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Healthy at 40 Series

NOTE: The Lunch Bunch has been discontinued, effective November 16, 2007.

What is BPCC Healthy at 40 | Healthy Workshop Series | BPCC Lunch Bunch | Healthy Websites

What is BPCC Healthy at 40
The Library’s community service project for 2007-2008 is BPCC, Healthy at 40. Our goal is to encourage and promote healthy lifestyles that include eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, avoiding risky behaviors, and minimizing stress. To accomplish this goal, we are organizing different activities throughout the academic year utilizing the talent and expertise of BPCC faculty and staff to celebrate healthy lifestyles.

Healthy Workshop Series
BPCC, Healthy at 40 will also include a series of lectures organized by the Library featuring BPCC faculty presenters that will address creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. These presentations will be open for all faculty, staff and students. One hour of professional growth is available to faculty and staff who attend. The tentative schedule is as follows:

Tips on Eating Healthy by Barbara James
Tuesday, September 18,  at 12:30.

Flexibility & Fitness After 40 by Laura Bryant
Thursday, October 25 at 12:30

My job's a pain in the neck:
Preventing and managing neck and back pain associated with "desk jobs" by Kim Cox
Thursday, November 1 at 12:30 p.m.
B-236

My cholesterol is what? Interpreting medical lab results by Pam Tully
Thursday, November 8 at 1:00 p.m.
B-150

Fat Facts by Paula Rhoades
January 24, 2008 at 12:30 p.m.

Yoga for Relaxation by Barbara James
February 19, 2008 at 12:30 p.m.

Analyzing Your Medicine Cabinet by Terri Mundy
March 25, 2008 at 12:30 p.m.

BPCC Lunch Bunch

The BPCC, Healthy at 40 began with the BPCC Lunch Bunch. The Library is hosting get togethers every Monday at 11:30 AM in the Library to discuss nutrition and other topics that encourage healthy habits. These informal gatherings are a place where we can discuss current health trends while eating our lunch.

September 10, 2007- Squeezing in Exercise into our Daily Lives
Below are a few tips from the get together for adding some daily activity:

  • Mid-Morning Break Take a 10 minute walk with a co-worker.
  • Multi-task in the Mid-Afternoon Walk for 5 minutes while making a to-do list.
  • Six o'clock Stretch Take a 10 minute stroll in your neighborhood after dinner.
  • Commercial Break Do jumping jacks, the stairs or march in place during commercials for total of 5 minutes.

September 17, 2007- Water and Weight Control
Drinking plenty of water is one of the easiest things you can do for your health. Water helps to:

  • Decrease your appetite
  • Maintain your energy level
  • Help Fluid Retention
  • Water Dos and Don'ts:
    • Do Set a Water Goal
    • Do Make Water the First Beverage of your Day.
    • Don't Count Caffeinated Beverages or Alcohol as Water Intake.
    • Don't Wait Until Bedtime to Drink your Water

September 24, 2007 – Tone at Home
Find what feelings and goals can motivate you to tone at home. You can exercise to lose weight, to stretch or just to tone. The idea is to try to make your fitness program fun. Remember a little movement is better that none.

Results of:

  • Stretching exercises will keep you flexible, relaxed and can help you prevent injuries.
  • Toning exercises build strong active muscles and increase your metabolism for strength and can burn more calories for energy.

TIPS:

  • Take the stairs whenever you can
  • Park far away from the door (except at night)
  • When running errands take the long way

AT Home:

  1. Leg stretches: Fold clothes or do chores on the floor. Sit on the floor, with your legs spread wide apart, reach to the left, right, then center.
  2. Push up or stretches: While you washing dishes or cooking, place palms of your hand on the sink counter, make sure you have a good grip and are well balanced. Do five pushes, then five stretches.
  3. Watching TV: Sit in sturdy chair, hold sides of chair, hold in abdomen, lift legs straight out or curve knees to chest, hold for the count of five, relax then repeat.
  4. Arm Curls: Hold your arms out, palms up, fist clinched, try to pretend you are pulling something toward you with your arms. You are putting force on your own arms as if you are using a machine in the gym. This type of force will need resistance.

URL: http://youngwomenshealth.org Will open new browser window or tab

October 1, 2007 - Portion Control

Is one portion of food the same as one serving? Rarely.

  • A serving is a standardized amount of food with specific calorie and nutrient content. Servings usually are defined by common measurements such as cups, ounces or pieces.
  • A portion is the amount of food you choose to eat and is often greater than one serving size.

Understanding this distinction can help you learn how to eat the right amount of food.

