Jump Into Healthy Living

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Help your Kids Strike the Right Nutritional Balance on their Plates
March 2008
 

Do you remember when you learned to ride a bike?  The most important thing was getting the balance right.  Once you could balance easily, the pedals could turn smoothly to drive the wheels and get the bike moving.  The same thing is true when it comes to choosing our food.  Once we learn to carefully balance the amounts and types of foods we eat, all organs in our body will function smoothly and the body will work efficiently.  Rate your plate to see if you’ve got the balance right!

 1.  Everyday I have

• 1 piece of fruit (2)
• Only fruit juice (1)
• 2 or more pieces of fruit (3)

 2.  At breakfast I have:

• Toast with peanut butter & jelly (2)
• Nothing at all (0)
• Cereal with fruit & milk (3)

 3.  I eat fast food (burgers, pizza, tacos & fried chicken)

• Once a week or less (3)
• Every day (0)

 4.  Each day I eat:

• Whole grains such as cereal, brown rice & wheat bread (2)
• No grains (0)
• Primarily processed grains such as white bread, white rice & sugared cereals

 5.  Everyday I eat:

• Raw or cooked vegetables 2-3 times/day
• Only french fries (0)
• 1 vegetable/day (1)

 6.  If I have a sandwich the filling is usually:

• A thick layer of butter or jam/jelly (0)
• Tuna, lean meat or chopped veggies (3)
• A thick slice of cheese (1)

 7.  After school my favorite snack is:

• Fruit (3)
• Bread or toast (2)
• Cookies or candy (0)

 8.  Everyday you drink:

• 2-3 glasses of milk (3)
• Mostly pop or sweetened drinks (0)
• A wide variety of healthy drinks (3)

9.  How often do you have sugared drinks or add sugar to food?

• Once a day (1)
• Never (3)
• Frequently through out the day (0)

10.  I eat candy & cakes:

• Never (3)
• Occasionally (2)
• Everyday (0)

How did your plate rate??

22-30   You’re looking good!  You’re making good choices that will help you build healthy habits & a healthy body.

 13-21   A good effort but there’s room to improve!  Think about how you can eat healthier.

 Less than 13        Your plate is out of balance.  Think about how you can improve!

This Summer put your Family on
the Road to Healthy Bones
June 2008

Bone health is a key nutrition issue for kids.  Throughout childhood and into early adulthood our health habits help to build our bones & then as adults our health habits help to maintain them.  What can we do to help our children build healthy bones so they enter adulthood with bones as strong as they can be?

1.      Encourage them to eat plenty of high calcium foods everyday!   Be sure to include dairy products such as low fat milk, cheese, yogurt or cottage cheese everyday.  Also include other great sources of calcium such as foods calcium fortified orange juice & soy milk, almonds & dark green leafy veggies such as spinach.

2.      Watch the soda!  Drinking soft drinks can disrupt the calcium & phosphorous balance in our bodies over time & reduce the minerals in our bones.  Make pop a treat rather than a regular beverage in your house!

3.      Be sure they get their Vitamin D!  Recommendations regarding Vitamin D are changing.  Experts now believe both children & adults need more Vitamin D than we originally thought...between 800-1000 IU/day.  Food isn’t a great source...milk contains about 100 IU as does fortified orange juice...tuna about 200 IU/serving and 3 ½ oz of canned salmon has 360 IU.  The sun has been our main source of Vitamin D, but sun screen blocks our skin’s absorption of it.  While it is still recommended that you apply sunscreen before going out in the sun, experts are now recommending short periods (10-15 min) in the sun without sunscreen 3 times/week or the use of vitamin D supplements.  Check with your doctor before taking a supplement.

4.      Move it or lose it!  Weight bearing activity (i.e. walking, running, dancing, strength training, roller blading—any activity that involves gravity & impact on bones) helps build bone mass & strength in children. It also helps maintain bone density in adults.  Experts recommend 60 minutes of activity each day for good health and healthy bones.

5.      Be a nonsmoker!  Some studies suggest that smoking increases the risk of fracture & hampers the work of bone building cells.  At least one study has suggested that exposure to second-hand smoke during childhood and early adulthood may increase the risk of developing low bone mass.

6.      Use salt & caffeine in moderation!  A high intake of either can promote calcium loss from the body especially if calcium intake is low

7.      Maintain a healthy body weight!  Being underweight is a risk for poor bone health.  Young women especially are at risk because being underweight effects their hormone levels (estrogen) causing their bones to lose mass & weaken.

Healthy Weight Week
 
January 20-26, 2008

A Time to Celebrate Healthy Lifestyles

This time of year we seem preoccupied with dieting and losing our holiday weight gain. Unfortunately our healthy eating resolutions often don't last long or we try to lose the weight quickly by following less than healthy eating plans. While the weight comes off, it often goes right back on once we return to old habits.

Healthy Weight Week is designed to remind people of the nondiet lifestyle--a lifestyle that focuses on healthy eating choices and an active lifestyle. According to the Network's Director, Frances Berg, the week is designed to shift our focus to health and wellness rather than diets, pills and potions.

How can each of us celebrate Healthy Weight Week? We can...

1. Stop dieting and focus instead on eating healthier. Check out www.mypyramid.gov for your own personalized eating plan. Just enter your age, gender and activity level and the site will give you your own personalized food guide pyramid to follow!
2. Rediscover normal eating. Listen to your body's signals of hunger and fullness. When you do, you'll eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full. You'll also notice how much better you feel!
3. Activate your lifestyle. Find ways to move throughout the day--walk to see an office colleague rather than sending an email, carve out 15 minutes during your work day to take a walk or decide as a family to be active together in the evening. However you choose to be active, focus on the pleasure of movement and its health and energy benefits, rather than the calories you are burning. If you haven't been very active lately, work up to it. If you overdo it, you won't continue. Find a comfortable level of activity you enjoy and keep it up all year.
4. Reduce your stress! Use relaxation techniques, or simply empty your mind and let your body go limp. Try taking 30-second relaxation breaks throughout the day to rejuvenate yourself.
5. Focus on the positive rather than the negative. Try to end your day by thinking of at least one positive thing that happened to you that day and telling a family member or friend about it. When we focus on the positive rather than the negative we lift our spirits and feel better about ourselves.
6. Remember that health, beauty and strength come in all sizes. Respect people of all sizes and appreciate their diversity. Size prejudice creates problems--it doesn't solve them

And above all...Eat well, live actively and feel good about yourself and others! For more information about Healthy Weight Week go to www.healthyweight.net. For more information about the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition visit our web site at www.childhoodobesitycoalition.org

Fearless Friday Promotes Body Confidence for Youth at School and Home
February 2008

LaCrosse, WI -- During Eating Disorder Awareness Week Gundersen Lutheran's Eating Disorder Program recognizes February 29 as Fearless Friday, a day designated to go without dieting especially for our youth. Instead of dieting, Fearless Friday organizers recommend that you treat yourself with respect by listening to your body's signs of hunger and fullness, eating a balanced variety of foods, avoiding the categorization of food as good vs. bad, and finding and participating in an enjoyable physical activity.

Parents and schools play a significant role in the formation of body image and self esteem. Creating an environment where children of all sizes are equally valued and feel supported, comfortable and confident can have remarkable impact on self-esteem. However dieting and calorie counting are currently an epidemic in our culture, thus disordered eating has become a public health issue that demands the attention of parents, health providers, and school personnel. Living in a climate that glorifies thinness and devalues overweight children has wreaked havoc on our children's self-esteem and body image, and created an environment that encourages children and adolescents to engage in unhealthy weight altering activities. Consider these statistics from The National Eating Disorders Association and The Eating Disorder Journal of Treatment and Prevention:

• 42% of 6 to 9-year-old girls report a desire to be thinner.
• 50% of girls between the ages of 12 and 14 are unhappy because they “feel fat”.
• 80% of women in the U.S. are dissatisfied with their appearance.
• 324% greater risk occurs for obesity in those adolescent girls who go on a diet compared to those who do not.

In addition to the negative health consequences, dieting and disordered eating also affects learning outcomes for students. Preoccupation with food results in irritability, decreased concentration, and isolation according to eating disorder experts.

To prevent disordered eating, children need positive role models in their lives. The following are things you can do to help promote healthy body image in children:

1. Learn how to model healthy eating and a positive body image.
   • Try not to classify foods as “good” or “bad”.
   • Discourage dieting or weight-loss fads.
   • Listen to hunger and fullness cues.
2. Recognize people for who they are and what they do, not for what they look like or how they appear.
3. Focus on internal attributes and strengths vs. physical appearance.
4. Educate yourself on normal growth and development:
   • Approximately 20% of our adult height and 50% of our adult weight is gained between 11-19 years of age.
   • Everyone grows at a different rate, so try not to compare children's growth rate to others.
5. Remember, a lot about size and appearance is based on genetics.
6. Commit to helping children, both male and female, understand the ways in which television, magazines, and other media distort the true diversity of human body types and imply that thinness is the only way to succeed.
7. Encourage your children to be active and appreciate what their bodies can do. Help them enjoy the “good feeling” of being active. Make exercise fun and positive.

For more information regarding fun activities to do with your children go to www.childhoodobesitycoalition.org

10 Ways to make your Holidays Healthier
December 2007

The hustle and bustle of the holidays often makes it hard to maintain our normally healthy habits and lifestyles. Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition members have come up with 10 ways to make your holidays healthier so you and your family start your new year off right!

1. Check out all the physical activities available in our area and, as a family or with a friend, try one new thing each week for the next month. How do you find out about area activities? Check out the events calendar in the newspaper, the community calendars on local TV stations, the Park & Rec Winter Guide, the YMCA or local yoga or dance studios!
2. Celebrate the first day of winter on December 22^nd with a family day outside! Go hiking, try snow shoeing or skiing or build a snowman.
3. As a family or with a friend, take a brisk walk after dinner around the neighborhood to look at all the holiday lights and decorations. Visit different neighborhoods each night.
4. Looking for that last minute gift? Wear your walking shoes and pedometer, park several blocks from the store or mall entrance and watch your steps add up as you shop for that perfect gift.
5. Give your friends and family the gift of exercise this holiday season. Give the children on your list gifts that keep them active...a bike, bat and ball, a basketball & hoop, rollerblades or ice skates. Or...give them a “gift certificate” for “X” number of neighborhood walks, trail rides or hikes on area trails.
6. Planning to relax and watch some football? Before sitting down for the game, take a long walk in the neighborhood or on one of the area bike trails.
7. Winter weather got the kids inside? Entertain them with a hopscotch game. Use masking tape to draw the game on the floor or rug and keep them active and occupied.
8. Traveling this holiday season? If you're driving, take regular breaks to stretch your legs and walk. If you're flying, wear walking shoes so you can walk the concourse at the airport. If you are staying at a hotel, call ahead or visit their web site to see what exercise facilities you can use during your stay.
9. Go to the library and check out an activity DVD. Try yoga, strength training or a dance workout. Test out your new find with a friend or family member.
10. Look toward the New Year and think about your wellness goals. What habits do you want to cultivate in 2008? Make a list and a commitment to work towards your goals in the New Year. Enlist your family and friends for support!

However you decide to maintain your wellness routine this holiday season let your body be your guide. Listen to those internal hunger, fullness and energy cues!       

Coulee Region Walk to School Challenge
October 1-5, 2007

Sponsored by Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition, La Crosse Family YMCA, UW-La Crosse,  Festival Foods & River Trail Cycles

Henry David Thoreau once said, "An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day." During the first week of October, October 1^st - 5th, students at Franklin Elementary School in La Crosse, Irving Pertzsch Elementary School in Onalaska and Viking Elementary School in Holmen are being challenged to follow Thoreau's advice and start their day with an early morning walk or bike to school to celebrate International Walk to School month. 

This Coulee Region Walk to School Challenge is being sponsored by the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition, La Crosse Family YMCA, UW-La Crosse, Festival Foods and River Trail Cycles. Our goal is to activate Coulee Region kids' lifestyles by encouraging them to regularly walk or bike to school. 

Why encourage your kids to walk or bike to school? Children walking and biking to school are more apt to be physically fit and less prone to be overweight. They also learn how to handle traffic safely and they contribute to a cleaner environment and improved air quality by reducing traffic volume near their school.

So if you know a child who attends Franklin, Viking or Irving Pertzsch, have them join the Coulee Region Walk to School Challenge by encouraging them to walk or bike to school during the Challenge week. For every day children walk or bike to school the week of October 1^st - 5^th, their name will be placed in a drawing for a new bike donated by River Trail Cycles of Holmen. The more days they walk or bike, the more chances they have to win! 

To enter the Challenge and be eligible for the drawing download the Walk to School Challenge log from the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition's web site at www.childhoodobesitycoalition.org and record on the log the days the child walks or bikes to school during the Challenge week. Submit the child's log by 5 PM, October 12, 2007 to Linda Lee, La Crosse County Health Dept., 300 4^th St N, La Crosse, WI 54601 to be included in the bike drawing.

Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition

Improve Your Child’s Health by
Making Walking to School a Priority this School Year
September 2007

With the start of school right around the corner, Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition members are encouraging area children to start their school year off on the “right foot” by committing to walking or biking to school rather than riding this year. Walking or biking to school is an easy way to get in the 60 minutes of physical activity experts recommend kids get each day and has lots of other benefits as well.

Walking or biking helps children....

• Learn pedestrian & bike safety (When children ride everywhere they don't learn or get to practice safe walking/biking habits--habits that will last their lifetime.)

• Incorporate physical activity painlessly into their day & foster healthy habits that can last a lifetime.
• Learn more about their neighborhoods.
• Socialize with friends and get to know children of other ages.
• Gain a sense of independence and develop a feeling of belonging
• Arrive at school alert and ready to learn.

Children walking & biking to school help their communities by...

• Reducing traffic congestion around schools. (The Centers for Disease Control notes that 20-25% of the morning traffic during the school year is parents driving kids to school. If more children walked, we could reduce road congestion considerably)

• Reducing school transportation costs.
• Reducing the numbers of cars on the road.
• Reducing air pollution.
• Enhancing our sense of community & our feelings of safety. (With more people out and about there are more eyes on the streets.) 

• Helping adults in the community learn that walking is a viable transportation option for  everyone.

