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March is
National Nutrition Month
AUBURN, March 6---March
is National Nutrition Month. This year's theme is Food and Fitness:
Build a Health Lifestyle.
 The American Dietetic
Association (ADA) launches National Nutrition Month each year to
raise public awareness of the importance of nutrition and health.
The Food and Fitness: Build a Healthy Lifestyle, incorporates the
new dietary guidelines, Aim Build and Choose, which can help
Americans reach new heights in their daily efforts for good health
and fitness. Incorporating fitness into your lifestyle helps build
lifelong health plus reduces stress and improves mood.
Eating is one of life's
greatest pleasures. There are so many foods and ways to build a
healthy lifestyle -- there is lots of room for choice. The 2000
Dietary Guidelines for Americans offers great ideas and sensible
ways to help Americans with these choices.
Most people relate
fitness to physical activity. To some, it means a trim or muscular
body or the ability to finish a 10K run. Others think of fitness as
being free of disease and other health problems. The true definition
of fitness is much broader and more personal, according to the
American Dietetic Association.
"Being fit
translates to every aspect of your health -- not only physical
health, but emotional and mental well-being, too," says Tammy
Baker, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the ADA.
"All three are interconnected, and nutrition and physical
activity are fundamental to each one."
During National
Nutrition Month, the ADA recommends Americans aim for fitness. Here
are some ADA tips to help:
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Start with a
physical exam before beginning any exercise program
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Find a variety of
activities you enjoy doing each day
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Start slowly. Don't
expect it to happen overnight
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Build up over a
month or two to more intense activity
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Take time to see how
far you've come
For more information on
the different aspects of fitness, check out the 2001
Nutritional Packet on the Extension web site.
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