Come join me and move more!
Being physically active has long-term results. What you do right now does have an effect on your future. Including time in your life for physical activity is not just something to do when you want to lose weight. There are so many other wonderful benefits. I found that when I started making time for some physical activity, that I experienced several benefits. I immediately began sleeping better at night and getting back down to a healthier weight. My clothes began to fit more loosely, and I could see that I was building some muscle too. I encouraged some neighbors to walk with me, and I am meeting new people and actually having fun too!
Choose activities that you not only enjoy but feel you can do on a regular basis. Try to have 10 minutes of activity at a time. Shorter periods will not have the same health benefits. Here’s a website with some great tips on how you can increase physical activity for your and your family:
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/resources/physical-activity
Judy
Adding Dairy to Our Diet
Click the link to view a short video on dairy foods and National Dairy Month! http://youtu.be/KNa3w6KtdHs
Dunk 'em, Dip 'em, Enjoy those veggies
Did you know that eating vegetables with dip could help your kids eat more vegetables? A recent study from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that kids ate 80% more broccoli when it was served with ranch dressing as a dip. Other healthy dips you can try with your child include salsa, yogurt, hummus or peanut butter. You can also try the unique and tasty dip recipes below with your child:
Creamy Pesto Dip
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 2 Tbsp pesto (find a quick pesto recipe here
Directions: Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor, blend until smooth and creamy.
Serve chilled alongside your favorite vegetables.
Honey Mustard Hummus
Ingredients:
- 1-15oz can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions: Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor, blend until smooth and creamy.
Serve chilled alongside your favorite vegetables!
*Store pesto sauce in airtight container in refrigerator for up to one week. Pesto freezes well. Freeze in ice cube trays, and then store frozen pesto cubes in plastic freezer bags in freezer for up to 6 months. Pesto may also be frozen in small jars or plastic containers for up to 9-12 months.
Recipes from Super Healthy Kids www.superhealthykids.com
Submitted by Amber Porter, graduate student with EFNEP, located at NC A&T State University.
Enjoy the weather and play outside with your children
When I was a child, we played outside all the time. We just knew we had to be home by the time the streetlamps came on or we were in big trouble! We rode our bikes all over the neighborhood, playing cops and robbers, watching the train flatten our pennies on the railroad tracks and simply having fun with minimal supervision.
Today, it’s a different world, but our children still need to play outside. Playing outside enables children to use their imagination and use those little gray cells in their brain and exercise the muscles in their body rather than being passively entertained by video games. Spend time outdoors with your children teaching them some of the fun low-tech games you played as a child. Remember Red Rover, Mother May I, Dodge Ball, Freeze Tag, jump rope, hopscotch, Hide and Seek, Simon Says? Other great outdoor activities that you can do with your children include roller skating, horseback riding, fishing, flying a kite, swimming, and hiking.
If you still want to incorporate some technology in your outdoor fun check out geocaching. Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location. Check it out at www.geocaching.com. Whatever you choose, choose to play outdoors with your whole family.
Share with us some of your favorite things to do with your family outdoors.
Oven-Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic or a pinch of garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- Slivered almonds (optional)
Preparation
- Thoroughly rinse asparagus.
- Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus.
- Place asparagus in a bowl and drizzle evenly with olive oil.
- Sprinkle asparagus with garlic (or garlic salt) and pepper. Gently toss to coat.
- Spread asparagus evenly on cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes, or to desired degree of tenderness. Transfer asparagus to a serving dish; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and/or slivered almonds.
Enjoy!