So you want your community to be a place where more people are active. How can you make that vision come true?

Take steps by

* being active yourself;
* working with your neighbours to improve your community;
* helping everyone in your community feel they belong.

Start by Being Active Yourself

When you’re active, others are inspired to be more active as well. Say you decide to walk more, or join a sports team, or play active games such as tennis or hide-and-seek. Invite friends and neighbours to join in. Seeing your positive example, they are more likely to get started.

What holds true for the community works in families as well. Active kids often have active parents, because children watch their parents and learn from them. If you’re active every day and show your kids that being active is fun, they will want to be active too. Sometimes it’s as simple as saying “Let’s do something fun outside.” By turning off the TV and being active, you model healthy choices.

If you’re interested in an activity, joining a group may help you get started and keep going. Many women enjoy walking clubs because they can be active and visit at the same time. If there is a community league in your area, it may offer activities you’d enjoy.

What about the seniors’ centre, churches, or sport clubs? You might also start your own group. These days, many people know they need to be active: they just need a reason to start. Belonging to a club or group can help you and your neighbours move towards being more active and healthy.

Work with Your Neighbours to Improve Your Community

If you see things that need to be changed, take action! Your local parks and recreation staff, community league or town council should hear about your ideas. Even if you see much that needs to be done, don’t be discouraged. You don’t need to tackle the entire community at once.

Smaller changes are often easier to make. As a bonus, small successes help convince people that bigger projects will work.

Remember, too, that there is strength in numbers. Talk to your neighbours and friends about what’s needed to make your community active and healthy. Some communities have invited everyone to get involved through walkabouts and workshops. Look for groups that share your concerns. You might find allies in local schools, senior centres, shops, community leagues, revitalization zones, sports groups, universities, or other communities.

Together with like-minded neighbours, build a clear idea of what you want to accomplish. Perhaps you can work with your local school to start a walking school bus or with your community league to advocate for safer streets. At each step of the way, remember to listen to each other. The more we respect other viewpoints and work together, the more good we can accomplish. Once you agree, act and speak together. Many voices are louder than one voice alone.

How can you make yourselves heard? Think about how news travels in your community, and use whatever channels work best. Those might include newsletters, letters and emails to political and recreation leaders, town council meetings, letters to the editor, notices on bulletin boards, and media events. Don’t be afraid to show how much you care.

Get to know politicians and staff who can influence the changes you’d like to see. Look for ways to piggyback on work that’s already planned. Examples include adding a bike lane when a street is repaved or by making sure a new subdivision is designed for active living. Even when progress seems slow, stick with it. The projects that have committed champions are the ones that get done.

Involve Everyone in the Community

In a healthy active community everyone feels that they belong. Some communities have places that help people feel they belong if they are newcomers, immigrants, seniors, or teens. Look for a seniors’ centre, teen club, newcomers’ club, or immigrant organization in your community to help you and your family find a place to fit in. Sometimes by being part of a group we enjoy we become comfortable meeting new people and doing new things.

Here are some things to look for in your community that could help everyone be more active. Is your playground inviting for children? Can students safely walk to school? Are walkways and crossings safe, so older people can walk to the store? Do trails and bike routes encourage cycling to work as well as for fun? Is there a community skating rink? A skateboarding park? Are stores and services mixed in with housing, so people don’t always need to drive to do their errands? Do public policies invite active living?

Celebrate Your Successes

When your community takes a step toward being more active, celebrate! Be generous with your thanks. Salute the staff and volunteers involved. Use this success as a springboard to an even more active community.

By being a role model, speaking out with your neighbours, and helping everyone in your community be more active, you can make a difference. Step by step, you can help your community become more active and healthy.

Source: HealthyAlberta.com

Eating out is “in.” A quarter of American adults and their families frequently eat fast foods in a restaurant. As well, 40 per cent of these families typically choose pizza, a hamburger or a hot dog, and 25 per cent choose a regular (as opposed to diet) soft drink.

We’re beginning to realize, though, that eating a lot of restaurant food that is high in calories, fat, salt and sugar can have a huge impact on our health. Many restaurants are responding to people’s concerns by offering healthy alternatives and modifying food orders on request.

This article gives you advice about making healthy choices when eating out. Try using four simple strategies: planning your meal ahead of time, eating simple foods, reducing portion sizes and avoiding high-calorie beverages.

Have a Plan

Choose well, before you even get there!

