This Week’s Healthy SC Challenge Tips

First Family Encourages Healthy Changes in Nutrition, Exercise and Tobacco Use
Columbia, S.C. –July 25, 2008 – 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 challenge’s website, www.healthysc.gov.

Healthy Tips

Nutrition
Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and milk products are all important to a healthy diet. These foods are also good sources of the nutrients deficient in the diet of most Americans. An easy way to make smart and nutritious choices within each food group is to use the “Go, Slow, Whoa” concept. GO foods are the most nutrient dense.” SLOW foods are higher in calories, fat and sugar than GO foods. WHOA foods may be high in calories, fat and sugar and offer little nutritional value. -The Nutrition Council, www.nutritioncouncil.org

Physical Activity
Warm weather means activities and fun under the sun! Whether you love putting on shorts and feeling the warm outdoors, or find it hot and sticky, everyone must be careful not to let a heat-related illness spoil the day. Normally, the body has ways of keeping itself cool, by letting heat escape through the skin, and by evaporating sweat (perspiration). If the body does not cool properly or does not cool enough, the victim may suffer a heat-related illness. Anyone can be susceptible although the very young and very old are at greater risk. Heat-related illnesses can become serious or even deadly if unattended. Here are some was to prevent heat-related illnesses.

• Dress for the heat. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing. Light colors will reflect away some of the sun’s energy. It is also a good idea to wear hats or to use an umbrella.
• Drink water. Carry water or juice with you and drink continuously even if you do not feel thirsty. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which dehydrate the body.
• Eat small meals and eat more often. Avoid foods that are high in protein which increase metabolic heat.
• Avoid using salt tablets unless directed to do so by a physician.
• Slow down. Avoid strenuous activity. If you must do strenuous activity, do it during the coolest part of the day, which is usually in the morning between 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.
• Stay indoors when possible.
• Take regular breaks when engaged in physical activity on warm days. Take time out to find a cool place. If you recognize that you, or someone else, is showing the signals of a heat-related illness, stop activity and find a cool place. Remember, have fun, but stay cool!
-American Red Cross, www.redcross.org

Tobacco
Your Quit Day is very important. Ask anyone you know who used to smoke. Twenty years from now, the day you gave up cigarettes for good will be a day that you remember. Think positive thoughts. Say to yourself, “I can do it this time!” even if you have tried before. Think about how much better you will feel after you quit for good. The night before your quit day: Throw out all your cigarettes, every last one! Get them out of hiding places, like pockets, handbags, and glove compartments. Get rid of lighters, matches, and ashtrays. Make sure there is nothing around that reminds you of cigarettes. If you plan to use medicines to help you quit, make sure you know how to use them. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions. Stock up on sugar-free gum and mints, carrots, celery, or cloves, so you always have something to reach for instead of a cigarette.
-Pathways to Freedom: Winning the Fight Against Tobacco produced by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services

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.