9 movements. in 19 minutes. 9 rounds

We’ve invited 499 people, and we need you to make 500 to make history.

Join us on Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 8:30a.m. for the FREEtraining event of 2009 at Lululemon Highland Village.  The training session will be lead by Lindsey Smith (5th Fittest Women on Earth) and a host of Houston’s elite CrossFIt trainers.  Enjoy a free tasting by myfitFoods.  There will also be a great DJ, a Cash grand prize, and serious bragging rights.

For more information please contact lululemon at 713-621-8311 or visit their website at lululemon.com/houston/highlandvillage

The Mayor’s Wellness Council has partnered with the 50 Million Pound Challenge to help Houston Get fit and Get Moving. Started by Dr. Ian Smith, the 50 million Pound Challenge encourages all Americans to take a pro-active stance and make positive lifestyle changes to reduce obesity in our communities. 

Why do we need a Challenge?

Excessive weight and obesity are the causes of a health crisis threatening thousands of Houstonians. Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and other illnesses result as effects from being overweight and claim the lives of too many loved ones. The Mayor’s Wellness Council welcomes all Houstonians to change this trend and register for the challenge. Since it’s inception in 2007, almost 1,000,000 people have registered and lost more than 3.6 million pounds!

What is the Challenge about?

Participants will gain access to a gamut of free online resources to help them lose weight and maintain a healthy diet. In order to encourage participation, monthly prizes will also be given away to participants. These include $100 visa cards, 50 Million Pound Challenge Duffle bags and iPods.  Everyone is eligible to win.  All you have to do is join the Get Moving Houston team and continue to update your profile and bring others onboard.

To register visit our team page:

GET MOVING HOUSTON 50 MILLION POUND CHALLENGE

or

- Go to 50millionpounds.com and click on “TEAMS” in the upper right corner
- Left click on search and type in “Get Moving Houston”
- Left click on “Join Team”.
- If you are new to the site, go to “Not a member” and left click on join.
- If you are already a member, just sign in and you are ready to go!

Special Events:

You can also join the Mayor’s Wellness Council on Saturday, September 12, from 5 -7p.m. at Emancipation Park for the Inaugural 50 Million Pound Challenge “Walk Off.”  Apart from loads of fun activities, the “Walk Off” will offer free health screenings, fitness demonstrations, and the chance to win great prizes.
For more information about the challenge, contact Ms. Tenille Cleaves at Tenille.Cleaves@cityofhouston.net or (713) 794-9041.
Have fun and Get Moving Houston!

This fun,festive, family oriented event will be held at Emancipation Park located at 3018 Dowling St. Houston, TX 77004.  The Challenge “Walk Of” will be approximately  a one mile walk around the perimeter of the park.  Once the walk is completed we welcome you to learn more about creating and maintaining healthy behaviors at our Wellness Festival inside Emancipation Community Center (which is located on the park grounds).  We will have health information, education, and activities for all ages to participate in at the Wellness Festival.

Free on-site registration will be available the day of the walk at Emancipation Park from 4-5p.m.

If you have not joined the ‘Get Moving Houston’ 50 Million Pound Challenge Team please visit the 50 Million Pound Challenge link on the ‘Get Moving Houston’ home page.

If you would like to participate or need more information about the Challenge “Walk Out”, please contact Tenille Pakoejoe at 713-794-9041 or tenille.cleaves@cityofhouston.net .

We truly look forward to seeing you at the walk!

Join forces with a friend.  Chances are, most people could do witha bit more action in their lives, and having a cowalker really does help with motivation.

Make it enjoyable.  Choose scenic routes for your walks: a neighborhood with beautiful homes, a picturesque park, or a stunning riverside or beach walk.  Treat yourself on the weekends — drive (or better yet, cycle!) to a nearby state park or botanical garden.  Take a long walk and enjoy your surroundings.

Pack a pedomater.  A pedometer is a simple, affordable device that counts the number of steps you take.  It can help you set, monitor, and meet your activity goals.  Start with a trial day or two to find out how many steps you take on an average day.  Then aim to increase your daily steps by 10-20% each week.  Work your way up to the recommended 10,000 steps per day.

Listen to music or a book-on-tape.  You’ll be surprised how quickly the time flies and you’ll find yourself eagerly anticipating your next opportunity to tune-in.

Variety is the spice of an active life.  Don’t limit yourself to one activity–try a few activities and mix it up a bit to keep things interesting.  Learn a new skill or rediscover and activity from your childhood.  Have you considered ice skating, golf, ballroom dancing, kayaking, or fencing?

