This week is TV Turn off Week! TV Turn-off week is a fun way to promote reducing the amount of television, video games and other screen devices. It is recommended that children get at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. That doesn’t have to mean joining a sports team but it probably does mean less TV watching. If we cut back on entertainment TV time for our kids — and for ourselves — we can make more time for physical activity and help reduce both childhood and adult obesity.
Walking the dog, riding a bike around the block, and dancing in the living room all count as physical activity. And these are things that whole family can enjoy doing together.
Give your TV the week off!  Join with us and do the best you can to reduce the amount of TV you and your family watch this week.

When it comes to being healthy it is all about moderation. Balance is key. Finding a balance for the amount of screen time we watch is all part of that balance and having a healthy active lifestyle.  According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/8010.pdf), kids ages 8–18 now spend, on average, a whopping 7.5 hours in front of a screen for entertainment each day, 4.5 of which are spent watching TV. Over a year, that adds up to 114 full days watching a screen for fun. That’s just the time they spend in front of a screen for entertainment! That’s not including screen time related to homework.
We invite you to join us this coming week to participate in TV Turn-off Week! TV Turn-off week is a nationally recognized event that officially takes place on April 29th – May 5th this year but you can implement TV Turn-off Week at your house any week you choose.
TV Turn-off week is a fun way to promote reducing the use of television, video games and other screen devices. Turning off these devices is a great opportunity to improve your health and the health of your family.  This can also be a great way to spend time with your family doing other activities. Cutting back on tele¬vision and video games is a great way to find the time to play outside, take a walk, or try new activi¬ties as a family.

If you’d like to participate in TV Turn-off Week you may download materials from our website at http://www.gethealthyclarkcounty.org/tv-turnoff/index.php
Happy Screen-Free Week!.

Watch this short video on the work we have been doing to enhance and promote trails in your neighborhood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzoZ1kb7yLM

Making the decision to live a healthier lifestyle by eating well and being active is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

Some days we feel motivated to be healthy, we get out of bed excited to lace up our shoes and go walking and make healthy food choices. Other days we don’t feel so motivated and energized to be healthy. It is easy to get stuck in a slump. Because of this, we have asked our regular online program users to share their tips and secrets to staying motivated and tell us what encourages them to stay active and eat healthier.

Visit this link to read secrets to success from readers like you http://www.gethealthyclarkcounty.org/success-story.php

Cigarette smoking greatly increases your risk for heart disease. If you’re a smoker, quit as soon as possible, and if you don’t smoke, don’t start.

It’s time to quit! Within 20 minutes of smoking your last cigarette, your body begins repairing itself. The healing process continues for years:

• 20 minutes after quitting your heart rate drops.
• 12 hours after quitting the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
• 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting your heart attack risk begins to drop and your lung function begins to improve.
• 1 to 9 months after quitting your coughing and shortness of breath decrease.
• 1 year after quitting your added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.
• 5 years after quitting your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker’s 5-15 years after quitting.
• 10 years after quitting your lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker’s. Your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas decreases.
• 15 years after quitting your risk of coronary heart disease is back to that of a nonsmoker’s. Smokers have twice the risk of heart attack as nonsmokers. Smoking doesn’t just, kill; it also leads to long-term disability and dependence on others. Once you stop smoking, your risk for heart attack and stroke declines each year.

Need help quitting smoking? We can help!  Visit the Smoking Cessation Resources webpage to learn more. Call the tobacco quit line to get help 1-800-QUIT NOW ( 1-800-784-8669 & start the process today.

Most risk factors for cardiovascular diseases —specifically high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, and obesity—are preventable and controllable. Reducing your risk is as easy as knowing your ABCS.

• Appropriate Aspirin Therapy
• Blood Pressure control
• Cholesterol Management
• Smoking Cessation

Preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes requires work from all of us. Be 1 in a Million Hearts™ & take the pledge now! How do you keep your heart healthy? Share your tips and success stories with us!

