2014 Michiana BetterU 12 Week Challenge Celebration Join Us May 8th, 2014

Join us for the American Heart Association Go Red for Women Michiana BetterU Luncheon when we celebrate the challenges and successes of 12 women from Elkhart General Hospital seeking a healthy life. These women are an example of what you can do to develop healthy lifestyle behavior change with community support and those around you. This is a call to action for each one of us to reach out to one women in our community and  teach them what we have learned to be healthy.

Thank you to our sponsors Macy's, Merck, Teachers Credit Union, Elkhart General Hospital, C2 Your Health LLC, Body Evolution of South Bend, South Bend Medical Foundation and Martin's Supermarkets.

The Road to Better Health is Traveled in the Supermarket

Each year the Michiana AHA BetterU Challengers participate in the BetterU Challenge Supermarket Scavenger Hunt. This spot on our healthy journey is where we learn how distinguish the unhealthy foods from the healthiest foods and how to make those selections.  Thank you to Martin’s Supermarkets for hosting our scavenger hunt.  The challengers supported by their family, friends and each other enjoyed a healthy dinner and scavenged the supermarket for healthy foods guided by the AHA BetterU Health Coach, Cindy Cohen RN of C2Your Health LLC.

Some of the things we learned...

It's important to read the nutrition facts on the food label on the packaging and use this as a guide to making healthier food selections. 

It's easy to be fooled by the advertisements on the front of the food packaging. Some manufactures claim on the package something entirely different than what actually exists. For example, the front of the package my say "No Trans Fats" and the ingredient list says “hydrogenated oils” which is a trans-fat.  

Fiber is our friend and not always where you think it is. Some foods you think have fiber do not. For example, some whole wheat breads have zero fiber. The best choices are the foods that have at least   

1 gram of fiber.    

It's hard to find flavored drinks that don't contain added sugars, high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners (unhealthy). Water is always the best choice.

Many foods are loaded with more than days serving of salt (sodium) in one serving such as some soups and spaghetti sauces.

How to make sense of food certifying organizations such as organic, gluten free, and Heart Check - American Heart Association approved.

The Supermarket Scavenger Hunt Class demonstrates the road to better health is not always clear and it's important to be aware of the pot holes (TV ads) and warning signs (misleading labels) along the way. Adding new meaning to the seemingly harmless act of going to the grocery store to "buyers beware"; as Dr. David Katz, Nutrition Detectives says about some foods "Step away and no one will get hurt."

What did you learn the last time you went grocery shopping at the supermarket?

Your partner in health,

Health Coach

Wellness Consultant

C2 Your Health LLC

Prescription for Better Health

What do you do when you get sick?

I start with trying to heal my self, depending on symptoms I am experiencing. If that doesn't work I ask a trusted friend who is a nurse or medical professional what they do. Most of the time I get better, as a last resort I will make an appointment with my physician. My physician then gives me a prescription for a medication or treatment I am to follow until I get better. I think this is what most of us do.

The dictionary refers to a prescription as act of establishing rules,  a long established custom and written instructions such as an order by a physician. 

Heart disease is now impacting 100% of us since 50% of us either dying or almost dying of it. It's not just the adults that are touched by heart disease, sadly children are now developing heart disease risks just like their parents.  Heart disease is the leading the way for cause of death, disability and medical costs. The symptoms of heart disease negatively impact your blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, and diabetes.

The American Heart Association has a established a set of rules for better health. In fact all major government health organizations after years of independent study by research doctors are in agreement as to what the set of instructions are and what happens when they are not followed as prescribed. The American Heart Association's prescription is not kept secret.  And it's not new! We walk about it (Heart Walk), we talk about it (radio & TV) , we read about it (internet) but what is this long established custom, the prescription for better health?

The prescription for better health is easy as 1, 2, 3, 4

1. follow a healthy diet - loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats
2. get up and move - exercise 30 minutes most days of the week
3. stress less - take care of yourself
4. quit smoking - breath better

That's it! Just 4 to follow, the prescription written by doctors for you to achieve better health.

So what happens when you go back to your doctor for a check up and you didn't follow the prescription?  Did you tell your doctor the prescription was just too hard to follow, you didn't have time, or you were just too busy? If you did, who are you hurting? The doctor?

You have your prescription for your better health. Now it's time for you to follow it. Make it easy for you by adding new healthy foods to your diet every day. Make time for you to add a few minutes of exercise by walking every day a little further. Take care of you, stress less and breath  slowly and calmly. Adding just a few extra minutes for you will make your life vibrant for years to come. Aren't you worth it?

Your partner in health,

Health Coach
C2 Your Health LLC


Looking for the American Heart Association prescription for better health?  click here

   

Supermarket Scavenger Hunt Made Just for a BetterU - Buyer Beware

To kick-start the 2013 BetterU Challengers on their road to better health Michiana American Heart Association hosted a Supermarket Scavenger Hunt thanks to Martin's Supermarkets. The challengers supported by their family, friends and each other enjoyed a healthy dinner and scavenged the supermarket for healthy foods guided by Health Coach, Cindy Cohen RN of C2 Your Health LLC.

Erin Crawford Cressy, Behavior Coach discussed what behaviors would be helpful in developing healthy living strategies and Laura Guy, American Heart Association (AHA) reviewed healthy eating tools available from AHA.

Some of the things we learned ...

• It's easy to be fooled by the advertisements on the front of the food packaging. Some manufactures claim on the package something entirely different that what is on the ingredient list such as " No Trans Fats" on the front of the pack and hydrogenated oils on the label.
• Fiber is our friend and not always where you think it is. Foods containing at least 1gm of fiber are the best choices.   
• It's hard to find flavored drinks that don't contain additives (unhealthy); the ones with artificial sweeteners, and high fructose corn syrup, so water is always the better choice.
• Many foods are loaded with more than days serving of salt (sodium) in one serving such as some soups and spaghetti sauces.
• How to make sense of food certifying organizations such as organic, gluten free, and Heart Check - American Heart Association approved.

The Supermarket Scavenger Hunt Class demonstrates the road to better health is not always clear and it's important to be aware of the pot holes (TV ads) and warning signs (misleading labels) along the way. Adding new meaning to the seemingly harmless act of going to the grocery store to "buyer beware"; as Dr. David Katz, Nutrition Detectives says about some foods "Step away and no on will get hurt."

What did you learn the last time you went grocery shopping at the supermarket?

You partner in health,

Cindy Cohen RN, Health Coach

C2 Your Health LLC