Healthy South Carolina Challenge

COLUMBIA, S.C. – November 1, 2007 – The Healthy SC Challenge is the Sanford family’s effort to get all South Carolinians to do just a little more to live a healthier lifestyle. The tips are designed to encourage individuals and communities to live healthier lifestyles in three categories – nutrition, exercise and help to quit smoking.

The tips can also be found on the challenges website, www.healthysc.gov .

Healthy Tips
Nutrition
A quick way to make sure you are eating a variety of healthful foods at each
meal is to Rate Your Plate.   Rate your plate is a great way to practice
portion control if you are trying to lose weight. 

When you sit down for a meal, draw an imaginary line through the center of your plate.  Draw a line to divide one section into two.

* About one-fourth of your plate should be filled with grains or starchy foods such as rice, pasta, potatoes, corn, or peas.
* Another fourth should be protein — foods like meat, fish, poultry, or tofu.
* For the last half of your plate, you can fill it with non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, salad, tomatoes, and cauliflower.
* Then, add a glass of non-fat milk and a small roll or piece of fruit and you are ready to eat!
You may need to count the carbohydrates or exchanges in your meal so you can be sure your insulin and exercise are on target. But rating your plate
will get you started.           
-American Diabetes Association, www.diabetes.org

Physical Activity
Strength training can be incorporated into a workout at any age level.
Using the Body Bar Flex, students in Anderson School District Four are participating in an exercise program to warm-up, strengthen upper body and core, and to stretch and increase flexibility.  Light resistance training is good for young athletes because it increases endurance and strength for sports, improves focus and concentration, helps prevent long-term medical problems such as high cholesterol or osteoporosis.  Strength training may even reduce the risk of short-term injuries by protecting tendons, bones, and joints.
-Gordon Brown, SC native and Owner of Flexi-StiX, LLC, www.bodybar.com

Tobacco
Here are some ‘Do’s & Don’ts’ for families and friends who are helping a smoker quit:

Do respect that the quitter is in charge. This is their lifestyle change and their challenge, not yours.
 
Do ask the person whether he or she wants you to call or visit regularly to see how he or she is doing. Let the person know that it’s okay to call you whenever he or she needs to hear encouraging words.

Do help the quitter get what she or he needs, such as hard candy to suck on, straws to chew on, and fresh veggies cut up and kept cold in the refrigerator.

Do spend time doing things with the quitter to keep his or her mind off smoking — go to the movies, take a walk to get past a craving (what many call a nicotine fit), or take a bike ride together.
 
Do help the quitter with a few chores, some child care, cooking — whatever will help lighten the stress of quitting.

Do celebrate along the way. Quitting smoking is a BIG DEAL!

Don’t take the quitter’s grumpiness personally during his or her nicotine withdrawal. The symptoms usually pass in about 2 weeks.

Don’t offer advice. Just ask how you can help with the plan or program they
are using.    
-American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org

The Healthy SC Challenge is an outcome-based, cooperative effort aimed at encouraging individuals, communities and organizations across the state to show shared responsibility in developing innovative ways to improve the health of South Carolina’s citizens. For more information about the Healthy SC Challenge, please visit www.healthysc.gov , or call 803-737-4772.