So encourage your child to make walking to and from school part of their daily routine this school year. To walk safely, encourage children to--walk with a buddy, cross only at marked crosswalks or where there are crossing guards, avoid talking with strangers and dress for the weather! 

If walking or biking everyday seems too big of a commitment--encourage them to commit to walking 1 day each week to begin with. Try making every Tuesday a Treking Tuesday or every Wednesday a Walking or Wheeling Wednesday.. They will look and feel better as a result!

If your children attend Irving Pertzsch Elementary School take advantage of the school's Safe Routes to School Program. For more information about healthy eating and an active lifestyle or for Irving Pertzsch's Safe Routes to School Map,

Make Every Bite Count...More Fruit & Veggies
July 2007

Summer is the perfect time to celebrate our garden's bounty. Farmer's Markets and farm-stands are packed with a wonderful array of tasty, sun kissed fruits and vegetables! 

While experts agree that eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies daily can help maintain a healthy weight and protect us from a number of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer & high blood pressure, children often turn up their nose when it comes to fresh produce.

So how much do kids really need to eat each day and how can parents include these important foods in their family's meals & snacks? Adults need to eat between 4-6 cups of fruits and veggies each day while children 5-18years of age need 3-5 cups daily. Amounts needed vary based on age, gender and activity level. To determine the cups of fruits and veggies you need to eat daily go to www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov . This Centers for Disease Control web site has a calculator for you to use to determine your personal recommended intake as well as recipes and tips for increasing how many fruits and veggies you eat. While this may seem like a lot--it really isn't too hard to meet the recommendations if you're careful to include fruits and veggies at each meal. 

So how can parents include more fruits and veggies in their family's meals and get kid's to eat them?? Try some of the following suggestions from Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition members...

For breakfast...

• Top their waffles or pancakes with crushed berries rather than syrup
• Include leftover or chopped veggies in their scrambled eggs
• Fold grated carrots or zucchini into their favorite muffin or pancake batter
• Make a smoothie for them with fresh fruit, skim milk and orange juice

For lunch...

• Add lettuce and sliced veggies such as peppers, carrots, cucumbers or thinly sliced zucchini to their sandwiches
• Offer them a microwaved potato topped with grated cheese and fresh chopped veggies mixed with low fat dressing
• Slice up 6-7 pieces of fresh seasonal fruit, mix in a small amount of orange juice and serve with vanilla yogurt
• Add fresh chopped veggies to their favorite pasta or potato salad. Try adding lightly steamed green beans, red or green peppers, peas, shredded carrots or cherry tomatoes

For dinner...

• Offer them a salad with their evening meal. Ask them to determine what veggies you use
• Offer 1 cooked vegetable with their evening meal--again giving them choices to pick from.
• Marinate chopped fresh veggies in their favorite Italian dressing
• Stir fry meat and veggies together & serve it to them over pasta
• Try baking a pizza on the grill. Use a prepared crust and top with lots of fresh veggies, cheese and chopped fresh basil or oregano
• Top store bought or home made angel-food cake with sliced fruit mixed with berries for dessert

For snacks...

Create a snack section in the fridge so your kids can grab a healthy snack when they're in a hurry. In it keep...

• Your own trail mix made with dried fruit, pretzels, cereal & bite size graham crackers
• Bite size cut up veggies in a plastic bag or covered container with containers of low fat dip
• Cut up fresh fruit in a covered container
• Individual containers of applesauce or sliced fruit

Freeze grapes, banana slices or berries for a tasty & refreshing cool treat!

Coulee Region Turn off the TV Challenge
Turn Off the TV...Turn on Your Life!
April 2007

Are you worried that your family spends too much time in front of the TV, playing video games or chatting on line?  Then join Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition members and become part of the Coulee Region Turn Off the TV Challenge April 23^rd  – 29^th  .  During the challenge week, families are being challenged to turn off their TVs and exercise their both minds and their bodies by finding healthier alternatives. Rather than coming home from school or work and plunking down in front of the TV, coalition members are encouraging challenge participants to enjoy their free time by reading a book, going on a picnic, walking or biking with a friend or listening (and dancing!) to their favorite music.  The possibilities are limitless!  Turning off the TV, video game or computer frees up time to spend with friends, family or enjoying favorite pastimes.

Why turn off the TV and reduce your screen time?  Consider the following statistics from the Center for Screen-Time Awareness:

• The average child spends more time in front of the TV (1,023 hours) than in school (900 hours)
• Rather than talk with one another, 40% of families frequently or always watch TV during dinner.
• For every hour of TV each day a child watches, their risk of developing attention related problems later increases by 10%.  For example, if a child watches 3 hours of TV each day, that child is 30% more likely to develop attention deficit disorder. (Pediatrics, 2004)

This challenge will help Coulee Region families stay healthy and strong. It’s a great way to encourage healthy habits and build a healthy mind as well as a healthy body.

To sign up for the Turn off the TV Challenge download the instructions & logs from HERE, have each family member participating complete the log during the challenge week and mail your completed logs to Linda Lee, La Crosse County Health Dept, 300 4^th St N, La Crosse  WI  54601 or sent via fax to 608-785-9846 or via email to lee.linda@co.la-crosse.wi.us.  All names of people submitting completed logs will be eligible for Challenge prizes!

Type II Diabetes Increasing in Children

November 2006

November is Diabetes month. What better time to reflect on the growing number of children who unfortunately are developing Type II diabetes--a form of diabetes that not long ago was referred to as “adult onsetâ€� diabetes. Type II diabetes begins when the body develops a resistance to insulin and can no longer use it properly. As the person's need for insulin rises, the pancreas can no longer make enough insulin to regulate the person's blood sugar and type II diabetes is the result. Why the increase in children?

Type II diabetes is increasing in children along with adults for the same reasons--

• overweight/obesity--rates of overweight/obesity have increased 49% among 2-4 year old children and 26% of high school students are now either overweight or obese.

• Physically inactive lifestyles--According to the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 37.2% of Wisconsin youth watch more than 3 hours of TV each day and only 1/3 (35.8%) were active the recommended 60 minutes each day.

• Have a mom, dad or close relative who is overweight and who has type II diabetes. Two out of three Wisconsin adults are overweight/obese. Children are more likely to be overweight if one of their parents are and overweight increases a child's risk of developing type II diabetes

So what can parents do to lower their child's risk of developing type IIdiabetes?

• Encourage your child to eat well & maintain a healthy weight. Offer your child a mixture of healthy foods each day. Go to www.mypyramid.gov and enter your child's age, gender and activity level to receive their personalized eating plan. Explore the site for healthy eating tips to lose weight yourself or for ideas to encourage the development of healthy eating habits in your children. Healthy habits developed in childhood can serve your children well throughout their lifetime.

• Encourage them to be active everyday! Encourage them to walk to/from school, to a friend's house or sign up for an activity they have always wanted to try. Encourage them to dance, ride their bike, shoot hoops, skate board, ski, rollerblade--whatever sounds like fun! They don't have to get their activity in all at once--breaking it up during the day and enjoying a 15 minute walk, a half hour bike ride or a 20 minute game of hoops with their older brother will keep things fun and interesting.

• Limit their screen time to less than 1 hour/day. If they are sitting for long periods in front of the computer, watching TV or playing video games they aren't moving! By limiting their screen time they have more time to be active and pursue their interests.

Reducing your child's risk of developing type II diabetes not only protects their health, it also helps them have more energy and helps them feel good about themselves. 

Walking to School Improves Kid's Health

August 2006

With the start of school right around the corner, Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition members are encouraging Coulee Region kids to start their school year off on the “right footâ€� by committing to walking or biking to school rather than riding this year. Walking or biking to school is an easy way to get in the 30-60 minutes of physical activity experts recommend kids get each day and has lots of other benefits as well. Walking or biking to school...

• Helps reduce school & education costs by reducing busing
• Decreases family fuel costs.
• Helps reduce road congestion around schools & on the roadways in general. The Centers for Disease Control notes that 20-25% of the morning traffic during the school year is parents driving kids to school. If more children walked, we could reduce road congestion considerably!
• Teaches children good safety habits. When children ride everywhere they don't learn or get to practice safe walking/biking habits--habits that will last their lifetime.
• Can enhance academic performance. When children are active in the morning they arrive at school more awake and ready to learn.
• Provides children with the opportunity to spend time with other children (or if parents walk with them--their parents!)--improving social skills.
• Can help create safer communities. With more people out and about, more eyes are on the streets. 
• Enables kids to get to know their neighborhood and develop a feeling of belonging.

So encourage your child to make walking to and from school part of their daily routine. To walk safely, encourage children to--walk with a buddy, cross only at marked crosswalks or where there are crossing guards, avoid talking with strangers and dress for the weather! 

If walking or biking everyday seems too big of a commitment--encourage them to commit to walking 1 day each week to begin with. Try making every Tuesday (Treking Tuesdays) or every Wednesday (Walking or Wheeling Wednesdays). They will look and feel better as a result!

If your children attend Irving Pertzsch Elementary School take advantage of the school's Safe Routes to School Program. 

Irving Pertzsch Elementary School
Launches Safe Routes to School Program
April 2006

On May 3^rd, Onalaska’s Irving Pertsch Elementary School will launch its Safe Routes to School Program—a program designed to encourage students to walk or bike to school rather than be driven.

The Onalaska Planning Department, Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition and Irving Pertzsch staff collaborated to develop the program.  Partners studied how students currently get to school, why they are not inclined to walk and what routes would be the safest for students to take if they walked or biked to school. Routes initially chosen were audited by the students and modifications were made based on their input.

Safe Routes to School is a nationally recognized program that is designed to reduce the safety hazards children face when they walk or bike to school.  Childhood obesity is a growing problem across the U.S., in Wisconsin as well as in Onalaska.  Safe Routes Programs are designed to combat this public health problem by encouraging children to develop an active lifestyle through walking to school. 

Safe Routes Programs incorporate safety education for students and drivers as well as improvements in infrastructure such as improved sidewalks, cross walks and the implementation of traffic calming measures.   The program also encourages parents to promote an active lifestyle with their children by having them regularly walk or bike to school on the identified routes. 

Irving Pertzsch Elementary School will kick off its Safe Routes to School Program on Wednesday, May 3^rd with an all school walk.  Students, school and City staff along with Coalition members will meet at Center 90 at 8:00 AM and walk a portion of one of the newly established safe routes to the school.  Parents and communities members are encouraged to join the walk and help students initiate this new program aimed at improving children’s health.

Healthy Dads = Healthy Kids
June 2006

Father’s Day is a time to thank fathers everywhere for all they do for their families and communities.  What better way to do that than to give them the gift of health this Father’s Day!  Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition members would like to share with you 10 ways you can keep your father healthy on his special day...

1.  Serve dad a healthy breakfast in bed.  Try waffles or pancakes topped with fresh sliced strawberries or a fresh fruit smoothie coupled with peanut butter whole wheat toast.
2. Take a bike ride.  Enjoy a ride on one of the many area trails or just around the neighborhood!
3. Go fly a kite!  Warm summer breezes can be perfect for kite flying.  Pick an area park with lots of open space so your kite has room to soar.
4. Take a hike.  Walk one of the area trails, hike one of the trails at Goose Island or Hixon Forest or just stroll around the neighborhood.
5. Play badminton!  Dust off that old badminton game & set it up in the back yard.  Play singles or doubles as space allows!
6. Visit the zoo.  Plan a visit to Myrick Park zoo.  Check out the animals and take the time to enjoy Kids Coulee.
7. Walk to the library.  Have Dad come with you to check out some books that you can read together.
8. Plant flowers or a vegetable garden.  Spade up a small area in your yard to plant flowers or a few vegetable plants.  No space?  Try container gardening—buy a few large pots and plant your flowers or veggies in those.  Check out area farmer’s markets for unique plants!
9. Go bowling!  Check out the bowling alleys in La Crosse, Onalaska, West Salem, Sparta or Bangor.  Reserve a lane and challenge dad to a Father’s Day “tournament”.
10. Enjoy the water!  Check out one of the area pools or aquatic centers, go canoeing or tubing!

7 Habits to Instill in Your Kids in the New Year
December 2005

The new year is fast approaching and with it comes our New Year’s resolutions.  Every year we resolve to eat healthier, spend more time with our family, get in shape...   

This year, members of the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition encourage area parents to adopt a resolution to instill healthy habits in their children.  By encouraging healthy habits and a healthy lifestyle parents give their children something that is priceless and that will last a lifetime—good health.

So this year, vow to instill a healthy lifestyle in your children by instilling the following 7 habits in your kids:

• Spend an hour each day being active.  Make being active fun.  Find activities your kids (and you!) enjoy and help them set aside the time to do them.  Be a role model and be active together.
• Limit their screen time to less than 2 hours everyday.  While watching TV and playing computer games keep your kids occupied they do nothing for your kids’ waistlines.  Turn off the tube and the computer and help them find things that exercise their minds as well as their bodies.
• Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables.  Few kids or adults eat the amount of fruits and vegetables they need for good health.  The new food guide pyramid encourages people of every age to eat a plant based diet—one made up primarily of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  So make sure to offer fruits and vegetables to your kids at every meal and to have plenty of them handy for those snack attacks.
• Snack Smart.  Make your children’s snacks contribute to their overall healthy diet.  The key to smart snacking is to have healthy choices on hand that are quick, tasty and keep your kids satisfied until their next meal.  Keep portions small and plan ahead so their first inclination isn’t to grab the chips.
• Bone up on calcium.  Make sure your kids get 3 high calcium foods everyday.  They are building their bones during childhood and later bone health will depend on their diet today.  So be sure they drink their milk, eat yogurt or cheese or include calcium fortified juices and soy products in their daily routine.
• Drink Up.  Rather than using soda to quench their thirst encourage your kids to substitute at least 2 bottles or glasses of water for that can or bottle of soda they drink daily.  Get them a child sized water bottle (let them pick it out) and encourage them to carry it with them.
• Make it fast but healthy.  Eating healthy doesn’t have to mean your kids can’t eat out at their favorite fast food restaurant—but it may mean limiting their visits to less than twice a week and striving to make healthy choices when they are there.  Encourage them not to supersize their order, to go for the veggie toppings on their pizza rather than the meat lovers or extra cheese and to share favorites such as French fries with a friend.
• Avoid portion distortion.  Super sizing may seem like a good deal but not for your family’s waistline.  Learn what a portion is by visiting the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition’s web site ( www.childhoodobesitycoalition.org ) and clicking on the Stepping Up to a Healthy Lifestyle Tool Kit under “What’s New”.

