Leave time in your busy schedule to follow a walking program that will work for you. Keep the following points in mind as you plan your program:

· Choose a safe place to walk. Find a partner or group of people to walk with you. Your walking partner(s) should be able to walk with you on the same schedule and at the same speed.

· Wear shoes with proper arch support, a firm heel, and thick flexible soles that will cushion your feet and absorb shock. (Check out the May 08 issue of Step-It-Up for shoe buying tips.)

· Wear clothes that will keep you dry and comfortable. Look for synthetic fabrics that absorb sweat and remove it from your skin.

· For extra warmth in winter, wear a knit cap. To stay cool in summer, wear a baseball cap or visor.

· Think of your walk in three parts. Warm up by walking slowly for 5 minutes. Then, increase your speed and do a fast walk. Finally, cool down by walking slowly again for 5 minutes.

· Do light stretching after your warm-up and cool-down.

· Try to walk at least three times per week. Each week, add 2 or 3 minutes to your walk. If you walk less than three times per week, you may need more time to adjust before you increase the pace or frequency of your walk.

· To avoid stiff or sore muscles and joints, start gradually. Over several weeks, begin walking faster, going further, and walking for longer periods of time.

· Set goals and rewards. Examples of goals are participating in a fun walk or walking continuously for 30 minutes.

· Keep track of your progress with a walking journal or log.

· The more you walk, the better you may feel and the more calories you may burn.

Experts recommend 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, if not all, days of the week. If you cannot do 30 minutes at a time, try walking for shorter amounts and gradually working up to it.

Source: Weight Control Information Network

Adults of all "ages" and "stages" are invited to come to a free meeting each Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. in the Christian County Senior Center, located at 701 W. Adams Street in Taylorville.

"Get Motivated—Get Healthy—Get Active"

Pick up ideas and tips for healthy living and begin living a happier life today. This group could become your new "good" habit.

On the 4th Wednesday of each month, guest speakers will help motivate, inform, and educate Step-It-Up program participants.

Jim Hahn, president of Palmer Bank will be the guest speaker on July 30. Jim will discuss changing careers and how that affects your happiness and well-being.

Upcoming topics include: Designing Realistic Meal Plans That Will Work For You; How The Choices We Make Affect Our Moods: Pampering Yourself is Not Selfish; and Natural Supplements.

· 1st Tuesday of each month —Christian County Department of Public Health. Blood pressure, cholesterol and weight—10:00 —11:00 a.m. (July 1)

· Taylorville Memorial Hospital Cardiac Rehab room. Blood pressure, cholesterol and weight— 11:00 a.m.—12:00 noon—(July 1)

Leta Bauer and Maude Horsthemke, residents of Parkway Apartments in Pana, just don't act their unlisted age. They recently hosted a "Step-It-Up" sign-up day in the activity room of the apartment building.

Nancy Briggs, Family Nutrition Program Coordinator from the University of Illinois Extension Christian County office, was on hand to collect registrations and help new members set up and learn to use their new pedometers. Both ladies personally signed up for the program along with 5 other residents.

All of the new members liked the freedom this walking program allows. Maude has been walking the hall outside her apartment for several years. Now her pedometer allows her to measure the number of steps she has been walking and try to add a few more each time. Her goal is not distance but just a few more steps than the day before.

If your group or apartment building would like to host a Step-It-Up registration event, just contact Nancy Briggs at 287-7246 to set up a time and place.

The Step-It-Up Planning Committee met on June 24 to discuss upcoming events and activities for members to participate in over the next few months.

We are checking into a grant offered through the Illinois Department of Public Heath that may allow us to do some unusual and unique programs in 2009. Stay tuned! We'll keep you posted on progress with this opportunity,

Members of the Step-It-Up Committee are: Alice Benton, Christian County Senior Citizen's Center; Andrea Nolan, Christian County YMCA; Janelle Cornell, Taylorville Memorial Hospital; Lifestyle Fitness Personal Training Studio owners Eric and Jennifer Bertoldo; Linda Smith, UI Extension; Melissa Rybolt, Pana Community Hospital; Nancy Briggs, UI Extension FNP; Sarah Keitzman, Taylorville Memorial Hospital; and Yolanda Marucco, Taylorville Park District.