Walk for good.  Sign up for a charity walk to raise funds for a cause close to your heart.  Many charity walks offer regular group get-togethers, training, and other motivational activities.

To get more helpful hints and tips, check out www.realage.com.

We have all heard that some of the most important things in life are considered your “bread and butter.”  But if youre gonna grace a piece of toast or your loaf of bread with your favorite spread, here are some key things to consider:

Don’t choose stick margarine. While margerine can claim it has no cholesterol and less saturated fat than butter, the hydrogenation process used to turn it into stick form creates saturated and, even worse, trans fats.  Although we’re not big fans of recommending eating anything that comes in a tub (fried chicken and wings come to mind), margarine is an exception.  In general, the less solid the margarine, the fewer the trans fats.

Consider a cholesterol-lowering spread. If you come to the table with somewhat high cholesterol, you may want to try a spread — such as Benecol or Take Control — that contains plant stanols or sterols that help lower cholesterol.  Their downside? They can lower beta carotene levels, so don’t serve them to kids or use them if you’re pregnant.

Don’t slather. Using a butter substitute doesn’t give you license to spread it on thick.  Many spreads aren’t that much lower in calories than butter, and they do have some saturated fat.  And there’s a loophole in labeling when it comes to trans fats: Spreads labeled “no trans fat” can still have up to 0.5 grams of them per serving.  Considering that a serving is a tablespoon, the trans fats can add up quickly.  Our favorite spreads: Real (peanuts only) peanut butter or walnut butter.  And only on 100% whole-grain bread.

Cutting Those Calories

We know that the key to losing weight is increased expenditure (more exercise), and decreased intake (cutting calories). But if you cut too many calories,  you may not lose weight at all.  So how can you figure out how many calories to burn each day and still lose weight? Just follow these easy steps:

1. Estimate what your body burns through normal processes and activities.  To do this, multiply your current weight in pounds by 8 and add 200.

2. Figure out how many calories you burn through exercise (don’t know? Find out at www.healthcalculators.org).

3. Add line 1 to line 2 to get total calories per day.  That’s how many calories you need to keep the scale right where it is.

4. To lose a pound a week (that’s a good, healthy goal), you need to either cut 500 calories a day or increase your physical activity by 500 calories a day — or do a combination of the two.  So subtract 500 (or less, if your going to burn more with exercise) from your “total calories a day” number and go by that.

Just remember that subtracting calories doesn’t mean subtracting flavor! For instance, put soups and vegetables into meals that previously contained meat — you’ll scrimp on calories but splurge on deliciousness.  Similarly, swapping sweet, sensational fruit for sticky traditinal desserts leaves you satisfied rather than foraging for more later.

As you know, we’re big fans of leaving calorie counts behind and learning to let your body, stomach and brain give you the signals to stop eating when you’re satisfied and not stuffed.  That means stopping when you’re no longer hungry.  Really try it!

For more information and to read more of this article, visit www.realage.com.

Myth: Low-fat foods are lower in calories.

Truth: Low-fat foods sometimes contain as many or more calories than their fat-free cousins.  When the fat comes out of a food, manufacturers often need to add sugar or sodium for flavor.  Check labels!

Myth: The fat you eat turns into fat.

Truth: Everything you eat has the potential to turn into fat if it’s not used by your body when absorbed through your intestines.  The fact is you need good fats, like those in nuts and fish, to control inflammation in your body (even the inflammatory response itself can contribute to obesity).  Plus, the right kind of fat helps keep you feeling full, so you don’t inhale everything in your path a few hours later.

Myth: One big meal is better for your waist than three smaller ones.

Truth: Anecdotal evidence indicates that people who eat all of their calories in one meal gain more weight than those who space calories over three meals (for example, believers do not lose weight during Ramadan).  Why doesn’t this technique work? First, because the one timers are kicking into their starvation mode, making their bodies want to store fat rather than burn it.  And second, you expand your stomach with big meals, and that makes you want to eat more each time you eat.  Instead, eat small meals, and start them with a little bit of healthy fat.

For more information and to read this article, go to www.realage.com

1. Cooked salsa — The tomatoes in this condiment contain lycopene, a nutrient that may reduce your risk of heart disease.  It’s found in tomatoes, but lycopene doesn’t really come out of tomatoes in full, healthy force until it’s cooked.  Help your body absorb lycopene better by eating it with a little — we repeat, a little — healthy fat.  How we love to get it: Mix some spicy salsa or pasta sauce (no sugar added varieties for either, please) into a mashed avocado, and add some chopped onions and garlic.  This makes an easy guacamole dip for your celery to mate with.

