Healthy Habits

Healthy Habits Optimal health meeting will be held on the second of the month, Tuesdays, Dec. 13, through June 12, at Ramada Plaza Hotel, 1718 Underpass Way, Halfway. Learn healthy habits to lose weight. Meetings are free. For more information, contact Kristine Snavely at 240-291-0586 or ksnavely@myactv.net .

MONT ALTO, PA. - Penn State Mont Alto gave area children a healthy dose of education and exercise Saturday during its second annual Pediatric Health Fair. Hosted by the nursing, physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT) and forestry departments of the university, the fair used games, mazes and more to show children and parents unique ways to live healthy and active lives. Dr. Linda Carl, nursing instructor and faculty sponsor for the event, said everyone learns at the fair.

kevinc@herald-mail.com A year ago, Brian White met with 30 men and women who were on the cusp of retirement. He talked to them about fitness and remaining active. Many questioned the need to keep fit. White, a health fitness instructor at City Hospital's Wellness Center in Martinsburg, W.Va., asked if they intended to slip into a sedentary lifestyle once life in the workaday world ended. Of the 30, one took up a fitness routine and stuck with it. The exchange represents yet another salvo in the ongoing war between fitness and obesity.

Eating a variety of foods is recommended for health, but trying to overhaul family's eating habits can be a challenge. You will be most successful if you aim for gradual changes, rather than making an issue of food. Strive to plan and provide regular meals and snacks. Involve the whole family in healthful habits at snack and mealtime.  At snack and mealtime, limit low-nutrient foods, such as chips or cookies, because these foods have little nutrition and are high in calories, sugar and fat. Replace them with a variety of fruits and vegetables as a part of snacks or meals each day. By keeping healthful foods on hand, it will be easier to offer your child healthful options.

Stress management experts agree that employees and employers both can take steps to reduce stress in the workplace. Some of their suggestions are: For Employees Schedule three small "pleasures" into each work day. For instance, schedule lunch with a friend, listen to a favorite tape on the way into work or bring fresh flowers to the office. Spend leisure time engaged in hobbies or activities that differ from what you have to do at work every day. For instance, if you have a sedentary job do something physical in your free time.

By DAVE McMILLION Staff Writer, Martinsburg MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Some companies starting wellness programs have come up with novel ways to encourage employees to live healthy lifestyles, such as bonuses to those who quit smoking. But an expert in the field warns that the material rewards may only be effective for a short time. Workers should find an "internal reward" for following a healthy lifestyle, said Michael Todt, director of Sharpe Hospital, a mental hospital in Weston, W.Va.

Eating a variety of foods is recommended for health. But trying to overhaul your own or your family's eating habits can be a challenge. Food likes, dislikes and eating habits might date back to a person's childhood. If daddy didn't like peas, chances are little Seth grew up not liking peas, too. The good news is that it's never too late to start eating a greater variety of foods that contribute to health. You will be most successful if you aim for gradual changes, rather than making an issue of food.

Humans are creatures of habit. We develop routines, standard ways of living our lives, and then we stick to them for many years. With the role routine plays in life, it is important to create healthy routines, which is easier than you might think. Regular routines, for eating and activity, are especially important for young children. Kids thrive on a healthy routine of meals, snacks and active play. Establishing early, healthy patterns is a simple way to prevent eating and weight problems later in life.

laurae@herald-mail.com When Philadelphia, home of the cheese steak, was named the fattest city in the country two years ago, Mayor John Street put residents on a diet. Street appointed a health and fitness czar and challenged residents to lose weight through the "76 Tons of Fun" program and the city's health improved. Taking a cue from the city of brotherly love handles, Washington County kicked off its Wellness Challenge 2002 on Saturday. About 40 people have signed up so far for the program, which helps people set goals for physical activity, nutrition and stress management.

Eating a variety of foods is recommended for health, but trying to overhaul family's eating habits can be a challenge. You will be most successful if you aim for gradual changes, rather than making an issue of food. Strive to plan and provide regular meals and snacks. Involve the whole family in healthful habits at snack and mealtime.  At snack and mealtime, limit low-nutrient foods, such as chips or cookies, because these foods have little nutrition and are high in calories, sugar and fat. Replace them with a variety of fruits and vegetables as a part of snacks or meals each day. By keeping healthful foods on hand, it will be easier to offer your child healthful options.

I've worked with a lot of parents who ask me how they can help their overweight pre-teen or teen lose weight. This is becoming more and more of a request as the nation gets fatter and fatter. Chronic inactivity, paired with increasingly subpar nutrition habits in and out of school are causing our young people to develop "grown folk" diseases like type-2 diabetes earlier and earlier. However, during middle and high school years you don't want to focus on severe calorie restriction or excess weight loss.

Healthy Habits Optimal health meeting will be held on the second of the month, Tuesdays, Dec. 13, through June 12, at Ramada Plaza Hotel, 1718 Underpass Way, Halfway. Learn healthy habits to lose weight. Meetings are free. For more information, contact Kristine Snavely at 240-291-0586 or ksnavely@myactv.net .

Childhood is a time to have an impact on your child's weight, height, bones and tooth strength. Diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes all can be linked back to poor habits developed during childhood. As a parent, try these suggestions to help your child develop healthy food and physical activity habits. Don't mix food and television. Kids consume more calories when they eat in front of TV - probably because the distraction makes them less aware of what they are eating.

MONT ALTO, PA. - Penn State Mont Alto gave area children a healthy dose of education and exercise Saturday during its second annual Pediatric Health Fair. Hosted by the nursing, physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT) and forestry departments of the university, the fair used games, mazes and more to show children and parents unique ways to live healthy and active lives. Dr. Linda Carl, nursing instructor and faculty sponsor for the event, said everyone learns at the fair.

Eating a variety of foods is recommended for health. But trying to overhaul your own or your family's eating habits can be a challenge. Food likes, dislikes and eating habits might date back to a person's childhood. If daddy didn't like peas, chances are little Seth grew up not liking peas, too. The good news is that it's never too late to start eating a greater variety of foods that contribute to health. You will be most successful if you aim for gradual changes, rather than making an issue of food.

"I better not have cookies after dinner because I had ice cream for an afternoon snack. " When I heard my 9-year-old mutter those words, I smiled. The time I've spent teaching my children about eating sugar and fat in moderation has not been spent in vain. I'm not the kind of mom who doesn't have sweets in the house. Obviously. However, my children know that fresh fruits and vegetables can be just as satisfying. I'm trying to help them think about what they eat over the course of a day. As a close college friend used to say, "There are no junk foods, only junk diets.

Humans are creatures of habit. We develop routines, standard ways of living our lives, and then we stick to them for many years. With the role routine plays in life, it is important to create healthy routines, which is easier than you might think. Regular routines, for eating and activity, are especially important for young children. Kids thrive on a healthy routine of meals, snacks and active play. Establishing early, healthy patterns is a simple way to prevent eating and weight problems later in life.

Like most workers in today's world, health professionals are pressed for time - and often under stress at work. A recent survey by Eat Right Montana, a statewide coalition promoting healthy habits, shows how these busy people manage to practice what they preach about healthy eating and how they walk their talk about physical activity. These aren't complicated or expensive ideas. They are simple ways to save time and money, boost energy and feel better at work. The registered dietitians and other health experts surveyed by Eat Right Montana follow the common-sense advice that we've all heard for years.