Working Workouts into Your Workday

Whether you’re back in the office or working remotely from home, it can be a challenge to fit exercise into a busy day.

That’s why our Workday Workout poster is an effective education tool to remind everyone that there are ways to fit fitness into your life, no matter where or how much you work.

This the perfect topic for a workplace class. In addition to talking about the strategies outlined on the poster, you can tailor your discussion to the time of year or specific challenges your audience faces.

Here are some examples:

  1. Holidays: Brainstorm strategies to keep moving even when you’re busier than ever.
  2. Covid & Flu: Talk about how to stay safe at the gym by properly disinfecting equipment and give a refresher on best handwashing practices.
  3. Getting Outside: Encourage everyone to do some exercise outside in nature for the mental health benefits and the vitamin D boost.
  4. Staying Inside: Explore easy options for those who can’t get outside, like exercise videos on YouTube.
  5. Hydration: Remind everyone about the importance of drinking enough water before, during, and after exercise.

Even long-time exercisers will appreciate new ideas for making movement part of their workday!

By Hollis Bass, MEd, RD, LD

New Handout: Workouts for Workdays

Manage Your Mind

When it comes to a healthy lifestyle, many people say, “I know what to do … I just don’t do it!”

We know we should fill half the plate with fruits and vegetables.

We know exercising is important.

We know water is healthier than sugary beverages.

When knowledge isn’t the issue, it’s time to look at things differently. It’s time to work on mind management!

How can you help your students or clients use mind management to achieve their nutrition, health, and fitness goals? You can start with the following messages, which are communicated through our motivational posters:

I Am motivational poster

  • Forgiving a setback: When you overindulge or skip a workout, acknowledge it and move on. Beating yourself up makes it harder to get back on track.
  • Not giving up: When you get discouraged, think about what’s going well for you. You may not be losing weight, but do you have more energy or feel more comfortable in your clothes?
  • Planning and working to success: Even if you know what to do, you need a plan and you need to keep working on it. A healthy lifestyle is a life-long process.

Mindful Eating poster

  • Why am I eating? Ask yourself this question when you reach for food or beverages. Take time to figure out if you’re truly hungry.
  • Enjoy the experience: Don’t rush through meals and snacks. Savor every bite. Slow down, put your food on a plate, sit down.

Keep a Healthy Mindset poster

  • I can do it: Positive, compassionate self-talk is key to mind management.
  • Never quit: Nobody is perfect; giving up is not an option.

By Hollis Bass, MEd, RD, LD

 

Board the Train to Healthy Holidays

Keeping up positive eating and exercise habits can be tough for everyone during the holiday season. Taking time to reflect and plan can help us stay on a healthy track:

  1. Reflect … How have I handled the holidays in the past? What’s hampered my healthy eating and exercise habits?
  2. Plan … How will I handle these holiday challenges differently this year?

Help your students, clients, or employees reflect and plan their way through a healthier holiday season with our Holiday Train Game. This fun, interactive PowerPoint game is all about riding through the holidays without derailing healthy habits.

As the conductor, you’ll take your audience on a ride through a typical holiday season, making stops at potential challenges like holiday buffets, cocktail parties, baking, travel, holiday stress, and more. 

Each holiday train stop has a question. If passengers answer correctly, they earn points and lose a pound. If they’re wrong, they gain a pound. 

But more important than keeping score, the train stops will generate discussion and encourage your passengers to share their experiences.

By the time the holiday train returns to the station, everyone will disembark with a plan for making it through the season with healthy habits intact.

All aboard for a healthy holiday season!

Hollis Bass, MEd, RD, LD

Building Blocks for a Healthy Body

Are you looking for a poster that teaches an important message and brings a smile to everyone’s face? We have a brand-new poster that fits the bill – check out the Healthy Diet Means Stronger Body-Building Blocks poster.

This poster features building blocks (like the wooden blocks kids play with) stacked in the shape of a body. The building blocks are covered in real photos of a variety of healthy foods.

The message? When you have the right building blocks, you can build yourself a healthy and strong body.

We’ve also run a series on the Food and Health blog that takes a look at each individual building block. Check it out!

Here are some talking points to go along with this eye-catching poster:

  1. The building blocks needed for a strong body are healthy foods and beverages, plus adequate sleep and exercise.
  2. The building blocks of a healthy diet include the five MyPlate food groups:
    • fruits
    • vegetables
    • whole grains
    • protein
    • dairy/calcium
  3. The building blocks of a healthy diet are made up of real food, not fast food or highly processed foods.
    • Can your students identify all the healthy foods depicted on the blocks?
  4. The text on the poster reminds us to get enough sleep and exercise, and to drink water instead of sugary beverages.
  5. If you remove one of the building blocks, the body in the poster will topple.
    • Think about fad diets that cut out an entire food group!

