OKLAHOMA CITY — OKLAHOMA CITY — One of the top New Year’s Resolutions each year is to lose weight, but not many Oklahomans stick to the goal. So, what can Oklahomans do in 2010 to finally maintain a healthy lifestyle? Experts at the OU Cancer Institute said you don’t have to be “The Biggest Loser” to significantly improve your health and reduce the risk of cancer.
The American Institute for Cancer Research estimates that about one-third of the cancers that occur in a year can be prevented by simply being physically active, choosing better food and targeting a healthy weight.
Get started with help from the following tips:
Get more active every day. Park farther from the grocery store or the mall, walk during breaks at work, take a walk during a break at a child’s sporting event, take the stairs instead of the elevator for one flight (then add more floors later) or walk the dog.
Watch less TV. Fran Olsen Sharp, a registered dietitian at the OU Cancer Institute, said people, on average, watch about five hours of TV a day or spend hours on the computer. The best bet is to watch less TV. If that isn’t an option, find a way to incorporate more activity with sessions in front of the tube.
This can include getting up at every commercial, doing chores or walking around the house. Viewers also can use strength bands or an ergometer in front of the chair to cycle while enjoying primetime or hanging out on a social networking site.
Take a break. Sharp said sedentary jobs that put workers in front of computers eight hours a day reduce activity. Make sure to take breaks at work and get up to move. Take a 15-minute walk. Employ the same activity strategy as when watching TV.
Eat more fruit and veggies. Start by adding one fruit or vegetable to a meal each day — fruit on cereal, a vegetable drink or a snack with baby carrots. Even adding a little flavor isn’t bad. Sharp said dietitians would rather someone eat vegetables with cheese sauce than not eat them at all.
Eat out less. Sharp said processed foods are not as good as eating at home and they often contain more calories and involve bigger portions than a homemade meal.
“When we do this, we have phenomenal health benefits, not just with reducing our risk for cancer but we have better health overall — fewer chronic diseases, more strength, our brain thinks better, it boosts our self-esteem, it gives us more energy. We even sleep better. All of these are results of making a healthy lifestyle,” Sharp said.
Local News
Little lifestyle changes can make a big impact
- Local News
-
-
OG&E works to replace Edmond power poles
“Oh my God, it’s the tornado,” Betsy Herring thought as she and her husband, Lee, took shelter in their laundry room as Sunday’s tornado roared toward their Forest Oaks home in Edmond.
-
Equine center aids Orr Family Farm horses
Connie Yearwood, a third-year veterinary student at Oklahoma State University, had been job shadowing at Equine Medical Association in Edmond when the call came to help rescue horses that were injured during Monday’s tornado in Moore and Oklahoma City.
-
Lincoln County Emergency Management calls for help
Carney is a city of about 649 residents and following the recent tornado outbreak 20 homes were destroyed there and an additional 18 homes in the county were leveled.
Wednesday, a press release from Lincoln County, along with Wellston Emergency Management Office and the City of Carney, stated that at this time the needs have changed for the city. -
Oklahoma National Guard coordinates tornado relief support
Oklahoma National Guard members, who work side-by-side with local responders to aid in recovery efforts during domestic operations such as the May 20 tornado that tore through Oklahoma City and Moore, are given their tasks through the Guard's Joint Operations Center.
The JOC, located in the Guard's Joint Force Headquarters in Oklahoma City, is primarily responsible for the collection, dissemination and tracking of information to increase the situational awareness for leadership as well as the National Guard Bureau, said Lt. Col. Hiram Tabler, the director of military support for Oklahoma's Joint Force Headquarters. -
UPDATE: Businesses, groups offer free relief to tornado victims
Listed is information on free services offered to victims of the recent tornadoes.
-
House approves $45M aid package for tornado victims
As rain poured this morning on disaster relief workers in the Moore and Oklahoma City areas, the Oklahoma House of Representatives unanimously approved a $45 million aid package to provide relief to those impacted by Monday’s EF-5 tornado.
-
TIMELAPSE: Take a tour through the damage in Moore
Take a driving tour of the damage in Moore caused by Monday's tornado.
-
Moore mayor wants tornado shelters in new homes
Moore Mayor Glenn Lewis wants tornado shelters in all new homes in his city, where an EF-5 tornado damaged or destroyed more than 12,500 homes Monday afternoon. A proposed ordinance would require a shelter inside or outside each new residence.
-
Rescue workers, tornado victims find respite in college dorms
Monday’s tornado put an estimated 20,000 people out of their houses, which were damaged or destroyed. Some of those victims — and the rescue workers who’ve come to help them — are staying a few miles south, in dormitories at the University of Oklahoma.
More than 300 individuals and families left homeless by the storm are staying at OU, where the university is providing beds, hot water and meals, often delivered by a familiar face. The university also housed 287 first-responders from Texas, Nebraska, Kansas and Tennessee. -
Mom delivered baby as tornado struck
Shayla Taylor’s second child was moments from birth as an EF-5 tornado bore down on Moore Medical Center on Monday afternoon.
Her labor was too far along to move her to safety with the rest of those in the hospital, her nurses decided. So as her husband, Jerome, and their 4-year-old son, Shaiden, went downstairs with the others, she and four nurses stayed upstairs and braced for the worst. - More Local News Headlines
-
AK-47-wielding thug may be the most bumbling crook ever
Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage
Trout's cycle a boost for Angels
Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
Kim Kardashian Flaunts Pregnant Bikini Body in Greece
NBA star pledges $1M to help tornado recovery
Shakira's Shocking Talent
Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air
GRAPHIC: Blood-Soaked Machete Killer Caught on Tape
Elin Nordegren Furious With Lindsey Vonn For Parading Kids in Public
Camera Captures Climber As He Loses Grip And Falls
Helen Mirren Meets with Dying Boy in Queen Elizabeth's Place
Crowd Chants '¡Si, Se Puede!' After Passage of Immigration Bill
DWTS Crowns a Winner
Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff
Demi Moore a Rocks Bikini at Harry Morton's Family House
Anthony Weiner: I'm running for New York City mayor
Kate Middleton's Dress Flies Up
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
