Next get them involved and make them part of the cooking routine. There are so many ideas on how you can get young children into the kitchen. Have them help with washing vegetables, shucking corn, peeling bananas, measuring ingredients, or setting the table. Mealtime is a precious time that needs to be a shared family time – make them part of the process and they’ll be much more likely to try the foods they “helped” to prepare. For more ideas on getting your kids cooking, check out this article entitled, Cooking with Kids – Preparing & Sharing Food.

• 1 in 6 currently smoke cigarettes
• Nearly 2 in 3 are overweight or obese
• Nearly 1 in 3 do not meet recommended guidelines for physical activity
• Less than 1 in 4 consume 5+ servings of fruits and vegetables per day

For more information, a series of fact sheets that summarize the most current data on these important health behavior risk factors can be found at: http://www.hhs.state.ne.us/brfss/Facts.htm. 

Even if you feel out of shape, you can find an outdoor activity that will work for you. Here are some tips to get you started.

THE BASICS:

• Do aerobic activities, like walking fast or biking, to help control your blood pressure and weight. Aim for 2 hours and 30 minutes of aerobic activity each week.
• Try strengthening activities like sit-ups or heavy gardening to build your bones and muscles.

TAKE ACTION:

• Start small. Try walking fast for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Then add more physical activity to your day.
• Choose an activity you enjoy. Go for a hike or plan a family bike ride.

Visit the Guide to Understanding Physical Activity to get more ideas on adding physical activity to your life.

Most of the more than 2 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer diagnosed yearly in the United States are considered to be sun-related. Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, will account for about 68,720 new cases of skin cancer in 2009.

How can you protect yourself? According to the American Cancer Society you should follow these steps to help protect yourself from the effects of the sun:

• Cover Up - When you are out in the sun, wear clothing to protect as much skin as possible. Long-sleeved shirts, long pants, or long skirts cover the most skin and are the most protective. The ideal sun-protective fabrics are lightweight, comfortable, and protect against exposure even when wet.
• Use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher-A sunscreen is a product that you apply to your skin for some protection against the sun's UV rays. It is important to remember that sunscreen does not give you total protection. When using an SPF 15 and applying it correctly, you get the equivalent of 1 minute of UVB rays for each 15 minutes you spend in the sun. So, 1 hour in the sun wearing SPF 15 sunscreen is the same as spending 4 minutes totally unprotected.
• Wear a hat - A hat with at least a 2- to 3-inch brim all around is ideal because it protects areas often exposed to the sun, such as the neck, ears, eyes, forehead, nose, and scalp.
• Wear sunglasses that block UV rays - The ideal sunglasses do not have to be expensive, but they should block 99% to 100% of UVA and UVB radiation. Check the label to be sure they do.
• Limit direct sun exposure during midday - UV rays are most intense during the middle of the day, usually between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm. If you are unsure about the sun's intensity, take the shadow test: If your shadow is shorter than you, the sun's rays are the strongest.
• Avoid tanning beds and sunlamps - Tanning lamps give out UVA and frequently UVB rays as well. Both UVA and UVB rays can cause serious long-term skin damage, and both contribute to skin cancer.

Some people think about sun protection only when they spend a day at the lake, beach, or pool. When it comes to sun protection, the American Cancer Society says we should think about the following catch phrase everyday - "Slip! Slop! Slap! and Wrap." Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat, and wrap on sunglasses to protect the eyes and sensitive skin around them from ultraviolet light.

Have a fun and safe summer!

• Getting at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of both each week.
• Eating a nutritious diet.
• Visiting a health care professional to receive regular checkups and preventive screenings.
• Avoiding risky behaviors, such as smoking and not wearing a seatbelt.
• Paying attention to mental health, including getting enough sleep and managing stress.

There are several ways to participate in this week:

• Contact your current doctor or nurse to schedule checkups and screening services.
• During your checkups, discuss with your health care professional which of the tests are right for you.
• Use this interactive tool to learn what screenings and immunizations you need and at what age.
• Take the Checkup Day pledge to schedule at least one of the preventive health screenings during May 2010.

So celebrate this week by taking the important steps to empower yourself and invest in your health! It’s just like what my mom used to say, “If mama isn’t happy, then nobody’s happy!” Make yourself a top priority and take care of you!

Children do better in school when they eat more meals with their parents and family. Teenagers who eat dinner four or more times per week with their families have higher academic performance compared with teenagers who eat with their families two or fewer times per week.

It is time to bring the "family" back to the dinner table. Sharing dinner together gives everyone a sense of identity. It can help ease day-to-day conflicts, as well as establish traditions and memories that can last a lifetime.