Wishing everyone in the Coulee Region a happy and healthy New Year!

Ghoulishly Great Halloween Ideas

Celebrating Halloween in a healthy fashion doesn’t have to mean giving up all the treats.  It’s about balance.  There’s more to Halloween than candy.  There’s dressing up, having fun with friends, enjoying Halloween parties and playing games & “tricks” with (& on) your siblings and friends.  As this seems to be the start of the holiday and celebration season, it’s important to find a way to enjoy each one without sacrificing your healthy lifestyle!

Here are some tips for a healthier Halloween from Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition members.

• Is it Party Time?  Keep kids active with ghost sack races, a costume parade & pin the nose on the witch.  Need some menu ideas??  Include apple cider, apple slices with caramel dip (& let the kids top with orange & black “spooky” sprinkles), chips & salsa, whole wheat fig newtons, roasted pumpkin seeds, fruit snack cups or light popcorn
• Trick or Treat...Looking for healthier give away ideas?  Try temporary tattoos, small plastic spiders, small bouncy balls, spooky plastic rings, snack size bags of pretzels or crackers, juice boxes (100% juice), sugar-free gum or very small size candy bars.  To cut down on how much your kids eat while trick or treating, be sure they have a healthy meal before heading out.  They may be less apt then to snack & if they do, their treats are dessert—not dinner!
• Halloween Safety...Be sure kids travel in a group or with an adult.  Encourage kids to carry a flashlight so they can see better & be seen. Accessorize your children’s costume with glow in the dark bracelets, necklaces or reflective tape.  Ask your kids to wait until they come home before eating any of their “loot”.

 Celebrate Walk to School Week
October 3-7, 2005

Parents today continue to be concerned with the growing problem of childhood obesity and how they can encourage the development of healthy lifestyle habits in their children.  Encouraging their child to walk or bike to school may be part of the solution they seek.  Research tells us that kids who walk to school are more active and more likely to meet the 60 minutes of daily activity experts recommend. 

Unfortunately, fewer children today are walking to school.  In 1969, 48% of children walked or biked to school whereas today that percentage is roughly 10%.  While walking and biking to school not only gives children the activity they need it also provides kids with a sense of independence and responsibility, provides time for them to socialize with friends and helps them get to know their neighborhood and the world around them. 

The benefits of children walking or biking to school are many.  Consider the following... Children walking or biking to school can:

• Reduce traffic congestion.  Experts suggest that at least 26% of morning traffic is school related.  If more children walked or biked, the number of cars on roadways and in front of schools would decrease markedly—reducing traffic jams and improving the safety of children choosing to walk.
• Reduce school transportation costs.  When a child chooses to walk or bike, they are choosing a low/no cost transportation alternative and school busing costs could potentially decline.
• Reduce air pollution.  Because of the increasing number of miles we travel in our cars, auto emissions have risen.  Air pollution can exacerbate chronic health concerns in children such as asthma which has increased 74% since 1980 among kids 5 and 15 years of age. 
• Reduce days children miss school.  Each year 14 million days of school are missed by students due to asthma.  If air pollution is reduced, this asthma trigger reduced.

So how do parents and others in the community encourage kids to make this change?  The Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition encourages every school in our region to participate in Walk to School Week by encouraging their students to walk or ride their bike to school during this week.  In addition, some schools around the country have implemented “Walking Wednesdays” where students are routinely encouraged to walk or bike to school even if they don’t the other days of the week.  This is a great way to keep the momentum of Walk to School Week alive.

Walking and biking to school are easy ways for children to build activity into their day.  We hope Coulee Region Schools join the more than 3000 schools nationwide that participate in Walk to School Week and make the development of an active lifestyle a priority.

Six Ways to Keep Your Kids Moving This Summer
May 2005

Are you bound and determined to keep your kids active this summer?  Experts agree that children need to accumulate 60 minutes of moderate activity everyday and recommend that children engage in more vigorous activities at least 3 times each week.  So how do we get kids away from more sedentary pursuits?  Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition members have some suggestions...

1.  Participate in area walks or bike rides.  The Coulee Region is blessed with many walks and bike rides to benefit various area organizations.  June 18^th brings the Minds in Motion Bike Tour to benefit Eagle Bluff Elementary School (see www.mimbiketour.org for more information) and July 2^nd brings the Chileda run/walk, including a Children’s race (see www.chileda.org for details) Get yourself and your family ready to participate in an area ride or walk and help support a worthy cause!

2.  Walk to a “destination” & celebrate when you arrive!  Motivate yourself and your kids to be more active by making every step you take count.  Pick a destination you and your family will “walk” to this summer, determine how many miles it is to your destination and then what that translates to in terms of the number of steps you’ll all need to take to get there (2,000 steps = 1 mile).  Add up your family member’s steps each day and when you reach your destination- celebrate!  Recently, a group of La Crosse Day Care Center students strapped on their pedometers and walked to Green Bay for a Packer Party! 

Need a way to count your steps?  Borrow a pedometer from the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition’s Pedometer Loan Program.  Contact Linda Lee for details at 785-9791

3.  Move with your kids.  Be a good role model for your kids—be active.  If they see you moving, they are more apt to move!  Rather than sitting and watching your kids play T-ball or soccer, walk up and down the sidelines.  Join a karate class together.  Take a bike ride together or a walk.  Enjoy being a kid again and swing, slide and climb with your kids at the playground!

4.  Plan a weekly family activity time.  Families often enjoy a weekly “game” night or “movie” night—what about planning a weekly activity night or day.  Each week a different family member gets to choose the activity the family participates in.  Depending on family member’s choices, one week it may be a hike in Hixon forest or a bike ride on an area trail or swimming at an area pool. 

5.  Have your kids “earn” time for less active pursuits.  While experts suggest parents limit children to 2 hours or less of  sedentary “screen” time per day – including time spent watching TV, in front of a computer and playing with their game boy—you can have your kids “earn” time for these lower wattage activities by accumulating minutes of activity.  A half hour spent walking the dog “earns” them a half hour of TV time to watch their favorite show!

 6.  Get your child moving with one of the new activity oriented video games.   In response to the rising concern with childhood overweight, the gaming industry has developed a number of exercise oriented video games designed to get the younger set moving.  There’s Dance Dance Revolution-a game that requires players to follow dance steps on a lighted pad in time to dance music, EyeToy AntiGrav, a video game in which the 3-dimentional character is controlled by the player’s own body movements and EyeToy Groove, which uses the same motion tracking technology as Dance Dance Revolution. To learn more about these games visit www.eye-toy.com or www.ddraction.com

Need more ideas for increasing your family’s activity level this summer?  Visit  www.smallstep.gov

 Seven Habits of Well Hydrated People!
July 2005

What’s the best way to beat the heat this summer?  Stay hydrated!  As the temperature climbs dehydration can cause headaches, dizziness, irritability and chronic fatigue.  While staying hydrated is important for everyone, active children, outdoor workers, seniors and athletes are particularly susceptible to dehydration.

Thirst is not always the best indicator that you need fluid.  By the time you feel thirsty, you are often already somewhat dehydrated.  So ... just how much fluid do you need for good health?  The usual recommendation is 48-64 ounces of fluid each day.  Experts generally base their fluid calculation on a person’s height, weight and activity level.  Many suggest a quick way to calculate what you need is to divide your weight in half—that number is the number of ounces of fluid you need to drink daily. (Using this calculation, a 100 pound person would need to drink 50 ounces of fluid daily.)

However—the easiest and quickest way to determine if you are adequately hydrated is to check your urine when you go to the bathroom.  If you are getting enough fluid, your urine will be pale yellow or nearly colorless.  If your urine is darkly colored, you are—in all likelihood—somewhat dehydrated.

To prevent dehydration this summer have your family members adopt these 7 habits and they’ll be better able to survive the summer heat!

1. Be sure to drink in the morning!  Encourage each family member to enjoy a tall glass of 1% or skim milk or a glass of 100% fruit juice with their breakfast and to drink at least 8 ounces of a noncaffeinated beverage before they leave the house each day.
2. Drink all day long!  Have family members carry a water bottle with them and fill it as they need to throughout the day.  If members like fizzy drinks have them try sparkling water in their bottle rather than plain water.  If they want some flavor—have them add several slices of lemon to their bottles for a cool, refreshing taste.  
3. Drink in the evening!  Ask family members to skip their dinner glass of pop and set out a pitcher of ice water for everyone to enjoy.  One percent (1%) or skim milk is a delicious way to get calcium and fluids at the same time so encourage them to drink up!
4. Drink before being active!  Being well hydrated makes activity more enjoyable.  Encourage family members to drink at least 8-16 ounces of fluid before going on a walk, a bike ride or swim.
5. Drink while you are active!  Encourage family members to stay cool by drinking 5-8 ounces of fluid for every 30 minutes of activity in which they engage.  Have them keep a plastic water bottle in the freezer and grab it when they go out—the ice will thaw and provide them with a cool refreshing drink just when they need it!
6. Drink after activity!  Rest, refuel and rehydrate after being active.  Encourage family members to pull up a chair, pour themselves a tall 8-16 ounce glass of water and treat themselves to healthy snack.  They’ve earned it!
7. ...and drink some more!  Encourage family members to get into the habit of drinking fluids throughout the day not just at meal time.  Encourage them to always travel with their water bottle.

 Stepping Up to a Healthy Lifestyle Toolkit Now Available

Now that the weather is nicer have you and your family vowed to eat healthier and be more active?  The Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition can help!  We now have a toolkit for families to use that will provide them with ideas as well as resources to help them eat healthier and lead a more active lifestyle.

Launched in March, the Stepping up to a Healthy Lifestyle initiative has already reached many area families with the healthy eating, active lifestyle message.  By making the toolkit available, we hope to reach many more.

The toolkit contains nutrition information and practical tips on calcium and bone health, portion size, fiber needs for adults and children and the importance of eating 5-9 fruits and vegetables daily.   It also encourages recipients to be active by encouraging them to get their 10,000 steps in everyday.  Included in the toolkit are tips for doing that as well as information on the Coalition’s pedometer loan program.

The toolkit available here.  A copy can also be obtained by contacting Linda Lee at 785-9791.

Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition
Launches Pedometer Loan Program
February 2005

Experts recommend that we take 10,000 steps everyday for good health.  Unfortunately many children in the Coulee Region don’t come anywhere near that daily target.

To help parents and children reach this activity goal, the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition, with funding from the Children’s Miracle Network, has begun a pedometer loan program.  Coalition members hope that through tracking their daily steps children will become more aware of their daily activity level and commit to increasing the number of steps they take throughout the day to reach the recommended 10,000 steps.

Children 7-18 are eligible to participate in the loan program.  To check out a pedometer through the loan program, parents can come with their children to any one of the following loan program sessions. Within 5-10 minutes they can check out the pedometer, learn how to use it to help their child monitor their activity & get ideas for increasing the number of steps their child takes everyday.

Check Out a Pedometer During the Times Below:

March 10^th between 4-5 PM       March 17^th between 5-6 PM    March 24^th between 4-5 PM

 March 31^st between 4-5 PM       April 7^th between 4-5 PM       April 14^th between 5-6 PM

 All loan sessions will be held in the Administrative conference room on the 1^st floor in the Health & Human Services Building, 300 4^th St N, La Crosse.  Families can register for a session by calling 785-9865.  Registration is encouraged to assure pedometer availability

 The pedometer loan program is part of a newly launched initiative by the Coalition called Stepping up to a Healthy Lifestyle.  For more information about the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition and the Stepping Up to a Healthy Lifestyle initiative visit our web site at www.childhoodobesitycoalition.org

Celebrate America on the Move Day-November 5^th   
November 2004

On November 5^th join others in the Coulee Region who are celebrating America on the Move day & are taking the challenge to—Go the Extra Mile for Energy Balance.

America on the Move Day is a national initiative sponsored by the nonprofit organization--  Partnership to Promote Healthy Eating and Active Living.  The Partnership’s goal for the day is to inspire Americans to move more and eat less. 

What specifically is the Partnership asking America on the Move Day participants to do? Participants are encouraged to make 2 small changes that day in their eating & activity habits.  They are being asked to take 2000 more steps (the equivalent of approximately 1 extra mile) and to eat 100 fewer calories during the day.  Experts estimate that if people made these 2 simple changes permanent, it would stop the average weight gain of 1-3 pounds each year many people experience.

An inactive lifestyle and an intake of excess calories are contributing substantially to our country’s obesity epidemic.  Today, 2 in 3 adults are overweight/obese and 1 in 3 children are.  The health care costs associated with this epidemic are estimated to rise to $160 billion by 2010.  Obesity further escalates already high health care costs and is quickly catching up to smoking as a leading cause of preventable death.

The Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition encourages all Coulee Region residents to Go the Extra Mile for Energy Balance and participate on November 5^th in America on the Move Day.  Not only will adults in our community improve their ability to serve as healthy role models for our children, but participation can be the jump start we may need to eat healthier and be more active every day.

For more information about America on the Move Day, as well as many practical tips for increasing your daily steps and cutting your caloric intake, visit their web site at www.americaonthemove.org .  For healthy eating and active living information along with information about the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition visit our web site at www.childhoodobesitycoalition.org

Give the Gift of Health this Holiday Season-
Give a Gift that Encourages an Active Lifestyle
December 2004

The holidays are upon us and family gift buying is in full swing.  The Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition encourages you to give the gift of health this holiday season by buying gifts for kids that encourage an active lifestyle.  Before purchasing your gift think...will it require the child receiving it to use his or her body to make it work?  Think of gifts that require children to walk, skip, jump, run, hop, push or pedal. 

Need ideas?  Here are some suggestions from coalition members...

