MAY 2015

––––––––––– by Lavena Burke

Benefits of Eating Locally

What’s in Season: Spring and Summer ProduceSPRING (March, April, May)

Now that spring is here, farmers’markets are reopening all over thenation. Farmers’ markets havebecome a popular source of shop-ping for many consumers. With anongoing interest in organic foodsand dissatisfaction with the quality offoods from large chain markets,these venues are a welcome addi-tion to many communities. More and

more farmers’ markets are opening seasonally and year-round as morepeople are choosing to shop locally.

Shopping from a local farmer greatens the probability of finding highquality produce.Without the long travel that supermarket produce some-times experiences, consumers are more likely to acquire fresh fruits andvegetables. Sometimes produce has been picked the morning of or thenight before market day, allowing shoppers to find produce at its best.

Along with searching for quality produce, shoppers are often timessearching for variety. Many stores have a limited amount of produceoffered, making it difficult to find certain types of fruits or vegetables. Notonly will local farmers have a larger variety, but consumers will have theoption to choose between different types of the same produce. This again,heightens the chances of finding good quality foods.

Shopping locally also helps to bolster a community’s economy. Themoney spent at the markets are more likely to circulate within the samecommunity instead of to a corporate office that is far away. This addsmoney back into a community’s economy. It can also save consumersmoney to buy from their neighbors. They are more likely to be able to hag-gle for a fair price or to buy in bulk at a lower price. When consumerschoose to shop from their neighbors it minimizes costs of transportationand distribution, saving on overhead costs for the farmer, which allowsthem to price their produce cheaper.

There are quite a few benefits to shopping at a local farmers’ market.Whether a shopper is looking for better quality food, lower prices,or more options, they are likely to find it at a local market.

May is NationalHigh Blood Pressuremonth and is a goodtime for people tohave access to bloodpressure information. The AmericanMedical Group Foundation hasmany ways to spread the wordabout high blood pressure. Theybelieve that “educating patientsabout high blood pressure and theneed for control is essential tolong-term health.”1 High blood pres-sure can lead to a number of dis-eases, so it is important to have theknowledge on how to measure,monitor and maintain control.Measure2

There are plenty of places to haveyour blood pressure measured. Itcan be at a doctor’s office, a phar-macy or even from the comfort ofyour home. To ensure an accuratereading when you take your bloodpressure, follow these tips:

• Do not talk or eat during thecheck.

• Avoid caffeine and smoking 30minutes before bloodpressure reading.

• Sit with your backsupported and withboth feet flat on thefloor.

• Wear a short-sleevedtop or roll up yoursleeve so the bloodpressure cuff fits on yourbare arm.

• Remember that cer-tain factors may tem-porarily affect yourblood pressure reading,including stress, coldtemperatures, exercise,and certain medications

Monitor2

The recommend-ed amount of moni-toring is as follows:

• If you have highblood pressure, monitor your bloodpressure numbers at least a fewtimes a week.

• If you’re under treatment for highblood pressure, measure daily.

• For most adults without highblood pressure, measure at leastonce a year.Maintain2

If you do have high blood pressureit can be maintained through med-ication and lifestyle changes, suchas diet and physical activity. Both ofthese maintenance avenues shouldbe discussed with your doctor.

For more information on NationalHigh Blood Pressure Month or factsabout high blood pressure visitwww.measureuppressuredown.com.1 http://www.measureuppressuredown.com/HighBPMonth/index_highBPMonth.asp2 http://www.measureuppressuredown.com/Learn/mmmHighBP_learn.asp

Measure Up/Pressure Down®:National High Blood Pressure Month

ApricotsArtichokesAsparagusBroccoliCactusChivesCollard GreensCornFava BeansFennelGreen Beans

HoneydewJackfruitLimesLycheeMangoMorel MushroomsMustard GreensOrangesPineappleRaddichioRed Leaf Lettuce

RhubarbSnow PeasSorrelSpinachStrawberriesSwiss ChardVidalia OnionsWatercressWhite Asparagus

PAGE 2 O U R H E A L T H Y C O M M U N I T I E S MAY 2015

––––––––––– by Lavena BurkeRace Recovery

It is a few months into race season,and if this is your first time running,you may feel on top of the world. Afteryour first, you may feel eager to signup for as many as possible through-out the season. It is wise to take yourtime in between races in order to helpyour body recover. Even if you arejust running the one race, you bodycould still use these tips in order tohave a proper recovery.

