Are you looking for gift ideas for the health conscious friend or athletic family member on your list? We put together a list of some of our favorite healthy gift ideas.

 
Gifts for Healthy Teeth
Obviously, as a dentist, the first couple items I am recommending help maintain healthy teeth.

Philips Sonicare Toothbrush

Waterpik Ultra Water Flosser

 

Cyclist Gift Ideas
As an avid cyclist, I also want to include a couple gift ideas for the cyclist on your list.

Bar Mitts – These help break the wind and chill when riding outdoors in the winter.

Bicycle Computer – Measures speed, distance and other variables.

Bicycle Light – Keep the cyclist in your life safer when riding at night.

 

Gift Ideas for Runners/Walkers

Garmin GPS Sports Watch – Keeps track of distance, calories burned, heart rate and pace.

Apple iPod Shuffle or Nano

My wife discovered the Justin Bieber singing toothbrush last week. The toothbrush plays a Justin Bieber song for two minutes which is the amount of time that is typically recommended for brushing your teeth. Each brush has two buttons, one for the morning brushing and one for a bedtime brushing. The Justin Beiber toothbrush can be purchased at Walgreens or online.

I like the idea of having a two minute timer to remind children to keep brushing their teeth. Often, children will brush for just a few seconds which isn’t enough to hit every surface of every tooth. If your child is not a fan of the Biebs, or if you don’t want to buy a singing toothbrush, a simple watch or oven timer set to two minutes could help remind your child to keep brushing long enough.

photo credit: mukais

According to Arm & Hammer, today is “Brush Your Teeth at Work Day.”  Admittedly, as the producers of toothpaste, Arm & Hammer has a vested interest in promoting this day, but it does bring up a good reminder of the importance of dental care throughout your day.  Keeping a toothbrush and toothpaste handy at work allows you to brush away the smell of onions from your lunchtime sandwich or the spinach stuck between your teeth.

However, a more important need is to remove food particles, particularly from sticky carbohydrates like bread, which can sit on your teeth for hours creating cavity-causing bacteria.  If you don’t have a toothbrush handy, try to swish water around in your mouth to loosen up these food particles after lunch.  Chewing sugarless gum may help to remove these particles as well.

Do you have a toothbrush at work?  Do you wish your coworkers did?

We had a great time at our first annual Halloween Candy Buy Back Event on November 2nd.  Several area news stations had highlighted the efforts of the national organization and where to find information about local participating dentists. This allowed us to see many new people who came to donate candy, along with many of our current patients. Children brought in big bags full of candy and decorated cards to be sent along with the candy to United States’ military personnel serving overseas.

Not surprisingly, many of the participants had family members who were currently serving in the United States’ military.  We heard stories of a brother returning from active duty this week and an uncle who is leaving later this month to begin serving in another country.  Everyone recounted that letters from home and care packages really serve as great encouragement to those members of the military who are serving overseas.  A couple of the children demonstrated an extra dose of care by deciding to donate their candy instead of take the monetary reward.

If you would like more information about the wonderful organization who will be receiving all of the candy we purchased, you can visit Operation Gratitude’s website.

Oral, head and neck cancer awareness week is from April 12 – April 18th.  The Head and Neck Cancer Alliance has coordinated with hospitals and cancer centers throughout the United States to provide free screenings.  Their website provides a map of participating centers and educational information on symptoms and causes of oral cancer.  Oral, head and neck cancer is the 6th most common type of cancer in the United States.

WebMD outlines the following signs and symptoms of oral cancer which should be investigated further by your dentist or doctor: 

Unexplained bleeding in the mouth,

Persistent sores in the mouth that bleed easily and do not heal within two weeks,

Velvety white, red or speckled patches in the mouth,

Swelling, bumps and rough spots in the mouth or on the lips,

Unexplained numbness or discomfort in any part of the mouth,

Difficulty chewing, swallowing, talking or moving the jaw or tongue,

Soreness or feeling like something is caught in the back of your throat,

Dramatic weight loss,

Change in the way your teeth or dentures fit together.

Some of these symptoms have other more common causes like decay and gum disease.  Regular checkups with a dentist can help recognize unusual symptoms which may indicate oral cancer.  As with any cancer, early diagnosis and treatment is best.

The following sources contain more information on common signs and symptoms of oral cancer.

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/oral-cancer

http://www.ohancaw.com/hanca-education/

http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/facts/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/10332-spot-signs-oral-cancer/

December can be the hardest month of the year to maintain healthy habits. Holiday parties, the change in temperature, the constant presence of goodies, the busyness of holiday preparations and gift buying can all make it difficult to stick to healthy routines. Below I have listed a number of healthy habits. I encourage you to pick three of these habits or make up your own healthy habits to focus on in the month of December. You can share your three picks in the comment section here or on my Facebook page wall. Research has demonstrated that sharing your health goals can help to keep you accountable and focusing on small changes in health habits can make a great difference.

Healthy Habits
Floss once a day
Brush 2 -3 times a day
Get 7 – 8 hours of rest each night
Stay hydrated throughout your day
Drink green tea daily
Take a multivitamin daily
Eat 5 – 9 fruits and veggies each day
Keep a food journal of everything you eat each day
Exercise portion control at holiday events
Perform weight resistance exercises 2 – 3 times per week
Do a cardio workout 3 – 6 times per week
Try a new workout class, dvd, or game
Stretch or perform simple yoga exercises for 5 – 10 minutes per day
Make medical appointments that you have been putting off
Park further away from the entrance to work or stores
Commit to sharing chores with family members to lighten your load
Decrease holiday stress this year with a decision to buy less or shop online

My three healthy commitments for this month are:
1. To stay hydrated throughout the day
2. To exercise portion control at holiday events
3. To get in 3 – 6 cardio workouts each week.

I found a great list of tools to help you meet your health goals. The list includes websites that can help track calories and health goals as well as fitness tools.

What are your three healthy commitments for the month of December? Do you have other ideas of healthy habits to share?