*Papago Park is located at 1000 N College Ave, Tempe, 85281 (NW Corner of College and Curry)

Health Risk Assessments
For MCCCD Benefit eligible employees.  Spouse/Partner who is under MCCCD Benefits may also attend and will be asked to show proof of insurance.

Screenings include:

•    Online questionnaire (or paper and pen questionnaire available day of screening) will give you an overview on your general health
•    Lipids (Total Cholesterol, LDL, HDL, Ratio, Triglycerides) and glucose screening 
•    Blood Pressure and Pulse
•    Height and Weight (BMI)
•    Consult- a health coach will be available to go over your results and answer your questions.

***Employees: If you have been to your doctor within the last 6 months and have your numbers already.  You may do the PHP online and then bring your numbers/results in the day of the screening.  And best of all – receive 2 Harkins Tickets!***

Complete your PHP (Personal Health Profile) online. 
The PHP is a questionnaire that will ask you various lifestyle questions on topics such as: tobacco use, nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and other lifestyle questions. Completing your profile online will expedite your registration process the day of your health screening.  You may complete your PHP via the link located next to your college site below.

 
You will receive a personal health report a few weeks after the event.

1. Eat Often- To help keep our metabolism going, we should be eating every 3-4 hours.  You shouldn’t be eating more food, just taking the amount of food you normally eat and spreading it throughout the day.  If you are not hungry that soon after eating, try eating less for meals and snacks.  
2. Eat 4-5 Colors a Day- Not only should you be eating 4-5 servings of fruits and veggies every day, but eating a variety of colors will provide more diverse vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that your body needs.
3. Break the Fast with Breakfast- If you find yourself skipping your morning meal, see what you can do to squeeze in a quick bite before rushing out the door.  If you think about it, fasting until lunch could mean going around 18 hours without giving any sort of nutrition or energy to your body.  
4. Variety is the Spice of Life- Although eating the same foods regularly may make your grocery shopping easier, it may not help you get the essential nutrients that your body needs.  Try eating a variety of meats from fish to poultry to an occasional lean cut of red meat to help provide your body with needed iron.  Also include new whole grains and healthy fats since they are not all created equal.
5. Drink Pure Water- Water is meant for more than just simply quenching your thirst.  Drinking pure water can help with hunger, energy levels and healthy
   hydration. Cut out the unnecessary sugary drinks and even the low- or no-calorie juices and sodas since they can give your body the idea that it is consuming sugar and possibly cause additional sugary cravings. 
6. Keep Cooking, even if it is just for 2- After all the kids are moved out, it can be a little de-motivating to cook dinner for 2.  However, eating home-cooked meals on a regular basis can encourage healthier, less-expensive options than eating out.  You know exactly what goes into your food at home. Restaurants tend to hide a lot more sugar and fat than you may expect. 
7. Eat Protein with every meal and snack- Our bodies need protein and calcium more than ever as we age.  With a decrease in muscle mass and bone
   density, regular protein intake through lean meats and dairy will help keep
   those losses at a minimum.  Protein can also dramatically decrease hunger and carbohydrate intake, helping with weight maintenance. 
8. Enjoy some healthy fats every day- Eating recommended amounts of healthy fats along with regular exercise can help regulate blood cholesterol levels which can decrease the risk of heart disease.  Enjoying a handful of nuts, a tasty vinaigrette on a salad, or a serving of fish are all ways to help get the fats your body needs.  

• Think about the things you should eat, not the things you shouldn’t – Rather than depriving yourself of foods you love (sugar or chocolate), focus on the foods you know you should eat like fruits and vegetables.  If you fill up on low-fat proteins and fiber, you won’t have much room for a lot of sugar and fat.  Make a goal to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day and a serving of lean protein with each meal and snack.  After eating healthy for a while, you won’t
  want the sugar and fat as much as you did before.
• Fit physical activity in your schedule on a regular basis- Don’t think about whether or not you have the time, just fit it in.  Everyone needs physical activity regardless of your body type or lifestyle.  Remember that you are in charge of your schedule.  If exercise is a priority, you can make time for it.
• Keep a food log- You don’t have to do this every day for the rest of your life, but try doing it for a few days.  You will probably be surprised at the food you mindlessly eat.  For many people, just the act of writing it down will help them make better choices.  There are free websites like www.dailyplate.com or www.choosemyplate.gov with resources to help you keep track of what you are putting in your body.
• Measure your portions- It doesn’t matter how good you think you are at estimating your portions, because most people overestimate serving sizes.  Restaurants often give us more than one serving and their place settings are much bigger than they used to be.  Look at the food labels to see how much a serving size is and measure it out.  After measuring, put the food on a plate or in a bowl that you often use so you can see how it looks.  Big plates, bowls, and glasses are often deceiving.
• Plan to make a change you can live with- Don’t try to cut a food out of your diet unless you know that you could go the rest of your life without ever eating it again. Don’t sign up for personal training sessions 5 days a week unless you know you will work out 5 days a week once the trainings are over.  Look where you are now and make an improvement.  However, know that you need to keep improving and adding more goals until you have made a sufficient change to see a difference.  You may not be willing to
  make a significant change now, but you may be able to do so a few weeks or
  months down the road.  Small changes in behavior can eventually add up to make significant outcomes.
• Have realistic expectations- Don’t expect to be the size you were in high school if it has been 20 years since you were that size.  Our bodies change as we
  age.  That doesn’t mean that you cannot be thin and healthy, it just means you may not be as thin as your 16-year-old daughter or son, and that’s okay!  You’re not supposed to be 16.  Nobody expects you to look like at 16-year-old when you are 45.  A healthy 45-year-old can still be beautiful.
• Be nice to yourself- Along with having realistic expectations, give yourself compliments.  This may be difficult at first, but try to focus on the things you actually like about yourself.  Avoid looking in the mirror every time you walk by one.  When you walk into a room, try not to compare yourself with every other person there.  The more positive thoughts you have about yourself, the happier and healthier you will be.