COOL DOWN – After the run isover, simply walking to your car anddriving away is not a good idea. A slow jog or a walk for afew minutes immediately afterwards is helpful before doinga gentle stretch.

REPLACE CALORIES – A lot of races will havepost-race snacks. You should take advantage of thesefoods to replace some of the calories lost during the run.Fruits like oranges and bananas are nutrient rich foods thatcan add a proper amount of calories after a run.

HYDRATE – Drinking fluids after a race will replace thefluids lost during the race. It is suggested that 16 to 24oz isa good amount for putting fluids back in the body. Usingsports drinks can replace lost electrolytes, while water rehy-drates.

NEXT DAY – The following day should either be a day ofrest or, if you are up to it and easy run. A slow 20 minutejog should help to get the aches out of the body and tokeep it loose for when you start back on a full run.

Still have not signed up for a race? Here are someupcoming races in your area:

ROCKDALE COUNTYMAY:

2nd - Run, Touch Inspire 5K Run/Walk, Conyers, GA16th - BattleFrog Atlanta, Conyers, GA

JUNE:6th - Savage Run 5K, Conyers, GA27th -Pounding for Paws 5K Run, Conyers, GA

NEWTON COUNTYMAY:

16th - Fire House 5K Run & 1 Mile Fun Run, Covington, GA

GWINNETT COUNTYMAY:

2nd - Scamper Against Cancer 5K Run, Lawrenceville, GA2nd - SJN Smile 5K Run, Lilburn, GA9th - Summer Camp 5K,

Lawrenceville, GA9th - Super Mom 5K,

Buford, GA15th - Glow Trot 5K,

Braselton GA24th - Pre Memorial Day

Half Marathon, 10K and 5K,Snellville, GAJUNE:

6th - Gwinnett SheriffJailBreak ChallengeObstacle Run, 5K,Lawrenceville, GA

6th - Miles-4-Smiles10K/5K/1Mile, Lawrenceville,GA

6th - Run the Rails inBuford, 10K/5K Run, Buford,GA

14th - Rock the ParkMarathon, 13.1 M/10K/5KRun, Lawrenceville, GA

You Can Learn the Right Way toWork Out

Personal trainers help gym visitors figureout the right way to exercise. They spendtime going over how to safely use all of themachines to reduce the risk for injury and tohelp you get the most effective workout.They can also show you different move-ments that work different parts of the body.Whether you are completely new to the gymor you just want to know how to do newexercises, a personal trainer can help.

You Can Get Help to Stay Motivated A large part of a

personal trainer’s jobis to keep their clientsmotivated in the gym.If you are worried thatyou cannot work outhard enough on yourown, working with atrainer can help. Apersonal trainer willkeep you motivatedto keep going back tothe gym and to give ityour best while youare there. Once youstart to see results, itwill be even easier tokeep yourself moti-vated to continue on

your fitness journey.

You Can Learn a Lotabout Fitness

Personal trainers arequalified to teach you allabout the physiology ofhealth and fitness. If you do not know a lotabout getting your body into shape so itcan perform at its best, working with atrainer is a great way to learn these skills.Take advantage of your time with the per-sonal trainer and ask as many health andfitness questions as you can.

The Advantages of Hiring aPersonal Trainer

MAY 2015 O U R H E A L T H Y C O M M U N I T I E S PAGE 3

Choosing the Right Diet to Lose WeightWhat kind of diet will help me loseweight?

Each individual is different. There is nouniversal diet that will help every personlose weight.

The idea of "going on a diet" to loseweight implies that eventually, you will "gooff" the diet and return to your old eatinghabits. This could lead to up and downweight loss and gain, which is bad foryour health. The best way to lose weightand keep it off is to make lifestylechanges that include healthy eating andexercise habits.Why am I overweight?

There may be many reasons for yourweight problem. Weight problems oftenrun in families, or you may be overeatingto comfort yourself when you are sad,stressed or lonely. Sometimes a lowmetabolism (the rate at which you burnthe calories you eat) or a problem withhormone levels may be the cause.

A new diet may help you lose weight fora little while, but the weight often comesback unless you find new ways to dealwith the problems that are leading to yourweight gain. This may mean learning newways to deal with stress and loneliness.What kind of diet should I follow?

You should follow a healthy diet thatyou like and that you can stick to. The dietshould be low in fats (especially saturatedand trans fats) and sugars, and high infiber and protein. You can learn moreabout making healthier food choices here.