The new Healthy Diet Means Stronger Body-Building Blocks poster is perfect for classrooms, gyms, cafeterias, bulletin boards, offices, and waiting areas.

Let’s Get People Moving!

Exercise is so important to health, yet most Americans lead sedentary lives and only 20% of adults and adolescents meet the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

Here are some ways you can promote physical activity to your clients, students, or employees:

  1. All ages benefit. From preschoolers to octagenarians, movement makes a difference. Tailor your message to the age group you’re working with.
    • The Move Your Way campaign has free materials like short videos, social media messages, graphics, and GIFs (many in Spanish) that target different populations, including adults, older adults, parents and kids, and pregnant/postpartum women.
  2. Any movement counts. Simply sitting less is a step in the right direction and has benefits. The same goes for the movement you do while cleaning the house or playing with the kids.
    • Be Active Everyday Your Own Way is a simple handout with guidance for kids and adults. It also shows that everyday activities like walking the dog and washing dishes counts as movement.
    • Home Exercise poster is a light-hearted reminder that you don’t need to join a gym or run a marathon. You can get movement throughout your day and in the comfort of your own home.
  3. Take advantage of transitions. Going back to the office after working from home due to the pandemic is a great time to start a new exercise habit. The same goes for other life transitions like having a baby or starting a new school year.
  4. Find a health motivator. Exercise has so many immediate and long-term benefits that everyone is bound to relate to at least one of them.
    • Not sleeping well? Diagnosed with high blood pressure? Dealing with anxiety? Physical activity has immediate effects on these issues.
    • Worried about your risk of developing cancer, diabetes, depression, or dementia? Physical activity has long-term effects on these conditions (and many more!).
    • 3 Prong Exercise Plan to Stop Prediabetes is an example of targeting a health condition many folks might be worrying about.
  5. Manage a health condition. Exercise can help…
    • Decrease pain for those with osteoarthritis.
    • Reduce disease progression for hypertension and type 2 diabetes.
    • Reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
    • Improve cognition for those with dementia, multiple sclerosis, ADHD, and Parkinson’s disease.

Hollis Bass, MEd, RD, LD

 

45 is the New 50

When it comes to screening for colorectal cancer (CRC), 45 is the new 50.

That’s because CRC rates have increased for people under the age of 50, prompting experts to lower the recommended age to begin screening for those at average risk for the disease.

As nutrition and health educators, we can teach diet- and lifestyle-related changes that lower the risk of developing CRC. But reminding people to get screened is also important, as many put off that first colonoscopy or fail to follow their doctor’s recommendation for future screenings.

Here are a few ways to incorporate CRC prevention into individual or group education:

  1. Explore the microbiome. Because gut health is related to colon cancer, our Microbiome PowerPoint and handout set is a great way to introduce people to this emerging topic. You’ll also want to check out the gut health poster and even a floor decal to go along with this theme.
  2. Discuss GI health in general using our Nutritional Strategies for Colon Health PowerPoint and handout set. This presentation includes information on diverticular disease as well as CRC.
  3. Promote MyPlate and regular physical activity. These topics may seem simple and routine, but when people eat the MyPlate way and move more every day, they’re cutting their risk of developing CRC. And because high intake of processed meats is also linked to CRC, be sure to emphasize that Real Food Grows.

Many people put off CRC screening because of the dreaded colonoscopy, so it may help to let them know that other screening options might be available.

Read more about the new colon cancer screening guidelines here.

Hollis Bass, MEd, RD, LD

 

 

Vacation Right, Vacation Light

It seems like everyone in America is taking or planning a vacation – or at the very least, talking about how much they want to get away!

Whether it’s a road trip or a cross-country flight, vacations tend to interfere with healthy eating and exercise habits.

Our Vacation Light materials are just what you need to help people keep their vacations as healthy as possible. In a light-hearted way, they show the difference between an Eat a Lot/Sleep a Lot vacation and an Eat Smart/Exercise Your Heart vacation.

Here’s a 3-step plan to teach students, clients, or employees about taking a healthy vacation:

  1. Create a bulletin board display using our Vacation Light poster.
  2. Plan a series of social media posts with Eat Smart/Exercise Your Heart vacation tips.
    • Use these posts to promote step 3.
    • Ask your followers to leave a comment about how they keep their vacations healthy.
  3. Teach a webinar using our Vacation Light PowerPoint show.
    • Have attendees set one goal for their vacation (eat a healthy breakfast daily, track my steps, snack on raw veggies, etc).
    • Invite attendees to report back when they return from vacation.

