January 2007
Pierce County Gets Fit:
Seven Ways to Start the New Year on the Right Foot
Responding to rising obesity rates, sedentary lifestyles and increases in heart disease, diabetes and liver and lung problems, Pierce County made a commitment last year to “Get Fit.” The MultiCare Health System, the YMCA of Tacoma-Pierce County and the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department collaborated in the county-wide initiative.
“Pierce County Gets Fit” is continuing this year. Although rates of obesity and the prevalence of overweight adults are higher in Pierce County than in most of the rest of the state, the recommendations apply equally to our readers in Thurston and Kitsap Counties.
Here are seven steps to get you started, along with local resources and events:
1. Learn about Losing Weight Intelligently
Attend the “Do Something Healthy 8” lecture with Dr. Michael Dansinger, M.D., nationally known expert in diet and obesity. He serves as nutrition and fitness advisor for NBC’s The Biggest Loser. Biggest Loser contestant Suzy Preston will join Dansinger Jan. 29, 7-8:30 p.m., at the Sheraton Hotel, 1320 Broadway in Tacoma. Admission is $10. Register online at www.multicare.org or call 1-800-342-9919.
If you think you need a structured weight-loss program, you can sign up for a free orientation to MultiCare’s LEARN program Jan. 18, 6 - 7 p.m., in Covington; Feb. 5, 6 - 7 p.m., at Allenmore Hospital in Tacoma; or March 28, 6 - 7 p.m., in Covington. Call 1-800-342-9919 or visit www.multicare.org/mission and click on “Healthy Living.”
Pierce County Kids Get Fit classes include physical activities, nutritional education and lifestyle management for children ages 7-10 with a referral from a physician. Classes meet three times a week for four to six weeks, at the Morgan Family Branch of the YMCA, 1002 S. Pearl St., Tacoma. Call 253-564-9622 or 1-800-342-9919.
2. Set a Goal for Physical Activity
The U.S. Surgeon General and other health experts recommend that children and adults get a minimum of 30 minutes of moderately intense physical activity at least five days a week. Make it a priority. Find fitness tips – including guidelines for using weights, target heart rates and tools to determine how many calories you are burning – at www.piercecountygetsfit.org. For more tips, contact the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department at 253-798-6500 or visit www.tpchd.org and click on “Health” on the home page, and then on “Physical Activities and Nutrition.”
3. Get Walking
Walking is one of the simplest and least expensive ways to work in your daily exercise. If it seems like a lonely pursuit, try joining a Volksmarch – a noncompetitive, 6-mile (10 km.) walk with no pledges or racing. Coming up: a “Crisp January Walk” Jan. 20, starting between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. and finishing by 4 p.m., along the Puyallup River to Sumner; suitable for strollers and wheelchairs, with dogs allowed on leashes. It’s sponsored by the Puyallup Valley Volkssport Association, but you don’t have to be a member to join in. Call Carolyn Warhol, 253-845-6592, or e-mail her at cjwarhol@comcast.net or visit www.webpost.net/es/esvadvva/index.htm. More walks are planned in the next three months at Northwest Trek and in Federal Way, Bremerton and DuPont. Contact the Evergreen State Volkssport Association, 253-840-1776, www.esva.org.
4. Be Part of the Million Minute Mission
Over the next five months, Pierce County residents are invited to prepare for the annual Sound to Narrows Run by signing up for the Million Minute Mission, spearheaded by the MultiCare Center for Healthy Living. This doesn’t mean that each person does a million minutes – at 30 minutes a day, for 365 days a year that would take 91 years! Rather, it’s a chance to self-monitor your minutes of exercise and be part of a county-wide fitness effort. A total of 4.3 million minutes were logged last year. Register online at www.multicare.org/mission or pick up a registration form at any branch of the Tacoma-Pierce County YMCA or call 1-800-485-0205.
The Sound to Narrows Run will be held June 9, 2007 and includes a 12K run and walk in the west Tacoma/Point Defiance area, a 5K run and walk, a 1.2-mile Junior Shuffle for ages 4-10 and a 20-yard Diaper Dash. For more information, call 253-403-3065 or visit www.soundtonarrows.org.
5. Energize Your Day
As a family, incorporate some of these activity-stretching steps into your ordinary daytime schedule (www.multicare.org/mission – click on “Healthy Living Online”):
· Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
· Housework is a great way to get moving. Assign some tasks to
the kids.
· Make social time an active time. When you meet a friend for coffee,
take a brisk walk together before having your latte.
· Hang out at the mall. Shopping malls are open every day, are
well lit and even-surfaced, and you won’t have to worry about getting
wet or cold.
· Need a break at the office? Skip the coffee or cigarette and
take a walk around the block.
· Park the car farther away from your destination and walk.
· Be active at home. Pull weeds, take on a home-improvement project,
or play with your children.
· Buddy up. Being active is much more fun with family and friends.
6. Try a New Activity
The YMCA of Tacoma-Pierce County offers teen fitness and weight training, youth aquatics, youth fitness, youth sports – including gymnastics, flag football, T-ball/baseball and soccer – and swimming for special needs and exceptional kids, as well as a range of adult classes, many with childcare. You can stop by any of the branches for a free workout: Tacoma Central, 1144 Market St., Tacoma; Morgan, 1002 S. Pearl St., Tacoma; Lakewood, 9715 Lakewood Drive, Lakewood; and Mel Korum, 302 43rd Ave. S.E., Puyallup (the Gig Harbor Branch is slated to open in 2007).
A parks department class is often the least expensive way to try something new because there are no membership costs. Find a listing of local departments on the Kids Classes page at the end of the calendar in this magazine.
Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound are an excellent choice for children of working parents, with after-school and summer programs in Tacoma, Bremerton, Lakewood, Spanaway and Graham. Membership is only $60 a year, with scholarships available. Programs include active dance classes, sports, Fitness Authority (a small-group program) and Healthy Habits (an all-around program including nature hikes, making a food pyramid and learning about nutrition, exercise and sensible diets). To find your local club, call 253-572-8440 or visit www.bg-clubs.com.
7. Learn about Nutrition
Good nutrition is as important as physical activity in keeping fit. Find the latest guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Pyramid by calling 1-888-779-7264 or visiting www.mypyramid.gov. Each day you should try to provide:
· Three daily servings, or a total of 1.5 cups,
of fruits
· Five servings, or 2.5 cups, of vegetables
· Six servings, about 6 ounces of grains – at least half
should be whole grains
· Two servings, about 5 ounces, from the meat and beans group
· Three servings, 3 cups, from the milk and dairy group
· A limited amount of fat and sugar
Find dozens of helpful tips, including ideas for eating on the run, on the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s Web site at www.tpchd.org – click on “Health” at the top of the home page, then click on “Healthy Habits” and “Physical Activities and Nutrition.” Find heart-healthy recipes at www.multicare.org/mission – click on “Healthy Living Online.”
March is national Nutrition Month, and Pierce County Gets Fit will once again partner with local restaurants in a Heart Healthy Dining for Life Campaign. Patrons at selected restaurants will be able to order entrees in the correct sizes and with the best nutritional content. Check www.multicare.org/mission next month for details.
For more information on all of these steps, begin research at the Pierce County Gets Fit Web site at www.piercecountygetsfit.org. Some information may not be updated for 2007, so call first to confirm events.
Wenda Reed is editor of Puget Sound Parent and Seattle’s Child and is always working on this fitness thing.
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