Your doctor or a nutritionist can giveyou advice on what kinds of foods are

healthy choices. Remember to watch por-tion sizes. A healthy portion of meat isabout the size of a deck of cards. Ahealthy portion of rice or pasta is aboutthe size of your fist. Most restaurants tendto double or even triple these amounts, sobe careful when dining out.

Read the nutrition labels on food pack-ages before you buy them. If you needhelp understanding the labels, ask yourdoctor or a nutritionist to explain them.

Sugar-sweetened drinks, such as fruitjuice, fruit drinks, regular soft drinks,sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened orflavored milk and sweetened iced tea canadd lots of sugar and calories to your diet.But staying hydrated is important for goodhealth. Substitute water, zero-calorie fla-vored water, non-fat or reduced-fat milk,unsweetened tea or diet soda for sweet-ened drinks.Will it be hard to change my diet?

It might be hard and it may also taketime, but try not to get discouraged. Youreffort will be worth it! The key is to keeptrying to eat the right foods. The followingare a few suggestions to help you changeyour eating habits:

Make small, slow changes, which will beeasier to make a part of your everyday life.

Keep a food diary. Use this record tohelp you see if you need to eat more fromany food groups, such as fruits, vegeta-bles or low-fat dairy products.

Ask for help from your family doctor or anutritionist, especially if you have a med-ical problem that requires a special diet.

Women’s Boot CampCome get a good burn with

Speedkillz owner Greg Rhodesfor a 1 hour calorie blasting workout!Each ssession bblasts aaway uup tto 11000 ccalories!

Classes $$10 pper ssession.Pay aas yyou ggo!Mon && Wed @@ 66:45pm

Loganville Middle School trackFriday @@ 99pm AAlexander PPark

(open field next to the playground)

AAllll aaggeess aanndd aatthhlleettiicc aabbiilliittiieess wweellccoommeeOther services available:

Youth Fitness, Youth & Adult Speed & AgilityTraining,Sports Performance Training and much more

Contact GGreg RRhodes aatspeedkillz@georgiaselect.com

BE . . .• An Involved Parent –Be attentive, aware,together• A Role Model – Be car-ing, engaged, influential• A Cheerleader – Besupportive, positive, fun• A Partner – Be encour-aging, working together• Their Favorite Teacher– Be there for teachablemoments• A Friendly Critic – Bepatient, accepting, flexible• An Advisor – Be readyto help, share your expe-riences• A Good Communi-cator – Be a talker, a lis-tener, stay connected• A Lifelong Learner –Be inquisitive, share, readtogether• An Advocate – Foryour child, school, com-munity, public education

10 Things You Can

Do To “BE THERE”

For Your Child

PAGE 4 O U R H E A L T H Y C O M M U N I T I E S MAY 2015

A TIP FROM YOUR TRAINER

DURINGYOURWORKOUT . . .• PROPER HYDRATION during exercise depends upon the

intensity and duration of exercise, the fitness of the athlete, andweather conditions. In order to simplify the recommendations, agood starting point is to drink 8-10 fl oz of water every 15minutes during exercise.

• If exercising longer than 90 minutes, drink 8-10 fl oz of a sportsdrink every 15 - 30 minutes. Exercising for more than about 90minutes usually requires that you replenish lost carbohydrates.

Making healthyour primary focus can ulti-mately aid your efforts toachieve permanent weightloss. A sole emphasis onweight loss can sometimeslead to extreme or tempo-rary diet plans. A focus onhealth that involves gainingknowledge of nutrition,establishing a daily workoutregimen and getting ade-quate rest on a regularbasis can help you establishimportant life habits that willnaturally result in your idealweight.

MAY 2015 O U R H E A L T H Y C O M M U N I T I E S PAGE 5

GWINNETT PARKS:Alexander ParkBay Creek ParkBest Friend ParkBethesda ParkBogan ParkBryson ParkClub Drive ParkCollins Hill ParkDacula Park

DeShong ParkDuncan Creek ParkFreeman’s Mill ParkGeorge Pierce ParkGraves ParkHarbins ParkHolcomb Bridge ParkIvy Creek GreenwayLenora ParkLions Club Park

Little Mulberry ParkMcDaniel Farm ParkMountain Park Aquatic

Center & ActivityBuilding

Mountain Park ParkPeachtree Ridge ParkPinckneyville ParkRabbit Hill ParkRhodes Jordan Park

Rock Springs ParkRonald Reagan ParkSettles Bridge ParkShorty Howell ParkSweet Water ParkTribble Mill ParkVines ParkWest Gwinnett ParkYellow River ParkYellow River Post Office

