I was reading an article in the New York Times recently about how tobacco funds are being taken to fight childhood obesity. It's sad that we have to choose between discouraging smoking and encouraging healthy activities - frankly, they probably should go hand in hand. Healthy living is not just eating right and exercising - it's also not drinking to excess, not smoking and not doing drugs. I'm attaching the link to the article so you can read it if you're interested. But here's the opening paragraph in case, like me, you're really just a headline skimmer!
"When the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation decided in 1991 to take on Joe Camel, it became the nation’s largest private funding source for fighting smoking. The foundation spent $700 million to help knock the cartoon character out of advertisements, finance research and advocacy for higher cigarette taxes and smoke-free air laws and, ultimately, to aid in reducing the nation’s smoking rate almost by half.
But a few years ago, the Johnson foundation, based in Princeton, N.J., added another target to its mission, pledging to spend $500 million in five years to battle childhood obesity. As the antiobesity financing rose to $58 million last year, a new compilation from the foundation shows, the organization’s antismoking grants fell to $4 million."
Here's the link if you'd like to read more! http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/health/policy/28obesity.html?_r=1&hp
Go take a hike!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Fun family exercise
Looking for a fun family exercise for this weekend - check this out: http://www.bikenewyork.org/rides/hvrr/routes.html
There's a variety of bke rides from 20 miles to 100 miles very close to Wilton! Here's what the tour group says about these rides:
For the seventh annual edition of this ride in 2010, we have new routes. You'll still find incredible scenery and quiet roads, and now you'll explore areas not covered in previous years. Check out our comparison chart to see how this ride compares to other Bike New York events in terms of hilliness, and see the Tour Director notes below for more details.
Note About Young Riders: We welcome the participation of families and ask that those with younger cyclists choose either the 20- or 30-mile route. Cyclists 14 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and everyone under 18 years old must have a waiver signed by a parent or guardian.
Sounds fun - check it out!
There's a variety of bke rides from 20 miles to 100 miles very close to Wilton! Here's what the tour group says about these rides:
For the seventh annual edition of this ride in 2010, we have new routes. You'll still find incredible scenery and quiet roads, and now you'll explore areas not covered in previous years. Check out our comparison chart to see how this ride compares to other Bike New York events in terms of hilliness, and see the Tour Director notes below for more details.
Note About Young Riders: We welcome the participation of families and ask that those with younger cyclists choose either the 20- or 30-mile route. Cyclists 14 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and everyone under 18 years old must have a waiver signed by a parent or guardian.
Sounds fun - check it out!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Let's Move
Now that I am involved with the Y on this grant to help prevent childhood obesity I am spending a lot of time researching different websites on getting kids more fit. I was just on Michele Obama's Letsmove.gov website and here are some of her suggestions for community leaders to help kids get fit:
"Neighborhood organizations and faith-based groups are well positioned to initiate and coordinate activities to encourage healthy living and well being. Trusted leaders in communities and congregations can empower families and communities to make better choices to improve the health of our nation’s children."
Help Parents Make Healthy Choices
Parents and community members can model healthy decisions about physical activity and nutrition. But in today’s busy world, healthy choices aren’t always easy. Parents and caregivers need a community of support. Here are some ways faith-based and community organizations can provide that support.
Make Community Meals Healthier: At community or congregational meals or potlucks, provide healthy selections, like fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. People may unknowingly eat larger amounts when presented with larger portions. Reduce portion sizes by eliminating buffet-style meals or simply using smaller plates.
Motivational Groups: Challenge members of your community or congregation to form a motivational group for parents and caregivers who want to learn more about healthier food shopping or improving eating habits.
Community Cookbook: Create a community or congregational cookbook that features healthy, locally grown food. Encourage all members to contribute their favorite healthy recipes or come up with a healthy twist on a classic dish.
Serve Healthy Drinks and Snacks: Switch from sugar-sweetened beverages to 100% juice in education, child care or after-school programs. Replace sugary drinks in vending machine with water, 100% fruit juice or low-fat or fat-free milk. Use the HealthierUS School Challenge Competitive Food Calculator to determine which packaged snack foods are lower in fat, sodium and added sugars.
Help Children get Physical Activity
Children need physical education, safe routes to walk and ride their bikes to school, and access to parks, playgrounds and community centers to get the 60 minutes of active play they need each day. Sports leagues, and dance and fitness programs that are exciting and challenging will keep children engaged. Community organizations can take steps to increase opportunities for kids to be physically active – in school and in their communities – and create opportunities for families to engage in physical activity together.
Ideas to Promote Physical Activity
There are many ways congregations and community organizations can help children get the daily physical activity they need. Here are some ideas to get started:
President’s Active Lifestyle Challenge: Help children take the President’s Active Lifestyle Challenge by hosting the challenge within your organization.
Support Community Sports: Support or start a community sports league, intramural sport, or physical activity club that is accessible to all community members – regardless of skill, ability, or financial resources. This is especially important in locations with few or no school-supported physical activity programs.
