Center for Health Transformation Georgia Project

Healthier Holidays

I noticed an interesting trend in reviewing data on the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index website.  Healthy behaviors begin to decrease in September and continue to decrease through December with an upward trend beginning in January.  The trend was seen in 2008 and 2009 data.  It will be interesting to see if the trend holds true in 2010.  It seems that holidays trigger unhealthy behaviors - over eating, eating foods high in fat and sugar, decreased exercise - followed by New Year resolutions that start a period of healthier behavior.

The data made me think about ways to have healthier holidays.  With Halloween coming up this weekend and Thanksgiving later in November, the challenge is to have celebrations that support a healthy lifestyle.  Cutting out some of the sugar in the Halloween treats [and the volume of treats] is certainly a place to start. 

Using less fat and sugar in preparing Thanksgiving dinner and  following  dinner with a family walk around the neighborhood would be a good tradition to start in 2010.  Small changes can have big results.  Would love to hear your suggestions for healthier holidays!

What Works in Schools?

As I was researching healthy community initiatives I came across a very helpful document at http://dhs.wisconsin.gov/health/physicalactivity/pdf_files/WhatWorksSchoolsfinal.pdf.  As childhood obesity continues to threaten the future of our country many commununity organizations are partnering with schools to make a difference.  Programs aimed at increasing physical activity, improving school lunch programs, addressing the vending machine choices, and educating students on healthy lifestyle are increasing.  An understanding of how to work within the school system is critical to the success of these programs.  Visit the Wisconsin website for some great ideas.

Do We Value Health?

As I've been working with some colleagues on a healthy communinity initiative we've been talking a lot about the state of the health of Americans.  With the statistics on obesity in this country, the lack of physical activity in our schools, the lack of healthy eating habits, and the resistance to change to a unhealthy behaviors, I don't think that the majority of Americans do value health.  There is a focus on health care  right now, but very little focus on health. 

Health requires that the individual take control and make the right choices.  Health is not always easy.  Health requires we change our behavior.  That we say 'no' to our children.  That we say 'no' to ourselves.  Let's spend a little less time finding ways for the government to take care of us and find ways to take care of ourselves.  Get the family to take a walk tonight after dinner; limit computer time; take the dog for a walk - make one change to make you and your family more active.  Find healthier ways to prepare your meals - use olive oil, switch to whole grain bread, add fresh vegetables [find your local farmer's market].  Make health a focus in your life.  Help your children form those habits that will bring them a lifetime of health; not those habits that will continue them on the unhealthy path the majority of Americans are on.

Food Revolution

I was just introduced to a new TV show - ' Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.'  For an eye-opening look into food and our children check out this series.  Jamie is a chef from Essex who believes that every child in America has the right to fresh, nutritious school meals, and that every family deserves real, honest, wholesome food. He is starting a movement to get Americans to stand up for better food!

In one part of the series Jamie talked with a group of 5-year olds and quizzed them on identifying different foods.  He picked up a raw potato and asked if anyone knew what it was.  Not one child knew.  Then he held up a red, ripe tomato and again, not one child could identify it.  The same with cauliflower and other fresh vegetables.  Then he held up pizza - identified!  The same with french fries, chicken nuggets, hamburgers. It reflects the foods many of our children are exposed to and which ones they are not. 

I'm looking forward to seeing the series unfold and observing transformation in progress.  This series will provide some great lessons on changing health behaviors.  From the school system, to the individual school, to the homes, the parents and the children it will be an amazing journey.  Check it out on Friday evenings, 9 pm EST on ABC.

Healthy Holidays

  
   

As the holiday season is in full swing there are some great ideas to making this a healthy one.  The weight gain that many experience over the December holidays can be averted by making a few changes to old habits and traditions.  Try a few of theses suggestions: [1] include healthy alternatives in your holiday meals; [2] indulge a day or so over the holidays but don't use the 'season' as an excuse to make it a continuous behavior; [3] add a few healthy traditions such as a family walk after the holiday dinner; [4] try to cut some of the sugar and fat from your recipes where possible; [5] add a few healthier desserts to the table; [6] serve desserts in the 'mini-indulgent' style of many of the restaurants - a few bites of something sweet after dinner is sometimes enough.

Success of the Vitality Project in Albert Lea, MN

The Vitality Project in Albert Lea, MN came to it's official end on Tuesday evening.  A project spearheaded by Dan Buetter, founder of Blue Zones and supported by AARP and United Health Foundation, the project focused on changing the health of a community through a 6 week intensive application of those principles found to increase longevity.

Some of the successes of the project included the following: 2,300 people officially participated; a walking/biking trail was completed around Fountain Lake; thousands of feet of sidewalk were added; hundreds of kids walked to school in walking school buses and more than 600 citizens joined walking groups; nearly a thousand Albert Leans took part in purpose workshops; and two-thirds of locally owned restaurants added longevity-promoting foods to their menus.

For additional information on the community project in Albert Lea, MN visit:

Good Morning America

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/VitalityProject/vitality-project-make-town-healthier/story?id=8818625

 

Front page story in the Pioneer Press

www.pioneerpress.com

 

AP story –

www.associatedpress.com

The Vitality Project provides an excellent model for other communities as they begin the journey to transform the health of their citizens.

The Recession and Weight Gain

There is discussion recently on the effect of the recession on our health - Newsweek recently reported on new data released exclusively to them from Gallup-Healthways showing that in the past year, the number of Americans considered obese has jumped by 1.7 percent—or almost 5.5 million people.  There is speculation that the increased stress from the recession and the added burden of the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables are leading to weight gain.

Activity and exercise are definitely healthy ways to cope with stress.  Share your ideas on healthy ways to manage stress in a down economy.  Share your experience with summer gardens and other solutions to getting fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet.

Make the Right Choice

On a cnn quick poll 74% of 6290 respondents identified motivation or lack of willpower as their biggest obstacle to losing weight or getting fit.  The next most frequently identified obstacle at 8% was finding a diet/fitness plan.  Only 5% of the respondents selected access to healthy food as their biggest obstacle.  It seems that for the majority of us the healthy choice is available, we just need to make it.  

One of the best pieces of advice I've heard recently related to this was from Dr. Oz, co-author of You: The Owners Manual and other health, diet and fitness books.  His advice is to make the decision at the grocery store, not your cupboard.  In other words,don't bring the unhealthy foods into your home in the first place.  Make it easy to make the right choice for you and your family.  This advice also applies to the choices in vending machines in schools and places of employment.  Lead an effort to get healthy choices where they belong!