Blood pressure is the force of blood against your artery walls as it circulates through your body. Blood pressure normally rises and falls throughout the day, but it can cause health problems if it stays high for a long time. Having high blood pressure raises your risk for heart disease and stroke, which are the leading causes of death in the United States. Some health conditions, as well as lifestyle and genetic factors, can put people at a higher risk for developing high blood pressure. It is important to take steps to lower your blood pressure.

The first step is to know if you have high blood pressure. Your doctor can measure your blood pressure, or you can use the blood pressure machines available at many pharmacy and retail locations. To find free locations visit Lifeclinic or the Heart Check Center lists mall locations by state. The malls participating in Las Vegas are Meadows, Galleria and Boulevard.

Blood pressure is written as two numbers. The first (systolic) number represents the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart beats. The second (diastolic) number represents the pressure in your vessels when your heart rests between beats. Visit to see blood pressure ranges.

Heart360  is an awesome and convenient  location for you to track and manage your heart health stats in an organized way.

There are things you can do to help control your blood pressure:

• Eat a healthy diet. Eating healthfully, including lots of fruits and veggies to help keep your blood pressure down. Join the Nutrition Challenge.
• Avoid sodium by limiting the amount of salt you add to your food. Be aware that many processed foods and restaurant meals are high in sodium.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight can raise your blood pressure. Losing weight can help you lower your blood pressure. 
• Be physically active. Physical activity can help lower blood pressure. Engage in at least 150 minutes a week of activity. Join the Walk Around NV program
• Don’t smoke. Smoking injures blood vessels and speeds up the hardening of the arteries. Quitting will lower your risk for heart disease and stroke. To quit smoking
• Limit alcohol use. Drinking too much alcohol is associated with high blood pressure. If you drink alcohol, you should do so in moderation—no more than one drink per day for women or two drinks per day for men.

Other resources to help control blood pressure:                                                                                               

 Blood Pressure Basics Video: Your Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure 

Blood Pressure fact sheet

The 10 in 10 Challenge is a free online program designed to help you lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks. The challenge is simple…lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks by cutting out 250 calories from foods and by burning 250 calories through physical activity each day.

Each week you’ll receive an email with simple food swaps and activity ideas to help you reach your goal. Many ideas are offered, but you choose which activities and food swaps you will make to reach that magic 500 number. Sign up for the 10 in 10 here http://www.gethealthyclarkcounty.org/wlc/en/index.php

If you are already a member of one of our programs you can just log in instead of sign up.

It’s the New Year and it’s easy to start off strong with our goals but in the back of our mind we are really wondering how long we can keep this up? Here are some quick tips to turn your New Year motivation into lifelong habits.

1. Choose the right activity for you. Not everybody enjoys the same types of activities. It’s okay if you don’t like running or lifting weights, those are not the only ways to be active. Some people like to take classes; others like to do activity on their own. The main thing is to figure out what you like to do and do that activity!
2. Choose the right time to be active. Some of us are naturally morning people and we enjoy getting up and going for a morning walk. But that doesn’t work for everyone. Others might like to work out as a way to unwind in the evening. Choosing the time of day that works best for you can make all the difference as to whether or not you are active that day.
3. Have a routine and stick to it. Join a class that meets weekly, make plans to exercise with a friend, figure out something that you can do on a regular basis and stick to it! It only takes 21 days to develop a habit so attempt to be active 21 days. Before long it will just be part of your daily routine.
4. Include your friends. Adding socialization to exercise can always make it more fun. People count on you to be there so you feel less inclined to skip out.
5. Keep a record. Research shows that self-monitoring is a key to maintaining our goals. Keep track of your activity in different ways, like miles or steps walked, laps swam or days consistent in being active.  Join the Walk Around N V and track your steps or miles. 

With these tips hopefully at the end of February you won’t already be thinking about next year’s resolutions!