* Choose a restaurant that offers healthy choices such as salads, soups, different types of meat or meat alternatives and vegetable side dishes.
* Curb your appetite. Entering a food-filled restaurant when you’re hungry is a recipe for overeating. Tame your hunger by eating a handful of carrots, a small apple or a small container of yogurt before you head out.
* Plan for little diners. Young children can become hungry and impatient while waiting for restaurant meals to be prepared. Solve this problem by bringing along a small container of whole-grain crackers.

Back to the Basics

Restaurant foods are often deep-fried, or they come with extra sauces, butter, margarine and salad dressings. To trim calories, fat, salt and sugar, seek out simply prepared foods.

* Instead of creamy sauces, use ketchup, mustard or salsa on sandwiches or meats.
* Instead of french fries, ask for a salad, with dressing on the side.
* Ask for meat, chicken or fish that is steamed, grilled or baked rather than fried, deep-fried or sautéed.
* Avoid fish, chicken or vegetables that have been breaded and fried.
* Ask for low-fat milk instead of cream with your coffee or tea.

Reduce the Portion Size

Portion sizes in restaurants have increased significantly over the past 20 years and are often much larger than most of us would serve when preparing a meal at home.
Try these ways of reducing the portion size:

* Ask for a half order of your entree.
* Share appetizers, desserts or even whole meals with a friend or family member.
* Eat only three-quarters of the food you are served, and take the rest home to enjoy at another meal. To prevent food-borne illness, head straight home with your “doggie bag” and store it in the refrigerator.

Be Wise About Beverages

Many of the beverage choices on restaurant menus are high in calories, fat and/or sugar. For example, a single can of regular pop provides about three tbsp of sugar and no other essential nutrients.

* Ask for water, unflavoured sparkling water or milk (white or chocolate). These healthy choices are available in most restaurants.
* When regular soft drinks such as pop, iced tea and fruit drinks are offered as part of a meal combo, ask for water or milk instead.
* Instead of special coffee and tea drinks, which are often very high in calories, fat and sugar, order a latte made with low-fat milk.
* When ordering regular coffee or tea, ask for low-fat milk instead of cream.
* Limit your alcohol intake. Gram for gram, alcoholic beverages contain almost as many calories as fat. They may also increase your appetite and cause you to overeat.

So there you have it. Four easy steps to eating out in good health:

* Plan your strategy ahead of time.
* Stick to simple, basic foods.
* Reduce portion sizes.
* Watch out for high-calorie beverages.

Source: HealthyAlberta.com

Healthy eating starts in the grocery store. What we buy affects how well we eat. Despite this, consumer research shows that most of us go grocery shopping without a plan to help guide our choices. For example, less than one quarter of Americans write out a list and stick with it. And we’re not having fun! In fact, 53% of us say that we don’t really enjoy shopping for food.

Planning can help you make grocery shopping a pleasant experience that doesn’t take a lot of time. Planning can also help you make the healthy choices you want to make. Try these simple tips when you head out on your next trip to the grocery store.

Smart Shopping Tips

Know What You Want

* Spend a few minutes planning out the meals your family will eat for the week.

* Check your cupboards to see what you have on hand already and what you need to buy.

Make a List, Check It Twice, and Stick to It

* Creating an organized list of the food you need will help you stay focused and on track.

* Consider the meals you’ve planned for the week as well as healthy snack choices.

* Arrange your list into categories, such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, canned goods, milk products, and meats or meat alternatives.

Have a Snack, a Nap, or a Break

* Eat something before you head off to the grocery store to prevent impulse buying.

* Avoid shopping when you’re hungry, tired, or short of time.

Go It Alone

* If possible, leave young children or other “non-shoppers” at home.

* If you bring your children along, let them help you. Talk about healthy food choices, and show them examples. Discuss prices. Let them help you to take non-breakable items off shelves or to bag produce.

Understand the Lay of the Land

* Shop the outer edges of the store first. Healthy choices from the four food groups tend to be on the outer edges of stores.

* Avoid the high-fat and high-sugar foods on the shelves in the centre of the store.

* Shop during non-peak hours when the store is less busy. Avoid late afternoons and weekends.

Learn About Labels

* Use food labels to see differences between similar products. Choose nutrient-rich food.

* Use the web to learn more about using food labels to make healthy choices.

Get Some Expert Advice

* Many grocery stores offer guided tours led by dietitians to help you improve your shopping skills.

Make the most of grocery shopping. Commit to making healthy choices, and develop a simple plan to make it happen.

Source: HealthyAlberta.com