And Help Your Family Maintain A Healthy Weight (NAPSA)}—Ifyou arelike many people, January 1 marks the day that you and your family planned to begin eating better and to become more physically active. By now, though, you may have found that Valentine’s Day and the win- ter doldrumsarejust a few of the many bumps on the road to a healthier new year. If you are looking to jumpstart. your New Year's resolutions, the ‘We Can! (Ways to Enhance Chil- dren’s Activity & Nutrition) pro- gram developed by the National Institutes of Health has sometips and tools for you and your family. The program provides parents, families and communities with science-based activities and resources to help 8- to 13-year- olds stay at a healthy weight. Oneofthefirst places to start is the grocery store. Knowing what to shop for can make bring ing balanced nutrition home to your family easier. The program's Go, Slow, Whoa food chart can Youth Programs CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) Kids Club helps elementary school-aged children adopt healthy dietary and physical activity behaviors by helping improve the health environments of recreation programs, schools ond home. S.M.A.R.T. (Student Media Awareness to Reduce Television)is on in-schoolprogramfor third- ond fourth-graders that teaches them about the need to cut back on television, videotape and DYD viewing and playing video ond computer games. Media-Smart Youth”: Eat, Think and Be Active!is on after-schoolprogram designed to help 11- to 13-year-olds understand the complex media world round them ond how it can influence their health, especially nutrition and physical activity. help you make healthier choices. By adding more “Go” foods—whole Nutrition Label on food packaging, grain breads, fruits, vegetables, which shows you how manyservnonfat dairy products and other ings arein a particular container foods that are low in calories and high in nutrients—to your grocery list, you can create family meals that are delicious and healthy. The chart can also help you iden- tify “Slow” foods—those that are higher in fat and calories and should be eaten less often—and “Whoa” foods—those foods highest. in fat and calories that should be eaten once in a while and in smaller portions. Understanding the difference between portion size and serving size is another way to help your family maintain a healthy weight. A portion is the amountof a food or drink that you decide to consume, while a serving is a measured amount. The program offers tips to help you better understand the so you can avoid having multiple servings in a singleportion. If the winter cold and snow have curtailed your plans to be morephysically active, try moving indoors, including taking the stairs at work or walking briskly around the mall. Even shoveling snow can bring thefamily together for some physical activity. These are just a few of the tips you will find on the We Can! Website. You can learn more about the program and download free tip sheets and other tools at wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov. A mouseclick or two could help you andyour family find ways to get those good intentions back on track and keep you moving forward to a healthier lifestyle through 2010 and beyond.
