Eat, Save, and Be Healthy

Did you know that Heart Disease is the number one killer in the United States?  Preventing heart disease is the campaign of “Million Hearts.”  The goal is to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes over the next few years. 

What can you do to prevent heart attacks?  Million Hearts has examined the research and found that there are five steps you can take to make a big difference in your risk.  They are known as the “ABCS.” 

A= Appropriate Aspirin Therapy for those who need it.   Check with your doctor as to whether taking aspirin will reduce your risk for heart attacks.

B= Blood Pressure Control

One in three adults has high blood pressure and half of them don’t have it under control.   Many have high blood pressure and don’t know it.  Known as the “silent killer” it has no symptoms or  warning signs.   Get your blood pressure checked at least once a year.  If it is high see your doctor and follow his/her recommendations.   If you need medication take it.   All of us can reduce our risk of high blood pressure by:

• Eating a healthy diet that limits sodium. 
• Maintaining a healthy weight.
• Being physically active.
• Limiting alcohol use.
• Not smoking.

C= Cholesterol Management  

One in three Americans has high cholesterol and 66% percent of those do not have it under control.  Knowing and controlling your numbers can make a difference in your heart attack risk factors.  Limit the amount of saturated fat,  trans-fat and cholesterol you  consume, to avoid raising your bad cholesterol levels. Using monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in place of saturated and trans-fat can lower blood cholesterol levels. Eating a high fiber diet can also help lower cholesterol.

Being physically active can increase your good cholesterol levels.  Research has found that eating too many carbohydrates can lower good cholesterol for some people.   

S= Smoking Cessation and Stress Reduction  

Smoking greatly increases your risk of heart disease by injuring blood vessels and increasing the hardening of the arteries.  Stopping smoking can reduce your risk.  Don’t start and if you do smoke, quit. 

 Stress Reduction   Use healthy methods of dealing with stress and keep your stress levels under control.  Exercise,  eating healthy, getting a good night’s sleep, relaxation techniques and meditation are ways that can help you deal with stress so that it does not overwhelm you. 

Getting a biometric health screening can provide you with the clues needed as to determine your  risk factors.   Making changes in those risk factors can add up to preventing or delaying heart disease and stroke.     Follow the “ABCS” to reduce your risk and join the campaign.  You can find more information and join the campaign at http://millionhearts.hhs.gov/index.html  

Author:  Pat Brinkman, Extension Educator Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Miami Valley EERA

Reviewed by:  Linnette Goard, Field Specialist, Food Safety, Selection and Management, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension.

References:

Materials from the following websites downloaded on February 19, 2013:

http://millionhearts.osu.edu

 http://millionhearts.hhs.gov/index.html

http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/

http://www.cdc.gov/cholesterol

I posted this before Valentine’s day on the Live Healthy Live Well facebook page and as I am writing this I have just realized that I have been sitting at my desk for a couple of hours! Sitting is indeed extremely detrimental to health and research suggesst that long periods of sitting may be a higher risk factor for heart disease and certain cancers than overall lack of physical activity in general (30 minutes a day of moderate acitvity most day of the week).  After reading the following article, set a goal to avoid long periods of sitting. The artilce will provide some ideas and strategies for breaking up long periods of siiting. Goals should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time bound). Here is my goal:

Next week at my office, I will take a break every hour and walk around my office.

Long Periods of Sitting Linked with Cancer & Heart Disease       

The current CDC recommendation for adults on physical activity is to accumulate 30 minutes of moderate activity a day for five days of the week to prevent obesity, diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancers.

There are increasingly more and more options available when you look at the fitness classes or exercise programs offered at your local fitness center, YMCA, Community Center, or Community Campus. Many of these programs are also offered through on-line programs or even as TV games – but without some of the benefits of an in-person program. Here are a few of the reasons why you might want to try each of them.

Boot Camp programs are modified after military boot camps or basic training programs. They are high intensity and promote cardio, strength, endurance, and flexibility. You won’t get bored with Boot Camp programs because you are always changing what you are doing and they often incorporate both indoor and outdoor activities – when the weather permits. These programs do not require special equipment or clothing – just a good pair of workout shoes. You may feel like you have gone back to school gym class, because the programs incorporate many basic calisthenics like jumping jacks or push-ups.