By Hollis Bass, MEd, RD, LD

 

Gentle Nudges to Healthy Change

The American Psychological Association recently released the 2021 Stress in America poll. No surprise – the past year has been hard on us.

The pandemic has had a negative impact on:

  1. Physical activity
  2. Weight
  3. Sleep
  4. Stress
  5. Alcohol intake
  6. Mental health

As people get vaccinated and begin to think about life after COVID-19, many will be ready to make changes to do things like lose weight and start exercising again. Some will jump right in, but others may benefit from a slower, more mindful journey back to healthy habits.

Here are three ideas for gently nudging your clients or students toward a healthy eating pattern and lifestyle:

  1. Mindfulness and mindful eating:
  2. Motivating affirmations:
    • Empower your clients through short sessions on the affirmations from our I Am Motivational Health poster:
      • Self-care (sleeping enough, forgiving a setback)
      • Healthy eating (eating mindfully when hungry, loving fruits & veggies)
      • Physical activity (moving more, exercising consistently)
      • Attitude (not giving up)
      • Intention (planning and working to success)
  3. Positive transformations:
    • Adopt the beautiful butterfly from our Change It Up theme as your mascot.
    • The butterfly can be a visual reminder to clients who are working to transform their lives by eating healthier foods and being more active every day.

Hollis Bass, MEd, RD, LD

3 Topics for Teens

Do you work with teens? Have you ever been asked to present to a class of high school students? Teens can be a tough audience, but the information you share might end up making a big impact on their health and wellness.

Here are three potential topics that are relevant to teenagers, along with facts and recommendations for education materials/resources that will make your job easier.

#1: Sleep

  • The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that teens sleep 8–10 hours/day.
  • According to the CDC, about 7 out of 10 teens don’t get enough sleep on school nights.
  • Common Sense Media reports that 29% of teen smartphone owners say they’ve been woken up by their phones during the night by a call, text, or notification.

Resources:

#2: Physical Activity

  • Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition recommends at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity for youth up to age 17.
  • American Heart Association says that only about 1 in 4 high school students get the recommended hour a day of physical activity.
  • Common Sense Media reports that American teens spend an average of nearly 7.5 hours/day in front of screens (not including homework or school). (That was in 2019 — it’s probably worse for 2020!)

Resources:

#3: Vaping

  • While a recent CDC/FDA report shows that teen tobacco use is down, nearly 1 in 4 high school students still use tobacco products.
  • E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among middle and high school students.

Resources:

Hollis Bass, MEd, RD, LD

 

 

Holiday Survival Tips & COVID-19

Eating healthfully during the holidays is always a challenge. This year the pandemic is making it even harder.

Help your clients get through the holiday eating season with our Holiday Survival Tips PowerPoint show. The presentation addresses the reality of holiday weight gain and helps audience members make a plan to avoid it.

Here are three of the Holiday Survival Tips along with how they may need to be tweaked this year due to COVID-19:

  1. Focus less on food and more on celebrating what the holidays are all about. This can be difficult if you’re alone or unable to get together with friends or extended family this year.
    • Schedule phone calls and virtual gatherings so you’ll have something to look forward to besides eating.
    • Keep your hands busy with knitting, crafts, adult coloring books, or puzzles – you can’t eat while doing these kinds of activities!
    • Make up for missing events like tree lightings and holiday festivals by finding things you CAN do. Walk around your neighborhood to see all the holiday lights, for example.
  2. Pay attention to exercise and sleep — two things that the holidays tend to interfere with.
    • Make a plan to take a walk or do an exercise video at the same time every day. Text a friend to stay accountable.
    • Avoid staying up later than usual or sleeping in. Stick to a consistent sleep schedule so you’ll wake up refreshed every morning.
    • Put health-promoting gifts on your wish list, like a Fitbit or a subscription to the premium version of a meal planning or food tracking app.
  3. Find ways to make traditional holiday dishes a bit healthier.
    • Use less fat or sugar in recipes. Staying home means you’ll be in control of the big holiday meals, so make this the year you try a lower fat pumpkin pie or sweet potatoes without the sugary toppings.
    • If there’s only going to be four of you for the big holiday meal, scale things down. Buy the smallest pies or cakes you can find. Bake smaller batches of things like your favorite holiday cookies. The goal is to NOT have lots of leftovers to tempt you.
    • If you’re buying a meal from a supermarket or restaurant, make sure you know what you’re getting and adjust accordingly. Keep some extra roasted vegetables or salad on hand to add to a purchased meal.

The holidays and the pandemic make it easy to gain weight and hard to lose it. Probably the best tip we can give people this time of year is to aim to maintain their weight.

Hollis Bass, MEd, RD, LD