This Weeks Healthy SC Challenge Tips

September 3, 2007

Columbia, S.C. – August 31, 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
Millions of Americans will celebrate the Labor Day weekend with one last summer getaway.  If your travel plans include driving, pack a cooler to carry lean meat or poultry for sandwiches, fresh fruit and chopped vegetables.  Whole-grain breads and cereals round out meals and can also be a quick snack.  If your travel is by air, you can still pack some portable foods to tide you over.  Nuts and peanut butter are portable protein choices and dried fruit, whole-grain crackers and granola bars can round out a fast meal.  Plan to eat every three or four hours; that way you won’t end up eating more than you need until your next stop.
-American Dietetic Association

Physical Activity
Learn the 9-to-5 Burn! If you feel like hours at work are hours lost when it comes to your calorie-burning efforts, think again! Think out of the box–or the cubicle–and you’ll find many creative ways to exercise from 9 to 5. Here are a few ideas:
* Park farther from your office than necessary, and build an early-morning and late-afternoon walk into your day. Whenever you can, squeeze in a walk at lunchtime.
* Forgo e-mail to deliver things to your coworkers in person, especially if they’re on the other side of the building.
* Work your muscles during long commutes or while sitting at your desk–abdominal contractions, buttocks contractions–and burn extra calories.
* Walk and talk when on the phone. Pacing burns calories, too!
* Take mini breaks every hour or so to walk a little, then return to your office and do a few quick desk pushups (a mini pushup, leaning against your desk).
Simple Change: Use the stairs whenever possible–on the way to lunch, to use a bathroom on another floor, or to visit a neighboring department’s water cooler.
-Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition, www.eatbetteramerica.com

Tobacco
Nicotine speeds up metabolism, so quitting tobacco use may result in a slight weight gain. To limit the amount of weight you gain, try the following: Eat well-balanced meals and avoid fatty foods. To satisfy your cravings for sweets, eat small pieces of fruit. Keep low-calorie foods handy for snacks. Try popcorn (without butter), sugar-free gums and mints, fresh fruits, and vegetables. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water each day.  Work about 30 minutes of daily exercise into your routine; try walking or another activity such as running, cycling, or swimming.
-National Institute of Health