Only eat if you are really hungry.
Avoid hanging around the food table at holiday parties.  It’s easy to
get caught up in the socializing without thinking about what you are putting in
your mouth.  Standing near the food table may trigger extra grazing
on those yummy goodies.  Instead, take a small plate and choose your favorite
foods then throw away the plate when you’re done.

Put your holiday treats away.
Rather than keeping your cookies and candies out on the counter or in a candy
dish, put them away in a cupboard or in an opaque container.  Out of
sight, out of mind! Better yet, share them or throw them out.  You would rather throw away a few treats than
to feel guilty and put on extra pounds.

Keep up the physical activity.
Although the holidays get crammed with parties, events, and reunions, take the
time to enjoy some physical activity.  Get up and enjoy the fresh
air, take a break at lunch, or go for a nice evening walk.  Due to the
possible increase in holiday calorie-intake, exercise is more important than
ever!  And don’t forget, some good heart-pumping workouts can be great
de-stressors.

Focus traditions on family and friends, not food.

Although there are many holiday traditions
centered on food (i.e. Thanksgiving dinner), create new traditions
based on relationships, fun games, or other entertaining activities. Food can
still be a fun part of the holidays, just set your focus on the more important
aspects that you celebrate.

Learn new ways to make your favorite recipes a little healthier. 

There are many ways to substitute certain ingredients in recipes that will cut calories and provide a more nutritious treat.  Substitute oil with applesauce in cakes and
brownies, use fat-free sour cream and cool-whip instead of whipped cream.  You can also cut back on toppings such as excess butter and cheese.  These little tricks can still allow you to enjoy certain foods and can really make a difference if you try them!

First half of hike is easy to moderate • Second half is moderate to difficult
Bathrooms and drinking fountains at the start of the trail head
5 miles total • Good turn around a little over a mile in • Start time is 8:00 am

Getting there: From Downtown Phoenix, take Central Avenue south all the way to the end where it enters the park. Once past the gate, take the first left into the activity complex area. Keep left, stay on the main road, and follow it to the last Ramada, where there are restrooms and drinking fountains. The trail begins across the road. The park is usually open from 5 am to 10 pm

A desire to change. You hear comments about it every day. 
“I wish I could just lose a few pounds.”
“Have you heard about that new flat-belly diet? I’m going to try it.”
“I should workout to lose my muffin-tops, but I never have time.”

I think you know just about as well as I do that this list could go on for pages. With over 66% of the American population being overweight, it is safe to say that most people think about losing weight regularly, if not every day. Most of us have tried dieting, gym memberships, maybe even personal trainers. Some of us have been successful in losing weight. A few others may have actually met their goal weight. However, many of us “try,” but never see any change. It is pretty simple really, we think we are trying, but we are not really changing.

In most cases, weight change requires an imbalance in energy input and energy output. Weight gain is a result of energy storage (input greater than output) and weight loss is when output is greater than input. In other words, in order to lose weight you need to use more energy than you eat. So why aren’t you seeing the change you want? There could be many reasons.

Underestimating Calories

Check the Nutritional Facts

Have you have ever kept track of how many calories you ate during a day? Were you surprised to see how many calories you ate? Many times, especially when eating out, there are a lot more calories and fat than when we prepare our own food. Restaurants and fast food places use ingredients that add fat and calories to make their food taste better so you will come back. Even the so-called “healthier” options are often not much lower in fat or calories than regular menu items. If you really want to really know what you are eating, check the facts on the package or on the restaurant’s menu.

