Sen. Feinstein e-mails on PA!

12-17-09: Check out this e-mail letter from Senator Diane Feinstein on a PA bill I commented on to her:
Dear Dr. Medina:

Thank you for contacting me to express your support for the "Physical Activity Guidelines for America Act of 2009." I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond.

With the growing prevalence of diabetes, obesity and other chronic conditions, I agree that immediate action is needed to address the roots of our nation's increasing obesity rate. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the percentage of young people who are overweight has more than tripled since 1980. Among children and teens aged six to nineteen years, 18 percent (over nine million young people) are considered overweight. Eating and exercise habits formed during childhood can have lifelong effects. Obesity has been shown to cause numerous health problems and can make existing health conditions difficult to treat. I strongly believe that it is important to increase awareness about obesity and educate the public about proper nutrition and the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle.

On October 20, 2009, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced the "Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Act" (S. 1810). This legislation would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to prepare and promote physical activity guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence, which would be updated every five years. These guidelines would be for children, adults, seniors and people with disabilities, and would ensure that all Americans understand how much exercise they should be getting.

Currently, S. 1810 is pending in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. While I am not a member of that Committee, please know that I will keep your comments in mind should this legislation come before the full Senate for consideration.

Again, thank you for contacting me. If you should have any further comments or questions, please feel free to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841. Best regards.

Also, may I take this opportunity to wish you a happy and healthy holiday season. And may 2010 be a good year for us all.

Sincerely yours,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator


Further information about my position on issues of concern to California and the Nation are available at my website http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/. You can also receive electronic e-mail updates by subscribing to my e-mail list at http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ENewsletterSignup.Signup.

Bike-a-thon

12-6-09: The Azure Hills Church sponsored it's annual Christmas is for kids bike-a-thon to benefit kids of the families served by our food bank. Funds raised would go towards gifts for these kids.

Jerry and Beth Bernatos, directors of the food bank, helped to coordinate the event, while Jan Michaelis and Tom Haglund organized and led out in the bike ride itself. There were 3 groups: 50-mile, 25-mile, and a 10-mile Family group (led by yours truly ;-).

It was cold and overcast, but it wasn't raining and the sun did peek out a bit. We rode on the bike path that runs from the mountains all the way to Huntington Beach, so we didn't have to deal with traffic--nice!!!

Check out the pictures and see how fun the ride was!

Newest Tebow Fan!

12-2-09: I like football, but don't spend a lot of time watching it, pro or college. I read about Tim Tebow in a recent Sports Illustrated issue, and was very impressed with what he does OFF the field (eg. mission trips to the Philippines--yeah!!!) more than what he does on the field!

Well I just read another news release about the Florida's Governor's Physical Fitness Council, which Tebow is the co-chair, and this made me even a bigger fan now! Check it out:

"Earlier this month, Governor Crist and council co-chair Tim Tebow invited homeschooled students to participate in the Governor’s Fitness Challenge. In the letter to all homeshooling families, Tebow shares how, as a homeschooler himself, he learned the importance of physical fitness at an early age. Homeschool students and students attending schools that do not participate in the challenge can participate as individuals simply by registering at http://www.healthyfloridians.com/contact.html."

Way to go, Tim! As a homeschooling parent, I applaud his stepping up for homeschoolers and their fitness. I wish CA and other states would do the same! Knowing that he was also homeschooled is another big plus in my book.

Great day for a hike!

11-21-09: This afternoon, the Azure Hills Church's Pathfinder's club did a 5-mile hike in the hills of Loma Linda. This was also Davy's first time to go walking on the dirt roads. He seemed to enjoy it more since there were no big scary cars out there, and ended up walking most of the 5 miles.

It was a gorgeous day for a hike, in the low 60's, clear skies, and great company. There were other dogs out there as well besides Davy and Roxy, so they weren't alone.

The hills of Loma Linda have a great network of fire roads for hikers, runners, mtn. bikers, and horseback riders to enjoy. Thanks to the City of Loma Linda for providing these hills for anyone to use!

Here are some pixs from our hike. Enjoy!

Phyical Activity @ APHA

11-17-09: Finally getting some last pictures up from my conference last week at the APHA. The PA SPIG organized a 5k run/walk to the steps where Rocky ran on Tues. AM, and a water aerobics session on Wed. AM. Here are a few pictures, and click here to see the rest of the pictures.


