Extension Report

Baldwin County Extension Office

302A Byrne Street

Bay Minette, AL  36507

Telephone (251) 937-7176 or

928-0860/943-5611 ext. 2222

FAX (251) 937-7285

Susan Wingard

County Extension Coordinator

January 26, 2010

Have you been thinking you need to start walking or exercising?  If so, now is the time to sign up for Alabama in Motion (AIM).  Each year our office coordinates this eight-week fitness program.  Now is the best time to aim for a healthy lifestyle.  AIM will begin March 1 – April 24.  There is no charge to be involved in the program.  You may participate as an individual or on a team that has a captain and three members.  Team members may walk at the same time or at different times and locations, whatever works best for you.  You may want to ask family members, co-workers or neighbors to be on your team.  Each person logs their daily physical activity and reports their totals each week during the program.  Call the Baldwin County Extension office at 937-7176 or 943-5611/928-0860 ext.2222 or email me at wingasf@aces.edu to receive an individual or team AIM registration form.  Registration forms must be returned to our office by February 24.    We will have a celebration at the end of the program and each person that participates will receive a certificate. 

Research has shown that physical activity is a key factor in preventing or controlling a wide range of illnesses and conditions from heart disease and stroke to diabetes and osteoporosis.  The most dramatic benefits occur in people who change from a sedentary lifestyle to one that includes at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most and preferably all days of the week.

Here are a few tips for families about healthy eating and exercise from MyPyramid.gov:

-Make half your grains whole.  Choose whole-grain foods, such as whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, brown rice and low-fat popcorn, more often.

-Vary your veggies.  Go dark green and orange with your vegetables.

-Focus on fruits.  Eat them at meals, and at snack time, too.  Choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruits and go easy on the fruit juice.

-Get your calcium-rich foods.  To build strong bones serve low-fat and fat-free milk and other milk products several times a day.

-Go lean with protein.  Eat lean or low-fat meat, chicken, turkey, and fish.  Also, change your tune with more dry beans and peas.

-Change your oil.  Oils are not a food group, but you need some for good health.  Get your oils from fish, nuts, and liquid oils such as corn, soybean, canola, and olive oil.

-Choose foods and beverages that do not have sugar and caloric sweeteners as one of the first ingredients.  Added sugars contribute calories with few, if any, nutrients.

-Set a good example for exercise.  Be active and get your family to join you.  Have fun together.  Go for a walk, play catch or walk the dog together.

-Take the President’s Challenge as a family.  Track your individual physical activities together at www.presidentschallenge.org

-Establish a routine.  Set aside time each day as activity time.  Adults need at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week; children 60 minutes every day on most days.

-Have an activity party.  Make the next birthday party centered on physical activity.

-Move it!  Instead of sitting through TV commercials, get up and move.

-Give activity gifts.  Give gifts that encourage physical activity.

For more information on MyPyramid and suggestions for increasing physical activity visit the website www.mypyramid.gov

Email address: swingard@aces.edu

Phone: 937-7176 or 943-5611, 928-0860, ext. 2222

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity educator and employer.