For the preschooler on your holiday list:                  For the school age child on your list:

*  Foam Frisbee                                                 *  Skates

*  Play ground ball                                                       *  Sled

*  Doll stroller                                                               *  Balls (soccer, basketball, playground)

*  Plastic racquets                                                           *  Bat

*  Plastic lawn & garden tools                          *  Lessons for an activity they enjoy-karate

*  Toy lawn mower, rake, small shovel, etc                                dance, swimming, etc

*  Wading pool (adult supervision required!)                     *  Bike

*  Children’s dance music                                          *  Music

*  Kite                                                                          *  Frisbee                                    

*  Wagon                                                                     *  Kites

*  Age appropriate mitt, jr size baseball bat with tee            *  Chalk- to draw or play hopscotch

*  Bike with training wheels                                      *  Scooter & helmet

*  Rocking horse                                                      *  Beach toys (Can also be used for snow

*  Dance DVDs or videos                                                  play)

*  Bubbles (great to chase!)                                     *  Lawn games (ring toss, croquet, etc)

                                                                                    * Inexpensive binoculars to take on a hike

                                                                                    * Dance pad for play station 2

                                                                                    *  Jump rope

                                                                                    *  Hula Hoop

For the teen on your list:

                                    *  Skates (buying rollerblades?  Include a helmet)

                                    *  Bike & helmet

                                    *  Skateboard & helmet

                                    *  Racquet or clubs (tennis, racquetball, golf, etc)

                                    *  Net for games such as volleyball

                                    *  Camping equipment

                                    *  Juggling balls/sticks

                                    *  Lessons for an activity they enjoy (dance, karate, etc)

                                    *  A colorful headband or earmuffs to make walking cozier

For all ages:

                                    *  A field guide for identifying animal tracks in the snow

                                    *  Star chart or book about constellations to take outside on clear nights

                                    * Balsa wood airplanes or paper airplanes to fly outside

So give the gift of health this season by giving the children on your list a gift that will stimulate their body as well as their mind.  For more ideas on how to encourage healthy eating and an active lifestyle in children visit the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition’s web site at www.childhoodobesitycoalition.org

Keeping Kids Active Over the Holiday Break
December 2004

Mom...I’m bored!  It often doesn’t take long for restlessness to set in after school gets out and the initial excitement of the holidays is past.  School provides structure to a child’s day and helps to keep them engaged both mentally & physically.  During the holiday break, kids can be at loose ends and find it difficult to maintain an active lifestyle.

Experts suggest children get 60 minutes of physical activity each day.  While the 60 minutes doesn’t need to happen all at once—it can be broken into smaller amounts of time—possibly 15 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes in the afternoon and 15 minutes at night—it does need to happen.

So how can parents & caretakers help kids maintain an active lifestyle over this holiday season?  Here are some suggestions from members of the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition:

1. Encourage kids to play outside daily.  Whatever the size of your yard, turn it into a “Neighborhood Fun Zone” by stocking it with a few basic toy such as balls a soft Frisbee and several pails & small shovels. Kids can keep themselves occupied by playing keep away, kickball, catch, Frisbee or build a snow fort if Mother Nature cooperates.
2. Take a hike.  The Coulee Region is blessed with a variety of trails & parks.  Pick one and take your kids for a hike.  Along the way, look for animal tracks or see how many different birds you can find & identify.  If you don’t have a field guide to help with either of these tasks, check out the local library for a copy.
3. Play in the snow.  If Mother Nature cooperates we’ll have snow for the holidays.  If there is snow on the ground—go sledding on your favorite hill, build a snow fort or snowman or have a neighborhood snow sculpture contest.  Consider trying cross country skiing, snowboarding or snow shoeing.
4. Enjoy nature.  Kids are fascinated by nature.  Bring the natural world close to home by feeding the birds.  Make bird treats with day old bread (dried & hardened) spread with peanut butter then rolled in seeds &/or nuts.  Hang it in a protected location but one that’s easily visible both indoors & out.  Have your kids replenish as well as watch the feeder & identify all the birds (& small animals) that come to it.
5. Help others in the community.  The holidays are a time of giving and many families make it a point at this time of year to help others.  Encourage your kids to help others by clearing the sidewalk for an elderly neighbor or taking their dog for a walk.  As a family, you may want to consider adopting a portion of highway, park or your own street and keeping it clean.  Picking up trash not only beautifies your neighborhood, but it gets you moving and closer to the 60 minutes of activity both kids and adults need to maintain their health.
6. Discover low cost activities near home.  Check into activities at the local library, nature center, Children’s Museum or YMCA.  Join the La Crosse Public library’s Library Pals Playgroup on Monday December 27^th from 10-11 am in the Children’s area of the library. Kid’s will share a snack and then have the opportunity to get involved in some sort of movement activity.  Or...check out the YMCA’s New Year’s Eve Party on December 31^st-January 1st—a sleep over from 8 pm to 8 am for children in grades 1-5.  Kids will enjoy a night of swimming, games, sports & will get a chance to see the La Crosse fireworks.
7. Go ice skating.  Check out Green Island Ice Arena in La Crosse.  During open skate times kids skate for $1.00 and adults $2.00.  Open skate times are weekdays 12 noon – 2 pm, Wednesdays from 6:15-8:15 pm and Sundays from 5-7 pm.  If you live in Holmen, check out Deerwood Park Ice Rink.  An outdoor ice rink, Deerwood is open Monday – Friday 8am – 6 pm and from 1 pm – 10 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
8. Go roller skating.  High Roller Skating Rink has open skate on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.  Check out www.highrollerskating.com for times and prices. 
9. Go bowling.  There are 6 bowling alleys in the La Crosse area.  Look in the yellow pages for the address & phone number of the bowling alley closest to you.
10. Make your own dance video.  Or exercise video, music video, sports video, etc.  Be creative—the ideas are endless.  Besides—many kids love to be in the spotlight!
11. Go swimming.   Many kids love the water.  Check out your local YMCA—day passes for both kids and adults are available!

These are just a few ways you can help your kids maintain an active lifestyle this holiday season.  For more ideas, visit our web site at www.childhoodobesitycoalition.org .

Fun Ways to Stay Fit on Summer Road Trips

In a few short weeks summer vacation season will begin.  Even with higher gas prices, many families will still take to the road for the annual family vacation, camping trip or week at the cabin.  Your family’s summer road trip doesn’t have to mean that you give up your commitment to regular physical activity.  Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition members encourage you to build activity into your family road trip with these tips from the North Carolina NET Program... 

• Stretch your legs at rest stops.  Whether it’s a scenic stop or one where people watching is the only interesting thing to look at—stretch your legs and take a ten minute walk before jumping back in your car after that bathroom break.  Grab your traveling companions and the dog if he’s traveling with you and do a couple laps around the perimeter of the rest stop. Not only will your mini walk help you build activity into your driving days, but it will also help wake you up and make you more alert! 

• Explore those roadside attractions.  Our highways are filled with interesting and unusual places to explore.  Stop and view a few of the many historical markers or one of the many unusual sculptures or local museums.  On your next trip, build in a couple 30 minute breaks to discover something new along your route. Not only will you be adding some physical activity to your day but you may also be creating a wonderful family memory that you’ll treasure. 

• Play in the park.  Take a break and stop at one of the many roadside, local or state parks.  Climb on the slides, swing on the swings, enjoy a guided walk or hike a nature trail.  Take a break, get out of your car and run, stretch , swing, hike or climb your way to fitness. 

• Carry fitness equipment in the car.  Family vacations may include bikes, canoes or rafts that help keep you active once you reach your destination, but what can you bring with you to help as you travel to your destination?  Bats, balls, Frisbees and boomerangs are all small, portable and inexpensive.  A quick game of Frisbee or catch at a rest stop can be played by most family members and the equipment doesn’t require much space. 

• Interested in a “serious” car based workout?  Try Commuter Aerobics!  Cinder at www.commuteraerobics.com has developed a 20 minute tape that includes 11 different exercises that you can do in your car or anytime your sitting down.  The moves are set to music and the tape includes driving tips and safety instructions along with the exercises.  While not a substitute for traditional cardiovascular or weight training routines, it does allow you to get some physical activity during a time you normally would just be sitting. 

For more healthy eating and physical activity tips visit the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition’s web site at www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/health/nutrition/CRCOC/default.htm

How Bikeable is Your Community?

We all seem to be looking for easy ways to add activity to our day without adding one more thing to our busy lives.  The easiest way to be more active is to make activity a normal part of your day.  How can you do that??  Choose an active form of transportation!  Need to pick up a few small items at the store or visit a friend who lives a few blocks away?  Take your bike instead of your car!  Do your school age kids want to go to the pool, play at the park or visit a friend in the neighborhood?  Encourage them to ride their bikes rather than relying on you to drive them.

Bicycling is a wonderful way to get around.  It keeps you moving, can save gas money and reduces the amount of time you spend driving other family members to all their activities! 

Some neighborhoods, however, are more bikeable than others. To see how easy it is to bike in your neighborhood, take a ride and take the short survey below.  Ride to the store, visit a friend or just ride around your neighborhood with your kids and after your ride, answer the following questions to see how bikeable your neighborhood is.  If it isn’t as easy or safe to bike in as you think it should be, share your concerns with your town, city and county officials.   

            1.  Did you have a place to bike safely?

a.  If you used the road...
Consider...Were the lanes wide enough to accommodate bikes? Was there a shoulder or bike lane to ride in/on? Was the bike lane or shoulder there the whole way?  Was there lots of fast moving traffic, trucks or buses?  Were there lots of driveways or vehicles turning off/on the road?  If you had to travel over a bridge was there room to do so?  If you biked at night when it was dark, were the roadways well lighted?

b.  If you used a trail...
Consider...Was the trail intersected by roads so it was difficult to cross?  Was the trail crowded? Did the trail have lots of sharp turns & dangerous down hills? Lots of steep hills?  Was the trail convenient—did it take you where you wanted to go?

_____2.  How was the surface you rode on?

Consider...Potholes?  Cracked & broken pavement?  Debris on the road? (broken glass, sand, gravel, etc)  Road was intersected by lots of bumpy or angled railroad tracks? Road surface was slippery when wet, You had to ride over drain grates 

_____3.  How were the intersections you rode through?

Consider...Wait time to cross the intersection?  Your ability to see traffic coming?  Traffic signals that gave you plenty of time to cross? 

_____4.  Did the drivers behave well?

Consider...How fast they drove, how close they came to you when passing, did they signal?  Did they        harass you or cut you off?  Did they speed through red lights or go through stop signs?

_____5.  Was it easy to ride your bike?

Consider...Was there maps, signs or road markings to help you find your way?  Was there a secure place to leave your bike once you got to your destination?  Were you chased by any dogs? 

_____6.  What did you do to make your ride safe?
I wore a bike helmet, I obeyed traffic signs & signals, I rode with traffic, and I wore bright colors so I was visible 

(Survey developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center and the and the US Department of Transportation)

Lead the Way to Better Health
September is National 5 a Day Month

As the school year kicks off, the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition is urging parents and the greater La Crosse community to Lead the Way: Choose Fruits, Vegetables and Physical Activity to celebrate National 5 a Day Month this September.  If the La Crosse community is to reverse the upward trend of childhood obesity in our area, everyone must “lead the way” at home, at school, at work and when eating out. 

We all know that obesity has increased dramatically in the last 20 years –with two-thirds of all adults overweight or obese and 1 in 3 children.  Research shows that one of the keys to reversing this is to stay active and to eat 5-9 fruits and vegetables everyday.  With nicer weather, many of us have become more active.  Unfortunately, we still aren’t eating the recommended 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.  

How then can we as a community “lead the way” and encourage each other and our children to be active and eat 5-9 fruits and vegetables every day?   

At school...

• As a community we can encourage schools to...

• Offer healthy choices—particularly fruits and vegetables--in their vending machines, as part of school lunch, in their school stores and as part of their after school snack programs. 

• Establish school nutrition policies that promote the inclusion of healthy food options at school events, classroom parties and fundraisers.

• Use fruits and vegetables or activity rewards for a job well done rather than sweets.

• Explore garden to table programs that incorporate produce grown in school gardens into school meals and snacks.

At home...

Parents and other adults can...

• Keep ready to eat fruits & vegetables on hand.  Keep fresh fruit in a bowl on the counter or cut up fruits & veggies in a container in the refrigerator.

• Eat together as a family as often as possible.  Research shows that when we eat on the run, fruits and veggies get short shrift.  Try to include a fruit or vegetable (or both!) at each meal.

• Make physical activity part of family time.  Play a game outside together, go for a walk or bike ride, rake leaves or fly a kite. 

• Give active toys to children—balls, bats, basketball hoops, skates and bikes are the kinds of toys that keep kids moving. 

At work...

We can...

• Take the stairs rather than the elevator.  The average person gains 1-2 pounds each year.  Some experts suggest that if we took the stairs regularly we might not gain that weight!

• Advocate for healthier vending choices.  Encourage vending companies and those making the decisions to include fresh fruits and vegetables as options so those employees grabbing a quick meal from the machines have healthier choices.

• Take several “exercise” breaks during the day.  Rather than sit and eat a doughnut during your morning break, take a quick walk with a coworker.

• Bring fresh fruit treats rather than cake or cookies when it’s your turn to bring something into work.  Try a fresh fruit salad or a bowl of fresh berries as a treat for your coworkers rather than doughnuts or candy.

• Plan healthier refreshments at your meetings.  Are you planning the lunch for that next meeting?  Forgo the chips or bars and add slices of juicy melon and fresh veggies with dip to your menu.

National 5 a Day Month in September is the perfect time to include fresh fruits and vegetables in your day.  Gardens are bountiful and are producing many wonderful melons, peppers and tomatoes packed with flavor as well as nutrients!  For more information about healthy eating and an active lifestyle visit the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition’s web site at www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/Health/Nutrition/crcoc/default.htm

Celebrate Turn off the TV Week & Turn on Life
April 2004

Celebrate the 10^th anniversary of Turn off the TV week with Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition members and build a healthier life.  Childhood obesity is increasing by leaps & bounds and researchers now believe that if we don’t turn the tide and work to slim down our national waistline 1/3 of all children born in 2000 will develop serious health problems such as diabetes. 

There are two keys to reducing obesity—healthy eating and an active lifestyle.  Watching less TV can help you with both of these.  By turning off the TV for the week children and their parents... 

• Won’t see 384 television commercials during the week—American kids typically see 20,000 commercials/year.

