Decade of Health

National Guard Bureau Partner, Army Well-Being

National Guard Bureau Partner, NGB Family Program

National Guard Bureau Partner, Army Strength Maintenance

Decade of Health is Featured in GX Magazine

Always Ready, Always There... Always Healthy.

Home >> 2008: ARNG Lighten Up!©

2008 - Weight Management Campaign

ARNG Lighten Up!^©

The ARNG Decade of Health & the American Heart/American Stroke Association are joining forces to encourage all Americans to wage a battle against obesity and maintain a healthy weight through good nutrition, regular exercise, and stress management!

According to the Centers for Disease Control, since the mid-seventies, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased sharply for both adults and children. Data from two NHANES surveys show that among adults aged 20-74 years the prevalence of obesity increased from 15.0% (in the 1976-1980 survey) to 32.9% (in the 2003-2004 survey)¹. These increasing rates raise concern because of their implications for American's health. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of diseases and health conditions, including for example, hypertension, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and many others.

These conditions seriously impact Soldier readiness and Family well-being. Are you ready to explore healthy weight management this year? Read more about how you can begin the ARNG Lighten Up! journey with us, and visit this site regularly for current information, healthy tips and recipes, and interactive tools to support a healthy weight management mission and lifestyle.

¹SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control web site, www.cdc.gov, http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/.

ARNG Lighten Up!© Articles

"Lighten Up!^©" - The ARNG Weigh to Better Health Make Weight Management a Family Mission

By LTC J. M. Ortiz, Chief, Preventive Medicine, Army National Guard

10 April 2008--Several years ago, SGM Keith Scott and his wife Denise returned from a vacation cruise and looked into their mirror and asked, "What happened to us?" After years of paying little attention to what they ate, they no longer recognized themselves in the mirror. They tried following dietary advice that they heard on various TV talk shows, featuring top weight loss experts, but still could not seem to get ahead. Finally, they enrolled in a commercial program that increased the number of meals consumed daily and that allowed food that was both nutritious and contributed to the maintenance of their muscle mass. Through this program the couple both lost between 30 to 40 pounds and have maintained their weight loss.
>> Read the entire article.

Hearts 'n Habits

By Patrick D. Sculley, DDS, Major General (USA Ret.)

By the month of February the many good intentions of our New Year's resolutions are becoming a distant memory! It is likely that we probably didn't stick with them long enough to turn them into habits (think how long it took to develop all those bad habits!). A habit is a behavior pattern that occurs almost unconsciously, after much repetition. That's why when we stop and add up all the calories we actually consume in a day, we are shocked and awed. >> Read the entire article.

Decade of Health--It's All About You!

Light Reading

ARNG Lighten Up! Spring© News

ARNG Lighten Up! Winter© News

Strategic Alliance:

American Heart Association - American Stroke Association
ARNG Decade of Health Strategic Alliance: American Heart Association - American Stroke Association Logo

Utensils Lighten Up! This Week:
Green Beans Sauté

In this dish, green beans and onions are lightly sautéed in just 1 tablespoon of oil.

1 lb fresh or frozen green beans cut in 1-inch pieces
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced

If using fresh green beans, cook in boiling water for 10-12 minutes or steam for 2-3 minutes until barely fork tender. Drain well. If using frozen green beans, thaw first.
Heat oil in large skillet. Sauté onion until golden.
Stir in green beans, salt, and pepper. Heat through.
Before serving, toss with parsley.

Yield: 4 servings
Serving Size: 1/4 cup
Each serving provides:
Calories: 64
Total fat: 4 g
Saturated fat: less than 1 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 282 mg
Total fiber: 3 g
Protein: 2 g
Carbohydrates: 8 g
Potassium: 161 mg

Source: National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute website, www.nhlbi.nih.gov
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/ktb_recipebk/

Lighten Up! This Week Archive

To view previous articles of Lighten Up! This Week, select a date from the box below.

2007: Get Cuffed! ^®
Take Heart This Week Archive

The Decade of Health delivered fantastic recipes and information about Blood Pressure Awareness in 2007.

Browse the previous articles of Take Heart This Week!© by selecting a date from the box below.