A Valueable Experience

My internship with re:TH!NK has been educational, fun, and an overall rewarding experience.  Starting in January, I took on the role as the Active Schools Coordinator.  Through trying new things and having guidance from Emily and the Active Schools workgroup, I successfully planned and implemented the Active Recess, Active Classrooms, and Active Release projects.

The Active Recess project provided students with the opportunity to participate in activities led by community volunteers who have a passion for physical activity.  Connections and partnerships were made and our dedicated volunteers have been awesome!  It was rewarding to see the impact we can have on the children in our community.
The Active Classrooms project involved creating and distributing toolkits and binders for teachers to include in their class plans.  The binders contain “brain breaks” and activities for kids to participate in during class.  This increase in physical activity helps to improve memory and learning in kids and I was glad to help expand the project this spring.The Active Release program was a new recreational use agreement I helped to create with Emily, the YMCA, and Recreation Department.  We piloted the project at Tipler Middle School on their early release days.  We had a great turn out and will hopefully continue the project into the future!

I am glad I was part of the re:TH!NK team this semester.  The skills and professional development I have gained from it are irreplaceable.  As you all may or may not know I am finishing my “capstone” internship  near San Diego at EZIA Human Performance this  summer.  I am thankful for the opportunity I was provided here and will be using the things I have learned here in my future endeavors.  Thank you all for the help you have provided.  It has been fun and an awesome learning experience!

April Snow Showers Bring May…Flowers?

With winter sticking around longer than usual in Wisconsin it’s hard to see past the snow, rain, and ice.  On the sunny side, spring is around the corner, bringing an abundance of opportunities to be active outdoors.  Physical activity is an important aspect of being healthy and the next few months will be the ideal time to get out and enjoy some fresh air.

Exercise improves the body’s ability to be active throughout the lifespan by working the heart, lungs, and muscles.  Exercise is also a stress reliever, providing a sense of wellbeing and lifting your mood.  With the added benefit of sunshine and warmer temperatures, it’s time to head outside to continue a healthy lifestyle.  Take a walk or go hiking, start cleaning the yard, and begin preparing the garden for another season of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Being active outdoors will help improve overall health and wellbeing, so get some fresh air today and start enjoying the warmer temperatures that are finally on their way!

For more ideas and to learn about the added benefits of outdoor activities read this article:
http://www.steadyhealth.com/articles/Spring_Activities__Outdoor_Recreation_for_Children_and_Adults_a1292.html

Chronic Disease and Million Hearts™

FACT 1: The leading cause of death in the United States is heart disease followed by stroke, the fourth leading cause of death.
FACT 2: Chronic diseases such as heart disease and stroke can be prevented which is exactly what Million Hearts™ is promoting.  By 2017 this national initiative launched by the Department of Health and Human Services is striving to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes.
re:TH!NK your choices:  Effects of unhealthy lifestyle choices are evidenced by increasing disease rates in the United States.  The problem with unhealthy choices is that overtime continuous unhealthy choices add up and eventually lead to chronic diseases like heart disease and stroke.  re:TH!NK promotes opportunities to be active, eat smarter and lead drug free lives, however, the ultimate goal can sometimes be overlooked.  Healthy choices will lead to weight loss and decrease hypertension, cholesterol, and stress which are all risk factors for developing a chronic disease. Living with a chronic disease not only decreases an individual’s quality of life but also costs tons of money in health care costs.  Controlling risk factors through healthy lifestyle choices and creating healthier environments to make those choices are the key to chronic disease prevention—re:TH!NK’s ultimate goal. 

National Nutrition Month is Almost Here

As February is sliding into a halt, March brings new things to the table including National Nutrition Month®, a campaign for nutritional education and information.  National Nutrition Month® was created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to promote healthy, well informed food choices and active lifestyles.   This year’s campaign is inspiring individuals to “Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day”.

Approaching food choices in a healthy way is important for the body and mind.  Food provides the fuel energizing physical actions and thought processes occurring nonstop throughout daily activities.  As we move around our bodies are constantly undergoing processes to breakdown the foods we eat into useable energy to fuel our muscles and brains.

Eating healthy is something I find important but I also find value in the foods I like to eat.  Being aware of what you’re taking in is an important step to making healthier food choices.  To me, eating right “my way, everyday” means making sure what I choose is a balance of healthy carbohydrates, fats, and protein while moderating my intake of less healthy choices such as pizza and chocolate.  To compensate for the additional calories I consume, engaging in an active lifestyle allows me to enjoy the foods I like without restricting my choices.  I exercise daily including aerobic exercise such as walking uphill or biking but my true passion is weightlifting to keep my body strong. To me, living actively extends beyond gym time through taking the stairs, parking further away than usual, and taking stretching breaks throughout the day to relax the body and mind.

For each person eating healthy and living actively means different things and can be approached from many different angles.  I challenge you to think critically and determine what your thoughts are on “eating right, your way, every day” and then follow up with this link to get some tips and ideas for improving your healthy food choices: http://www.eatright.org/nnm/handoutsandtipsheets/ 

Goal Setting for Success

Hello everyone, I am Brittany, a Kinesiology student at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh currently interning with re:TH!NK.  You will be seeing bi-weekly blogging updates from me for the next few months while I continue on through my journey here at the Winnebago County Public Health Department! 

Where are you with your new year’s resolution?  We all create personal goals of eating healthier, making more trips to the gym, or losing those last 10 pounds.  Maybe your plan of eating more fruits and vegetables and taking the stairs more often didn't happen how you envisioned it.  Regardless of the outcome, the intention behind these goals is the pursuit of happiness and having a healthier, stronger body to carry you into the future beyond the year of 2013.

How can you stay on track to actually achieve your resolution?  Does it feel like you somehow get sidetracked the moment you think about changing your lifestyle? To have success when trying to achieve a goal, Livestrong.com states, you must have a clear idea of what your objective is, create realistic goals, track your progress, and re-evaluate how you are doing. 

To successfully achieve your resolution the focus should be on setting SMART goals.  SMART goals are: specific, measureable, achievable, realistic, and time based.  Make sure your goals are clear and that you can measure them.  Setting goals that are realistic with a deadline will make them achievable.  You can do this by setting one or more short term goals amounting to a long term goal.  Write it out in a journal or notebook and reflect on how great it felt to participate in a group fitness class or the amount of energy you have from eating healthier.  Writing down your goals and then reflecting on them will assist you to achieve your new year’s resolution by creating long lasting lifestyle behavior changes!

Want to read more? Check out these articles:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/313537-goal-setting-list/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/147793-behavior-changes-goal-setting/