Safe Routes to Walk and Bike: Ensure that children have safe routes to walk and bike in your community.
Organize Active Events: Create a physical activity club in your congregation or community center. Organize a walk, dance, or bike-a-thon, 5K, field day, fun run, relay race, or come up with your own active event ideas.
Promote Recreational Facilities: Partner with local community centers and schools to promote the use of recreational facilities, gymnasiums, playing fields, and playgrounds.
Wilton already does a lot of this but it might give us some more ideas to think about.
And finally, another thought to leave you with for this week: "In the next 18 minutes that I take to do this speech, four Americans will be dead from the food that they eat." - Jamie Oliver, Ted Talk presentation Feb. 2010
"Neighborhood organizations and faith-based groups are well positioned to initiate and coordinate activities to encourage healthy living and well being. Trusted leaders in communities and congregations can empower families and communities to make better choices to improve the health of our nation’s children."
Help Parents Make Healthy Choices
Parents and community members can model healthy decisions about physical activity and nutrition. But in today’s busy world, healthy choices aren’t always easy. Parents and caregivers need a community of support. Here are some ways faith-based and community organizations can provide that support.
Make Community Meals Healthier: At community or congregational meals or potlucks, provide healthy selections, like fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. People may unknowingly eat larger amounts when presented with larger portions. Reduce portion sizes by eliminating buffet-style meals or simply using smaller plates.
Motivational Groups: Challenge members of your community or congregation to form a motivational group for parents and caregivers who want to learn more about healthier food shopping or improving eating habits.
Community Cookbook: Create a community or congregational cookbook that features healthy, locally grown food. Encourage all members to contribute their favorite healthy recipes or come up with a healthy twist on a classic dish.
Serve Healthy Drinks and Snacks: Switch from sugar-sweetened beverages to 100% juice in education, child care or after-school programs. Replace sugary drinks in vending machine with water, 100% fruit juice or low-fat or fat-free milk. Use the HealthierUS School Challenge Competitive Food Calculator to determine which packaged snack foods are lower in fat, sodium and added sugars.
Help Children get Physical Activity
Children need physical education, safe routes to walk and ride their bikes to school, and access to parks, playgrounds and community centers to get the 60 minutes of active play they need each day. Sports leagues, and dance and fitness programs that are exciting and challenging will keep children engaged. Community organizations can take steps to increase opportunities for kids to be physically active – in school and in their communities – and create opportunities for families to engage in physical activity together.
Ideas to Promote Physical Activity
There are many ways congregations and community organizations can help children get the daily physical activity they need. Here are some ideas to get started:
President’s Active Lifestyle Challenge: Help children take the President’s Active Lifestyle Challenge by hosting the challenge within your organization.
Support Community Sports: Support or start a community sports league, intramural sport, or physical activity club that is accessible to all community members – regardless of skill, ability, or financial resources. This is especially important in locations with few or no school-supported physical activity programs.
Safe Routes to Walk and Bike: Ensure that children have safe routes to walk and bike in your community.
Organize Active Events: Create a physical activity club in your congregation or community center. Organize a walk, dance, or bike-a-thon, 5K, field day, fun run, relay race, or come up with your own active event ideas.
Promote Recreational Facilities: Partner with local community centers and schools to promote the use of recreational facilities, gymnasiums, playing fields, and playgrounds.
Wilton already does a lot of this but it might give us some more ideas to think about.
And finally, another thought to leave you with for this week: "In the next 18 minutes that I take to do this speech, four Americans will be dead from the food that they eat." - Jamie Oliver, Ted Talk presentation Feb. 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
National Physical Activity Plan and Wilton
I was reading the US National Physical Activity Plan which was released in May of this year to help prod the nation to collaborate with all sorts of partners to encourage everyone to get more active in their life. The plans overall vision is: "one day, all Americans will be physically active, and they will live, work and play in environments that facilitate regular physical activity."
The NPAP is quite extensive and involves all segments of the community to encourage everyone to get physically active (not just kids, which is more the focus of our Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant). I thought I'd share the highlights of the NPAP as I think they are useful for us to consider.
The plan is broken into sectors with general ideas for what the sectors can do.
Non-profits: Non-profit members, volunteers, & constituents advocate for policies that support physical activity choices in communities.
Education: Early childhood facilities & K-12 schools provide comprehensive physical activity programs that offer before, during, & afterschool opportunities for daily physical activity.
Schools report on accountability measures for the quality & quantity of physical education & physical activity programs.
School & community partnerships (e.g. sharing facilities) will expand physical activity choices for youth & families
Healthcare: Physical activity is a patient vital sign at healthcare visits.
Physical inactivity is a treatable/preventable condition.
Health care professionals advocate for improved physical activity choices for their schools & communities.
Public Health: A public health workforce trained to lead policy & practices that support physical activity for states & communities.
Broad partnerships between public health, transportation, recreation, education, business, media, non-profits & more work together to improve physical activity choices for communities.
