Are you having fun?

February 15, 2010

Dear Friends,

Our first week is complete! How do you feel? Are you having fun yet?

Congratulations on taking the first step with Shape Up RI toward a healthier you in 2010. Along this journey, some of us will discover walking paths we’ve never visited and activities we’ve never tried (a free Zumba class, anyone?). We will strengthen friendships with neighbors and co-workers after walking a mile together in our sneakers. Most importantly, by the end of this challenge we will prove to ourselves that healthy living is within our reach.

Shape Up RI will be with you all the way. Each week you’ll receive this newsletter full of ideas for getting active, a calendar packed with free activities for you and your team, and helpful tips on everything from healthy recipes to new workout routines.

Thank you again for signing on for this challenge. 

Yours In Health,

Rajiv Kumar

Join the Shape Up RI Facebook page.
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Follow Shape Up RI on Twitter here.
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Go to a free class or workshop!

Latin Cardio, Thai Stamina, and Gentle Yoga are just 3 of loads of free classes and seminars that local gyms and companies are opening up to our members this week. Don’t worry about not being able to keep up when you’re sampling. Just tell the instructor you’re a Shape Up member trying out the class. Find what's offered by going to the shapeupri.org web site and clicking on Calendar.

There’s a right way to wear your pedometer?

Is your pedometer accurately recording your steps? Make sure it’s attached to the belt or waistband of your clothing. It won’t work properly elsewhere, such as in your pocket, on your shoe or on your handbag. It needs to be upright and closed.

This year, along with your pedometer you received a metal clip on a string which can be attached to your pedometer so you won’t lose it if it accidentally falls off. Thread the string around the back prong of the pedometer and attach the clip to your clothing. If your pedometer falls off, it will simply hang from the clip.

You can experiment with the pedometer to find the best spot for you. Try it out in different placements by walking 50 or 100 steps on a level surface and comparing that number to the reading on your pedometer.

Avoid getting the pedometer wet. If you need another pedometer, they’re $6 or $8.50 with shipping. Call Shape Up at 421-0608 or visit Shop to Support.

Send us your team photos and stories!

Doing something fun with your team? Take photos and send them to our newsletter. We’d also like to hear your team’s story: Why did you join Shape Up and how are you motivating each other? All teams who send photos and/or stories will be entered into a drawing for prizes at the end of the competition. Send photos and stories to news@shapeupri.org

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Walk of the Week: Hike the Flower Show

If you’d like to boost your pedometer total while warm and toasty, put in a few thousand steps at the Flower Show at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence Feb. 18-21. It’s wonderfully green, it’s refreshingly humid, and it’s lots of fun to walk around again and again, admiring the inspiring garden displays and checking out the many vendors. Round up some teammates and make it a group activity. Kids will find plenty of activities too! Check it out at http://www.flowershow.com

How women benefit from walking briskly

A new study shows that women who walk in middle age reap a surprising amount of benefit when they’re older. Women who walk now have far less chronic disease and a sharper mind when they’re 70. Read more at http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/01/women_and_walking_the_benefits.html

Michelle Obama wants kids to shape up

If Michelle Obama lived in Rhode Island, don’t you imagine she’d be on a Shape Up team? (And that she’d be wicked awesome?) She proved her commitment to fitness last week when she launched “Let’s Move,” a national and historic campaign to eliminate childhood obesity. That’s particularly relevant to Rhode Island, where 30 percent of children ages 10 to 17 are obese, a study found this year.

She emphasized what we Shape Up participants have found: “We know that solving our obesity challenge won’t be easy and it won’t be quick, but make no mistake about it — this problem can be solved,” Mrs. Obama said. “This isn’t like putting a man on the moon or inventing the Internet. It doesn’t take a stroke of genius or a feat of technology. We have everything we need right now to help our kids lead healthy lives.”

Shape Up has been thinking about kids too. Last fall, Shape Up launched a pilot program with three elementary schools. Fifth graders at Paul Cuffee in Providence, Veterans Memorial Public School in Central Falls and St. Andrew’s School in Barrington joined with their teachers to put on pedometers and compete to see how many steps that could rack up for 6 weeks.

Shape Up would like to expand the program to other schools in the future. When the study showing children’s obesity rate in Rhode Island was released last summer, Dr. David R. Gifford, director of the R.I. Department of Health, said it’s “critical” to instill healthy eating habits and a desire to be physically active early in children’s lives.

Read about Mrs. Obama’s plans here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/health/nutrition/10obesity.html?nl=us&emc=politicsemailema3

Read about the obesity study here:
http://www.pbn.com/detail/43315.html

Lots of ideas in Team Captain Handbook

If you’re looking for ideas for yourself or your team, remember that anyone can download the Team Captain Handbook (on the Web site, click on Resources then on Downloads on the left). It’s full of ideas on how to motivate yourself and your teammates, plus suggestions for fun ways to get together as a team. Look for healthy eating (have a soda-free week) and easy exercise tips too, as well as ways to squeeze more walking into your day. It also talks about the importance of setting goals as well as how to do that.

Valentine’s Chocolate: Eat and be happy

Lucky enough to have gotten some chocolate for Valentine’s Day? Stop feeling guilty: Shape Up is compatible with chocolate. Most of us have heard about the health benefits of dark chocolate. A small amount a day has been shown to lower blood pressure as well as lower LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) by up to 10 percent. It also makes us happy: It stimulates endorphin production, which provides a feeling of pleasure, and it contains serotonin, which fights off depression.

Don’t overdo it, though. A 3.5 ounce bar was used in most studies. That’s about 200 calories that you’ll have to make room for in your daily calorie count.

“There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate.”
- Linda Grayson, The Pickwick Papers

Chop up this Raddichio, Fennel and Pear Salad

Now that we’ve said it’s okay to indulge in chocolate, let’s balance that with something more obviously healthy -- and tasty too. Whole Foods, a sponsor of Shape Up RI, has an extensive recipe collection on its web site. Here’s just one of the dishes, designed to get you thinking about different ways to make salad. This Raddichio, Fennel and Pear Salad mixes sweet and bitter flavors and provides mouth-satisfying crunch.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2668

Late Registration is Open!

If you haven't joined, join today!

We have heard from many people who are eager to join but don't have a team. If your team isn't full yet, consider inviting more friends to join.

There are hundreds of Rhode Islanders, from East Providence to Westerly, seeking teams on the Team Building Forum.

Sending a Shape Up RI invitation is a great way to help someone improve their health. Also, when coworkers and friends see you participating in Shape Up activities, it often makes them want to join; so enlist them if you have room. Past results show that larger teams achieve the best results in our program!

Important: The information provided by Shape Up RI is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be used as a substitute for the care and advice of a professional health care provider. Before beginning any physical activity and/or weight loss program you should consult your physician. Shape Up RI provides health information meant for people in generally good health. If you have an underlying medical concern, please consult your physician about how this information affects your specific medical conditions.