KEEPING YOURSELF HEALTHY – THE IMPORTANCE OF NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

1. KEEPING YOURSELF HEALTHY –THE IMPORTANCE OF NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY Miriam (Mim) Gaines, MACT, RD, LD Nutrition and Physical Activity Division

2. WELLNESSMORE THAN THE ABSENCE OF ILLNESS Objectives • Compare three recommended lifestyle changes to person life. • Discuss advantages of environmental and policy changes. • Identify places to change- work, home, play, etc.

3. Overview of Adult Sickness • Obesity • Mississippi #1 • Alabama #2 • Hypertension • Diabetes • High Cholesterol • Cancer • Etc.

4. What is Wellness? A choice — A decision you make every day, every hour, every minute to move toward optimal health. A way of life — A lifestyle you design to achieve your highest potential for wellbeing. A process — An awareness that there is no endpoint, but that health and happiness are possible in each moment, here and now.

5. Six Dimensional Wellness Model Helps Determine Approaches

6. Wellness Model: Social Dimension • Encourages: • Contributing to environment and community welfare over selfish desires • Living in harmony with others and our environment rather than in conflict • Addressing environmental health concerns

7. Social Dimension • Recycle plastics • Women’s group • Local garden • Office fun • After school sites

8. Occupational Dimension • Encourages: • Personal satisfaction and enrichment through work • Contributing unique gifts, skills, and talents to work for personal fulfillment • ADPH:

9. Intellectual Dimension • Encourages: • Stretching and challenging minds • Identifying potential problems and appropriate solutions instead of waiting, worrying • NPA:

10. Emotional Dimension • Encourages: • Recognizing, being aware of, and accepting feelings while acting responsibly • Being optimistic in life yet realistic • Coping effectively with stress • ADPH

11. Spiritual Dimension • Encourages: • Searching for meaning and purpose of life • Being tolerant of others beliefs • Living each day consistent with personal values and beliefs

12. PHYSICAL DIMENSION • Encourages: • Consuming foods and beverages that enhance good health • Moving more • Discouraging the use of tobacco, drugs, and excessive alcohol consumption • Monitoring your own vital signs and understand your body's warning signs

13. Proven Areas to Address Health • Increase fruit and vegetable consumption • Decrease sedentary activity • Increase physical activity • Breastfeed

14. Physical Dimension Fun

15. Combining Several Components Stairwell Competition Staff Meetings Water Competition

16. .  Combining Components • Statewide • Promotes lifestyle change • Rewards weight-loss • Starts in January • 10-week contest • Adults • Operated at local level through employers, hospitals, health departments, etc.

17. STEPS TO WELLNESS: SELF TALK • Instead of focusing on changing what you need to change, focus on what you want and are willing to change. • I need to stop screaming at my children versus • I want to hear what my children are saying • I want to be a good role model for my children • I want my children to learn how to make good decisions, etc. What is more important to the person? Capitalize on what is important.

18. STEPS TO WELLNESS: SELF TALK I need to exercise … versus What will the physical activity do for me? What am I wanting from the physical activity? Make me feel better, make me sleep better, clearer thought process, lower the cholesterol, control/ prevent diabetes, reduce the flabby cellulite appearance? Then when the time comes to go walk the thought process is not, “I’m too busy, I can walk tomorrow.” It is, “My flabby legs will look better if I get up and go.” -OR- “I like my feet, and don’t want to be an amputee.”

19. Support to Make Changes Comes From The Environment, System, and Policies

20. Individuals are responsible for making and keeping lifestyle changes. Individual behavior is influenced by the social environment, e.g. community norms and values, regulations, and policies. The most effective approach for healthy behaviors is a combination of the efforts at all levels. Socio-Ecological Model

21. MAKING THE LINK BETWEEN PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY /WANTS AND SURROUNDINGS An employee Wellness screening Weight/Height= BMI 30 Identified as obese

22. Community/Society/ Policy Ethnicity Interpersonal Socioeconomic Status Lunch Options Meals/ Feeding Practices Extended family Interactions Employee Crime Rates General Safety Foods Available In House TV Viewing Work Schedule Hours Employee’s Weight Status Age Gender Community, church, social, etc Education Programs Sedentary Behavior Computer.. Facebook, Shopping, Games Nutritional Knowledge Dietary Intake Worksite Wellness education Physical Activity Decision Making Activity Patterns Spouse/ family Dietary Intake Family genetics Schedule Work Environment Corner Store Family Encouragement of Activity Family Food Preferences Parent Weight Status Family Leisure Time Activities At Home Accessibility of Convenience Foods & Restaurants Availability of Recreational Activities

23. Employees Dietary Pattern • Skips breakfast (No time) • Mid morning coffee and honey bun • Eats fast food for lunch – or brings sandwich, chips, cola • Afternoon – cola and vending machine snack food • Dinner – Family eats out 3x/week (Too busy to cook) • Bedtime – Eating snack while watching TV (In bed with TV timer?)