Another program that only requires a good pair of shoes is Core Training. With Core Training you are conditioning the middle body muscles to work in harmony. This includes the pelvis, abdomen, hips, and lower back. When your core is in harmony you have better balance and stability, often an issue for older adults. Completing Core Training programs will make it easier for you to do any type of physical activity and even basic living tasks.

Spinning programs do require a special bike – so they need to be participated in at a center or fitness program. These bikes can be adjusted for beginners and are adaptable to individual fitness levels. They combine basic indoor cycling with motivational coaching, breathing awareness, and heart rate training. It is a great non-impact cardio program. No additional equipment is required to get started, but you may decide to purchase cycling shorts with padding, moisture wicking shirts, and cycling shoes — if you decide you enjoy it.

The Zumba program is Latin-inspired dance fitness that combines fast and slow rhythms with international music. WebMD tells us that a benefit of Zumba fitness over other dance style classes is that it focuses on only 4 or 5 steps per song that are repeated over and over. So it is easier to learn and you can be a beginner and not feel intimidated by someone who has been coming for a while. Like most cardiovascular workout programs – Zumba classes burn calories, can decrease your blood pressure and body fat, increases stamina and bone density, and can improve your balance and muscular tone. You can tone your legs, arms, abdomen, and gluts. One of the great benefits of the Zumba program is the social aspect. Instructors often use a party atmosphere to make the classes fun and participants find that they forget they are exercising.

The benefits of all of these programs except Spinning, is that you don’t really need special equipment to get started and you can often try an on-line version at home to see if you enjoy it. As these programs are typically high intensity – you should talk with your physician before beginning a new exercise program and be sure to drink plenty of water while taking part. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends drinking 16 – 20 ounces of water a couple hours before exercising, and then another 3 – 8 ounces every 10 to 15 minutes you exercise. Sports type beverages should only be required if you are exercising for over 60 minutes.

Written by: Lisa Barlage, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension.

Sources:

American College of Sports Medicine, Top 20 Fitness Trends,  Selecting and Effectively Using Hydration for Fitness, http://www.acsm-healthfitness.org.

Mayo Clinic, Core Exercises, http://www.mayoclinic.com/.

WebMD, Top 20 Fitness Trends for 2011: http://www.webmd.com/.

This series is authored by Jamie Seger, Ohio State University Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Program Assistant.

I love this time of the year! Spring is full of new beginnings, the color GREEN, and that wonderful sense of “hey, it’s time to get out there and get your hands in the dirt again!” For me, spring = gardening. My husband and I purchased our first house in 2008 and one of the selling points of the place was the fenced-in garden behind the garage. We both grew up enjoying fresh veggies from our mothers’ gardens and I had always dreamed of having my own someday – our new home made that a reality! So, we’ve planted vegetables in our garden each summer since 2008. Some summers consisted of more planting than others (one year I only had the motivation to throw tomato seeds directly into the dirt and hope that something sprouted), but I’ve come to have a deeper appreciation for gardening that goes beyond enjoying the fruits of my labor. As you’ll find out, gardening can offer physical activity and even stress relief! Nothing calms me more after a hard day at work or hearing “Mommy!!!!!!” screamed a million times in my direction than going out into the quiet, peaceful garden and pulling the heck out of some weeds!

I had great intentions with my garden last summer. I spent a lot of time planning and planting  – filling the garden to capacity. And then I stepped outside one night to water the tomato plants and discovered that my neighbor had accidentally sprayed weed killer through our fence, killing everything that was planted along the west side – sugar snap peas (my husband and son’s garden favorites), corn, cucumbers, and half of our green beans. It goes without saying that we had a pretty pathetic harvest by the end of the summer! This year, I’m going full throttle. I was armed with a garden diagram (only necessary for severe control-freaks like myself), an armful of seed packets, and potting soil in early March – about the time that us Ohians were still under the “oh my goodness summer came in February!” guise. Then, Mother Nature gave us a reality check and has sternly reminded us the past few weeks of April that we’re still technically in “Spring” and that Old Man Winter hasn’t yet decided if he is satisfied with his underwhelming appearance from December to March!

