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Nutrition Section FPHA nutrition section Chair – Jennifer Waskovich Co-Chair – David Kastensmidt Secretary – Dan Stewart Membership Committee Representatives – Twanna Gould and Marian Gaines Nominating Committee Representative – Heather Huffman Annual Education Conference Rep – John Livingstone
Improve your cholesterol while getting more fit. High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is a type of cholesterol that helps protect against the formation of fatty plaques in our arteries. A higher amount of HDL in our bodies helps reduce our risk of cardiovascular disease. In the fall FPHA newsletter you can find a nutrition section article regarding healthy cholesterol levels, foods to avoid, and foods to focus on to help maintain a healthy cholesterol balance. The article mentions increasing your HDL cholesterol “good cholesterol” through regular physical activity. Eating certain foods can help lower our low density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol but it does not raise our HDL cholesterol. Physical activity is a proven way to raise our HDL cholesterol levels. The current recommendation for physical activity is 30-60 minutes most days of the week for adults.
As health professionals and promoters of public health we should be promoting physical activity along with a healthy diet as well as model these same behaviors. Physical activity doesn’t have to be running 10 miles a day or spending an hour at the gym before or after work; there are some easy things we can all do to help increase our overall daily movement. One of the easiest things to do is take the stairs instead of the elevator. If you work for a company/organization that has multiple floors in the building try designating one day a week as “Take the Stairs Day” for everyone. You can also stand while talking on the phone or begin a morning walk break each day. We should encourage our co-workers to join in and help create a healthier work environment. When you park at in a parking lot, don’t circle around to find the closest slot to the building, instead park at a distance so you actually have to walk to reach the store. In doing so, not only will you increase your physical activity opportunity, your car will take less abuse from shopping carts and wayward car doors as you will find the slots aplenty.
I would like to tell you about what the Hillsborough County Health Department is trying to do to improve our health. Our wellness program is currently in the process of developing a wellness challenge for its employees. This challenge doesn’t just focus on regular check-ups at the doctor or making healthier choices while at the vending machine, it will also promote having regular activity breaks during meetings and opportunities for physical activity outside of the work place. We also have a few employees coordinating athletic teams. A softball league will begin in January 2009 and casual softball pick-up games will begin in the next month or two. Bowling leagues have also been discussed for employees looking for a different opportunity.
I hope other counties will follow suit and start up their own teams in their local communities. Maybe in the future we can have small softball tournaments at our annual conference or a light-hearted game of sand volleyball.
We are the promoters of public health and the promotion should begin with ourselves, our families, and our co-workers. If we don’t take care of ourselves how can we take care of others?
Jennifer Waskovich, MS, RD/LD Public Health Nutritionist Supervisor HCHD Contributor: David Kastensmidt Archived Nutrition Articles The nutrition section met on July 31, 2008 to discuss our plans for the new year of FPHA. Twelve members attended this meeting. The section expressed a need to make membership our biggest priority. Twanna Gould and Marian Gaines will take the lead in increasing membership in our section but all attendees agreed that we should communicate with local dietitians to increase our diversity. One suggestion was to contact the Cooperative Extension offices to invite their dietitians to join the Florida Public Health Association. Public health is not just the county health departments and working together with dietitians and nutritionists from other backgrounds will only help to strengthen the role nutrition has in our communities. As a section, Nutrition has not played a large part in FPHA in the past. This year is going to change. We have a number of members who are very passionate about their jobs and the field of nutrition and we feel we can make a difference. Our new Nominating Committee Representative, Heather Huffman, is an IBCLC (Board Certified Lactation Consultant) so breastfeeding and nutrition will be a major focus area this year. We have section leaders from a number of different counties which will help to expand communication and best practices throughout the state. Keep checking back to the website for updated information and events throughout the state. We would like to encourage any FPHA and nutrition members to send us questions, comments, and best practices and to share with us any events that may be going on in their area. We want to celebrate what we do and share with others the importance of our field. Send questions, comments, and event information to Jennifer Waskovich at: jennifer_waskovich@doh.state.fl.us. Thanks for your commitment to public health. Jennifer Waskovich |
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