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. The tips can also be found on the challenge's website, www.healthysc.gov.

Healthy Tips

Nutrition
Don't forget the extras! Make fresh garlic a standard addition to all prepared veggies, salad dressings soups, etc. Garlic is truly a medicinal food that keeps our arteries healthy and boosts immunity.

Spice up your bean and poultry dishes with turmeric or curry spices. Both are teeming with the phytochemical curcumin, now world famous for its potent anti-inflammatory power (this translates to a reduced risk of CVD, Alzheimer's, and cancer).

Go Nuts! Get into the habit of throwing nuts/seeds into salads, soups, sauces, and other prepared dishes. Nuts score a perfect ten when it comes to nutrients, especially for the heart.

Eat your sprouts today! Add broccoli sprouts to salads and sandwiches. Broccoli is a bonafide anti-cancer superstar, and these sprouts contain ten to 100 times more power to protect against cancer than mature broccoli.

Don't forget your herbs! Remember to add fresh herbs liberally to prepared foods to increase both the taste and nutritional value of your meals.
* Parsley has vitamin C and a higher concentration of flavanoids (the superstar class of antioxidant phytochemicals) than any other food.
* Cilantro is loaded with phytochemicals, including one that kills salmonella (common source of food-borne illnesses) more effectively than our strongest antibiotics.
* Rosemary, ginger, tumeric and curry - also provide especially potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals.
-Dr. Ann Kulze, Nationally recognized nutrition and wellness expert, www.DrAnnwellness.com


Physical Activity
Swimsuit season is here and the pressure to go sleeveless is rising faster than record high temperatures. So what can the average American, who does not have a personal trainer on standby or daily healthy meals cooked by a professional chef, do to get toned arms and a tighter midriff section? The answer: Take it outdoors for some fun and free summer activities that will have you burning calories just in time for bikini season. Here are eight workout ideas to do on your own or with the entire family:

1. Go Off-Road. A great way to escape the hectic city life and reduce stress is to hike in nature.

2. Ride Your Bicycle. There is no better way to explore your neighborhood, city, back country roads or local trails than from the vantage point of a bicycle. And that is just one side-effect. Bicycling is a great cardiovascular workout and will strengthen legs, glutes and core. A 140-lb individual who bicycles at ten miles per hour for an hour will burn nearly 400 calories, which makes for guilt-free eating of a six-inch double roast beef sub sandwich. Bike longer and you can burn enough calories to eat a sandwich, and have your cake too.

3. Jog Around the Block The beauty about jogging or running is that you can do it any time, anywhere. Keep your running shoes in your duffel bag, at work, in your suitcase or near the door, and you're always ready to explore the great outdoors. Even short bouts of jogging or running benefit your heart health, clear your head and calm your senses. For those running in unfamiliar places, running up staircases, around tall buildings or a stadium still makes for a great workout. Running is great for busy professionals, because you can always make time to sneak in a quick run, even during travel. Simply ask the hotel concierge for a map of the city, a nearby park or trails and you're on your way.

4. Jump Rope. Jumping rope is not only a great heart-pumping activity, but also increases body awareness. Choose a light-weight rope with foam grips that won't slip away when palms get sweaty. The right length rope is one that reaches about chest high and is measured by stepping the foot on the center of the rope while bringing the handles up to the chest.Now all that's left is to challenge each family member to a jumping rope contest while keeping it fun.

5. Get Wet. Swimming laps offers a great full-body workout. But even splashing around in the pool can be a great workout for young and old alike. The buoyancy of water reduces the "weight" of a person by about 90 percent, which means less stress on joints, bones and muscles. Many people enjoy working out against the resistance of water while benefitting from its cooling effect on the body. Here are some workout ideas: Cup your hands and pull water away from you to build strength. Use a noodle, hand-held paddles or a kick board. For those wanting to enjoy a group workout, consult your health club or YMCA about aquatic classes or master's programs for swimming laps and don't forget to wear sun screen when swimming outdoors.