So I was probably in the same boat as many other garden enthusiasts who prematurely wanted to start their seeds without thinking they would have to constantly bring the containers inside each night to preserve them from frost’s root-killing wrath! After reality struck, I decided to wait to start my seeds.  Depending on where you live in the country, the best time to start seeds is about 4 to 12 weeks before they will be transplanted into your garden.  This typically means that you should start seeds indoors during the months of March or April. Take a look on the back of the seed packets you purchase to find out when they can be safely planted in garden soil. Note:The next post in the series will focus on how to start seeds indoors and prep them for transplanting into your garden.

While I was waiting to start the seeds, I had to think of what to plant and where to plant it. Which in my opinion is half the fun of gardening – planning! Listed below are the steps in the planning process

1. Find your hardiness zone on the USDA map to find out which fruits, vegetables, and other plants will grow best in your garden.
2. Choose from these plants which ones you and your family will enjoy – and which ones you may be willing to “try out.”
3. Go to a store to pick out your seeds (or you can also purchase plants that have already been started for you). Carefully look at the back of the seed packets or plant info stick to see how much space the plant will need, if it vines (requires a lattice or fence to “climb up”), and if there should be concerns about what type of critters or insects it might attract. (My husband loves raspberries but won’t allow me to plant them because of the amount of bees they attract!)
4. Select and purchase your seeds/plants based on how much space you have in your garden and if you have a fence available to either keep pests out or allow certain plants to climb up (you can also purchase a lattice for this purpose if you don’t have a fence).
5. Take the time to actually draw a diagram (in your mind or on paper) of what you will plant where in your garden. Knowing this ahead of time comes in handy on the days that you’re hot, sweaty, and tired in May or June when you’re planting the garden!
6. If you’re starting seeds, also pick up a bag of seed starting or potting soil and some biodegradable little pots (they can be directly planted into the garden soil – pretty nifty!)

Sounds easy enough, right? It is – and it’s fun! I hope you will join me in planting a vegetable garden for you and your family to enjoy this summer.

Happy seed/plant picking! On Friday, I’ll share how to properly start your seeds for indoor growth before planting in the garden – and how you can even get your kids involved.

Making wise choices when deciding what to eat and drink before, during and after physical activity is important.  Water is always the best choice.  If you choose a different beverage, choose a drink with no more than 50-80 calories per 8-ounce serving.  To stay hydrated, your body needs about two quarts of liquid a day.

When considering which foods to eat, keep in mind that all water found in foods and beverages counts towards then daily two-quart total.  For example, the water in soups, milk, salads, and frozen fruit bars all contribute valuable fluid to your daily intake.  It takes times for your body to absorb fluids.  Strive to stay hydrated all the time, not just before or during physical activity.  Choosing foods that have high water content, such as fruits and vegetables, will help you do this.

Consider making your own sports drink:  1 tablespoon sugar, a pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon orange juice or 2 tablespoons lemon juice added to 7.5 ounces of water makes an 8-ounce serving.  Think how much money you could save by making it yourself!

Author:  Linnette Goard, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension.

 Why not take the pledge today?  By making just 2 small daily changes you can start on the road to improving your health!   Take 2,000 more steps over baseline–about 1 mile–and eat 100 fewer calories– by eating smarter.

Walking is a daily activity that most people can do.  And it requires no special equipment other than a good pair of shoes.  To track your progress, wear a step counter for a minimum of 3 days in a row and then try to increase your daily steps.

Check out the America On the Move website for information, support, and tracking options:  www.americaonthemove.org

Author:  Linnette Mizer Goard, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

OSU Extension has a new program geared specifically to kids and is bringing it to schools, churches, after-school programs and other organizations across the state this fall and winter. It comes complete with a series of video-recorded motivational messages including this one by Buckeye football players Jamie Wood, Jake Stoneburner and DeVier Posey. Contact your local county Extension office for more information!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlpfjYSmGi8&fs=1&hl=en_US]

Behavior happens because it is something we have done over and over, i. e. it is a habit, OR it is something that we do because we have a reason for doing it.  Changing behavior, therefore, requires different strategies for these different types of behavior.  Researchers have studied intentional and habitual behavior and have some ideas about how we might make changes.

