time. There is no easy path to transforming your lifestyle, but this is one time you should be able to see the results of your hard work. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, tackle your new lifestyle a little at a time. Gradually incorporate smarter eating habits, such as switching out highcalorie beverages with lower-calorie, nutrient-rich replacements. Then, as you ease into a new exercise regimen, look for ways to get an extra boost with workout equipment that isn’t overly taxing on your joints and muscles, and get a leg up on the competition with proper footwear and workout supplements. Slow and steady wins this race, so set yourself up for success in the new year with these ideas to put you one step closer to the healthy lifestyle you envision. All You Have to Do Is Walk Step into a healthy New Year with the Bowflex TreadClimber TC200. Combining the motions of a treadmill, stepper and elliptical, this premier walking machine is easy on the joints and burns up to 2.5 times the calories of a treadmill. Ideal for home use, the TC200 features an interactive LCD display that animates your progress. Bluetooth connectivity allows users to share data with the free TreadClimber app, which automatically syncs with many health apps. 4 - www.wichitafamily.com
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A Delicious, Convenient Non-Dairy Alternative Leading a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean sacrificing taste for convenience. Shelf-Stable Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze Almondmilk is smooth, creamy and made with California Blue Diamond almonds. It’s ideal for smaller households because it’s easily stored in your pantry until you’re ready to use it. Available in a 4-cup container, it’s also perfect for cooking. You can pour it over cereal, create refreshing smoothies or drink it as a standalone beverage. Learn more at almondbreeze.com. Supplement Your Goals When diet and exercise alone aren’t enough, supplements such as protein and fish oil, can be effective in helping you achieve your New Year’s resolution. Whether you want to lose weight or gain muscle mass, there is a supplement out there to aid you in your pursuit of a toned body. These supplements, which should be approved by your health care provider before use, are available at local retailers such as grocery stores, pharmacies and specialty health and wellness stores. The Right Shoes Can Make All the Difference If your workout routine involves running, walking, sports or other gym equipment, the right footwear is a must. Injury caused by wearing inappropriate shoes can derail your fitness or weight loss goals, but investing in a proper shoe can help prevent foot and ankle damage while also allowing for a more comfortable workout. No matter
your pursuit, there is a shoe that fits the need, including running shoes with built-in shock absorbers, lightweight walking shoes, thick-soled high top basketball shoes or cross-training shoes, which can be utilized during a variety of workouts. Tips for a Healthier Lifestyle Getting in shape and leading a healthy lifestyle doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time, but these simple tips can help put you on the right path: • Be patient. Starting a new fitness regime can be a challenge. There will be ups and downs, but remaining committed is key. • Exercise on a regular basis. Regular physical activity not only helps you look and feel better, it can improve mood, increase quality of sleep and help you manage weight. • Undergo an annual physical. To be sure your body is running smoothly, have your numbers, including blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and weight, checked regularly. • Drink lots of water. Experts recommend 64 ounces of water a day to help replenish what you’ve lost throughout the day. • Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Both fruits and veggies are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which help protect against chronic diseases. • Go through your cabinets. Get rid of foods that are high in sodium, fat or sugar and look for low sodium, fat or sugar items instead. — Family Features
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3 Steps to Kick Off a Year of Good Health
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fresh beginning with a new year is the perfect time for a health assessment to ensure you are ready to take on a full and active year ahead. Even if you’re feeling great, it’s a smart practice to take time to identify potential problems before they become more serious health concerns. Early detection of ailments, such as cardiovascular disease, can significantly impact an individual’s ability to cope with the disease, allowing you to make adjustments such as changes in diet and lifestyle, or when necessary, drug therapies and other medical treatments. With these three steps, you can get a better picture of your cardiovascular health and identify silent, hidden risk factors (like plaque in your arteries) that you may not even know are there. 1. Get your blood pressure checked. Blood pressure measures how much force a person’s blood is putting on the artery walls as the heart pumps. High blood pressure, or hypertension,
occurs when your heart has to work extra hard to pump blood throughout the body. High blood pressure often happens when arteries lose their elasticity through hardening caused by cholesterol, plaque or scarring. Many people do not experience symptoms of high blood pressure, so it’s important to have your blood pressure checked periodically. A normal systolic reading is between 90 and 119, and a normal diastolic reading is 60-79. 2. Get your cholesterol checked. A simple finger-stick screening measures total cholesterol as well as three different kinds of lipids in your blood (HDL, LDL and triglycerides), which are important in determining your heart health. Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, is known as the “bad” cholesterol and can build up in the walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. Along with other substances, it can form plaque - a thick, hard deposit that can clog those arteries. Highdensity lipoprotein, or HDL, is known as “good” cholesterol because it carries
LDL away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it’s passed from the body. A high HDL level helps prevent heart disease, while a low HDL level increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Triglycerides are the most common type of fat. Like cholesterol, they circulate in blood but are stored in the body for extra energy. A high triglyceride level combined with a low HDL or high LDL can speed up the process of plaque formation in the arteries. 3. Learn about other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Many people in the early stages of cardiovascular disease are asymptomatic, meaning they have no symptoms to indicate their health is at risk. Some common risk factors include age (55 and older), family history, tobacco use and high blood-pressure, other factors, such as high cholesterol, aren’t as easily observed. Preventive health screenings can give you a fuller picture of how risk factors may be stacking up. — Family Features
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Wichita Family • January 2016 - 5
~ An Icy Essay ~
The Slow-Down I
By Ian Anderson
read somewhere that only children and the insane like every variety of weather; it may be more natural to long for sunshine and complain about rain rather than like both, but then again, maybe there’s more to it.
