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Welcome Spring! Welcome Health!
Patrice Powers-Barker, OSU
Extension, Lucas County
The Truth Contributor
Are you anxious for
springtime weather and the opportunity to spend more time
outdoors? Are you ready to shed some extra layers of winter
clothing and maybe shed a few extra winter pounds? What are
your plans for a healthy springtime?
The Ohio Commission on
Minority Health reminds, “Good Health Begins With You!” It’s
the perfect time of year to celebrate good health.
The Toledo Lucas County
Commission on Minority Health Calendar of Events lists over
27 local events covering topics from health fairs, youth
camp, luncheon, book clubs and a game night. The April 5
Minority Health Kick-Off is scheduled from 9:00am – 11:00am
at Mott Branch Library, 1085 Dorr Street, Toledo.
At the Kick-off, the 1
Million Healthy Steps program challenges participants to log
at least one million steps with a pedometer in a 12-month
period. For more information about the 1 Million Healthy
Steps, contact Dennis Hicks at 419-213-4095. The 30-day
Minority Health wellness campaign takes place during the
month of April and part of the monthly goal is to support
on-going efforts to improve minority health year round. The
calendar of local events for the month of April can be found
at
http://minorityhealthtoledo.org/ and on page 16 of this
issue.
Are you are parent or
guardian looking for a class to learn more about nutrition
for your family? The Ohio State University Extension’s
Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is
partnering with the Martin Luther King Kitchen for the Poor
starting on Friday April 4 from 1:00 p.m. -2:00 p.m.
EFNEP is a free,
eight-week nutrition education series for caregivers with
children in the home and limited resources to learn about
how to make healthy food choices, manage food dollars, and
balance a healthy diet with physical activities.
Participants will receive take-home tools, food samples and
graduate with a Certificate of Completion from OSU
Extension. For more information about the classes, contact
Kelsey Johnson, 419-213-2018.
The Ohio State University
Extension is also offering an online wellness challenge for
the springtime. This is free to any adult with an email
account and participants will receive educational email
messages twice a week from April 7t – May 18,
2014. The themes for the 2014 email challenge are vegetables
and fruits, physical activity, sun safety, local foods,
herbs and gardening. To sign up online please visit
http://go.osu.edu/SPLucas. For more information,
contact Patrice Powers-Barker at
powers-barker.1@osu or 419-213-2022.
Make a plan to attend at
least one of the healthy events throughout April and
celebrate your health! It’s important to take care of your
health, learn more about wellness and join with others to
make healthy lifestyle changes. Good nutrition is one key
element of good health and it goes along well with physical
activity and updated health screenings. Good health begins
with you! Use these tips all year long to meet your health
goals.
Enjoy your food but eat less. Add in physical activity
throughout the day.
Use a smaller plate for your meals and take the time to
enjoy the smell and taste of your food. When adding physical
activity to your day, make sure you’re doing at least 10
minutes at a time. Those 10 minutes will add up during the
day and during the week. For adults, set a goal of at least
2 ½ hours of moderate physical activity a week. For teens
and youth, make time for 60 minutes of physical activity
every day. Remember, it all counts – walking places, active
games, swimming, dancing, biking, etc.
Strengthen your bones with calcium-rich foods and activities
such as lifting weights, walking or running.
Foods like low-fat milk, yogurt, and dark leafy greens are
naturally high in calcium and other foods may be fortified
with calcium like orange juice or bread (check the nutrition
label for added calcium). Any physical activities that are
weight bearing are great for your bones!
Limit foods high in fat and added sugar. Limit time sitting.
Limit fatty meats like ribs, bacon and hot dogs. Sweets like
cakes, cookies and ice cream should be an occasional treat.
Choose smaller portions of high fat foods and choose them
less often. Don’t sit for hours at a time. If you have a
job that requires sitting, plan stretch breaks for your
health and wellness. Do a few desk exercises and stand up
occasionally. |