I took some time off to go visit my childhood home. It's been 34 years since I was last here! After the train, took me 3 miles to walk here from the train station, so got more PA in that day. Even met some neighbors who remember my family, and one even remember my name before I could say what it was! Great blast to the past....
Hanging out with Rocky and Robin...
This is where Sly stood!!!

Wii good for exercise

11-16-09: Check out this story on the Wii and exercise, from the Amer. Heart Assoc. annual meeting in Orlando: http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5AF3AR20091116

Point for youth sports!

11-16-09: Check out this study on the benefits of youth sports and metabolic syndrome in adulthood: http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v33/n11/abs/ijo2009171a.html

APHA Day 2, Mon

11-9-09: Presentation day! The day finally arrived. Our topic was on the use of exergaming in our pediatric obesity program called Family Fit Zone. I also covered some of the challenges encountered so far with utilizing exergaming, and some possible solutions. Robin gave an update on the latest research. Even though she was so wired, hyped, and tired after not sleeping a wink the entire night, she did fine! 

The other two presentations showed very innovative technologies being developed. Dr. Carol Boushey (Purdue University) presented work on their automated food assessment software for pictures taken with a cell phone while Dr. Stephen Intille (MIT) presented work on mobile phones and sensors to identify physical activity type in real time. 

I can see how these technologies can be incorporated into a cool game!

The rest of the day was a blur, ending in our Physical Activity Special Interest Group's social. 

And so ended Day 2!

 

APHA, Day 1

11-9-09: Sunday, the first day of the American Public Health Assoc. annual meeting, where over 10,400 people from all over the world have come. We're here in Philadelphia, the city of many firsts.

The business meeting of the newly formed Physical Activity Special Interest Group. They have planned a number of events and sessions--stay tuned! This fine group is led by Dr. Steven Hooker (seated). If you're into physical activity, you need to be a part of the PA SPIG!!!

Got to hear the recently confirmed US Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin. She has quite a background!

I watched her grandfather's underwater shows on National Geographic growing up. Never thought I'd get to hear his granddaughter speak, Celine Cousteau.

Couldn't believe she was nice enough to talk with us. She gave me advice on how to help Summer like diving in the live ocean with real fish. Very friendly and down-to-earth!

Got luck and saw the US Surgeon General in the hallway so got a picture with her.

HHS's new PA blog!

Just rec'd this in my e-mail...check it out!

Introducing the Be Active Your Way Blog

New Physical Activity Blog – Today HHS launched the new

Be Active Your Way Blog.

What is it? We designed the Blog to stimulate dialog among professionals who encourage Americans to get the physical activity they need according to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. We’ve done this by asking several Supporter organizations to serve as Blog Contributors.

Where can I find the Be Active Your Way Blog? Visit us at

www.health.gov/paguidelines/blog/ .

How can you use the Blog to promote and increase physical activity?

· Visit the Blog each week to learn from and share with colleagues about how to encourage Americans to get the amount of physical activity they need. Look for this icon to subscribe to our blog RSS feeds .

· Comment on Blog posts written by your colleagues who represent leadership organizations in the field of physical activity. Share your experiences and opinions. Learn from others.

When are new blog posts available? We post a new blog post each week on Wednesdays.

Who can participate? Anyone interested in the conversation can participate! We do encourage Supporters and other professionals who work in the field of physical activity to share lessons learned in the comments.

Please Share this Notice with Your Colleagues!

Sponsor: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion sponsors the Be Active Your Way Blog.

UCLA Tech & Aging Conf.

10-30-09: Had the privilege of being part of a panel, speaking on exergaming, games for health, and seniors at this conf., held at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. The theme was "Living Longer and Better Through Technology" so the topic of exergaming fit right in!

Besides presenting, had the chance to network with other folks interested in gerontology and hopefully, will be collaborating with some of these researchers in the near future on exergaming studies in seniors, since there is hardly any research in this area.

Fitbit has arrived!

1-29-09: It's finally here! Thx to one of the founders, Eric, I was able to get my Fitbit before leaving for the APHA conference next week. I've had it for a couple of days now, so here are some pictures of it.

The Fitbit (www.fitbit.com) is a type of accelorometer that measure my steps, how far I've walked, and how many calories I've burned. It download's the data wireless and automatically to the receiver attached to my PC via USB and uploads my data to my account online. There I can see my progress, data, graphs, goals, etc. I can also log my eating there so I can see calorie balance info and weight loss goals.

Had a bit of a challenge getting the receiver set up on both my computer here at work (network issues) and my iMac at home, but I did get it to communicate and sync up on Keri's Dell laptop. But I wanted to use it at work and upload my data while I'm here, and also show it to patients, so thanks to our clinic's IT, I was able to get the proxy and port info so now it's working fine!