Behavior that is “new, untried and unlearned” happens as a result of intentions:  a person means to do it for some reason.  As the behavior is repeated, particularly if it takes place in the same context (at the same place, with the same people, etc.) the brain puts it into memory and the behavior becomes guided by habit, a state in which a person doesn’t have to think as much about it – it becomes automatic.  These habitual behaviors become triggered by certain stimuli as they are repeated, and we may find ourselves doing something that we didn’t intend to do.  The repeating of the action builds a memory that links the action with the context in which it takes place.  As a result, well-developed habits may become stronger forces causing behavior than either attitudes or intentions.

Habits have been studied in a number of situations and seem to have four qualities that make them automatic:  a lack of awareness of performing the behavior, difficulty in controlling the behavior, mental efficiency – being able to perform the behavior with little conscious thought, and performing the behavior without actually intending to do it.

Making New Year’s Resolutions work for you:

• Creating a new habit. If you want to add a positive behavior to your life, find a way to make it a habit.  This will build it into your brain as an automatic function and increase the odds of your keeping it up during the new year.  Repetition in a stable context (consistent in the way you do it, place in which it occurs, etc.) is important.  Eventually you don’t have to give it much thought and the stress of the action is reduced.  As you begin this strategy, your intentions take charge  – you will need to keep thinking about what you are doing and why until you have repeated it enough times that it begins to move into your memory as a habit.  Eventually it will become automatic and you will find yourself doing it often without thinking about it.

• Stopping unwanted behavior. Researchers suggest that stimulus control (changing the environment) is important for changing behavior that is a response to temptation.  Because the context (or environment) in which the behavior takes place provides the cues that trigger the behavior, avoiding that environment (such as the people, the places, sights and sounds, etc.) is usually necessary.  This strategy will help because you are not exposed to the temptation and reminded of the behavior.  You are stopping it before it starts.

• Breaking strong habits. Because old habits have been put into your brain so firmly, they require conscious effort to stop. Just changing your intentions is not enough for most people to break a strong habit. It requires vigilant monitoring of your behavior and intervening after the automatic response has been triggered – stopping it after it starts.  This strategy will require more awareness of what you are doing:  you will have to be on high alert for a while.  Each time the habit is triggered you will have to take action to stop it.  You will have to pay attention to break the automatic response.  If you can put into action a new behavior when you realize that you are doing the old unwanted one, a new habit can eventually replace the old one.

Sources:

Quinn, J. M., Pascoe, A., Wood, W. & Neal, D. T.  (2010). Can’t control yourself?  Monitor those bad habits.  Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 36, 499-511.

Verplanken, B. (2006).  Beyond frequency:  Habit as mental construct.  British Journal of Social Psychology 45, 639-656.

Wood, W., Tam, L. & Witt, M. G.  (2005). Changing circumstances, disrupting habits.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 88, 918-933.

Flu season has started — and with the rates of the H1N1 virus increasing, people are looking for ways to boost their immunity.  Scientists have been examining the association between exercise and immunity for several decades.  Their theory so far is what they call a “J-shaped curve” for exericse and immunity.  The risk of catching a cold or the flu and of having a particularly severe form of the infection drop if you exercise moderately.  But, the risk of catching an illness and becoming very sick jumps when you exercise intensely (breathing especially hard) for a long duration (an hour or longer).  Interesting news for those running marathons in October at the start of the flu season.  If that is you, be sure to avoid sniffling friends and family and wash your hands often for several days post-event.

Moderate, consistent physical activity strengthens the immune system by temporarily boosting the macrophages, or cells that attack bacteria.  This holds true for those with young or aging immune systems.  In one research study, people who walked at 70-75 percent of their maximum effort for 40 minutes per day had half as many sick days due to colds or sore throats as those who didn’t exercise.  One more way to protect yourself this flu season!

More information, check out NY Times Health: Exercise and Immunity

Cheers, Julie