It's always the right time to share the gift of a healthier life. Invite a friend or loved one to join the "Step-It-Up" program today.

For the nominal fee of $5, participants will receive a pedometer, walking and food intake logs, bi-monthly wellness newsletters, maps of local walking routes and much more.

The Extension office has registration forms and pedometers available at any time. Checks should be made payable to UI Extension.

Please keep in mind that all participants should check with their physician regarding any health conditions that might prevent them from participating in this wellness program.

We now have 104 members of the Step-It-Up program since our kick-off on March 1, 2008.

Stretch gently after you warm up your muscles with an easy 5-minute walk, and again after you cool down. Try doing the stretches listed below.

Do not bounce or hold your breath when you stretch. Perform slow movements and stretch only as far as you feel comfortable.

Side Reach

Reach one arm over your head and to the side. Keep your hips steady and your shoulders straight to the side. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat on the other side.

Wall Push

Lean your hands on a wall with your feet about 3 to 4 feet away from the wall. Bend one knee and point it toward the wall. Keep your back leg straight with your foot flat and your toes pointed straight ahead. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat with the other leg.

Knee Pull

Lean your back against a wall. Keep your head, hips, and feet in a straight line. Pull one knee to your chest, hold for 10 seconds, then repeat with the other leg.

Leg Curl

Pull your right foot to your buttocks with your right hand. Stand straight and keep your knee pointing straight to the ground. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat with your left foot and hand.

Hamstring

Sit on a sturdy bench or hard surface so that your left leg is stretched out on the bench with your toes pointing up. Keep your right foot flat on the floor. Straighten your back, and if you feel a stretch in the back of your thigh, hold for 10 seconds and repeat with your right leg.

[If you do not yet feel a stretch, lean forward from your hips until you do feel a stretch.]

Ingredients:

2 lbs. frozen hashed brown potatoes, thawed

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 t. salt (omit)

1/4 t. pepper

8 oz. reduced fat Cheddar cheese, shredded

8 oz. lite dairy sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup (99% fat free)

1/2 cup crushed bran cereal (omit)

Directions:

· Spray a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with nonstick spray coating.

· Add thawed potatoes, onion and pepper.

· Combine cheese, sour cream and soup; stir into potato mixture.

· Sprinkle crushed cereal over the top.

· Bake, covered at 350° F for 50 minutes.

Yield: 12 servings

Approximate nutritional value per serving:

Revised

166 calories

6 grams fat

29% calories from fat

18 mg cholesterol

Original

225 calories

14 grams fat

54% calories from fat

36 mg cholesterol

- Jananne Finck, UI Extension Nutrition & Wellness Educator

The Christian County YMCA received grant funding through the Lumpkin Family Foundation to continue to provide programming to combat the childhood obesity epidemic.

The program, PLAY (Positive Lifestyles and Activities for Youth), began with a pilot program in the summer of 2007. Angie Younker, Pediatric Nurse called for a meeting of concerned professionals within the community and received a great response.

Taylorville Memorial Hospital (TMH) Registered Dietician, Janelle Cornell; University of Illinois Family Nutrition Program Coordinator, Nancy Briggs; TCUSD#4 Elementary School Nurse, Jenny Moats; TMH Physical Therapist, Sarah Kietzman; YMCA Personal Trainer, Ricki Castellanos and YMCA Program Director, Andrea Nolan were all on board.

Program participants and their parents/guardians learned the long term importance of making healthy choices and the benefits of participating in physical activities as well as applying these practices to their daily lives.

The pilot program was 6 weeks long, but due to strong interest in the community, Nolan saw a greater need.

The PLAY program will continue in the Fall of 2008 with 2 sessions. The first session will be for children age 8-12 years of age and it will be held September through December. The second session will be offered in January for youth 13-17 years of age.

All sessions are limited to the first 20 participants. To register for this program or for more information, please call the "Y" at 287-7271 and ask to speak to Andrea.