Physical Activity and Nutrition
In Idaho about a third of adults are obese and don't participate in physical activity outside of work. SCPHD is also seeing rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and other chronic disease rates rise in south-central Idaho.
Good nutrition, physical activity, and a healthy weight are essential parts of a person’s well-being. Together, these can help decrease a person’s risk of developing serious health conditions, like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
It’s our mission to help our community eat healthy, do something active every day, and maintain a healthy weight.
Living an active life
How much physical activity do we need to improve health and reduce risk for chronic diseases?
The more physical activity we do, the greater the health benefits we’ll have, and the better we’ll feel. To promote and maintain health, adults 18 years and older should accumulate 150 minutes or more each week of moderate-vigorous physical activity. To count towards getting at-least 150 minutes/week, activity needs to be performed at-least 10 continuous minutes at a time. Making regular exercise into your daily schedule might seem difficult at first, but the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans can show you it’s easier than you think!
Check out this video for simple exercises you can do at home (at any age!).
These websites have family-friendly AND solo adventures right in your backyard:
Eat Idaho potatoes, don't become an Idaho potato!
Physical activity and nutrition go hand in hand in building a healthy lifestyle. Our nation is suffering from vitamin and mineral malnutrition, and we can do something about it!
Low vitamin and mineral levels can lead to mental impairment and birth defects in infants. Poor nutrition often leasts to costly diseases including some cancers, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
Farm to Early Care and Education
Farm to ECE is a set of strategies that encourage children in preschool to form healthy food beahaviors and preferences. National research shows healthy changes in childcare facilities may help children become more willing to try fruits and vegetables at school and home and increase children’s knowledge of healthy eating, gardening and agriculture.Learn more here.
So how can you start living a healthier life today?
First stop with the diets and find a healthy food lifestyle you can keep going for years at a time. Find something that will stick!