• Won’t see 200+ ads for junk food during the typical 4 hours of Saturday morning programming—Many Saturday morning commercials are for less nutritious items such as candy, pop & sugary cereals.

• Will talk with each other over meals.  Forty percent (40%) of families report watching TV during meals.

• Will be more active because just about anything uses more energy than sitting in front of the TV.  In the average American household, the TV is on 7 hours and 40 minutes each day with many family members watching different programs in different rooms

• Will have an additional 20 – 28 hours of time to play, read, go for walks or do many of the things they often “don’t have time for”.  A typical child between 2-17 watches 20 hours of TV each week and adults watch an average of 4 hours each day.

TV not only reduces our activity & promotes less healthy eating; it also undermines family time and harms children’s reading and academic performance.  Kids who watch many hours of TV aren’t spending time talking with other family members nor do they read as much, or do as well on reading tests as those who watch little TV.   

Looking for ways to TV proof your home? 

• Move the TV set to a less prominent location so you have to think about turning it on before you do it!

• Avoid using TV as a babysitter.  Involve kids in household activities and meal preparation

• Consider removing the TV from your child’s bedroom.

• Keep the TV off during meals!  Mealtime is a good time for family members to catch up with each other.

• Designate certain days as TV free days.  Use the time to be active together as a family.

• If you turn the TV on, turn it on to watch a particular show rather than for the evening or the morning.

What can you do in place of watching TV??  Just about anything!  Check out the Turn off the TV web site & find the 101 ways you can enjoy life without TV.  Go to http://tv-turnoff.org/101.htm.  Among the many suggestions the web site suggests are keeping a journal, learning a new dance, planting a garden, learning a musical instrument or going for a hike. 

For additional information about healthy living visit the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition’s web site at www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/Health/Nutrition/CRCOC/default.htm

Obesity Coalition and Area Pediatricians Challenge Local Schools to Remove Soda
March 2004

We are bombarded almost daily with information pertaining to the fattening of our children, yet we continue to provide an obvious source of excess calories to our children through our schools.  Each 12-oz serving of soda contains the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar and 150 non-nutritive calories, while often replacing milk, a beverage that is loaded with vital nutrition for children and adolescents.  Area schools provide access to, and sometimes market soda through policies that allow soft drinks to be sold at school, school events and as fundraisers.  Are we selling the health of our children for the sake of financial support from soda companies?  

In response to the January release of the American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement on Soft Drinks in Schools, the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition along with the Pediatrics Departments at Gundersen Lutheran and Franciscan Skemp Healthcare would like to challenge all Coulee Region schools to examine the promotion of soft drink consumption in our schools.

The AAP Policy Statement challenges pediatric health care providers and school districts to work toward restricting the sale of soft drinks in schools to safeguard against both obesity and tooth decay.  Overweight is now the most common medical condition of childhood, with the prevalence having doubled over the last 20 years.  Complications of the obesity epidemic include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease and serious psychosocial implications. 

 The policy statement recommends:

1. Working toward eliminating sweetened soft drinks in schools while making water, skim milk and 100% fruit juices available as replacements

2. Advocating for the creation of a school nutrition advisory council comprised of parents, community and school personnel, health care providers, school nurses, dietitians and dentists to ensure that the health and nutritional interests of students form the foundation of nutritional policies in schools.

3. Inviting public discussion before making any decisions to create a vended food or drink contract, and

4. If a school district already has a soft drink contract in place, tempering it in such a way that it does not promote over consumption by students.

 How about it, Coulee Region Schools?

Promoting Body confidence at school and home
                             February 2004 

Parents and schools play a significant role in the formation of body image and self esteem.  Creating an environment where children of all sizes are equally valued, feel supported, comfortable and confident can have remarkable impact on their self-esteem.

Dieting and calorie counting are currently an epidemic in our culture and as a result, disordered eating has become a public health issue that demands the attention of parents,  health providers, teachers, coaches and school administrators.  Living in a climate that glorifies thinness and devalues overweight children has wreaked havoc on their self-esteem and body image, and created an environment that encourages children and adolescents to engage in unhealthy weight altering activities.

• 42% of 6 to 9 year old girls report wanting to be thinner.

• Half of girls between the ages of 12 and 14 say they are unhappy because they are fat.

• In 1996, a 12 year  old Florida boy killed himself because he could not longer bear being teased about his weight.

In addition to having negative health consequences, dieting and disordered eating also affects learning outcomes for students.  Preoccupation with food results in irritability, decreased concentration and attention, isolation, loss of interest, and malaise, which in turn negatively effects school performance.

Preventing disordered eating requires more than simply talking about nutrition, eating disorders and obesity in health class.  Children need to see the role models in their lives setting examples.  The following are things you can do to help promote a healthy body image in children.

1. Learn how to model healthy eating and a positive body image.

   • Try not to classify foods as “good” or “bad”.

   • Discourage dieting or weight-loss fads, and instead, encourage a wellness lifestyle

2. Recognize people for who they are and what they do, not for what they look like or how they appear.

3. Focus on other areas of your child’s life besides how they look.

4. Educate yourself on normal growth and development. 

   • Approximately 20% of our adult height and 50% of our adult weight is gained between 11-19 years of age.

   • Everyone grows at a different rate, so try not to compare children’s growth rate to others.

5.  Remember, a lot about size is in the genes.

   • THE GREAT JEANS GIVEAWAY

     • February 23^rd-27^th in the Lutheran Hospital lobby.

     • April 3^rd at Valley View Mall.

     • To participate bring an old pair of jeans that no longer fit, reinforcing the message “Get Real”:  Don’t fight your genes, just change your jeans!”  Fighting your natural size and shape can lead to unhealthy dieting practices, poor body image and decreased self-esteem

6. Commit to helping children (male & female) understand the ways in which television, magazines, and other media distort the true diversity of human body types and imply that thinness is the only way to succeed.

7. Encourage your children to be active and to appreciate what their bodies can do.  Help them enjoy the “good feeling” of being active.  Make exercise fun and positive.  It is always more enjoyable when we “play” with them.

 Preventing disordered eating and poor body image requires more than simply talking about it.  It is our way of life that has the most impact on our children.  If you feel that you have more questions and concerns regarding this topic, please contact Diane Hinrichs Kelbel, RD at Gundersen Lutheran.

Healthier Children’s Menus coming to an Eating Establishment Near You!
January 2004

Eating out has become a way of life for most of us.  The average American consumes about 1/3 of their daily calories away from home.   Whether it’s stopping at the closest fast food drive thru, the local grocery store deli or your family’s favorite restaurant for take out, eating away from home often means large portions that can impact your waistline as well as your children’s.  Experts agree that keeping portions in perspective and including more fruits and vegetables in your meals are two easy ways to reach and maintain a healthy weight. 

The Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition would like to congratulate national and local stores and eating establishments that are trying to be part of the solution to the widespread obesity epidemic by modifying their offerings and children’s menus.

What can families find when they eat away from home?  Local Subways now offer a new Kid’s Pak that includes a small deli sandwich, a juice carton rather than pop, a fruit roll up rather than chips and a toy that encourages physical activity. 

Gundersen Lutheran’s 500 Club is working with area restaurants to offer a 500 Club Kid’s menu in addition to their menus for adults.  Look for one area restaurant to launch their new 500 club kid’s menu in January!

McDonalds is test marketing a new Happy Meal in three locations in the U.S.  Rather than French fries, kids can substitute apple dippers (apple slices with low fat caramel dip) and in place of pop they can substitute milk or juice

We applaud these steps and encourage other restaurants and delis to join these trend setters in their quest to offer healthier food choices.  For more ideas about healthy eating and physical activity visit the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition’s web site at www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/Departments/Health/WIC/CRCOC/default.htm .

Big Steps Needed to Reverse Obesity in Children
January 2004

According to researchers at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine, big steps are needed to reverse childhood obesity trends that have one-third of America’s children either overweight or obese. 

Researcher’s at Baylor found that because of the excess calories they are taking in, children need to walk the equivalent of 3 miles or more each day just to prevent further weight gain. 

Nancy Butte, a professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, studied 337 children between 5-19 years of age for 1 year.  What she found was that children who were overweight when the research period started were even more overweight a year later, with an average weight gain of 16 pounds during the year.

To reverse these gains, Butte determined that the children she was working with would have to cut their caloric intake by 260 calories per day.  This is equivalent to a 3 mile or 60 minute walk or a 20 ounce bottle of pop.

Halting the childhood obesity epidemic will take more than helping children make small changes in their diet.  It will take a coordinated effort by all those who touch children’s lives.  Parents, schools, day care centers and after school programs along with the general community need to find ways to make it easier for children to make healthier food choices and be more physically active. 

Healthier restaurant choices for kids are a great start and the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition commends the 500 Club for their work.  We encourage other restaurants to join this effort along with churches, schools, youth groups and others who work with children.  We suggest all who work with children:

•      Offer healthy food choices at events.  The University of Minnesota School of Public Health has a great set of guidelines for planning healthy food and beverage offerings at events.  For a copy of the guidelines contact Linda Lee at the La Crosse County Health Department at 785-9791

•      Work with area schools to urge them to offer healthy choices in their vending machines, at their school stores and as fund raisers.  The school environment and school staff have enormous impact on children’s behaviors.  Modeling healthy choices is important in shaping children eating and activity choices.

•      Find ways to build activity into children’s days.  The National Association for Sport and Physical Education recently released new physical activity guidelines for children 5-12 years of age.  Among their recommendations are:  Children should accumulate at least 60 minutes, and up to several hours, of physical activity each day, children should participate in several bouts of physical activity lasting 15 minutes or more each day and extended periods (periods of 2 hours or more) of inactivity are discouraged for children.   Implementing these guidelines may mean we structure our children’s days differently, but their health as well as their academic performance will benefit.

Solving the childhood obesity crisis takes a whole community working together.  Solutions can be found if we think creatively and put children’s health first.  For more information about the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition visit our web site at www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/Departments/Health/WIC/CRCOC/default.htm

Celebrate Healthy Weight Week-January 18^th-24^th

If you are like many people in the Coulee Region you and your family made a New Year’s resolution to eat healthier and be more active in 2004.  It’s now several weeks into the New Year and your motivation, as well as your family’s, is starting to wane.  To get yourself and your family back on track, celebrate Healthy Weight Week—a week that focuses on healthy lifestyle habits and the role they play in preventing weight problems.

Regular exercise and healthy eating habits are the secret to a preventing obesity both now and in the future.  Eating a wide variety of foods, watching portion sizes and being physically active every day are the keys to a healthy weight and are great goals to strive for both during Healthy Weight Week and throughout life.

While we often focus on weight as an indicator of health—we can’t become hung up on it.  Weight isn’t about a number on a scale; it’s about adopting habits that will help one maintain their health throughout their life.  Eating a wide variety of nutrient packed foods is part of it.  Making sure you get 5 fruits and vegetables daily and 3 servings of calcium rich foods every day is part of it.  And being physically active everyday is part of it.

How can parents help children develop habits that will help them maintain a healthy weight both now and throughout their life? 

•      Focus on healthy eating and being active rather than on what a child weighs.  Avoid discussing weight concerns with your children as it can lead them to adopt undesirable behaviors in an effort to lose weight and may cause them to lose confidence in themselves.

•      Be a good role model.  Eat healthy and be active—your kids are watching.

•      Spend time with your children being active.  Plan activities each week for the family to enjoy.  Take turns and let each family member get a chance to choose what the family will do that week.

•      Promote healthy eating and diet-free living.  If children hear you talking about how “fat” you are and how much you need to lose weight, they will start to become overly conscious of their weight too.

•      Try to eat together as a family once each day – with the TV off!

•      Emphasize the concept of good health at every size.  Everyone has an optimum weight for their body shape and size.  Help kids understand that a healthy weight is different for everyone.  While we see thin men and women on TV and in the movies, that body style is not realistic or healthy for many people.   

For more ideas about healthy eating and physical activity visit the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition’s web site at www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/Departments/Health/WIC/CRCOC/default.htm .

10 Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Activity Level in the New Year

(1/04)

Find it hard to fit activity into your day?  Have you made a New Year’s resolution to lead a healthier lifestyle in 2004 by being more active?  Fortunately, with some creativity and a commitment to daily physical activity – it’s easy to fit fitness into your day.  The benefits are enormous—less stress during the day, improved sleep at night, more energy to do the things you enjoy and a healthier future!  The Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition has tips for parents and kids alike that will help you achieve your new commitment to being active. 

1. Put activity on the top of your “To Do” list.  None of us have time to do all the things we want or need to do.  We need to prioritize how we spend our time.  Make fitness one of your and your family’s priorities.  By being active, you’ll find you have more energy for everything else! 

2. Plan activity into your schedule.  Write in time for fitness on your personal or family’s calendar.  It’s just as important as many of the other things we pencil in. 

3. Wear or carry comfortable shoes.  With a comfortable pair of shoes, you can take advantage of many opportunities to be more active—like walking up the stairs rather than taking the elevator. 

4. Walk to your appointments.  Use your legs as your mode of transportation – park in a central location and walk to multiple appointments that are clustered near one another, walk to the store to pick up those few items you need, walk rather than drive to go visit a friend.

5. Walk while you wait.  We spend lots of time waiting.  Rather than sit and wait, walk while you wait.  Walk around the building, walk around the block or walk around the plane, train or bus station. 

6. Stand up and stretch.  Flexibility is an important part of fitness.  So stand up and reach for the sky! 

7. Take 10.  Break up your day with a fitness break.  Taking a walk or doing some stretches several times during the day adds up.  Your 60 minutes of daily activity doesn’t need to be done all at once.  Break it up and you may be more successful getting it in! 

8. Sit and be fit.  We all spend lots of time sitting.  Strengthen your abs by tightening them against the chair back. 

9. Fidget and squirm.  Research shows that fidgeting burns calories.  By moving while you sit, you increase your activity level.

10. Explore.  Don’t take the same old route everyday.  Walk in different directions and explore different places each day.  Visiting some place new?  Walk or bike around where you are staying (check about safety first).  It’s a great way to learn about your surroundings.