Will have more info on what it's tracking, the website, and how it's going. Initial comparison tests with my Yamax pedometer is very good. Both reading about the same.

Check out the pictures! And maybe someday, this may be a device that is part of a online video game so that your real-life phyiscal activity can be credited in the game, say like...oh, that's top secret and in development! LOL!

Support PA Federal Guidelines!

10-21-09: Take Action: Support Federal Physical Activity Guidelines Please Support Physical Activity Guidelines Take Action!

Important to Pass S 1810 and HR 3851

Please act now to support the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Act (H.R. 3851 and S. 1810), which has just been filed in Congress. This bill would establish federal physical activity guidelines on a five-year cycle, like the nutrition guidelines.

You can send a message to your Senators and Representative, asking them to support and cosponsor H.R. 3851 and S. 1810. Then, please ask your friends and colleagues to do the same. Regularly updated guidelines would do much to improve the health of all Americans.

click HERE to go to the website to take action now!

Westside Steppers Wins $10,000!

10-20-09: Check out this news release on the Westside Stepper's big win! Congrats to them all!

GOVERNOR’S COUNCIL SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON
THE WESTSIDE STEPPERS DRILL TEAM & DRUM SQUAD
AS PARKS AND RECREATION PROGRAM OF THE YEAR

During the Council meeting of Monday, September 21, 2009, Kenney Rogers, Executive Director of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports will represent the gold medal Spotlight Award along with a $10,000 check to the City of San Bernardino Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department for the Westside Stepper Drill Team and Drum Squad. The award recognizes the Parks & Recreation Program of the Year to acknowledge and further promote and support the program physical activity and efforts to positively impact community youth.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009, during the awards ceremony in Sacramento, CA, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Council Chairman Jake Steinfeld presented Glenda Martin-Robinson, Community Recreation Manager and McKennzie Locklin, team member gold medals for the 2009 Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Spotlight Awards for the Westside Steppers Drill Team and Drum Squad program for Parks and Recreation Program of the Year on behalf of the City of San Bernardino Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.

The Spotlight Awards recognize the efforts of individuals, organizations and events that positively impact the physical activity, fitness levels and well being of California children. The Westside Stepper Drill Team and Drum Squad program has been providing physical activity and positive experience for community youth since September 1, 1991.

Dad on GlideTrak

10-12-09: Check out how my dad, a post-stroke (right side), is walking on the GlideTrak. Hasn't walked like that in years! (Note that the seat is supposed to be a bit higher to let him have a fuller leg extension, but we didn't have time to do all the fine adjustments.)

A 7-seater bike!

10-10-09: Check this bike out! It's called the Cobi bike and seats 7 people! Independant pedaling so you can pedal as slow or fast as you want. Now that's exercising together in a fun way! This was at the Redlands Adventist Academy Home & School Fair.

Be Active Directory PSA!

Free Resource Directory Empowers Local Residents to Eat Healthy and Be Active

Network for a Healthy California—Desert Sierra Region Helps Residents Make Health a Priority Even in Tough Economic Times  

San Bernardino, Riverside, and Inyo Counties, September 16, 2009 - The Network for a Healthy California—Desert Sierra Region (Network) released its new and improved Be Active Resource Directory to empower community members to be active every day, even on a budget. The Resource Directory not only includes free & low cost physical activity opportunities but also provides valuable nutrition & health assistance resources to encourage San Bernardino, Riverside and Inyo County residents to take steps to improve their health. “The Directory is a great resource for families and individuals who are struggling to stay healthy on a limited budget. It includes free walking clubs, trails and certified farmer’s market locations. I encourage everyone to use the Directory, share it with their family, friends, and co-workers, and make healthy lifestyle changes together,” says Pamela Sampson, RD, Physical Activity Coordinator, Network for a Healthy California—Desert Sierra Region.

The Directory is a valuable tool for families to find activities that are free or reasonably priced; for professionals in promoting affordable referrals for their clients; and the community at large who are dedicated to promoting a healthy lifestyle for adults, children and youth. It includes locations for indoor and outdoor recreation and instruction for activities such as hiking, skating, swimming, dancing, equestrian, martial arts, and more. It provides contact information for a variety of nutrition and health services, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program, nutrition and physical activity education materials, classes for seniors, and free mammograms and pap smears for those who qualify. Download the Be Active Resource Directory for FREE at http://www.sbcounty.gov/eatwell in the Things You Can Use section.