6. Inline Skate. Inline skating around the neighborhood or even a pick-up game of hockey make for great family fun and a workout. Most children love the idea. To prevent injuries, it is critical that adults and especially children wear helmets and protective gear on their wrists, knees and elbows. It may not look 'cool,' but can make the difference between a serious head injury or trauma and a minor injury or broken bones, so always be safe.

7. Just Dance. You don't have to be Lady Gaga to "Just Dance." Next time you're at a summer party, dance for fun and fitness: A 120-pound person who dances socially can burn almost three calories per minute or equals approximately 180 calories per hour, which is roughly the same amount of calories as a Bloody Mary. A 180-pound person dancing for an hour can burn over 750 calories, the equivalent of two slices of a pan crust cheese pizza. Encouraging children to be creative and move their bodies freely is fun and great for their mind and body. Teach your kids some new moves in your garden, the park or at the beach.

8. Calm The Mind. For those wanting to calm the mind, rolling out a yoga mat in nature for downward-facing dog positions and sun salutations may be the ideal stress-reliever during these tough economic times. Many yoga studios are also taking their workouts outdoors. When life gets tough, slowing the mind without any distractions can make for a spiritual recovery.
-American Council on Exercise, www.acefitness.org

Tobacco
For most tobacco users, cravings or urges to smoke can be powerful. But you're not at the mercy of these cravings. When an urge to use tobacco strikes, remember that although it may be intense, it will be short, and it probably will pass within a few minutes whether you smoke a cigarette or not. Each time you resist a craving, you're one step closer to stopping smoking or other tobacco use for good.

In the meantime, here are ten ways to help you ride out the urge to smoke or use tobacco:
1. Delay. If you feel like you're going to give in to your craving, tell yourself that you must wait ten more minutes and then do something to distract yourself. This simple trick may be enough to derail your tobacco craving. Repeat as often as needed.

2. Don't have 'just one.' You may be tempted to have just one cigarette to stop a craving. But don't fool yourself into believing that you can stop at just one. More often than not, having just one leads to another, then another - and you may wind up back in the habit.

3. Avoid triggers. Urges for tobacco are likely to be strongest in the situations where you smoked or chewed tobacco most often. Identify your trigger spots - or people - and have a plan in place so that you can avoid them entirely or get through them without using tobacco. Don't set yourself up for a relapse. If you usually smoked while you talked on the phone, for instance, keep a pen and paper nearby instead for doodling rather than smoking.

4. Get physical. Physical activity can help distract you from tobacco cravings and reduce the intensity of cravings. Just 30 minutes of moderate physical activity can make a craving go away. Get out for a walk or jog. If you're stuck at home or the office, try squats, deep knee bends, push-ups, running in place, or walking up and down a set of stairs a few times. If physical activity doesn't interest you, try prayer, needlework, woodwork or journaling. Or do chores for distraction, such as vacuuming or filing paperwork.

5. Practice relaxation techniques. Coping with a craving to smoke or use tobacco can be very stressful. In the past, smoking may have been your way to deal with stress. Take the edge off your stress by practicing relaxation techniques. These include deep-breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, yoga, visualization, hypnosis and massage.
6.Call reinforcements. Touch base with a family member, friend or support group member for moral support. Chat on the phone, go for a walk together or simply share a few laughs - or get together to commiserate about your cravings.

7. Remember the benefits of quitting. Write down or say out loud the reasons you want to stop smoking and resist cravings. These might include feeling better, getting healthier, sparing your loved ones from secondhand smoke or saving money. And if you're a closet smoker, you may save hours of time since you no longer have to spend time trying to creatively conceal your habit.

8. Go online. Join an online stop-smoking program. Or read a quitter's blog and post encouraging thoughts for someone else who might be struggling with cravings. Learn from how others have handled their tobacco cravings.

9. Try replacements. Try a stop-smoking product instead of a cigarette. Some types of nicotine replacement therapy, including patches, gums and lozenges, are available over-the-counter. Nicotine nasal spray and the nicotine inhaler are available by prescription.

10. Chew on it. Give your mouth something to do. Chew on sugarless gum or hard candy. Or munch on raw carrots, celery, nuts or sunflower seeds - something crunchy and satisfying.
-www.mayoclinic.com