This Week's Healthy SC Challenge Tips First Family Encourages Healthy Changes in Nutrition, Exercise and Tobacco Use

COLUMBIA, SC – July 11, 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
Life may be just a bowl of cherries as the old song says. On the flip
side: Cherries may help promote life! It’s cherry season; choose plump, sweet Rainiers or deep-red Bings. Cherries contain not only fiber but also some vitamin C. As part of healthful eating and living, other substances in cherries*anthocyanins, quercetin, among others*may offer sweet benefits, too, promoting heart health, reducing  cancer risk, perhaps reducing arthritis symptoms or pain. And their natural melatonin may even help put you to sleep. What a cheery, cherry thought! Today, or any time of year, put cherries in your life. Refresh with a cherry-berry smoothie: Blend equal amounts of frozen or canned cherries, frozen cherries, and cran-cherry juice drink.  Add fresh or dried cherries to slaw, precut greens or spinach.
– 365 Days of Healthy Eating from the American Dietetic Association (Wiley 2004), Roberta Larson Duyff, MS, RD, FADA, CFCS

Physical Activity
Some of the best trails in the state, and even the country, are right here in our South Carolina State Parks.  South Carolina packs some amazingly diverse terrain into a relatively small region, from a sliver of the Appalachian Mountains to the sandy, sub-tropical coastal plain. If you are looking for an adventurous overnight or a leisurely stroll, you can find trails to suit your tastes throughout the state.  Research trails near you at www.sctrails.net.
-South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism

Tobacco
Why should I stop smoking if I’m not addicted? Many people don’t realize they are addicted to smoking. They think they can easily quit any time they want. But when they try, they forget it is extremely difficult.
Unfortunately, it is very easy to get addicted. Cigarettes are just as addictive as cocaine or heroin. Even if you only smoke one or two cigarettes a day and even if you’ve never bought a pack of cigarettes yourself, you are at risk. Stressful situations or hanging out with friends who smoke might cause you to smoke more and become addicted. Try going a whole week without smoking at all. If you find this difficult, you are probably addicted to cigarettes.
-The Center for Young Women’s Health, www.youngwomenshealth.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.