National Women’s Health Week: May 13th - May 19th!

This 13th annual initiative, coordinated by the US. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health, is a week long recognition of women’s health.  This year’s theme: “It’s Your Time.” This is an effort to encourage all women to make their own health a priority,  to take steps to better their overall well-being, which will ultimately help to lower their risk of disease.

Take/encourage the following steps to improve the health and well-being of all the women in your life:

•   Receive regular checkups and prevention screenings:

•   National Women’s Checkup Day is May14th

•   Regular checkups are vital to the early detention of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases.

•   Get and stay active

•   Eat a healthy diet

•   Improve mental health by managing stress and getting adequate sleep

•   Avoid unhealthy behaviors, such as: smoking, excessive alcohol, and not wearing a seatbelt

Visit womenshealth.gov/whw for more information!

0 comments - Posted by Emily at 12:36 PM - Categories: Exercise and Activity | General Medical | Health and Wellness

Boston Moves for Health!

While Forbes magazine recently ranked Boston as the 3^rd healthiest city in America, the Mayor of Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino, has set a goal to help Boston become even healthier. The aim is to lose a very impressive 1 million pounds & to move 10 million miles this year!

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0 comments - Posted by Yvonne at 12:12 PM - Categories: Exercise and Activity | Health and Wellness | Weight Loss & Maintenance

Let's Move (Together)!

We all know it’s important to be active – we hear it all the time! Let’s talk about age-appropriate activities to engage kids and keep them healthy!

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0 comments - Posted by Shannon at 12:12 PM - Categories: Exercise and Activity

March is National Nutrition Month

This year's National Nutrition Month theme is "Get Your Plate in Shape!"

Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.

Make at least half your grains whole.

Switch to fat-free or low-fat milk.

Vary your protein choices.

Cut back on sodium and empty calories from solid fats and added sugars.

Enjoy your food but eat less.

Be physically active your way.

  Children and Teens: Get 60 minutes or more a day.

  Adults: Get 2 hours and 30 minutes more a week of activity that requires moderate effort such as brisk walking.

Check out the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' (formerly the American Dietetic Association) website:  www.eatright.org/nnm, for more information, and be sure to read the National Nutrition Month Blog for some more great nutrition tips and healthy meal & snacks suggestions!

0 comments - Posted by Emily at 10:23 AM - Categories: Exercise and Activity | General Medical | Health and Wellness | Holidays | Weight Loss & Maintenance

Get F.I.T.T. in 2012

Is, 'more exercise' one of your New Year's resoultions for 2012?  If it isn't, it should be!  When it comes to behavior change and goal setting, being more specific increases the likelihood of success.  So when devising your exercise plan and setting your fitness goals this year, focusing on getting F.I.T.T.!

The F.I.T.T. principles of physical activity are a set of rules which help optimize any training program, and ultimately maximize the benefits received from exercise participation. Incorporate these into YOUR physical activity plans this year.

Frequency: for any component of physical activity, a safe frequency is 3-5 days/week.

Intensity: refers to the amount of effort that should be invested in a program, or any 1 training session. There must be a balance between finding enough intensity to overload the body (to maximize the energy expended), but not so much that it causes overtraining. Heart rate is used to measure the intensity of cardiovascular training.  Workload (amount of weight lifted, and the number of repetitions completed) is used to measure the intensity of resistence training.

Time: refers to the amount of time you should be exercising for.  For cardiovascular training, 15-60 minutes is recommended, working up slowly, for safety. 1-3 sets of 6-14 repetitions is appropriate for resistance training, beginning with lighter weights and higher repetitions.

Type: what to do?!  There is a wide variety of cardiovascular activities to choose from, including but not limit to: walking, jogging, cycling, rowing, cross country skiing, tennis, etc. Restistance training involves any exercise that uses a resistance to force a muscle contraction, and does not necessarily require the involvement of weights. Resistance bands and body weight exercises are very beneficial and enjoyable forms of resistance training.

Exercise these F.I.T.T. principles and achieve YOUR fitness goals this year! In general, aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. The chart below shows the estimated number of calories burned while doing various exercises for one hour.  These vary based on a number of individual factors, including weight and fitness level.

chart adapted from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/SM00109

0 comments - Posted by Emily at 8:44 AM - Categories: Exercise and Activity | General Medical | Health and Wellness | Stress Management | Weight Loss & Maintenance

New Tracker Launched!

The USDA has launched a new tool where you can create a profile, track your food intake & compare it to your nutrition goals. You can also log your physical activity levels. There is advice for weight management, support for goal setting & you can create reports showing your progress. You can also look up the nutrition information for over 8,000 foods & compare them side-by-side! Sounds like a handy site!

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0 comments - Posted by Yvonne at 2:50 PM - Categories: Exercise and Activity | Health and Wellness | Weight Loss & Maintenance

Week 4!

In honor of Thanksgiving, this week's featured product is......

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0 comments - Posted by Emily at 4:12 PM - Categories: Exercise and Activity | Fall | General Medical | Health and Wellness | Healthy Snacks | Holidays | Weight Loss & Maintenance