Houston We Have a Problem...It's Called "Obesity"

In a recent report provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention nine states in the Nation have an adult obesity rate of 30 percent or higher. This number has increased from three states within the last three years. “Obesity continues to be a major public health problem,” said CDC Director Thomas Frieden. “We need intensive, comprehensive and ongoing efforts to address obesity. If we don’t more people will get sick and die from obesity-related conditions such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of death.” As it stands Americans spend about $150 billion a year on treating ailments caused by obesity such as heart disease and stroke.

The solution…counting calories and becoming more involved with Houston DINEs. You can do your part to counteract the obesity epidemic by asking how many calories are in your meal and your children's meals. As restaurant patrons you have the right to know. Being armed with that information and about 30 minutes of exercise a day can help get our nation back on the health track.

Check out the Bloomberg article for more information: http://bit.ly/ajJVrm

Hate Exercise?

Want to burn calories but not a huge fan of exercise? We found a website that might have the solution. Start out small by implementing these fun calories burners that you probably do on a daily basis...especially if you're a rock star!

Play the Drums
Playing the drums involves careful coordination of the feet, hands and arms. You may play both fast and slow paced rhythms, and exert force and pressure on different types of drums and cymbals throughout the sequence. This can be a high calorie burning activity depending on the pace of movement--it's also a lot of fun! Burns 263 calories per hour

Load and Unload the Car
Loading and unloading a car can be a mild to moderate aerobic activity; the weight of the objects you are lifting and carrying serve as resistance, and challenge your shoulders, back, abdominals and arm muscles as you balance each item. Heavier objects such as groceries, bags of clothing or even small children require more energy and will burn more calories. Burns 197 calories per hour

Dance
Line dancing is a fast-paced dance routine that can burn hundreds of calories per hour! The movements are choreographed to medium to fast-paced music, and require steps such as the grapevine, square step, and even jumping and skipping. Line dancing is a fun aerobic routine for all age groups and fitness levels. Burns 296 calories per hour

For more on all types of non-tradition ways to burn calories check out http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/fitness/directory/

How many calories do you need?

Men’s Health is saying not enough people know how many calories they need to be putting into their bodies. While 70% of Americans are concerned about their weight, only about 12% can correctly estimate the amount of calories they need on a daily basis.

Click here to read the full article.

The Houston DINEs campaign wants you to be aware of the amount of calories you are consuming, especially when dining out. While most restaurants provide nutritional information online or somewhere in the restaurant, it is rarely available at the point of sale.

Do you ask for the nutritional content of the food while you are ordering? Do you look it up online either before or after you eat? Or are you like most of us and don’t really know how many calories you are eating?

Oakwood Garden Residents Munch, Lunch, and Learn

Last month Houston DINEs hosted a Munch, Lunch and Learn with the residents at the Oakwood Garden Apartments located on Antoine Street. At the Munch, Lunch and Learn apartment residents were provided with a nutritious lunch and a program on healthy living.


The Oakwood Gardens was recently mentioned in a Houston Chronicle article about the need to feed students during the summer. Only about 9% of Texas children that receive free and reduced priced lunches during the school year take advantage of free meals during the summer according to the article. Many children go hungry during the summer months or eat less healthy foods at home.

During the lunch the Houston DINEs staff talked about the importance of a balanced diet, particularly why it’s important for children to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. We had about twenty five children and adults attend to learn the fundamentals of eating healthy and exercising.

The children participated in hula hooping, jump rope and colored worksheets of fruits and vegetables.
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Here are three ways to find a summer nutrition program in your area.

Call 211: Give the operator your ZIP code to locate a convenient serving site and check for days, meals offered and hours of operation. Most sites operate Monday through Friday, serving lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and snacks are served from 3-4 p.m.

Go online: Visit http://netx.squaremeals.com/SNP/summerfood/parents/index.html to search sites by ZIP code, city or county.

City of Houston: Call 713-676-6832 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays; information available in English and Spanish.