Source: www.sparkpeople.com

Are you wondering what screenings you need to have done? Check out this cool tool called “myhealthfinder” that provides personalized recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce based on age and sex. Just enter in your age and gender and click “Get Started.”

Also, in addition to having medical screenings to look for early disease, it’s also important to take a Health Risk Assessment to see how to make changes early before disease occurs. Go ahead and take this short, 13 question Health Risk Assessment that is included as part of the BlueHealth Advantage website.

Have fun…use the myhealthfinder, take the health risk assessment, and call and make your appointment with your doctor today!

Obesity is determined by percentage of body fat and weight, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Having a large percentage of body fat, regardless of how much you weigh, is unhealthy. You could be of normal weight or underweight and still have an unhealthy amount of body fat. Being overweight means that you have a heavy weight, but not necessarily too much body fat. For example, people who are muscular weigh more than those who are not; their extra weight comes from muscle, not body fat.

One measurement to find out whether you are at a healthy weight involves determining your body mass index, or BMI. To calculate your BMI, go to the BMI Calculator and enter in your information

• A BMI of 18.4 or below: Underweight
• A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9: Normal
• A BMI of 25 to 29.9: Overweight
• A BMI of 30 or greater: Obese

For people who are considered obese or those who are overweight and have two or more risk factors, the NHLBI guidelines recommend losing weight.

Although BMI is a reliable indicator of total body fat, it does have some limits. It may overestimate body fat in athletes and others with a muscular build. It may underestimate body fat in older adults and in others who have lost muscle mass.

Again, for the best determination of whether you're at a healthy weight, talk to your health care provider.

Check out this great interactive site from American Specialty Health that can help when choosing foods this holiday season.  It’s a fun…give it a try!  www.ashcompanies.com/eCard/

Happy Holidays!

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Nutrition Facts information is printed on most packaged foods. It tells you how many calories and how much fat, carbohydrate, sodium, and other nutrients are available in one serving of food. Most packaged foods contain more than a single serving. The serving sizes that appear on food labels are based on FDA-established lists of foods. (For more information, see www.cfsan.fda.gov.)

Need another reason to add "Quit Smoking" to your New Year's resolutions list? How about the fact that even if you choose to smoke outside of your home or only smoke in your home when your children are not there – thinking that you're keeping them away from second-hand smoke – you're still exposing them to toxins? In the January issue of Pediatrics, researchers at MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC) and colleagues across the country describe how tobacco smoke contamination lingers even after a cigarette is extinguished – a phenomenon they define as "third-hand" smoke.

Their study is the first to examine adult attitudes about the health risks to children of third-hand smoke and how those beliefs may relate to rules about smoking in their homes.

"When you smoke – anyplace – toxic particulate matter from tobacco smoke gets into your hair and clothing," says lead study author, Jonathan Winickoff, MD, MPH, assistant director of the MGHfC Center for Child and Adolescent Health Policy. "When you come into contact with your baby, even if you're not smoking at the time, she comes in contact with those toxins. And if you breastfeed, the toxins will transfer to your baby in your breast milk." Winickoff notes that nursing a baby if you're a smoker is still preferable to bottle-feeding, however.

Particulate matter from tobacco smoke has been proven toxic. According to the National Toxicology Program, these 250 poisonous gases, chemicals, and metals include hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, butane, ammonia, toluene (found in paint thinners), arsenic, lead, chromium (used to make steel), cadmium (used to make batteries), and polonium-210 (highly radioactive carcinogen). Eleven of the compounds are classified as Group 1 carcinogens, the most dangerous.

Small children are especially susceptible to third-hand smoke exposure because they can inhale near, crawl and play on, or touch and mouth contaminated surfaces. Third-hand smoke can remain indoors even long after the smoking has stopped. Similar to low-level lead exposure, low levels of tobacco particulates have been associated with cognitive deficits among children and the higher the exposure level, the lower the reading score. These findings underscore the possibility that even extremely low levels of these compounds may be neurotoxic and, according to the researchers justify restricting all smoking in indoor areas inhabited by children.

"The dangers of third-hand smoke are very real," says Winickoff, who is a professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Richmond Center. "Our goal was to find out if people who were aware of these harmful effects were less likely to smoke inside of their home."

Winickoff's team found that this was the case. In a survey of more than 1,500 households, 95.4 percent of nonsmokers versus 84.1 percent of smokers agreed that second-hand smoke harms the health of children, and 65.2 percent of nonsmokers versus 43.3 percent of smokers believed that third-hand smoke harms children. Strict rules prohibiting smoke in the home were more prevalent among nonsmokers – 88.4 percent versus 26.7 percent – but among both smokers and non-smokers, participants who agreed that environmental smoke was harmful to children's health were more likely to have restrictions on smoking in their homes.