For more information about healthy eating and being active visit the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition’s web site at www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/Departments/Health/WIC/CRCOC/default.htm

Fitting in Fitness this Holiday Season

(12/03)

There aren’t enough hours in the day—you still have presents to buy, holiday parties and concerts to attend and cookies to bake.  With all these things to do, your fitness routine get put in the corner.  Unfortunately, exercise is often the best medicine for dealing with the stress and anxiety of the holiday season.  So don’t give up on exercise during this busy time of year.  Stay active by arming yourself with the following tips from Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition members and you’ll remain fit though this holiday season. 

1. Since holiday events are often in the evening, change your exercise routine so you work out in the morning or over your lunch hour 

2. If you know you won’t be able to fit exercise into your day, walk as much as you can that day.  Park several blocks away and walk into work, take the stairs rather than the elevator during the day, walk during your breaks, or rather than calling a colleague during the work day, walk over to his office to talk with him. 

3. Even though they may not be your cup of tea, find an exercise tape that you like and when weather doesn’t cooperate or you don’t have time to go to your health club, use it in place of your normal exercise routine. 

4. Give “exercise” the same importance on your calendar as your other activities on your “to do” list.  Schedule it into your calendar so other things don’t get in the way. 

5. Focus on fitness on the weekends.  Get outside with your family for an hour of fun.  Go for a walk and enjoy the neighborhood’s holiday lights, go sledding with the kids or try skating.

For more ideas about healthy eating and physical activity visit the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition’s web site at www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/Departments/Health/WIC/CRCOC/default.htm .

Building Healthy Holiday Traditions

(11/03)

Whether its grandma’s special stuffing, watching football after the big meal, or going shopping the day after Thanksgiving, the holidays are often a time of special traditions that family members look forward to all year long.  Consider the traditions your family holds dear and make it a goal this holiday season to start a new family tradition by adding physical activity to your holiday festivities.

 Need ideas on how to do this? 

•      Gather the whole family, including the dog, and take a walk after your Thanksgiving meal.  Enjoy the holiday lights starting to spring up in your neighborhood.

•      Plan a scavenger hunt for Thanksgiving Day.  Assign one family member the task of assembling the list of items to be collected then divide the family up into teams and give each team a container or paper bag for their collections.  Be creative in what you have people hunt for including both indoor and outdoor items.

•      Play an active game like charades after the big meal.  Assign several family members the task of developing the list of things players will act out and divide the family into teams.  The “losing team” then becomes the clean up crew or prepares the next family meal or snack.

•      Teach each other your favorite dances.  What dances were popular when your parents or grandparents were young?  Bring music and learn your parents or children’s favorite dance steps.

•      Play flashlight tag.  This nighttime version of traditional tag will get you moving rather than sitting in front of the television.  Players are caught when the person who is “it” shines the flashlight on them.

 With planning, families can build activity into their family holiday traditions to make their holiday season just a little healthier.  For more information about eating healthy and being active, visit the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition’s web site at www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/Departments/Health/WIC/CRCOC/default.htm

Celebrate Family Day September 22, 2003
A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children

 Family Day is a day set aside to celebrate the importance of family to the well-being of children. The day draws attention to the importance of parent-child communication and encourages all families to make family meals a regular part of their lives.  Family meals are a great opportunity for family members to connect after a busy day, communicate with one another and strengthen their familial bonds.  Children whose parents are involved in their lives are more likely to do well in school, have healthy eating habits and avoid drugs and alcohol.

 The Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition encourages families to carve out time in their busy schedules to regularly eat together.  Following are our suggestions for building family meals into your busy day:

• If your family rarely eats together because of busy schedules, start slow.  Pick 1 day and 1 meal to eat together as a family.  It may be breakfast on Sunday morning or Friday evening dinner.  Set it aside and say no to things that interfere. 

• Remember family meals can happen even if everyone can’t be there.  Maybe mom is tied up with a meeting on Monday evening, but that’s no reason the rest of the family can’t eat together.

• Family meals don’t have to be fancy.  Sit down together for breakfast and have a quick bowl of cold cereal sprinkled with raisins and a glass of juice.  The meal takes little preparation so all the time you have can be spent eating together.

• Make a no-TV rule for meals.  If the TV is on during meals, you tend to not talk with one another defeating the purpose of family mealtime.

• Let the answering machine pick up the calls during mealtime.  Again, if you’re talking on the phone you’re not in conversation with each other.

• Pick a family meal night each week or month where the family cooks together.  Not only does this help kids learn how to cook, but it allows families more time together to talk.

Family meals help strengthen families and can serve many purposes.  Remember…kids who eat with their families eat a healthier diet, do better in school and are less likely to use drugs or alcohol.  Family meals make a difference in kid’s lives.

Celebrate National Health Education Week
October 20-26
Physical Activity-Every Step Counts!

We’ve all heard the news that as a nation, we are seriously overweight.  One in 2 adults and 1 in 3 children are overweight.  Overweight among children has increased 50% over the past 20 years and 60% of obese children already have 1 risk factor for heart disease. Children ride to school or work, are sedentary a good portion of the day, ride home and then watch TV or spend time on the computer.

One solution to the rising childhood obesity epidemic is to work together to help children make physical activity a lifelong habit.  That is why the National Center for Health Education and the Society of Public Health Educators has developed the Physical Activity-Make Every Step Count theme for this year’s National Health Education Week.

The average child spends 24 hours each week in front of the TV.  If parents and other caretakers help children have positive experiences at a young age, they help children lay the basis for regular physical activity throughout their life.  Parents and other important adults in a child’s life have a profound effect on the exercise behaviors of the children in their care.  Children mimic the important adults in their life.  If parents and caretakers increase their levels of activity, so will the children in their care.  Research shows us that children of physically active parents are 6 times more likely to be active than the children of inactive parents.

How then do you get and keep your family moving?

• Schedule a regular time for family exercise/activity.  Make it fun.  Involve the entire family.  Alternate who gets to choose the activity you are involved in.

• Monitor sedentary activities:  It’s important for parents to set limits to guide their kids.  Studies show children are heavier when they watch more than 2 hours of TV a day.  Knowing this, the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition encourages parents to think in terms of screen time—i.e. time spent watching TV, playing video games or working on the computer.  Limit children’s screen time to less than 2 hours a day.

• Talk to your children about the importance of being active:  Help kids see the benefits of physical activity (improved strength and endurance, helps maintain a healthy weight, reduces stress and anxiety, and increases self esteem). 

• Help children see that while they need to be active for 60 minutes everyday, they can break the time up into smaller pieces.  They may walk back and forth to school and go for a bike ride after dinner or they may ride their bike back and forth to school, walk the dog after dinner and play Frisbee with their neighbor.

Breastfeeding: The First Step in Reducing Childhood Overweight 
Celebrate Breastfeeding Awareness Week-August 4-8, 2003

(8/03)

The path to becoming overweight may well start with an infant’s first meal.  Studies show that children who are breastfed are far less likely to become overweight as teens than their formula fed counterparts.  One study, conducted by Dr Matthew Gillman and colleagues at Harvard Medical School in Boston, found children who were fed mainly breast milk for their first six months of life were 22% less likely to be overweight by age 14.  They also found that the longer children were breastfed, the lower the odds were that they’d become overweight.  For instance, those children in the study who were breastfed for at least 7 months were 20% less likely to be overweight in their teenage years than those who were breastfed for 3 months. 

While researchers can’t pinpoint the exact mechanism by which breastfeeding helps reduce the likelihood of childhood overweight, they have a number of theories.   Many believe that breast-fed infants learn to regulate their food intake better than their formula fed counterparts.  Breastfeeding allows the child, rather than the parent, to regulate the feeding.  The infant stops nursing when he/she is full.  In contrast, formula fed infants may be encouraged by their parent or caregiver to finish their bottle, whether or not they are hungry—thereby learning to ignore their own bodies’ hunger cues.

While not the entire solution to the obesity epidemic, breastfeeding may be a powerful tool in our arsenal to fight childhood obesity.  According to Dr William Dietz, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Breastmilk is already acknowledged as the best food for infants and may provide a low cost, readily available strategy to reduce childhood obesity.”  So join members of the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition in celebrating Breastfeeding Awareness Week-August 4-8, 2003.  We encourage all mothers-to-be to seriously consider nursing their newborn so their infant, from birth, develops healthy eating habits.

 For more information about childhood obesity prevention visit our web site at www.co.la-crosse.wi.us and click on CRCOC under newsletters and education. 

Celebrate Mother’s Day-Be Active with your Kids

(5/03)

Mothers everywhere want to be good role models for their children.  Unfortunately, motherhood often means women juggle many responsibilities and something ends up going.  Often it’s the time they used to set aside for exercise. A study conducted by Kathryn Schmitz, a University of Minnesota epidemiologist, found that women’s exercise levels drop by 20% when they have children.  Mothers out there juggling the demands of kids, work, husband and parents probably didn’t need a study to tell them this!

So how can busy mothers stay physically active?  Schmitz suggests working out with your kids and trying… 

•       Kangaroo Walks.  Use a baby carrier for baby and take her along on your walk.

•       Workout videos.  Choose a child’s workout or dance video and join your child in exercising to the video.

•       Stroller striding.  Put on your walking shoes, put your child in a stroller and go for a walk.  For a more vigorous workout, tie on your running shoes and run behind a jogging stroller.

•       Track Time.  Take your kids to your local school track.  Have them bring their bike or skates so they can keep up with you as you walk the track!

•       Playground “Health” Club.  Rather than watching your child enjoy the swings or slide at the local playground or park, join them on the swings, slide or monkey bars.

•       Get Classy.  Sign up for mom and tot exercise class through the local Y, health club or recreation program.

•       Musical moves.  Find music both you and your child enjoy and move to it.  Dance, toss a ball or march to the beat.

The Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition encourages mothers throughout the Coulee Region to be active everyday.  Remember…your children are watching and what you do, they do!  For more information about the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition visit our web site at www.co.la-crosse.wi.us and click on Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition (CRCOC) under Health Department newsletters or contact Linda Lee at 785-9791 or Carol Klitzke at 796-3661. 

Turn off the TV and Turn on a Healthier Life
 

(4/03)

 Celebrate Turn off the TV Week April 21^st-27^th and take the first step to improving your family’s health.   There are two keys to good health—being physically active and eating a healthy diet.  Watching less TV can help you with both.

 When you spend less time watching TV, you gain free time.  Children today average just under three hours of television each day and adults average just over four hours.  If kids and adults reduced the time they spend in front of the TV they’d have the time to take a walk, play outside, go for a bike ride or take up a new sport.  According to Dr William Dietz, Director of the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity at the Centers for Disease Control, almost anything you do uses more calories than watching TV—a body in front of the tube is a body at rest!

 In addition to reducing your activity level, spending long periods of time in front of the TV also encourages an unhealthy diet.  TV ads push a diet that often is the exact opposite of what the doctor and nutritionists recommend.  Many of the ads carried during children’s prime TV viewing times –like Saturday mornings-are for foods such as sugared cereal, candy and chips. When children see the ads over and over, they learn to desire what they see on TV and try to influence their parents’ choices at the grocery store.

 Because children are influenced by what their parents do, it’s important that parents be a good role model and make an effort, as a family, to watch less TV, be active and eat a healthy diet.

 The Turn Off the TV Week organizers have these TV turnoff tips for families interested in reducing their family’s television viewing.

Keep the TV off during meals.

•      Instead of turning on the TV after dinner, be active together as a family.  Take a walk, ride your bikes or play catch.

•      Move your television out of the living or family room to a less prominent location.  Move it to a place where you don’t turn it on automatically when you get up or come home.

•      Designate certain days of the week as TV free days.  Plan to do other things as a family and let each family member take a turn at deciding how the family will spend the day or evening.

•      Avoid using the TV as a reward.  A hug or words of encouragement or praise mean so much more than another half hour of TV and draw families closer together.

•      If you turn the TV on, turn it on to watch a specific show, not to entertain yourself and the family for the whole evening.

•      Remove the TV set from your child’s bedroom.  When TVs are that accessible, it’s too easy to lay on the bed and turn on the tube.

Turning off the TV can be fun and a great way for families to reconnect with one another.  So turn off your TV today and turn on your life!

The School Breakfast Program
Enhancing Academic Performance While Combating Obesity
National School Breakfast Week is March 3-7

(3/03) 

 Every parent wants to see their child succeed in school.  Unfortunately, some children don’t because they don’t come to school in top form and ready to learn…they’ve skipped breakfast.

 Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  It’s what provides children with the fuel they need to start the day, pay attention in school and learn.  Without breakfast, children’s intellectual performance is compromised.  Children who are hungry have trouble concentrating on their studies and are more likely to have behavioral problems and misbehave in school.   Skipping breakfast also contributes to childhood obesity in that hungry children may grab less nutritious, high fat snacks midmorning or overeat later in the day.

 But here’s where the School Breakfast Program comes in.  Researchers who have studied the program have found that participation in the School Breakfast Program not only improves children’s diets, but also improves their ability to succeed in school.  Children who participate in the School Breakfast Program are absent from school less often, eat a healthier diet and make fewer trips to the school nurse for illness.  They also score better on standardized math tests.

 So if your hectic morning schedule makes it impossible to get everyone fed and out the door in time, consider having your child eat breakfast at school.  School breakfasts help your child eat healthy and do better in school while streamlining your morning routine.

 For more information about the School Breakfast Program contact Marilyn Hurt at 789-7625.  For more information about the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition contact Linda Lee at 785-9791 or visit our web site at www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/health/wic/crcoc 

When It Comes to Matters of the Heart-
Help Your Children Develop Healthy Habits

(2/03)

In February, our thoughts turn to matters of the heart.  While many of us, as adults, adopt heart healthy habits because we’re concerned about the health of our hearts, we forget that our children have these same concerns.  New research is finding that children have the same issues with cholesterol as adults and that cholesterol levels they have early in life can influence their health as adults. 

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine recently found that when children eat a diet high in fat,  it can influence the cholesterol level in their blood—just as it does with adults.   These findings have led them to suggest, that a heart healthy lifestyle needs to begin as early as preschool.  They recommend that parents pay attention to three (3) specific areas of their family’s diet and lifestyle:

• The amount of fat, and particularly saturated fat, in the family’s diet

• The family’s consumption of fruits and vegetables

• The physical activity level of family members

 Researchers note that it’s easier to learn healthy habits when you’re young than to change poor health habits later on.

