NUTRITION

Calories In, Calories Out

The restaurant chains won’t tell you, but I will:

In:        It is no wonder our children are overweight and dealing with diseases usually

            associated with aging, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.  Just one

            “serving” of Macaroni Grill’s Double Macaroni & Cheese has 1,210 calories,

            62 grams of fat and a whopping 3,450 mg of sodium!  This one menu item offers

            our kids over half the calories and all of the fat an adult needs on a daily basis. 

            In addition, let’s not forget about the sodium:  your child will consume almost

            150% of the adult RDA for sodium in this single serving of mac & cheese.

20 Worst Foods, Men’s Health

Out:     Start pedaling – and hard!  A 90-pound kid would have to ride their bicycle for

            more than 3 ½ hours at about 13 mph to burn those 1,210 calories off.

In:        Mmm, mmm, fatty!  A large Tuna Melt from Quiznos will get you 1,420 calories,

            118 grams of fat, and 1,535 mg of sodium.  And you haven’t even ordered your

            chips yet!  The sandwich alone provides over half of the calories and sodium the

average adult needs in one day.  As for the fat, if you eat the entire sandwich

you will consume almost two full days worth of fat!

Melanie J. Kramer, AOL

Out:     Get hopping!  The average 150-pound woman would have to jump rope at a

            moderate pace over 2 hours to work off just the sandwich.  Click here to learn

            more about the benefits of jumping, and how to incorporate it into your workout

            routine.

FITNESS

Getting PHIT - What's Taking So Long?

It has been two years to the month since Congressman Jerry Weller (R-IL) introduced the Personal Health Investment Today Act (PHIT; H.R. 245)) to encourage more Americans to adopt a healthier lifestyle.  If this bill ever passes, you may be able to deduct up to $1,000 annually from your tax bill for purchases of exercise equipment and programs, such as personal training.  As of right now, the last Congress has looked at this bill was January 5, 2007 when it was re-introduced and referred to the Ways & Means Committee.

Another fitness- related bill introduced in Congress to encourage healthier lifestyles is the Workforce Health Improvement Program (WHIP; H.R. 1748).  Introduced in March of 2007, this bill would exclude from your gross income any gym fees, dues or membership expenses paid for, or reimbursed by, your employer up to $900 per year.  It would also allow your employer a tax deduction for paying these expenses.  This is truly a win-win situation as it offers employees an outstanding benefit and enables employers to apply the same tax advantages available to them for other employee benefits.

This month, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) will be in Washington D.C. in part to voice their/our support for these two pieces of legislation.   Click here if you’d like to review either bill, or to encourage your Congressman to vote for one, or both, of them.

UPCOMING EVENTS

May 21 - Creston Healthy Ohio Fitness Walk

Kay Russell and I would like to invite all residents of Creston and the surrounding areas to join us in Ohio’s fourth statewide “Healthy Ohio Fitness Walk”.

The challenge to all Ohioans is to collectively walk one hundred thousand miles on this day!  Let’s do our part as a community and participate in a 20-minute, one mile walk, to help reach this goal! 

The Creston Healthy Ohio Fitness Walk will take place on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at the Creston United Methodist Church.  For your convenience, we’ve planned two walks:  the first is at 3:30 p.m., the second at 6:30 p.m.  You are welcome to join us for one or both of the walks.  If you cannot walk with us at those times, please click here for other opportunities to participate in this statewide event.

June 4 - The Truth About Weight Management

Please join me at noon on June 4^th for the DCH Health Topic of the Month Program.  I will be presenting “The Truth About Weight Management” in the Community Room at Dunlap Community Hospital.  The monthly Health Smart seminars offered by Dunlap Community Hospital are open and free to the public.  You are welcome to bring along your lunch if you’d like.  Click here for more information about this and other programs at Dunlap Community Hospital.

Are you planning, or aware of, a Community Health & Fitness Event?  Please contact me with the event name, date and contact information and I’ll be happy to include the information in my next newsletter and/or on my website. 

         New Website

Thanks to Bryan Dennstedt of Bry.Net Web Services in Wooster, I have a wonderful new website.  The new site is easier for you to navigate and it’s much easier for me to update and make changes as necessary.  Please visit www.my-trainer.net to check it out.  I think you will find it is very different from the old version.   If you need help with your website please feel free to contact Bryan at bry@bry.net or 330-439-1663.

Something To Think About

“If your dog is fat, YOU aren’t getting enough exercise!”

                                                                                                     Unknown