Tips for promoting Healthy Lifestyles

• Eat your colors* is a strategy for encouraging youth to eat 5 fruits or vegetables every day. One red, one yellow-orange, one purple, one green and one white! See ww.buttout.com for bookmarks from State of Health Products picturing 5 colors of fruits and vegetables. Kids love them!

• See www.do-groove.com to check out the Blue Cross-Blue Shield’s “Do” campaign. Strategies to get people moving and free resources are available through this website.

• Pedometer challenges have been found to be effective. Check out Walmart for low cost pedometers

• Consider J-walking! For a copy of Jerusalem Walk reflections contact rydholm.laura@mayo.edu. Includes self contract and accountability partner provisions

• Visit www.meritcare.com for info about their Faithfully Fit Forever Curriculum

• Consider health fair kickoffs with lab screenings, finding-based recommendations and follow-up regarding status of recommendations

• Use accountability partners (walking buddies) to simultaneously wage war on other addictions like smoking!

“Don’t make me croak on your 2nd hand smoke!”

The health care costs of obesity are exceeded only by the high health costs of smoking, many of which are second hand. Here’s what teens in south central MN had to say about how to say no, uses for tobacco taxes, alternative uses for tobacco paper – leaves – employees, quit promotion, why to say no, and stop rap.

See www.buttout.com for antismoking resources