Visual Cues for Food Measurement As Recommended by the American Dietetic Association:

  • Medium potato = size of a computer mouse
  • Average bagel = size of a small hockey puck
  • 1 cup fruit = size of a tennis ball
  • 1 cup lettuce leaves = four leaves
  • 3 ounces grilled fish or chicken breast = size of a deck of cards
  • 1 ounce cheese = size of four dice
  • 1 teaspoon peanut butter = size of a large grape
  • 1 ounce pretzels = a large handful

Eating out

  • Portion sizes at restaurants are usually double or triple what a person would normally eat.
  • Order a smaller portion (often called ‘half sizes') to eliminate the temptation to overeat.
  • Separate a third to a half of the meal for take home for a delicious lunch or dinner the next day.
  • Share meals.

MyPyramid Plan: Want to know the amount of each food group you need daily? Enter your information below to receive a customized food guide:
http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx Will open new browser window or tab

MayoClinic.Com: Lose weight with proper portion control. Understanding serving sizes is the KEY to losing weight.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/portion-control/WT00017 Will open new browser window or tab

October 8, 2007 - Preventing and Managing Stress

  • What is stress? Stress is a physical & emotional response to changes in life (i.e. new job, moving, marriage).
  • Positive stress, often called “acute stress”, is temporary and functions as a motivator.
  • Negative stress is chronic stress and can lead to health risks such as ulcers.
  • Stress symptoms include headaches, fatigue, insomnia, heartburn, irritability, and lack of concentration.
  • Methods to prevent and manage stress:

    Prioritize — Forget multitasking!
    Realize your limitations – Learn to say NO.
    Exercise - Aim for at least 30 minutes daily.
    Think positively—Give your problems some perspective.
    Relax —Try deep breathing, clearing your mind or stretching.
    Ask for help — Others might have a solution for you.

Manage your stress before it manages you!

October 15, 2007 - 10 Essential Health Tips (The Basics to Practice Every Day)

  1. Move More
    Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body. Climb stairs if given a choice between that and escalators or elevators. Walk your dog; chase your kids; toss balls with friends, mow the lawn. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it's a stress buster. Think 'move' in small increments of time. It doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute aerobic dance class or tai chi or kickboxing. But that's great when you're up to it. Meanwhile, move more. Thought for the day: Cha, Cha, Cha…. Then do it!
  2. Cut Fat
    Avoid the obvious such as fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats (i.e. pork, bacon, ham, salami, ribs and sausage). Dairy products such as cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream should be eaten in low fat versions. Nuts and sandwich meats, mayonnaise, margarine, butter and sauces should be eaten in limited amounts. Most are available in lower fat versions such as substitute butter, fat free cheeses and mayonnaise. Thought for the day: Lean, mean, fat-burning machine…. Then be one!
  3. Quit Smoking
    The jury is definitely in on this verdict. Ever since 1960 when the Surgeon General announced that smoking was harmful to your health, Americans have been reducing their use of tobacco products that kill. Just recently, we've seen a surge in smoking in adolescents and teens. Could it be the Hollywood influence? It seems the stars in every movie of late smoke cigarettes. Beware. Warn your children of the false romance or 'tough guy' stance of Hollywood smokers. Thought for the day: Give up just one cigarette…. the next one.
  4. Reduce Stress
    Easier said than done, stress busters come in many forms. Some techniques recommended by experts are to think positive thoughts. Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like. (i.e.,Soak in a hot tub; walk on the beach or in a park; read a good book; visit a friend; play with your dog; listen to soothing music; watch a funny movie. Get a massage, a facial or a haircut. Meditate. Count to ten before losing your temper or getting aggravated. Avoid difficult people when possible. Thought for the day: When seeing red, think pink clouds….then float on them.
  5. Protect Yourself from Pollution
    If you can't live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms, high traffic areas, breathing in highway fumes and exercising near busy thoroughfares. Exercise outside when the smog rating is low. Exercise indoors in air conditioning when air quality is good. Plant lots of shrubbery in your yard. It's a good pollution and dirt from the street deterrent. Thought for the day: 'Smoke gets in your eyes'…and your mouth, and your nose and your lungs as do pollutants….hum the tune daily.
  6. Wear Your Seat Belt
    Statistics show that seat belts add to longevity and help alleviate potential injuries in car crashes. Thought for the day: Buckle down and buckle up.
  7. Floss Your Teeth
    Recent studies make a direct connection between longevity and teeth flossing. Nobody knows exactly why. Perhaps it's because people who floss tend to be more health conscious than people who don't? Thought for the day: Floss and be your body's boss.
  8. Avoid Excessive Drinking
    While recent studies show a glass of wine or one drink a day (two for men) can help protect against heart disease, more than that can cause other health problems such as liver and kidney disease and cancer. Thought for the day: A jug of wine should last a long time.
  9. Keep a Positive Mental Outlook
    There's a definitive connection between living well and healthfully and having a cheerful outlook on life. Thought for the day: You can't be unhappy when you're smiling or singing.
  10. Choose Your Parents Well
    The link between genetics and health is a powerful one. But just because one or both of your parents died young in ill health doesn't mean you cannot counteract the genetic pool handed you. Thought for the day: Follow these basic tips for healthy living and you can better control your own destiny.

