Fitness is Fun!
April 2009

Have you or someone else ever motivated a group of children or adults to lead a healthier life?

We Can Take One Step

Issues:
We can take one step to healthy lifestyles by providing low income families fun and easy tips on getting active and eating healthy. We stepped into Gruening Park, a low income neighborhood with over 40% Alaska Native and Hispanic families. After surveying families, activities were designed that would help promote change by addressing barriers identified to reduce risk factors for heart disease and obesity. The most commonly cited barrier to physical activity was weather and the most common barrier to making healthy food choices was cost. Other survey results: How important is healthy eating? How important is physical activity to you? All participants rated healthy eating and physical activity as important to extremely important. How concerned are you about being overweight? How concerned about children? More than half of the participants were concerned about their weight or their children’s weight. How concerned are you about heart disease? Want info on smoking cessation? Almost all were concerned about heart disease but none wanted info on smoking cessation. Do your children get enough physical activity? List what physical activities you do… Walking was listed as a frequent activity for families.

Partners taking their first steps together included the State of Alaska Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, KTOO public radio, Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, Bartlett Regional Hospital, University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension, Southeast Regional Resource Center, and National Alliance for Mental Health.

Intervention:
Healthy lifestyles were promoted through eight monthly meetings offered with an evening meal utilizing materials from the “We Can” program. The message on all campaign materials was “We Can Take One Step.” The workshops presented up-to-date health information and assisted families in setting their own health goals for taking three small steps toward change and activities focused on addressing the barriers that were identified.

Physical Activity:
Walking groups, including a scavenger hunt where families wore pedometers around the neighborhood and got in over 5000 steps with little to no effort while doing a fun activity. Other activities included showing families how to get moving in a small space.

Healthy Food:
Cooking healthy foods using simple recipes and herbs to enhance the flavor of food in place of butter and salt. Community gardening with an expert gardener to help people create their own indoor herb garden so each family was able to create their own garden from herbs that they selected.

All participating families received a family health journal in which they are encouraged to record their goal, and track their exercise and eating habits.

Impact:
Participants kept journals of their changes so their stories could be recorded for audio postcards that might inspire others to take small steps to change. KTOO the local public radio station interviewed participants and recorded their messages which were then aired.

The long term impact for the community was the formation of the “Health and Safety Focus Group” to continue the efforts of We Can Take One Step in the community. The group worked with the partners to help promote changes that would appeal to the community. Their important role in this project will help to improve the quality of life for members of the neighborhood. Additionally, the group has applied for grants for activities including creating a community garden as well as swimming and fishing outings for the neighborhood. They have been a great force behind the project and increased participation in each of the activities. Their overwhelming energy and enthusiasm will make this project have long-term, lasting impacts.

For more information on this program please contact Paula Recchia at (907) 465-5663 or at Paula.Recchia@alaska.gov.

Who is your fitness role model and why?

Fitness question responses from the month of March:

My mentor is my husband Joe. He is 77 years old and still works part time, but manages to go to the YMCA 7 days a week to work out on the treadmill. He is amazing!!!! By seeing him do this, I can no longer be a “couch” potato. I go to the YMCA 5 days per week. Two of the days, I participate in a water walking class (for 40 minutes) performed in the deep end of the pool. It has been documented that ½ of water walking is the same as walking on land for 2 hours. The other 3 days I lap swim for 30 minutes. Both of us feel great and we have lost weight. We also look forward to taking care of our 2 year old grandson Lucas and going for walks with him.
~Corrinne V.

My son and my Partner. They both eat very healthy and love to walk. In the past I’ve tried to follow their lead but it wasn’t the right time. I just wasn’t ready. Then one day, after watching “The Biggest Loser” I felt that I needed to change my eating habits and get out and exercise more. I asked my son and partner for their support and we have been getting out and walking a lot more and eating much healthier. My son gets me to try new things all the time – he’s 12. In the last year I’ve lost 95 lbs!! And I owe it all to them!!
~Sharon S.

I cannot think of anyone better than Jack La Lanne. I remember him on TV growing up. He is a fitness role model for persisting with his exercise and nutritional plans for so many years. He was one of the first to design a leg extension machine with pulleys and cables that are now the norm for the fitness industry. He helped not only himself but numerous others to obtain or try to obtain better overall fitness. He used weight training as his principal modality. He encouraged women to do weight lifting way before it was accepted. Jack continues to exercise and be a spokesperson and advocate for fitness. He is 94 and still works out. He truly has shown that lifelong activity and proper nutrition are extremely important for ones health and well being.
~Allan G.

My sister is my role model. She is a full time mom, but is able to still fit in fun exercise for her boys, and nutritious meals. She goes biking and hiking with them, and has taught them how to cook in a healthy way. She exercises doing Pilates and yoga, and teaches the boys right along side her. She makes exercise and eating healthy fun!
~Kathy R.

We would like to extend a special thanks to all of the President's Challenge Advocates. Please visit the Advocates area on the http://www.presidentschallenge.org/ web site to see how companies, organizations and groups are making a difference with the President's Challenge.

Trek Bicycle Corporation

Trek Bicycles has been an important contributor and supporter of the President's Challenge program and the Web site - creating a special cycling section on the Web site, developing the “Get it in Gear” program, and serving as a partner in the Wisconsin Governor's Challenge. Trek was also instrumental in the development of the President's Challenge website by serving as a pilot program and having over 800 employees take part in the Active Lifestyle and Presidential Champions programs. Visit www.trekbikes.com

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