This Week's Healthy SC Challenge Tips

The Healthy SC Challenge is the Sanford family's effort to get all South Carolinians to do just a little more to live a healthier lifestyle. The tips are designed to encourage individuals and communities to live healthier lifestyles in three categories - nutrition, exercise and help to quit smoking.

Nutrition
So your New Year's resolution is to lose weight in 2009 and already you're faced with your first challenge: Super Bowl Sunday. The traditional fare of overstuffed heroes, chicken wings, chili, and of course, chips and dips, is enough to weaken the will of any new dieter. The secret to Super Bowl party success -- rather than excess -- lies in the players themselves. If you eat the way athletes do -- diets that balance foods low in fats, lean proteins and some carbohydrates -- you're more likely to make it through the party unscathed. It's pretty simple to accomplish. Here's how:

* Punt the sour cream-based dips. load up on the crudités and opt for a dipping blend of red kidney beans, chopped tomato, parsley, vinegar, chili powder and cumin. Make a fruit salsa, or, serve protein-rich hummus. Many store-bought varieties are available and flavored with garlic, red pepper, or scallions. Offer pita chips or baked potato chips instead of fried snacks.

* Lean on the hero. The Italian hero, loaded with fattening, processed meats and cheeses, has no place on this year's buffet table. Instead, order a deli platter filled with ham, turkey, roast beef, grilled chicken and low-fat cheeses. Pile on lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and roasted red peppers. Serve mustard and ketchup instead of mayonnaise. Wrap them up with low-calorie tortillas, or try whole wheat bread or whole wheat crackers.

* Pass the pizza. Say no to the saturated fat found on the neighborhood pizza supreme, and yes to your own version. Buy frozen pizza dough from the supermarket and top it with crushed fresh tomatoes, garlic and a sprinkle of low-fat cheeses. Then add a colorful array of fresh vegetables like peppers and onions, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and olives.

* Spike the shrimp. Sure you can do a traditional low-fat shrimp cocktail, but you could also kick it up a notch by boiling raw, unshelled shrimp in a can of cheap beer spiked with one tablespoon of pickling sauce. Chill and serve with salsa or cocktail sauce. Making your guests peel the shrimp slows down their food consumption.

* Sideline the brownies. Replace cakes with trays of fresh fruit, dates, figs and banana chips.

Football anyone? Nothing beats the benefits of exercise. Whether it's during the tailgating party or the halftime show, get your guests out of the house and into the spirit of the game by throwing a football around.
-www.dukehealth.org

Physical Activity
Team sports can boost kids' self-esteem, coordination, and general fitness, and help them learn how to work with other kids and adults. But some kids aren't natural athletes and they may tell you - directly or indirectly - that they just don't like sports. What then?

Even if the going's tough, work with your child to find something active that he or she likes. Try to remain open-minded. Maybe your child is interested in an activity that is not offered at school. If your daughter wants to try flag football or ice hockey, for example, help her find a local league or talk to school officials about starting up a new team.

You'll need to be patient if your child has difficulty choosing and sticking to an activity. It often takes several tries before kids find one that feels like the right fit. But when something clicks, you'll be glad you invested the time and effort. For your child, it's one big step toward developing active habits that can last a lifetime.
-www.kidshealth.org

Tobacco
Most of the really bad smoking-related diseases are diseases that people get when they get older. But here's what you don't hear so much about: smoking starts causing the health problems that can lead to those bad diseases almost as soon as someone takes that first puff from a cigarette! And that's not all. There are lots of other health problems that crop up right away too.

The damage to the heart and blood vessels caused by smoking can be found in teens who smoke, even though they don't have any symptoms right now. For example, the resting heart rate of teens who smoke is about two or three beats per minute faster than in teens who don't smoke. Doesn't sound like much, but this damage is the same damage that builds up over time and causes heart attacks and strokes.
-American Association for Respiratory Care