http://www.health-fitness-tips.com/features/10-essential-health-tips.htmWill open new browser window or tab

October 22, 2007 - Vitamin Facts

Should You Take Vitamins?

One thing that researchers have agreed upon is that if you are not getting your proper amount of serving from the four basic food groups, you should be taking some type of multivitamin.

Web Resources

Ahealthyme.com: Do You Know Your Vitamin ABCs?
Whether you pop them in pills or munch them in meats and veggies, vitamins are essential for a healthy body. But what does this alphabet of nutrients really do? To find out, take this quiz.
http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/vitquizWill open new browser window or tab

Womentodaymagazine.com: How to Choose the Right Vitamins and Supplements for You
http://womentodaymagazine.com/fitnesshealth/vitamins.htmlWill open new browser window or tab

Wegmans.com: Multiple Choice: Find the Right Vitamins for You
http://www.wegmans.com/eatWellLiveWell/healthyEating/083004a.aspWill open new browser window or tab

Nationalsupplementcenter.com: Vitamins for 40+
http://www.nationalsupplementcenter.com/age-gender-seniors-vitamins.htmlWill open new browser window or tab

October 29, 2007 - Enjoy Losing Weight

Wouldn’t it be ideal to eat and enjoy it, always feeling satisfied and not deprived, always looking forward to meals and most important, and always maintaining a comfortable body weight? When eating in accordance the principles of Fit for life three crucially important objectives are achieved: (1) The eating experience remains a joyous one—you eat truly scrumptious food and do not have to follow any dogmatic, hard-to-live with regimen. (2) A minimum of toxic food residue is generated in the system. (3) Existing toxic waste is continuously expelled from the body. The principles are wonderfully easy to incorporate and almost immediately verify their effectiveness. One reason they work so well is that they are right in line with your natural body cycles.

In terms of the body’s utilization of food, there are three distinct, approximately eight-hour cycles every twenty-four- hours: (1)Appropriation cycle: 12:00 noon to 8:00 p. m. (eating and digestion) (2)Assimilation cycle 8:00 p. m. to 4 a.m. (absorption and use) (3) Elimination cycle: 4:00 a. m. to 12:00 noon (of body wastes and food debris)

The water found in all fruits and vegetables has a unique quality. Unlike plain drinking water, the water in fruits and vegetables fulfill a two-part role that is of incalculable importance. (1) It is a transport medium for nutrients. (2)This same water after dropping off the nutrients picks up waste matter and flushes it from the body. The correct consumption of fruit: Fruit should be eaten alone on an empty stomach, not with anything or immediately following anything. Fruit has a totally unique quality with respect to its digestion. It is the only food on earth that requires no digestion in the stomach. Fruit contains its own digestive enzymes and, when ripe, is virtually predigested, requiring only about twenty to thirty minutes in the stomach.

The reason you are tired after eating is because the digestion of conventional food takes such a tremendous amount of energy to accomplish. In fact, it takes more energy than anything else you can do. Food is to remain there approximately three hours for digestion. Proper food combining is a means of ensuring that the food you eat does not stay in the stomach any longer than it should. Proteins and starches cannot digest efficiently in the stomach at the same time. Proteins, dairy products, and nuts demand a digestive juice that is acidic in it nature. Starches and cereals demand a digestive juice that is alkaline in its nature. An acid and an alkali in combination will neutralize each other. Therefore the digestive system in sent into overload try to digest food without working digestive juices available to do the job. Please read the book Fit for Life!!

Healthy Websites

Food network
http://www.foodnetwork.comWill open new browser window or tab
Search Healthy Appetite Ellie Krieger & Quick Fix Meals Robin Miller

Cooking Light
http://www.cookinglight.com/cookingWill open new browser window or tab

Health
http://www.healthy.comWill open new browser window or tab