Happy, Healthy Days for Montana Mothers
Montana’s mothers are busy people with multiple responsibilities for their families, their jobs, and their communities. One of moms’ most important roles is as front line health educators for Montana families. Just think of all the important health advice we learn from our mothers: ‘Hold hands and look both ways when you cross the street. Wash your hands after using the bathroom. Eat some breakfast - it is the most important meal of the day. Drink your milk - you need it for strong bones and teeth.’
“A mother’s lifestyle choices are critically important - for her own health and for the health of her whole family,” says Kathy Aragon, mother of three daughters, physical therapist, and board member for the Billings School District No. 2. “When women eat smart, play hard, and rest well, they have the energy they need to succeed in all aspects of their lives. When moms make healthy choices for themselves, they also role model healthy lifestyles for their children or grandchildren.”
The week of May 11-17, 2008 is the 9th annual National Women’s Health Week, a time for women to make their health a top priority and to take simple steps for a longer, healthier and happier life. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health (OWH) coordinates the celebration with the slogan - It’s Your Time: Get Inspired. Get Healthy. The office also provides extensive links to women’s health information at www.womenshealth.gov/whw/healthinfo/
According to Aragon, being an inspiring role model for your children is all about simple steps toward a healthy lifestyle. “You don’t need to join a fancy gym or sign your kids up for expensive classes,” she said. “Being a healthy hero for your family can be as simple as walking to the grocery store together to buy a bunch of grapes or some carrots for tasty snacks.”
- Be a role model for eating smart: Family meals are the perfect place to “walk the talk” of a delicious, nutritious eating style. Show kids you care about your bones by drinking your milk - and improve everyone’s health by serving a vegetable or two. Snack smart with lots of nutrient-rich veggies and fruit - great fuel for strong bodies and smart brains.
- Be a role model for playing hard: Children do as they see. When they see you being active and having fun, they’ll choose an active lifestyle over the boredom of a couch potato. Make fun fitness part of your family’s everyday routine. Walk or bike to school with your kids, enjoy the playground after school, and plan a hike or ball game for the weekend.
- Be a role model for resting well: Getting enough sleep is essential for busy moms. It helps them be less irritable and better able to cope with the normal stresses of family life. Getting enough sleep helps children be less cranky and helps them succeed in school as well. Getting enough sleep helps both children and adults maintain a healthy weight.
Four Smart Ways to Enjoy More Fruit and Veggie Snacks
You probably already know how good fruits and vegetables are for your health. However, you may not know just how good-for-you produce really is. For busy moms, the answer is clear: Eating more fruits and veggies is one of the smartest food moves you can make. Recent research confirms that eating more whole fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of getting diabetes and heart disease (by as much as 60 percent!). Naturally low calorie and mostly fat-free, produce is good for your waistline too. If you’re concerned about brainpower (at work or home), green leafy veggies are a must-eat treat. They have been shown to slow cognitive decline in older adults.
- Enjoy fresh fruit and vegetable snacks. It’s no secret that fresh fruit and veggies provide a nutrition boost for everyone in your family. But, how can you get them to eat more produce snacks? The answer is in plain sight. That’s right; just keep bright, beautiful produce where everyone can easily grab it for snacks-on-the-run. Keep a bowl of fresh, just ripe whole fruit in the center of your kitchen or dining table. Keep small bags of fresh veggie snacks (carrots, celery sticks, and broccoli florets) at eye level in the fridge.
- Enjoy dried fruit and vegetable snacks. Dried fruit is the perfect snack-to-go. It doesn’t need refrigeration - and it never makes a squishy mess in your backpack or purse. Choose dried fruit with little or no added sugar: apples, apricots, blueberries, and raisins are often dried with just their own natural sweetness. Add dried fruit to trail mix or to fresh fruit salads for a splash of color and a healthy dose of nutrients. Dried beans and peas count as veggies, so look for crunchy dried soybean, pea, and chickpea snacks.
- Enjoy canned fruit and vegetable snacks. Canned fruits make appealing, quick, and inexpensive snacks. Enjoy fruits canned in juice or, like natural applesauce, made without added sugar. Divide larger cans into smaller portions in reusable plastic containers or take advantage of the convenience in single serve containers of canned fruits, such as mandarin oranges, pineapple chunks, and applesauce. Canned beans make zesty snack dips when mixed with other veggies, such as canned corn and spicy salsa.