ROCKDALE PARKS:Black Shoals ParkJohnson ParkPanola Mountain State

ParkPine Log ParkSouth River Trail

NEWTON PARKS:Denny Dobbs ParkFactory ShoalsRecreational Park

Turner Lake

A Walk In The Park

PAGE 6 O U R H E A L T H Y C O M M U N I T I E S MAY 2015

RECIPE OF THE

MONTHBreakfast Burritosfrom recipes.womenshealthmag.com

By: Katherine Perry Photo: Mitch Mandel

PREP TIME: 5 minsCOOK TIME: 5 minsTOTAL TIME: 10 minsSERVES: 1AVERAGE RATING: 4.5/5

Using egg whites to replace whole eggs in arecipe is a great way to cut fat and cholesterol. Itwill also increase the volume of food your kids get to eat.

Ingredients

Vegetable cooking spray2 egg whites2 whole wheat tortillas1/4 cup fat­free cheese1/4 cup rinsed canned beans (such as pinto beans or black beans)Salsa (to taste)

DirectionsSpray vegetable cooking spray into a frying pan. Scramble the egg whites in thepan and cook to the desired degree of doneness. Place the cooked eggs on the tor-tillas. Sprinkle the cheese over the eggs. Place the beans over the cheese andeggs. Roll each tortilla into a wrap. Microwave for 30 seconds. Spoon salsa on top.

If you are having a tough time eating your fruits andvegetables, you may find it more appealing to drinkthem in a juice. By extracting the nutrient-rich juicefrom fruits and vegetables, it is easier to get the bene-fits of produce directly into your body. If you are inter-ested in trying it out, check out some of the pros andcons to juicing.PROS

• Juicing is an alternative way to get nutrients to thebody

• With little fiber, juicing allows the digestive systemto rest

• It is a great way to make your own juice drinkswithout added sugars or preservatives

• The variety of juice recipes is virtually endless• A good way to use extra produce from home gar-

densCONS

• Depending on where you shop, the price of pro-duce can be expensive

• Juicers can be expensive

• There can be a lot of waste product from the left-over fiber

• Juicing takes out needed fiber• An abundance of certain nutrients may interact

with medicationWhen choosing to juice, you should be mindful of

these pros and cons. For example, there are ways toavoid waste products by using the pulp in cooking.Also, smoothies are a way to get the nutrients intoyour body without skipping on fiber. If you garden,you can cut down on costs by using your own pro-duce to juice. There are also a great deal of healthclaims that may not substantiated by scientificresearch, so be sure to do your homework beforeventuring out on a juicing diet or fast.

Juicing––––––––––– by Lavena Burke

Looking totry juicing?Here is a

refreshing drink meant to help in “boosting yourimmune system and keeping your whole body clean,healthy, and happy.”1 As seen on his documentary Fat,Sick & Nearly Dead, Joe Cross shares the recipe forhis Mean Green juice. Check out http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/category/juice/ for morerecipes on juicing.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cucumber

4 celery stalks

2 apples

6-8 leaves kale

1/2 lemon

1 in (2.5 cm) piece ofginger

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wash all produce well.

2. Peel the lemon andcore apple.

3. Add all ingredientsthrough juicer andenjoy!

Juicing Recipe– Mean Green Juice –

1 http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/mean-green-juice/

MAY 2015 O U R H E A L T H Y C O M M U N I T I E S PAGE 7

A Different Kindof Senior Care

We provide care in our beautiful center, withfriends, delicious food, and activities, for seniors whorequire assistance during the day. Your aging lovedone no longer has to spend the day isolated in theirhome, and in turn providing peace of mind for thefamily.

Health Related Care by Professional StaffOur medically trained staff specializes in caring for

individuals with physical and cognitive impairments.At our new center located right here in Snellville, yourloved one can enjoy a program that is designed tomeet their individual needs with innovative activitiesall in a comfortable environment.

Whether you are a professional in the community,a caregiver or family member, SarahCare standsready to partner with you to assist your needs. Callor visit us today! 770-685-6971.

Free 4-hour Trial DayAt SarahCare of Snellville, we want you

to experience our program before youmake the commitment.

We offer a free 4 hour trial at our center foryour loved one. We suggest coming 10 am to2 pm where they can enjoy activities, lunchwith peers and individual attention. Our activi-ties director will get to know your loved oneduring the trial day and assist in providing anindividual program for them.

Because we know you will enjoy it, calltoday to make arrangements.

We require 24 hour advance notice for alltrial days.

PAGE 8 O U R H E A L T H Y C O M M U N I T I E S MAY 2015