 The Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition has these suggestions for families trying to establish heart healthy eating habits:

• When you eat high fat foods such as French fries, eat small portions.  Supersizing is not a good value here!

• Drink 1% or less.  After age 2, children generally don’t need to drink whole or 2% milk.  Drinking low fat milks such as 1% or nonfat milk is an easy way to reduce fat in the family diet.

• Eat 5 a day.  Experts recommend we eat 5 fruits and vegetables everyday as these foods contain many substances that protect our hearts as well as our overall health.  If your children aren’t big on vegetables, encourage more fruits.  Raw vegetables, particularly if children can dip them in a low fat salad dressing, are often better accepted than cooked vegetables.

• Go “meatless” once each week.  Try bean burritos, tostadas made with fat free refried beans or veggie burgers in place of hamburgers for dinner.

• Use lean meats.  Chicken breasts without the skin, fish, round or loin cuts of beef and loin cuts of pork are all good choices.

• Reduce the amount of butter, margarine, mayonnaise and salad dressing you add to dishes or use low fat/fat free alternatives instead. 

For more information about encouraging healthy eating and physical activity habits in children, visit our web site at www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/health/wic/crcoc .

Celebrate Healthy Weight Week
January 19^th-25th
Help Your Children Establish Lifelong Healthy Eating & Activity Habits

(1/03)

Did your family resolve to eat healthier and be more active in 2003?  Then celebrate Healthy Weight Week, January 19^th-25^th,   by helping your children establish eating and activity habits that will last a lifetime enabling them to maintain a healthy weight long into the future. 

While we often see super thin men and women on TV and in the movies, that body style is not realistic or healthy for most people.  The Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition has developed 6 tips for parents to help them and their families establish habits that contribute to life long healthy weights.

1. Make mealtimes pleasant.  Think about your family meals.  Do you use them to lecture your kids about something they’ve done that day?  Do you force your kids to eat their peas if they want that chocolate cake for dessert?  Do you find it hard to concentrate on what others are saying because the TV is blaring in the other room?  If you answered yes to any of these questions then your family mealtimes may need an attitude adjustment.  Try setting a few ground rules for family meals:  No TV during meals, No toys at the table, No lectures, arguing or nagging.  No answering the telephone.  No power struggles over eating.  Good conversation at the table helps develop positive attitudes and allows us to learn from one another.  So vow to make your family’s meal time pleasant! 

2. Be a good role model.  Children do what their parents do.  If you eat healthy and are active, they will be.  So… start with the goal of eating 5 fruits and vegetables or 3 high calcium foods each day.  In addition, build some type of activity into each day.  Fruits and vegetables contain substances that promote health and protect us from disease.  Daily consumption of high calcium foods is the key to lifelong good bone health and physical activity is the key to lifelong healthy weight. 

3. Avoid forcing or bribing your child to eat.  Do you find yourself saying to your kids, “You’ll stay at the table until every one of those peas are gone”?  Research shows us that kids who are forced to eat lose their natural ability to control their food intake.  Hunger no longer guides their eating.  Child psychologists tell us that this loss of control can lead to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia or lifelong overeating problems.  So take a more positive approach to eating—when your child demonstrates an eating behavior that you like—such as eating their salad—praise them for their behavior!

4. Play daily.   Unfortunately too often we forget what young children know—activity can be fun!  If you and your family think of physical activity as drudgery, it won’t become part of your lifestyle.  There are many ways your family can build activity into your day.  Playing at Kid’s Coulee or at a nearby park, ice skating, hikes in Hixon Forest, exercise or swimming classes are just a few of the possibilities.  Find activities you and your family enjoy -- you’ll be more likely to stick to them.  

5. Harness the power of the pyramid.  Some weight control programs overly restrict what you can eat and this is rarely something that the average person can live with for very long.  Instead, eat small servings from each of the 5 food groups of the food guide pyramid each day.  Include whole grains, fruits and vegetables, sources of protein such as chicken, fish and lean meats and low fat dairy products.  Design your own eating plan based on your likes and dislikes.  Include all the foods you like, but eat them in moderation.  So… if you love ice-cream, include a small amount a couple times each week.  In doing so, you create an eating plan you and your family can live with for a lifetime.  Be sure to include 3 meals and a couple of healthy snacks each day.  Start your day with breakfast. (Remember—our bodies need fuel to begin the day and children need breakfast if they are to be alert and ready to learn!)  Drink 8-eight ounce glasses of water each day. 

6. Be patient and persistent.  Nurture yourself and your family.  Make small changes over time that you and your family can live with.  Change is hard and takes practice—so keep trying. Many experts recommend that you keep a journal when trying to change health habits.  Have the family do this together—noting their successes and the challenges they encounter in establishing their new habits.  Celebrate the changes you make and the positive things you and your family are doing to realize better health.

Remember…change takes time.  Experts tell us that it takes 6 months for a new habit to become part of our lifestyle. So start today and by summer, your new eating and activity habits will be second nature!

For more information about the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition visit our web site at www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/health/wic/crcoc or contact Linda Lee at 785-9791 or Carol Klitzke at 796-3661.

Make Resolutions as a Family This Year

(12/02)

It’s that time of year again—when we resolve to make changes in our lives that will help us grow and become the person we want to be.  Health resolutions top the list for many—we want to eat healthier, lose weight or exercise more regularly.  What is the difference between resolutions kept and those we forget about on January 2^nd?  Commitment and support.  We have to really want to make the change we’re resolving to make and we need support to deal with the road blocks we may encounter in realizing our goals.  Family can often provide that critical support we need to keep our resolutions.  So this year, to be sure you have the support you need to reach your dreams, make your New Year’s resolutions as a family! 

If health and fitness resolutions top your family’s list, members of the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition have some ideas and suggestions you may want to consider.

• Set aside time each week for a family activity night or afternoon.  Being active is the key to good health and its often more fun with friends or family.  Many families set aside time once a week for a family game or movie night.  Why not expand that idea to include activity?  Let each family member get their turn at picking what the family will do that week.  One week you might, as a family, go for a walk in the La Crosse River Marsh, the next week after a good snowfall the family may build a snowman or even go ice skating.  

• Try new foods.  Eating habits are established early so it’s important to expose children to many different kinds of healthy foods.  Children who get to try many different types of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low fat dairy products learn to enjoy, and prefer, a wide variety of healthy foods.

• Keep an activity journal.  Research shows that keeping track of your progress helps keep you on track when it comes to reaching your goals.  Start a family journal and keep track of each family member’s daily activity as well as those activities you do together.

• Cook together.  Fewer and fewer people know how to cook today. We are relying more and more on convenience and prepared meals which are often loaded with calories, fat and sodium. Teach your children the basics of healthy cooking by making meals together.  Even the youngest family members can tear up lettuce for a salad or stir together ingredients for a favorite recipe.

• Build activity into your day.  Encourage your kids to walk to school rather than driving them and to find a sport or activity they like and will do several times each week. Dancing, karate, inline skating, riding their bike or more organized sports such as soccer and basketball top the list for many kids.   For parents who work outside the home, try walking to work yourself or parking a few blocks away and walking to the office or try taking a break midmorning or mid-afternoon and taking a ten minute walk or a longer walk over your lunch hour.

• Snack smart.    Keep lots of healthy snacks on hand—pretzels, string cheese, low fat yogurt, fresh fruit or cut up vegetables with low fat dip.  Keep them where hungry kids can just grab them and go.

There are many, many ways your family can resolve to have a healthier and more active new year.  Just use your imagination and make it fun! 

For more information about the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition, contact Linda Lee at 785-9791 or Carol Klitzke at 796-3000.

Give the Gift of Health this Holiday Season

(12/02)

With childhood obesity rates rising, parents and caregivers are looking for ways to encourage their children to be physically active.  If you share these concerns, give a gift this season that promotes health by giving the children on your list a gift that keeps them moving.  Need ideas?

 For the infants on your list

Help them develop both their large and small muscles along with hand-eye coordination by offering toys that encourage them to reach, grab, crawl, pull up and eventually walk.  Good bets…

•      Mobiles that hang over the crib that infants can reach for, bat at and listen to.

•      Activity mats and centers that encourage baby to crawl pull herself up and walk holding on.

•      Stacking toys

•      Large balls and toys that roll, encouraging baby to follow

For the toddler on your list

One and two year old children are on the move.  Give gifts that will help them develop their coordination and gross motor skills to get them crawling, pulling up, walking and moving.  Good bets…

• Large blocks to build structures such as forts and palaces.

• Push and pull toys your youngster can walk with.

• Ride on animals, trucks and cars that they need to peddle to ride.

• Music to dance to.

For the preschooler on your list

Three, four and five year old children are more coordinated than their younger counterparts.  To continue to help them develop their coordination and gross motor skills consider…

• A small basketball hoop with a matching size ball

• Tricycles and other 3 wheel bikes

• Large blocks for building

• Baseball tee with a bat

• Music to dance to

• Small slides, swings, play houses and sandboxes for outdoor play

• Clothes to play dress up & make believe

For the 5-9 year old children on your list

After a day at school, they need to burn off some of their excess energy.  Consider…

• Jump ropes

• Puppets

• Music to dance to along with their own tape recorder or cassette player

• Bicycle with training wheels (and don’t forget the helmet!)

• Ball to play catch with and a mitt

• In line skates or ice skates

• A sled

For the 9-14 year old children on your list

Kids between these ages are starting to enjoy team sports and activities.  They are also starting to develop hobbies or strong interests of their own.  Consider…

• Inline or ice skates, bicycles, scooters or skateboards.  Buy reflective stickers, clothing and bike reflectors for older kids who may be out after dark and include, as part of your gift, a helmet, elbow pads, wrist guards and knee pads when giving in line skates, scooters or skateboards.

• Equipment for their favorite sport—balls, mitts or racquets

• Introductory lessons for something that interests your child.  This may be a gift certificate for several months of karate, dance, gymnastics or skating

• Music to dance to.  Teach each other a dance from “your generation”.  Parents can teach their children a dance they learned when they were growing up and kids can teach their parents a dance they currently enjoy.

Best of all, what ever your child’s age, give them the gift of your time.  Children love to have their parents to themselves.  Plan a time for just the two of you to do something together.  Take a hike together, go skating or take a class together.  It’ll be a special gift that you’ll both remember for years to come! 

TRICK OR "FEET"????

(10/02)

Simon and Ellie rang the doorbell and squealed "TRICK OR TREAT! And much to their surprise, they were offered a bowl of FEET?..glow in the dark, stick-em-on-the-wall sticky feet, that is.  Those of you with kids from 2 to 14 know what I'm talking about-those disgusting sticky toys that collect little pieces of dirt and fuzz from all over your house.  But, kids love them!

With all of the information bombarding us about childhood obesity, many of us, including those of us at the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition, are concerned about our kids' future health and are looking for ways to keep our kids moving and eating more healthfully.  What better time to think of kids' health than on Halloween!

Now, I like candy as well as the next person, but it seems to me that when we talk to our kids about healthy eating, candy doesn't appear in the top 10 healthy foods.  How about some alternatives?  I decided I needed to do a little investigation myself since I'm not the most creative person this side of the Mississippi.

From my old PTG (PTA/PTO) days, I remembered a lovely little catalog we used for prizes at our Family Fun Night entitled "Oriental Trading" ( www.orientaltrading.com, 1-800-228-2269) and found a host of "treats" that had not one calorie!  How about Halloween pencils for $1.95 per dozen, or glitter Halloween tattoos, $4.95 for six dozen, or (a great deal) 144 mini Halloween puzzles for $4.95?  Not to mention the disgusting "Sticky Assortment", 100 slimy objects for $7.95?

Right here in the Coulee Region I found lots of other good deals on gel pens, Halloween pencils, stickers and other healthy edible treats--like small ghoulishly decorated bags of pretzels (50 for $4.99 at Sam's Club), individual bags of Goldfish or pre-packaged popcorn balls.

Instead of sending the kids out for Trick-or-Treating, another fun idea, is to have a kid (and adult, since in my house the adults are just big kids) HALLOWEEN PARTY!!! (See how excited I get just thinking about it?) Remember the old bobbing-for-apple game where some kid always dunked your head under? Try turning on the tunes and having everybody dance.  There are some great dance tapes that are fun for everyone (including the Hokey-Pokey and my favorite, the Macarena).  Or-- how about a game of Flashlight Tag, Ghosts in the Graveyard, or (if it's a bit chilly) Musical Chairs? And what low-calorie, delectable treats can you serve?  How about sliced apples (minus the teeth marks) with low-fat caramel dip? Veggie trays with dill dip made with blended cottage cheese or fat free sour cream instead of the regular stuff.  Baked tortilla chips and salsa.  Brownies made with applesauce or Lighter Bake instead of the oil. Fresh apple cider or apple juice spiked with a frozen hand (use a glove) made from Sugar-Free Cherry Kool-Aid?  Let your imagination run wild!

Some other good tips for keeping Halloween healthy:

• Eat a healthy snack or small meal before going trick or treating.  If children are hungry they are more apt to snack as they trick or treat. 

• Avoid buying treats too far in advance so the family doesn't eat them all before Halloween gets here!

• Buy treats that aren't family favorites (you'll be less likely to eat them).

• Limit the amount of time or number of houses you visit (this cuts down on the number of treats).

Go ahead, think out-of-the-box (don't you love the new lingo?).  Halloween CAN be a healthy holiday with a little planning.  And don't forget to ask your kids for ideas, too. You may get a few bizarre ones, but what the heck, IT'S HALLOWEEN!!!!  Have a great "sticky feet" Halloween!

For more information about healthy Halloween alternatives or the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition, contact Linda Lee at the LaCrosse County Health Department at 785-9791 or Carol Klitzke at Viterbo University at 796-3000

 Celebrate Walk to School Day
with
Franklin Elementary School & La Crosse Day Care Centers

(9/02)

Franklin Elementary School in La Crosse and five (5) La Crosse Day Care Center sites will be joining with schools around the country to celebrate Walk to School Day on October 2, 2002.  While this is the first time Walk to School Day has been celebrated in the La Crosse School District and at the La Crosse Day Care Centers, it is the 6^th year this national event has been held.  Last year more than 600,000 parents, kids and community leaders from 49 states walked to school together that day.  The idea behind the event is to walk to school together with a purpose—to promote health, safety, physical activity and concern for the environment.  Walkers from the U.S. will be joining more than 25 countries from around the world to celebrate the third International Walk to School Day.