Winickoff's study shows that increasing awareness of how third-hand smoke harms the health of children may encourage home smoking bans. It also will be important to incorporate knowledge about third-hand smoke contamination into current tobacco control campaigns, programs, and routine clinical practice.

Co-authors of the Pediatrics article are Joan Friebely, EdD, and Cheryl Sherrod, MGHfC Center for Child and Adolescent Health Policy; Susanne Tanski, MD, Dartmouth Medical School; Georg Matt, PhD, and Melbourne Hovel, PhD, MPH, San Diego State University; and Robert McMillen, PhD, Mississippi State University. Support for the study includes grants from the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute and the National Cancer Institute.

Source: Massachusetts General Hospital (2008, December 31). Third-hand Smoke: Another Reason To Quit Smoking. ScienceDaily.

If you want to have a snack before bedtime, think first about how many calories you have eaten that day. And try to avoid snacking in front of the TV at night—it may be easier to overeat when you are distracted by the television.

For more information and resources on weight control, visit the BlueHealth Advantage Health Library.

1) By permanently reducing caloric consumption in US adults by 100 calories per day:

• 71.2 million cases of overweight/obesity would be eliminated

• We would save about $58 billion annually in medical costs

• Productivity would increase by about $45.7 billion annually

So how can you reduce your calorie intake by 100 calories? Do you drink non diet soft drinks? One 16 ounce can contains at least 250 calories. For more ideas on how to reduce your diet by 100 calories go to 100 Ways to Cut 100 Calories and read the brochure titled “Portion Your Platter.”

2)By permanently reducing sodium intake by 400 milligrams per day among those with uncontrolled hypertension:

• 1.5 million cases of hypertension would be eliminated

• We would save $2.3 billion annually in medical costs

• Productivity would increase by about $2.5 billion annually

For more information about how to reduce your sodium intake go to the following National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes Web site:http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/sodium/sodium.htm. Also read more about how you can control your blood pressure in the Blood Pressure Guide.

3) By permanently reducing saturated fat intake by 5 grams per day among those with elevated cholesterol:

• 3.9 million cases would be eliminated

• We would save $2.0 billion annually in medical costs

For more information on how to manage cholesterol check out Managing Cholesterol.

• One medium-size fruit
• 1/2 cup raw, cooked, frozen or canned fruits (in 100% juice) or vegetables
• 3/4 cup (6 oz.) 100% fruit or vegetable juice
• 1/2 cup cooked, canned or frozen legumes (beans and peas)
• 1 cup raw, leafy vegetables
• 1/4 cup dried fruit

To get started, break out those measuring cups.  Measure your servings; take a good look at how they look on your plate, in your cup or in your bowl. Keep practicing and before long can throw out those measuring cups and no longer be suffer from portion distortion.  Take care!

That’s right. Your first step to losing weight—eating breakfast!  But it’s not as simple as popping any convenience food in your mouth.  Eating refined carbohydrates such as sugary cereals, toasted white bread, waffles or bagels can actually begin an overeating cycle.  Instead, choose complex carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Such as, whole wheat toast with peanut butter and a banana, or a bowl of high-fiber cereal with low-fat milk and strawberries.

A study conducted by researchers from the University of Texas, determined that the more food people ate in the morning, the fewer calories they consumed the entire day. Those who skipped breakfast would snack before lunch on usually high-calorie, unhealthy foods.  So feed yourself a healthy breakfast and start your day off right! 

Can the Wii and other whole body movement video games improve fitness levels? It’s too early to tell, but in concept it certainly makes sense. Studies have shown that less than one fourth of Americans get at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days a week. Now – if we create games that are fun to play and involve whole body movement – we just may have something that begins to improve our sedentary lifestyles by engaging people in activities they love. As long as you aren’t replacing your regular fitness activities with Wii games, the additional activity should help meet fitness goals. As of now, the Wii doesn’t do much to spoon feed you fruits and veggies, so you are still on your own to get the recommended five servings a day.

A researcher at Mississippi State University, Scott Owens, recently began a six month study to assess the fitness improving ability of the Wii. He will be monitoring eight families to see if the Wii can improve overall family fitness. As we know more about the results, we will keep you updated in our BlueHealth Advantage blog. By the way… if I look tired today it was because I was up late snowboarding in a virtual half pipe. Guess this isn’t doing much for my sleep hygiene…. I’ll work on that! Until then…. Be well!