Many people use the new year as a way to make changes to their life by starting or stopping certain habits. Among the popular changes is the desire to quit smoking. Often times quitting smoking is a resolution we have for ourselves or one we wished our loved ones would choose. It is a hard habit to break and not something that is easy to do on your own.  But there are resources available to help you or a family member quit smoking.  In order to give yourself the highest chance of success take advantage of these resources.

The Best Way to Quit - Get Help!

The most effective and long term approach to break nicotine dependence is to get professional help in creating your individual strategy to quit smoking.

Nevada Tobacco Users’ Helpline

Call 1-800-QUIT NOW to start the process today.The Nevada Tobacco Users’ Helpline (Helpline), a division of the University Of Nevada School Of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, provides free and confidential telephone-based counseling for Nevada residents who want to address their tobacco use.

The Helpline provides three levels of service, including providing information about quitting and other Helpline services (Level I); a self-help and education service with a one-time telephone-based counseling session (Level II); and an intensive 1+ year of nicotine dependence telephone-based counseling treatment (Level III).

The Helpline also provides an individualized quit plan, education group therapy and a medication assistance program.

Nevada Tobacco Users’ Helpline
6375 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite A-100
Las Vegas, NV 89146
www.livingtobaccofree.com 

Develop a Plan

It is important to identify and write down your smoking triggers and the strategies you will use to cope with them before you actually quit.

Triggers may include:

• Drinking alcohol or coffee
• The “after dinner” cigarette
• Talking on the phone
• Driving
• Study-breaks or socializing with other smokers
• Stress
• Negative or positive emotions
• Waiting or boredom

Tips to Manage Your Triggers

1. Avoid the situation: drink a soda instead of coffee, only go to non-smoking restaurants and bars, run errands during breaks, leave the room when others are smoking.
2. Change your smoking routine: buy a brand you don’t like, put rubber bands around your pack to make you think about what you are doing.
3. Substitute for the cigarette: keep something in your free hand, chew gum or hard candy, take a walk, call a friend.

A new study released this week received a lot of coverage because it claimed that people who are moderately heavy up to 30 lbs above normal have a slightly lower risk (6%) of premature death than those at a normal weight.

USA TODAY interviewed two leading public health experts:  Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Walter Willett, chair of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health to get their insights about this new study and its claims. The full article can be found at this link http://usat.ly/Unubl8 but we pulled out a few highlights from the interviews below.

Q: Do you think being a few pounds to 30 pounds over a normal weight is hazardous to your health?

Frieden: “Yes, I think that increased weight carries a number of health risks, but not all weight is the same. If you work out and build muscle mass, you may increase weight and that’s healthy. The study that came out this week was about death rates, it didn’t cover type 2 diabetes and other health risks, which we know increase with weight.”

Q: Why do you think the research found that those who are overweight are at a slightly lower risk of early death?

Willett: “The most serious problem in the paper is that the normal-weight group included a mix of lean and active people, heavy smokers, patients with cancer (and) other conditions that cause weight loss, and frail elderly people who had lost weight due to rapidly declining health. Because the overweight and obese groups were compared to this mix of healthy and ill persons who have a very high risk of death, this led to the false conclusions that being overweight is beneficial and that grade 1 (moderate) obesity carries no extra risk. The new statistics are completely misleading for anyone interested in knowing about their optimal weight. … The paper is a pile of rubbish.”

Q: What is your advice to people who are 60 or more pounds overweight?

Frieden: “Take one step at a time. You can’t run before you walk. Start by walking. Have reasonable goals of being more physically active and eating a healthier diet. It’s not easy to make changes — that’s why it’s so important that you make changes you can stick with. Most people can’t stick with a regimen they hate.”

It would be nice to wake up one morning and have someone tell you that the extra weight put on during the holidays doesn’t matter but that doesn’t seem to be the case. But the good news is the Get Healthy Clark County website has plenty of resources to help you achieve your goals of losing weight and becoming healthier. We are always updating and adding things to our website and we have some great things planned for 2013!  www.gethealthyclarkcounty.org