From Franklin Elementary School, it is anticipated that approximately 210 children from the school will be walking that day along with parents, teachers and community leaders such as John Medinger.  The event will begin at Franklin at 8:00 AM with kids, parents and community leaders sharing a healthy school breakfast in the classrooms.  They will then meet for a short assembly where Mayor Medinger will read a Walk to School Day proclamation, Larry Kirsch, City Planner will talk about walking safety and junior leaders from Logan will perform a walking safely skit.  All participants will then take a short walk around the neighborhood.

At the five La Crosse Day Care Center sites, the children will celebrate the day by having a healthy lunch with their parents and then by taking their parents on a 10-15 minute walk lead by Center teacher guides.  Elm Grove and Bluffside Day Care in La Crosse will participate along with Maplewood Day Care in Onalaska, Birchwood Day Care in West Salem and Cedarwood Day Care in Holmen. 

This event is being organized by the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition, the La Crosse School District and La Crosse Day Care Centers.  It is supported through a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.  For more information about Walk to School Day at Franklin Elementary School or the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition contact Linda Lee at 785-9791 or Carol Klitzke at 796-3000.

For information about the Walk to School Day Celebration at La Crosse Day Care contact Jayne Rifenberg at 783-360.

Proportion of High School Students At Risk For Overweight Growing

(5/02)

The Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition would like to share the results of the recently released 2001 Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey with the La Crosse community.  This survey shows improvements in the number of 9^th-12^th grade students who are physically active but notes declines in the number of high school students who eat the recommended 5 servings of fruits & vegetables daily and increases in the proportion of high school students who are overweight or obese.

Since 1991, the survey has been administered every two years to high school youth across the state.  While it has changed some over the years, it gives a good picture of the health and nutritional habits of Wisconsin teens.

Physical activity among Wisconsin teens is increasing.  In 1999, 60% of students surveyed reported exercising for 20 or more minutes, 3 days in the last week.  By 2001, that proportion had risen to 64%.  Interestingly, 80% of students enrolled in a physical education class received over 20 minutes of exercise while in class.  Unfortunately, many schools in Wisconsin no longer require students to take physical education classes each year of their high school careers.

While the survey carried some good news, it also carried some bad news.  This year’s survey showed increases in the number of teens who are overweight/obese and declines in fruit and vegetable consumption among teens. 

• In 1999, 14% of the teens surveyed were at risk for overweight/obesity.  By 2001 that proportion had risen to 25%. 

• In 1999, 61% of teens surveyed ate the recommended 2 or more servings of fruit daily, but by 2001 that proportion had declined to 57%. 

• Vegetable consumption among teens has remained poor with only 14% of teens surveyed in 1999 and 2001 consuming the recommended 3 servings of vegetables each day. 

• Milk consumption is up slightly.  Forty-five percent of teens surveyed in 1999 noted they ate the recommended 3 or more servings of dairy products daily.  That proportion increased slightly in 2001 to 46%.

What can we do to help stop the rise in childhood obesity and increase teens’ consumption of fruits and vegetables?  Members of the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition encourage families this summer to:

•       Visit one of our local farmer’s markets or farm-stands and take advantage of the fresh local produce.  Early summer in the Coulee Region brings strawberries & asparagus to the markets; by mid-summer you can enjoy fresh green beans & corn and in August & September try some of the many tomatoes and melons available. 

  The National Cancer Institute recommends that we prevent overweight and numerous chronic diseases & conditions by eating more fruits and vegetables.  They suggest that 2/3 of our plate be filled with fruits/vegetables or whole grains and only 1/3 be filled with meat/chicken or fish.  Need ideas on how to prepare fresh produce?  Go to www.5aday.com or www.aboutproduce.com .   

  Don’t know where the markets are or when?  On Wednesday mornings, go to the market at Bridgeview Plaza in La Crosse or to Festival foods in Holmen between 3-7 pm.  On Friday evenings, try the Cameron Park Market in La Crosse across from the People’s Food Coop between 4-8 pm.  The Saturday morning market can be found at 4^th and Vine St in La Crosse and on Sundays try the market in the Festival Foods parking lot in Onalaska between 8am-1pm.

•       Pick strawberries at one of our area’s local berry farms.  Not only do you get great exercise, but you also get a fruit that’s loaded with vitamin C.

•       Grow your own fruits and vegetables.  Turn a corner of your back yard over to a few vegetable or melon plants.  Or…If you don’t have room…try gardening in pots.  There are many smaller varieties of vegetables that are well suited to containers, and containers have the advantage of being moveable so they can always be moved to a sunny or drier spot.  Not only will your children be more likely to eat produce they’ve grown but the gardening itself burns up calories and gets you moving.

•       Replace higher calorie snack foods with fresh fruits & vegetables.  Fruits & vegetables are a great low calorie snack for those watching their weight.  Instead of chips choose freshly washed berries, slices of watermelon or cantaloupe or carrots with low fat dip. 

•       Serve a fruit or vegetable with every meal.  Try fresh berries on your cereal, lettuce, sliced green peppers and tomatoes on your noon sandwich and a fresh tossed salad with dinner with fruit for snacks and dessert

Turn off the TV and Turn on Life

(4/02)

Join the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition in celebrating Turn off the TV Week April 22-28.  According to researchers, children in the US watch on the average about 3 hours of TV each day and adults watch an average of 4 hours each day. 

 Obesity and overweight have reached epidemic proportions in our country.  One third of  children today are overweight or obese and 60% of adults are.  Experts agree the easiest way to combat the problem is with a healthy diet and physical activity. 

 Don’t have time to eat healthy or be more active?  Given the TV watching statistics noted above we may have more time than we think.  Not only will turning off the TV increase the time you have to do other things, it’ll take you away from the TV commercials that encourage you to eat high fat and high sugar snacks.  A recent study of TV ads found 202 ads for junk foods such as chips, pop, candy and sugared cereals were aired during 4 hours of Saturday morning cartoons.  That amounts to more than 8 commercials for unhealthy foods during every 10 minutes of airtime!

 Because children are influenced by what their parents do (yes they are watching!) its important that whatever efforts you make to watch less TV, exercise more or eat better be done as a family.  Turning off the TV then becomes a family adventure.  One that enables parents to spend more time with their children helping to shape who they will become.  Need ideas for how to do this?  The Turn off the TV Network suggests:

• Keeping the TV off during meals

• Replacing some or all of your TV time with things that keep you physically active and being active as a family.  Find activities everyone enjoys and make the activity a regular part of your day or week

• Moving your TV to a less prominent location.

• Designating certain days of the week as TV free days—even after Turn Off the TV week is over

• Not using TV as a reward for your children

• Removing the TV from your children’s bedroom

• Hiding the remote

Worried about being bored if you can’t watch TV after work/school or in the evening?   Try:

• A bike ride or hike on one of our area’s many off road trails or getting ready for and participating in one of the many run/walks offered throughout the summer

• A game of Frisbee

• Games that the whole family can play together—hopscotch, tag, hide & seek, catch, jump rope or a scavenger hunt

• Helping to plant vegetables at the community garden on Saturday mornings from 9-12 noon or planting a garden in your own back yard.  Gardening provides great exercise and children are more likely to eat vegetables they’ve grown.

• Going to the park or Kids Coulee and playing on the swings and other playground equipment available there

• Participating in one of the many sports programs offered in our area—softball (or T-ball for the younger set), baseball, soccer, tennis or swimming.

• Walking the dog or offering to regularly walk a neighbor’s dog

So, join Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition members the week of April 22-28^th in turning off your TV and turning on your (and your family’s) life!

For more information about the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition visit our web site at www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/health/wic/crcoc or contact Linda Lee at 785-9791 or Carol Klitzke at 789-7625

Start Today for a Healthy Tomorrow

(3/02)

  Think your children aren’t paying attention to you?  Think again--they really are.  Children emulate their parents in many ways.  That’s why the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition is urging parents to set a good example for their children by eating healthy and staying active.

 March is National Nutrition Month.  The 2002 theme for the month is “Start Today for a Healthy Tomorrow”.  The Coalition believes that’s good advice for both parents and their children.

 Health habits taught in childhood effect us all our lives.  Because children learn by example it’s important for parents to be good role models when it comes to eating and being active.  How can parents do this?

• Incorporate lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meats and low fat dairy products into family meals.  Eating habits are learned in childhood.  If children eat healthy as they grow up, they’ll prefer these foods when they are older.

• Encourage children to help plan family meals.  Page through a cookbook together and choose a new way to make favorite family foods or foods the family has never tried before. 

• When grocery shopping together, allow children to choose their favorite fruit or vegetable and help prepare it later that day for lunch or dinner.

• Encourage children to help with meals.  Children are more apt to eat what they help plan and prepare.

• Offer your children a variety of healthy snacks.  Have pretzels, small boxes of dried fruit, cut up vegetables or low fat yogurt on hand when kids come home from school hungry.

• Make meals a family affair as often as you can.  Family meals give parents time to share their lives with their children and help assure children get the healthy foods they need to grow healthy and strong.

•  Be active together.  Take a walk together, play fetch with the dog, ride bikes together or put on some music and dance.  If our snow stays around, go sledding, build a snowman or try cross-country skiing.

The Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition encourages all Coulee Region families to celebrate 2002 National Nutrition Month by eating healthy meals together as a family and decreasing the time they spend watching TV or playing video games.   The Coalition encourages families to take this year’s theme to heart and to “start today for a healthy tomorrow.  This is good advice for parents and children alike.

 For more information about the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition or this press release contact Linda Lee at 785-9791 or Carol Klitzke at 796-3000

National School Breakfast Week 2002

School Breakfast Theme:  Join the Club
March 4-8^th, 2002

        As schools gear up for another round of standardized testing this spring, teachers and administrators offer a sage word of advice for parents "Breakfast".  Research has repeatedly shown that eating a nutritionally-balanced breakfast helps enhance learning. Good nutrition combined with exercise helps achieve optimal learning. 

Studies suggest a connection between activity and increased levels of alertness, mental function, learning and improved mood.  But there's one more reason to eat breakfast- maintenance of a healthy weight.

Breakfast can do more than fill the stomach.  Breakfast should be eaten to stimulate metabolism.   A recent study of adolescents showed that overweight teens were more likely to skip breakfast and eat 2 or fewer meals per day, compared to teens with a normal weight.

            The nutritional quality of breakfast has improved since 1965, but is offset by the large proportion of adolescents (30 percent) who skip breakfast.  Since obesity is associated with less frequent breakfast consumption, a renewed emphasis on the importance of breakfast is warranted.

Jackie Storm PhD, CNS puts eating breakfast into perspective by stating, “look at it this way, a person needs to put fuel in the tank at the beginning of the day, not at the end of the day, after the car is in the garage.”   For more information contact Carol Klitzke of the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition at 796-3000 or visit the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity at www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/2_2_2.htm

 *information taken from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Sweet Rewards

(2/02)

 This month, as you decide what to get your “sweetheart” for Valentine’s Day, keep in mind that its also American Heart Association month. While we can give our loved ones many material things and show them we care about them in many ways, one of the best “presents” we can give is our time.  Give your sweetheart a bit of yourself by carving out time from your busy schedule to be active together.  Need ideas??  After dinner each night, start your new habit of being active together by putting on some music and dancing around the house or going for a walk and talking about your day. 

Kerry Myhra, physical education teacher at Longfellow Middle School suggests establishing a “Rewards Plan”.  Each time you take a walk with a family member or are active together for at least 10 minutes put $.10 in a jar.  Try taking daily walks and you’ll be amazed at how quickly your jar fills up!  Kerry says, “not only have you saved a lump sum of money to do something fun with, but you’ve also walked off calories, strengthened your heart and toned your body.  The daily walks with your sweetheart or family also give you a chance to talk more with them and stay connected.”

Can’t get away because you’ve no one to watch the kids?  Then do something together as a family after supper.  Go outside and discover the wonder and joy of play again.  Build a snowman, go ice skating or go sliding. 

How much activity do we need each day?  Experts suggest that we try to be active for 30-45 minutes each day.  You can do it all at once or in 10 minute “spurts” of activity.  Many people find it hard to set aside 30-45 minutes for physical activity but are able to fit smaller spurts of activity into their busy lifestyles.  Like the idea of 10 minute bursts of activity?  Then…walk the dog, shovel snow,  play a game outside with the kids or put on music and dance with your spouse.  It all counts—just be active for 10 minutes, 3-4 times each day.

Good luck with your “Sweet Rewards” plan!  And remember—choose activities you and your sweetheart enjoy.  If you love what you do, you’ll keep doing it.  Happy Valentines Day!

For more information about the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition or this press release contact Linda Lee at La Crosse County Health Department at 785-9791 or Kerry Myhra, Longfellow Middle School at 789-7670.

New Year Resolutions

(1/02)

At this time of year we often take stock of our lives and resolve to improve in the coming year.  If you have not already done so, members of the Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition encourage you to include regular physical activity in your resolution list.

With over 60% of adults and 1 in 3 children in the U.S. either overweight or obese, we, as a society, need to find ways to encourage people to become more physically active.  We need to walk more and ride less.  We need to get moving during our free time rather than sit in front of the TV or the computer.

Need some ideas on how to do this?  Members of the Coalition suggest:

• Find a regular time during the week to be active.  Try taking a walk before or after work with a friend.  (Or take a short walk over your lunch hour.) Walk to work (if you live close to where you work) and encourage your children to walk to school rather than ride with dad.

• Set aside time each week for the family to be active together.  Take turns deciding what the family will do so everyone gets to do their favorite activities once in a while.

• Make being active fun!  Instead of going for a walk, go on a scavenger hunt, build a snowman or go sledding.

• Think of household tasks as an opportunity to be active.  Shovel snow then use the piles to build a snow fort or a snow sculpture with your kids.

• Use physical activity as a reward rather than food.  Go in-line skating or ice skating with your kids rather than giving them M & Ms for being well behaved!

These are just a few of the many, many ways we can get ourselves moving.  Whatever you decide to do, emphasize having fun rather than competition.  It helps everyone—kids and adults—feel better about being active!