Transportation and Community Planning: Active modes of travel (walking, biking, transit) & health impacts are part of all transportation & community planning at the national, state, & local level.
Employers receive financial incentives to encourage active travel for employees.
Schools are located in neighbor-hoods where youth & families can walk to school.
Parks, Recreation, Fitness & Sport: Safe, affordable, & accessible physical activity
opportunities are available to all people where they work, learn, live, play, & worship.
Professional, amateur, & college athletics programs increase physical activity opportunities for communities.
Open spaces & recreation areas are protected & maintained throughout the US.
Business & Industry: Opportunities to be physically active are part of the work place.
Employer sponsored physical activity programs are provided to all working Americans.
Media: A branded cause campaign for improved physical activity choices serves as a unifying voice for change at the national, state, & local level.
Some great ideas to consider as we implement our overall plan.
And finally, a little food for thought: "Physical activity declines substantially during adolescence: 70 percent of 12-year-olds participate in vigorous physical activity, yet only 42 percent of 21-year-old men and 30 percent of 21-year-old women do so."
The NPAP is quite extensive and involves all segments of the community to encourage everyone to get physically active (not just kids, which is more the focus of our Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant). I thought I'd share the highlights of the NPAP as I think they are useful for us to consider.
The plan is broken into sectors with general ideas for what the sectors can do.
Non-profits: Non-profit members, volunteers, & constituents advocate for policies that support physical activity choices in communities.
Education: Early childhood facilities & K-12 schools provide comprehensive physical activity programs that offer before, during, & afterschool opportunities for daily physical activity.
Schools report on accountability measures for the quality & quantity of physical education & physical activity programs.
School & community partnerships (e.g. sharing facilities) will expand physical activity choices for youth & families
Healthcare: Physical activity is a patient vital sign at healthcare visits.
Physical inactivity is a treatable/preventable condition.
Health care professionals advocate for improved physical activity choices for their schools & communities.
Public Health: A public health workforce trained to lead policy & practices that support physical activity for states & communities.
Broad partnerships between public health, transportation, recreation, education, business, media, non-profits & more work together to improve physical activity choices for communities.
Transportation and Community Planning: Active modes of travel (walking, biking, transit) & health impacts are part of all transportation & community planning at the national, state, & local level.
Employers receive financial incentives to encourage active travel for employees.
Schools are located in neighbor-hoods where youth & families can walk to school.
Parks, Recreation, Fitness & Sport: Safe, affordable, & accessible physical activity
opportunities are available to all people where they work, learn, live, play, & worship.
Professional, amateur, & college athletics programs increase physical activity opportunities for communities.
Open spaces & recreation areas are protected & maintained throughout the US.
Business & Industry: Opportunities to be physically active are part of the work place.
Employer sponsored physical activity programs are provided to all working Americans.
Media: A branded cause campaign for improved physical activity choices serves as a unifying voice for change at the national, state, & local level.
Some great ideas to consider as we implement our overall plan.
And finally, a little food for thought: "Physical activity declines substantially during adolescence: 70 percent of 12-year-olds participate in vigorous physical activity, yet only 42 percent of 21-year-old men and 30 percent of 21-year-old women do so."
Friday, July 2, 2010
Happy 4th of July!
Boy, give me one week off and I'll take a month! Sorry about that folks but we have some good news that we want to share with you and so I thought I'd tie in a Happy 4th greeting with that good news!
On Monday, Karen and I spent an hour in a conference call with the people at Y-USA. We talked about the plan we submitted back in May which all of you had a hand in helping us form. And I'm pleased to tell you that our plan has received "absolute approval" from the powers that be! We expect that the grant money check will be cut week of July 12th!
Now comes the hard part - now we have to start putting into place all the facets of this plan to help prevent childhood obesity. I know it's summer and lots of folks are on vacation but we'll need to start meeting again soon as subcommittees to determine how best to implement the priorities and policies we have set in the plan.
So, enjoy your 4th of July holiday - get out to your BBQ's and be sure to eat lots of fresh locally-grown veggies, take lots of opportunities to exercise - swim, bike ride, walk, run, play frisbee - and rest up for the work ahead!
Happy 4th!
On Monday, Karen and I spent an hour in a conference call with the people at Y-USA. We talked about the plan we submitted back in May which all of you had a hand in helping us form. And I'm pleased to tell you that our plan has received "absolute approval" from the powers that be! We expect that the grant money check will be cut week of July 12th!
Now comes the hard part - now we have to start putting into place all the facets of this plan to help prevent childhood obesity. I know it's summer and lots of folks are on vacation but we'll need to start meeting again soon as subcommittees to determine how best to implement the priorities and policies we have set in the plan.
So, enjoy your 4th of July holiday - get out to your BBQ's and be sure to eat lots of fresh locally-grown veggies, take lots of opportunities to exercise - swim, bike ride, walk, run, play frisbee - and rest up for the work ahead!
Happy 4th!
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