2. Vinegar-based dressings — Dress your potato salad with a tangy vinaigrette to blunt potatoes’ usual blood-sugar-spiking effect.  Or if you want to be less tempted by dessert, splash some fresh greens with walnut or canola oil and vinegar; both components of this dressing will help you feel full longer.

3. Dark chocolate-dipped strawberries — The perfect meal-ender, strawberries, may also reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.  Their flavonoids are known to thwart lousy LDL cholesterol and quell inflammatory processes that might lead to heart disease.  The chocolate? It’s not just good; it may also help reduce blood pressure and inflammation in your blood vessels and immune system.  Snuggle up with your honey and savor everything.

For more information and to see this article, go to www.realage.com

Houston, TX.  Here’s a fun and FREE community event which anyone over 50 can “dive” right into.  The Texercise 1st Annual Senior Water Festival will “drown” your boredom with four (4) competitive events on Friday June 26, at Houston’s popular Memorial Park Pool.  Registration and team formation begins at 8:00 a.m.  The first thirty registrants will receive an official Texercise Beach Towel, free by calling Cathy at 281-903-2020.  Sign-ups have already begun!

Events such as the 1st Annual Senior Swim Festival and the annual Turkey Trot 5K Run in November, are offered to bring awareness to a uniquely Texan health and wellness program called, Texercise (www.texercise.com).  Texercise volunteers come from several well known organizations and corporate sponsors as well as members of the City of Houston Mayor’s Wellness Council.

“Don’t let the word ’senior’ discourage anyone, even if you are a ‘youngster’ past 50,” said Joel Bloom, Houston’s Texercise Committee Chairman.  “This is the first event of this type in which the more mature “kids at heart” can safely come together for a friendly and fun competition,” said Joel.  He added, “The events we’ve planned include a Water Aerobics Class, Wacky Water Relays, Noodle Biking and Side Stroke Paper Race.  We’re even offering water pistols to keep it interesting!”

There are no losers with Texercise.  There are impressive Awards for every perticipant which will be distributed near the end of the event from 11:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.  Spectators are welcome.

Texercise is a statewide fitness campaign, established in 2004 by the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, to educate and involve older Texans and their families in physical activity and good nutrition throughout their lifespan.  The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) provides a comprehensive array of services, and supports opportunities for aging Texans, Texans with mental retardation and Texans with physical disabilities.

To learn more about Texercise, visit the web site at www.texercise.com.

The Houston Department of Health and Human Services-Bureau of HIV/STD and Viral Hepatitis Prevention has teamed up with KBXX-FM “97.9 The Box” , AIDS Foundation Houston, NAACP-Houston Branch, Amerigroup Community Care, Planned Parenthood, Cricket Wireless, and other community based organizations to host the HIP HOP for HIV Awareness Campaign. 

This city-wide awareness campaign for HIV education, testing, and referral to other prevention services is the largest single testing event in United States each year. 

For 2009, our third year, this public and private partnership seeks to provide free & confidential HIV and syphilis testing 15,000 youth and young adults in Houston.  This large community event has grown each year to include health screenings and education classes, and culminates in a free concert attended by those that fully participated in the health intervention. 

Staff & Volunteers needed:
Data Entry (10), Registration (10), Greeters/Traffic Flow (20), Nursing (4)

Dates Needed:
June 22-June 25, 2009, Monday through Thursday, NAACP Family Technology Center, 4203 Fannin, Houston, TX 77049.

Staff & Volunteer Work Shifts: Begins 6:30AM until 3:30PM (Morning) and 2:30PM until 11:30PM (Evening).  One hour lunch breaks, food will be provided.  All staff and volunteers will receive a pair of tickets to the concert.

Public access each day:  7:00AM-10:00PM
 
The actual HIP HOP for HIV concert will be held on Saturday, July 11, 2009 from 2pm to 6pm at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Halls A, B, C. Artists include Plies,  Day 26, LeToya Luckett, Bobby Valentino, guest appearances by Bun B and many more.
 
For more information on how you may volunteer, please contact Brenda Chapman, Administrative Supervisor at 713-794-9375, or by email at brenda.chapman@cityofhouston.net.