Measure what you eat

Even if you check the nutritional label, a lot of people will underestimate the amount of food they eat. Bigger plates and bowls will hold more than one serving, so it’s important to know how big servings should be and then measure them out. Once you have measured them, put them on the plate or in the bowl that you usually use and see how the amount of food looks on the plate. Try this with pasta, rice, or anything that does not come in portioned packaging.

Verify the Servings per Container

Another way to measure what you eat is to look at how many servings come in the package. For instance, if you buy a package of trail mix and it says the serving size is 1 cup, you might look at the Be Well Messenger Vol.4 Issue 1 package and assume it’s about a cup. However, after you eat the entire package, you notice that the servings per container are 2.5 servings. Although the package may have seemed smaller than you originally thought, you could have easily known how much a cup was by only eating a little less than half the package of trail mix.

Real Life Example

I once worked with a girl who could not understand why she wasn’t losing weight. She was being very particular about counting her calories and exercising. However, after weeks of trying to lose weight, she wasn’t successful. Then one day we realized that her daily green tea drink had more calories than she thought. It was rather a large bottle that said it only had about 80 calories per serving. Then we saw that the bottle contained about 4 servings. She was consuming over 300 calories when she thought it was less than 100. Doing this on a daily basis with other possible underestimations could easily alter your success.

Overestimating Exercise

I have heard this misconception more than once, “It’s okay if I have another dessert, I’ll just run an extra mile at the gym.” Obviously, it depends what the dessert is and how many calories your body uses to run a mile. However, most desserts are much more than 100 calories and that is a rough estimate of the amount of calories the average person will use when running/walking a mile. Of course that number will vary depending on your size and fitness level, but it is a rough estimate.

In any case, many people mistakenly overestimate the amount of energy they use (calories burned) when working out. It is important to really push yourself and do activities that your body is not accustomed to doing. I like to use the 1-10 scale. When you are sitting doing nothing, you would be at a 1. If you are at a 10, you would be running as fast as you can. After consulting your doctor and reassuring that you are not at risk, you should try to work out at about a 7 or an 8. Working out at this level would push you beyond your normal comfort level, but allow you to do it for an extended period of time. On the other hand, if at the end of the workout you say “I liked that workout much better because it wasn’t as hard,” then you should probably push yourself a little harder next time. You will become healthier and more fit if you learn to push your body to more uncomfortable, but doable workout intensities.

Temporary Changes

The 2-week diet

Whether you last a week, a day, or until you get home from work, if the change is temporary, you will only see a temporary change in your physical appearance if any change at all. Many people start a diet because they want to lose a few extra pounds, but then they end up quitting because the changes are too extreme. Most people cannot continue with that lifestyle and they quickly gain back the weight.

The Weekend Blowout

Another common temporary change is the weekend blowout. During the week, it’s easy to skip breakfast, eat your healthy salad for lunch, and your Lean Cuisine for dinner. However, the weekend comes and you go to parties, BBQ’s, and restaurants and you completely blow your “diet.” Can you imagine how your body would react if it was underfed during the week and then feasted on 3000-4000 calories a day over the weekend? It probably wouldn’t give up much stored energy (fat) in such inconsistent patterns.

The Daily Hunger

Last, but not least, the Daily Hunger Cycle is quite common and very unsuccessful in weight loss.

It goes like this:

I don’t ever feel like eating breakfast when I wake up, so I usually don’t eat anything. If I do, it’s usually coffee splurge at Starbuck’s. By noon, I’m hungry, but I’m trying to be good, so I only eat a salad with a few pieces of chicken for protein.

When 3:00 hits, I’ve hit an energy low, and I’m really hungry, but I don’t want to blow my diet. However, it is Greg’s birthday, so I have some cake the manager bought for the office.

By the time I get home, it is 6:00 and I’m starving. My spouse has already started cooking dinner, so I snack on some chips until the meal is ready. I have 3 enchiladas because I’m so hungry. I know they have a lot of cheese, but I’ve been really good today so I can eat a few extra calories. I also add some sour cream and guacamole.

After dinner I am pretty full, so I just want to veg and watch TV instead of going for a run like I planned. Besides, it was a long day and I really don’t have much energy. After a couple hours of TV, my kids are eating cookies and ice cream, so I help myself to some too.

I go to bed on such a full stomach that it’s a little hard to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. By the time I wake up for work in the morning, I definitely don’t feel like eating breakfast …

This example may seem extreme, but there are some familiar parts for many individuals. If something like this happens on a regular basis, you probably will not see much physical change or success in your goals.

So how do I make a change to see a change? Here are a few tips:

1. Think about the things you should eat rather than the things you shouldn’t
2. Fit physical activity in your schedule on a regular basis
3. Keep a food log and measure your portions
4. Plan to make a change you can live with
5. Have realistic expectations

More details on these tips and making a change will be discussed in the next issue of the Be Well Messenger.