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Category: March 2017

Walk Kansas is Here!

Posted on by Marci Metz

 

For those of you who have participated in this 8-week healthy lifestyle challenge before, you know just how fun it is! If you are new to Walk Kansas, it is a great program that motivates you to become more active and to increase your fruit, vegetable, and water intake.  You have the option of gathering a group of 6 or register solo and we can find a group for you! Walk Kansas will begin March 19th and will go to May 13th.

How it works:
As a team of 6 or as an individual, you will log minutes of physical activity for 8 weeks.  Each team selects one of three challenges they will collectively work towards.  In order to accomplish the challenge, each person will have a personal goal. In addition to physical activity, participants will report the amount of fruits and vegetables they eat.  Program participants will receive a weekly e-newsletter with motivational messages that focus on healthy lifestyle habits.  This year, the Post Rock District will have giveaways associated with each weekly e-newsletter! 

Ashley Svaty
Nutrition, Food Safety
and Health Agent

 

Why Walk Kansas?
The majority of Kansas adults do not meet the minimum recommendations for physical activity, and just 19% of Kansas eat enough fruits and vegetables.  By practicing healthy lifestyle choices, you can delay or prevent chronic disease, and symptoms of illness can be managed better.  According to the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease: If Americans were to stop smoking, exercise regularly, and eat well, they could prevent up to 80% of heart disease and stroke, 80% of type 2 diabetes, and 40% of cancers.

Registration:
The registration fee for each participant will be $8 and a shirt can be purchased for an additional fee. Both paper and online registration will be available on March 1st.  Captains packets will be available at each Post Rock District office and online registration is available following this link http://www.postrock.k-state.edu/walk-kansas/.

By:  Ashley Svaty

Upcoming Stay Strong, Stay Healthy Classes

Posted on by Marci Metz

Mark your calendars! Smith Center and Osborne will host Stay Strong, Stay Healthy classes May 9th – June 29th.

Keep watching for updates on registration!

For more information about Stay Strong, Stay Healthy visit
http://www.k-state.edu/staystrong/

and follow us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/postrockextension

By:  Ashley Svaty

What Isn’t a Healthy Relationship?

Posted on by Marci Metz

Love is Respect.org offers an online Healthy Relationships Quiz designed to help youth explore whether or not their relationship is safe and healthy. Youth answer 26 yes-no questions about their partners’ attitudes and behaviors. The quiz score is instantly interpreted on a page that includes links to a free online chat tool, toll-free hotline, and text message-based support.

Relationships that are not healthy are based on power and control, not equality and respect. In the early stages of an abusive relationship, you may not think the unhealthy behaviors are a big deal. However, possessiveness, insults, jealous accusations, yelling, humiliation, pulling hair, pushing or other negative, abusive behaviors, are at their root — exertions of power and control. Remember that abuse is always a choice and you deserve to be respected. There is no excuse for abuse of any kind.

If you think your relationship is unhealthy, it’s important to think about your safety now. Consider these points as you move forward:

Nora Rhoades
Family and Youth
Development Agent
  • Understand that a person can only change if they want to. You can’t force your partner to alter their behavior if they don’t believe they’re wrong.
  • Focus on your own needs. Are you taking care of yourself? Your wellness is always important. Watch your stress levels, take time to be with friends, get enough sleep. If you find that your relationship is draining you, consider ending it.
  • Connect with your support systems. Often, abusers try to isolate their partners. Talk to your friends, family members, teachers and others to make sure you’re getting the emotional support you need.
  • Think about breaking up. Remember that you deserve to feel safe and accepted in your relationship.
  • Whether you decide to leave or stay, make sure to have a safety plan. Love is Respect provides safety planning tips and a variety of other resources and tools to keep you safe and promote healthy relationships.

By:  Nora Rhoades

Don’t Send Destructive Messages

Posted on by Marci Metz

In the heat of the moment, destructive conflict can creep into disagreements. Always remember that destructive messages will only make things worse, never better.

Checkout the March issue of the Building Strong Families Insert to learn more tips for constructive conflict.

March 2017 Building Strong Families Insert

By:  Nora Rhoades

You Asked It!

Posted on by Marci Metz

 

 

 

Karen Blakeslee with Kansas State University Rapid Response
Center develops this monthly newsletter based on questions
received, current food safety issues, or information based on
the time of year. Check out the March You Asked It!! articles
which covers the following topics:

– Sugary Beverage Consumption
– National Nutrition Month®
– What Does “FDA Approved” Mean?
– Food Safety Communication Resources
– Changing Food Safety Behaviors
– Safe and Healthy Food Pantries
– Eat Out without Pigging Out!
– What is Corned Beef?
– Go Green!
– New Jars from Ball®

By:  Ashley Svaty

Sugary Beverage Consumption

Posted on by Marci Metz

(As seen in March You Asked It!)

The data backs the message. Sugar-sweetened beverages contribute calories and added sugars to the diets of U.S. children.

Studies have suggested a link between the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and dental caries, weight gain, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in children. The 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend reducing added sugars consumption to less than 10% of calories per day and, specifically, to choose beverages with no added sugars.

Data from the National Healthy and Nutrition Examination Survey shows the following:

  • Almost two-thirds of U.S. youth consume at least one sugar-sweetened beverage a day.
  • Calories from sugar-sweetened beverages increased with age for both boys and girls.
  • Boys consumed an average 164 kilocalories (kcal) from sugar-sweetened beverages, which contributed 7.3% of total daily caloric intake. Girls consumed an average 121 kcal from sugar-sweetened beverages, which contributed 7.2% of total daily caloric intake.

Learn more at www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db271.htm.

By:  Ashley Svaty

Set a Savings Goal

Posted on by Marci Metz

Saving money, improving your financial life, building wealth. It all starts when you set a goal and make a plan to reach that goal. So what is your goal? Set up an emergency cash fund? Get out of debt? Make a down payment on a car or home? Sock away money for college or retirement? Setting a savings goal is important, and those with a savings plan are twice as likely to save successfully. There are lots of little things you can do to fund your savings.

Visit americasaves.org for saving tools and resources.

By:  Nora Rhoades