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Last month dark clouds covered our town in ice. Most of the leaves had already dropped from our trees, but a few remained and the ice encased them, preserving fall colors that reflected softly in the dull light; bare branches, coated and slick, seemed to grow to twice their size, their shapes enhanced and twisted like forms in a warped mirror. Roads closed. Schools canceled classes. We stayed inside and the world paused itself. We read books and watched movies. At one point I opened our front door and I felt as though I might be able to reach out and touch the stillness; I thought I might be able to run my fingers through it as it passed, just like stooping to let a stream dance over my hand. Of course, the stillness did pass. The ice melted, fell, and shattered onto wet lawns and thawing streets, and things accelerated to normal. In fact, the temperate air of the days that followed felt more like spring than December, and a twinge of hope for March flipped my stomach. And yes, most winter days get me to thinking ahead to shoots of green, flowers, and nesting birds. However, there are also times when I appreciate the ice. I appreciate the slow-down, the forced slow-down, that winter storms produce. I’ve even come to think that’s one reason for winter — we have to be slowed or our bodies and minds won’t stop. And don’t get me wrong, there’s danger in it, too. A fear of power outages looms with each snow or ice-storm. But perhaps that’s what it takes to get us to slow down, to pause in our pursuit of the wind, to refocus and relearn what it means to work and play. Perhaps we have to fear the cold in order to let it still us. There is another side, too. While the ice teaches slowness, my children teach joy. Though my first reaction to the cold is to seek out a hot drink and a deep chair, my boys beg to be outside. Last month’s icing was no different; after more than a day of holding them off, we bundled up and headed out. The hardpacked snow and ice fell under our weight, and all of them cheered with every footstep — no, really, every footstep. The evergreen bushes were the last to lose their loads, and we knocked off shells of leaf-shaped ice that had a sort of fingerprint on the inside. But the greatest fun was throwing large, flat chunks as high as we could to watch them explode on the ground. We came inside too soon for the boys, but it was long enough to remind me that even a winter’s icing is a reason to be grateful — grateful for a pause to the rush and for joy, even in icy slowness. Some might call that insanity; I’ll stick with childlike. Ian Anderson is a teacher, a husband, and a dad. He lives with his family in Central Kansas. Occasionally, he tweets here: @ian_writes.
~ A Promblem-Solving Essay ~
New Year, New Resolution E
By Kendall Vogts
very New Year’s Eve, I start the evening with the plan of making and carrying out a resolution for the new year. My resolutions have been things such as: losing weight and getting more active, reading my Bible more and getting closer to The Lord, and being a better friend by making a conscious effort to be more communicative. Now, we all know that when making a resolution, we are committing to do or not do something for an entire year. However, when looking at the definitions of the word resolution (as an English teacher, I do that sort of thing, often), I found another definition: “The action of solving a problem.” For me, resolving to do or stop doing something for a year has never worked out. I either forget or become noncommittal. However, this year, I think that working to solve a problem is very realistic for me, as everyday, I see problems walk in and out of my classroom. No, I am not referring to my students as problems, but the slumps of their shoulders, their down faces, their curse words, and rude gestures are the results of the problems they face. I know what you’re thinking, “There is no way this lady can solve every problem for each of her, 125 students.” And I agree. You are right. But I can work to change how I act toward them to bring peace and hope to situations that, for them, might seem like or actually be problems. This morning, as I was driving to work, I knew there were going to be tough events that would and had to take place. I had to respond to emails where people were not necessarily in agreeance with me. I had to explain a recent decision I made. I had to talk to a young lady about the consequences of her actions. And all of this because two of my students had not made good decisions while at school. As I was playing out the scenarios in my head, before I even arrived at school, I knew I had to stop right in my tracks. The nerves had woken me up, kept me awake, and were giving me anxiety during my drive. I knew this was a far bigger ordeal than I could handle on my own. I prayed for the right words, that my actions would not be my own, that I would speak (and email) words of grace to the people that I had contact with throughout the day. I have been shown so much grace before, during, and after the things in my life that have seemed like and have actually been problems. And I have felt a peace and hope be restored. So, that is my resolution, or my vow to work towards ending problems; to stop, take a moment before I speak, respond, or act, and attempt to see their troubles the way that they do and try to show as much grace as possible to the people and the problem at hand. In this season of joy, family, togetherness, and the hope of positive, future change, I hope that you can come up with a resolution that you can commit to for the year of 2016.
Maybe you will vow to help end some problem that you see in your life, or the lives of those close to you. If resolutions aren’t for you, I hope that 2016 treats you well and that you experience so much peace and happiness. Kendall Vogts lives and teaches in Central Kansas. She is married to WFM publisher Todd Vogts.
Wichita Family • January 2016 - 7
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