24. Community/Society/Policy Ethnicity Interpersonal; Socioeconomic Status Lunch Options Meals/ Feeding Practices Extended family Interactions Employee Crime Rates General Safety Foods Available In House TV Viewing Work Schedule Hours Employee’s Weight Status age gender Community, church, social, etc Education Programs Sedentary Behavior Computer.. Facebook, Shopping, Games Nutritional Knowledge Dietary Intake Worksite Wellness education Physical Activity Decision Making Activity Patterns Spouse/ family Dietary Intake family genetics Schedule Work Environment Corner Store Family Encouragement of Activity Family Food Preferences Parent Weight Status Family Leisure Time Activities At Home Accessibility of Convenience Foods & Restaurants Availability of Recreational Activities

25. Employee Physical Activity Patterns No outdoor time (Desk job 8-5; doesn’t go outside much) Computer, etc.- 7 hours/day (Desk job) Family responsibilities (Children, homework, sports, cleaning, cooking, etc.) Mid/ late evening- TV to relax Weekends- “TV on all the time” Extracurricular activity – (With children, parents, and a house who has a hobby?)

26. Community/Society/Policy Ethnicity Interpersonal Socioeconomic Status Lunch Options Meals/ Feeding Practices Extended family Interactions Employee Crime Rates General Safety Foods Available In House TV Viewing Work Schedule Hours Employee’s Weight Status age gender Community, church, social, etc Education Programs Sedentary Behavior Computer.. Facebook, Shopping, Games Nutritional Knowledge Dietary Intake Worksite Wellness education Physical Activity Decision Making Activity Patterns Spouse/ family Dietary Intake family genetics Schedule Work Environment Corner Store Family Encouragement of Activity Family Food Preferences Parent Weight Status Family Leisure Time Activities At Home Accessibility of Convenience Foods & Restaurants Availability of Recreational Activities

27. Obesity in the Context of Employee’s Environment Interaction of environment and behavior is critical Making healthy decisions works WHEN options are: safe affordable healthy options readily available

28. Environmental, Systems, and Policy Changes Altering environment to encourage a behavioral change • Physical earth changes • Building or structure changes • Personal space changes

29. Altering the system to make behavioral changes The way things are done in the business, church, home, etc. Altering policies to make behavioral changes The WHY we do the things we do. Policy at government level to policy at family level. Overlap will occur.

30. Environment Changes Physical Earth Gardens: Community, School, Church • Social Dimension (Taking care of others, teaching youth) • Emotional Dimension (Coping with stress/financial ) • Physical Dimension (Increased physical activity, better food intake )

31. Environmental Changes … Building or Structure: Complete Streets, parks; etc . • Social Dimension (Taking care of earth) • Emotional Dimension (Coping with stress/financial) • Physical Dimension (Increased physical activity)

32. Environmental changes can be small • Building or Structure Changes

33. Environmental Change • Overview: • Vending machines will provide 30% healthy choices in state agency buildings. • Snacks are clearly marked • Employees tasted foods before implementation.

34. Environment • Personal space changes • What is IN your desk, office, car, kitchen, house?

35. System Changes • Walkable Communities • Walking to school • (walkable school buses)

36. System Changes • Worksite exercise classes • Business pays for gym membership • Bikes allowed on buses • Cars not allowed in certain areas (Incidental walking)

37. System Changes • Garden area allows daycare children • Farm to School program expanded to worksite

38. In the South, where one or more are gathered… There is FOOD

39. Suggested Foods For Gathering • COLORFUL, • LOCAL fruits and vegetables • LOW-FAT dairy products • WHOLE GRAIN AND WHOLE WHEAT • LEAN PROTEINS • LIGHT desserts • CALORIE FREE or SUGAR FREE beverages

40. What Does This look like? • Serve: • Lower calorie foods • Small portions • Fruits and vegetables • Low-fat (skim) milk • 100% fruit or vegetable juice • Water or 0 calorie drinks • Whole wheat

41. What Does it Look Like? Meal Time at the Lab New Leaf Program in Tuskegee

42. Physical Activity Suggestions TIPS for leading an activity break: • Make it fun and keep it safe. • Allow each person to move at his or her own pace. • Make sure there is enough space for everyone to move around. • The exercise breaks should last 5-10 minutes and get attendees hearts pumping. • The exercise should not cause pain. • The exercise should not cause people to sweat.

43. What does it look like?

44. ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO BE GOOD ROLE MODELS • You are a role model. • Who is in your world? Coworkers, partners, teachers, coaches, care givers, etc ? • Who influences you and your family – state or local authorities, health providers, church leaders, etc. ?

45. Think Wellness “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” Charles R. Swindoll