- Enjoy frozen fruit and vegetable snacks. Frozen fruits are often less expensive than the fresh varieties. Frozen strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries can be purchased in large bags, and then used as small handfuls for yogurt toppings or as smoothie ingredients. Frozen bars made from 100 percent fruit and juice (commercial or make-your-own) are a sweet and refreshing treat on hot summer days. Like their canned cousins, frozen veggies are delicious when microwaved quickly and added to bean/salsa dip combinations.
Four Fun Ways to Give Moms the Gift of Fitness
Whether it’s Mother’s Day, a birthday, or just because you love her, fitness is the gift that keeps on giving to any mother or grandmother. Finding fun ways to help the mothers in your life get active will help insure that they are happy, healthy, strong, and around for years to come. Physical activity helps women be less depressed, reduce stress, lower disease risk, maintain healthy bones, and live long, productive lives. Best of all, it doesn’t take hours in the gym to enjoy the impressive benefits of physical activity. Just 20 to 30 minutes a day can make a big difference at any age! Smart fitness always includes a variety of aerobic, strength, balance, and stretching activities.
- Give the gift of time and companionship. One of the best ways to help someone get moving is to go with them. People are more likely to stick with an activity if they are accountable to someone else. Plus, almost anything is more fun when you have a family member or friend to do it with you. Children can create a handmade gift certificate with the promise of weekly bike rides or daily walks in the neighborhood. Adults can give the gift of training together for an upcoming event, like a walkathon for a favorite charity.
- Give the gift of aerobics. Think about the ways that your favorite mom enjoys being active - and give a gift to support that activity, such as a new pair of walking shoes or a new comfy seat for her bicycle. Consider the gift of a different kind of aerobic activity that you and she could enjoy together, such as ballroom or belly dancing lessons. Active clothing - comfortable, breathable, and in her favorite colors - is always a popular choice. For a super simple gift, pick out fun athletic socks with a wacky design.
- Give the gift of strength. Building strong muscles isn’t just for bodybuilders and Olympic weight lifters. Moms - everyday athletes - need strength for their daily challenges, like carrying kids and lugging laundry baskets. Help the moms in your life have fun getting stronger with some hand weights or a set of exercise bands. Really kick her fitness program into high gear with the gift of personal training sessions - in her home or at a local fitness center. (Double the fun by joining the sessions with her!)
- Give the gift of flexibility and balance. Most moms have hectic and stressful lives, especially when their children are small. Any physical activity can help with stress reduction and give moms a breather from their responsibilities. Yoga, Pilates, and tai chi classes are some of the best at relieving stress - while promoting flexibility and balance at the same time. Give a double duty gift with a certificate for classes, a DVD for home use, a yoga mat, a balance ball, or the promise to baby sit while she has some personal time.
Need some free tips and support for a more active lifestyle? As part of Go Red for Women, the American Heart Association offers a free on-line fitness program for women at www.choosetomove.org/ with 12 weeks of motivating tips and information, as well as personal stories of seven real women and their workout goals. The Wheat Foods Council provides free tips at www.wheatfoods.org/Athlete-10/Index.htm, including nutrition information, great grain recipes, and getting fit ideas from their 2007 fitness event for Mom, the Everyday Athlete.
Along with ongoing healthy eating and active lifestyle tips, ERM is adding a new monthly feature for 2008 - an easy, delicious recipe. Our May recipe-of-the-month is Confetti Bean Salsa.
Confetti Bean Salsa
All the It’s All About Balance recipes will meet the following criteria:
Ingredients:
Instructions:
1) Rinse beans under cold running water and drain thoroughly.
2) Rinse corn under cold running water and drain thoroughly.
3) Combine beans, corn, and salsa in medium sized bowl.
4) Mix all ingredients together.
5) Scoop with baked tortilla chips, cut-up raw vegetables, or whole grain crackers.
Yield: Makes 6 half-cup servings
Ideas/Substitutions
Nutrition Analysis
Recipe Source
Reprinted with permission, courtesy of Power of Choice, USDA
For more information contact: Crystelle Fogle, Health Education Specialist, DPHHS, 406-947-2344
Jon Ebelt, Public Information Officer, DPHHS, 406-444-0936
Page last updated: 05/14/2008