Eating fruits and vegetables and getting regular physical activity improves overall health and reduces the risk of many health problems, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer.  There are many fun ways to get physically active and eat healthy at little or no cost:

·         Walk, bike, or jog with a friend or family member after dinner

·         Plant a fruit and vegetable garden and eat what you grow

·         Play with your kids- tag, jump rope, and hide and seek

·         Purchase fruits and vegetables in season or on sale

·         Dance to your favorite music

·         Use the stairs instead of the elevator

·         Get on and off the bus a couple of blocks away from your work

·         Walk the farmer’s market for fresh fruits & vegetables

The Resource Directory is one of many ways the San Bernardino County Department of Public

Health Nutrition Program, the Riverside County Department of Public Health Nutrition Services and the Network have joined forces to empower low-income Californians to be Champions for Change and make health a priority by eating more fruits and vegetables and being physically active every day.  To learn more about the Network, how to become a Champion for Change and how food stamps can increase your food budget, visit www.cachampionsforchange.net.

For more information, or to inquire how you can have your resource listed in the Be Active Resource Directory, please contact Pamela Sampson, RD, Physical Activity Coordinator, Network for a Healthy California—Desert Sierra Region, San Bernardino County DPH-Nutrition, 909-387-9144 or psampson@dph.sbcounty.gov.

PA Helps Elderly

9-15-09: Rec'd this article on how physical activity helps the elderly! Adds further evidence to what we've seen from the "Blue Zone" research and book.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Geriatrics/GeneralGeriatrics/15949

Fitbit's algorithms explained

9-11-09: Still waiting for my Fitbit to arrive but in the meantime, rec'd a link to their blog on how the algorithms were computed for it. If you're interested, check it out here.

Screening needed before starting exercise program?

Interesting article on how we may not need to screen everyone before starting them on an exercise program. 


No Need for Routine Screening Before Starting Exercise Regimen, Says Study
Reuters Health Information , 2009-08-13

Post: Exercise Alone Shown to Improve Insulin Sensitivity in Obese Sedentary Adolescents

Here's an article that connects exercise to decreasing insulin resistance:

Post: Exercise Alone Shown to Improve Insulin Sensitivity in Obese Sedentary Adolescents
Link: http://nutnewstoday.blogspot.com/2009/09/exercise-alone-shown-to-improve-insulin.html

ACSM Guidelines and Tools for PA

The American College of Sports Medicine has a nice web page with guidelines, tools, and resources for those promoting PA. Check it out here!

National Physical Activity Plan

The federal government is getting serious about prevention, and PA in particular. Check out this national plan and see how you can get involved!

National Physical Activity Plan

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Four Lifestyle Factors Prevent Cancer, Diabetes, and CVD

Just picked this article up from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Check out what those 4 lifestyle factors are. I'm sure you can guess at least ONE of them! ;-) Do you have all 4??? Ernie

Four Lifestyle Factors Prevent Cancer, Diabetes, and CVD

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Flexibility Training for Runners - from Fraser's Blog

This is why the TRX is my favorite piece of workout equipment. You can do strength AND flexibility exercsies on it! Out of all the exercise equipment I've seen and purchased, this is the one I recommend to patients if they have to get one thing. Best value and very compact, too!

Flexibility Training for Runners - Fraser's Blog

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Journal for Physical Activity & Health

Want to keep up with the latest research on physical activity and health? Then subscribe to this journal, just for us PAEs! It cost $85 for an individual subscription; $64 for students. For more info or to subscribe, go to Human Kinetics.

MSN Health & Fitness on Time's "Exer is Waste" article--exellent response!

Thanks to Pam Sampson for leading me to this MSN Health & Fitness report by David Zinczenko. It gives a very easy to read yet thorough response to the Time artcile (see entry below). Be sure to read this and pass it on!

National Society of PA Practitioners in Public Health

I just recently learned of, and joined, the NSPAPPH, and I highly recommend that all PA Evangelists join them, especially since it's a FREE membership right now! See how you can be involved with other PA Evangelists around the world. Click here for more info.

Time Mag's error on exercise!

The Aug. 17 issue of Time Magazine had a cover story on exercise and how it doesn't help you lose weight.

Then read the American College of Sports Medicine reply to this article.

See what even some of the researchers who were quoted in the Time piece say! I ended my subscription to Time in protest, given the situation our healthcare situation is in, and the importance on how exercise can be one of the most powerful medicines to fix things!

For more about the benefits of exercise, go to the website, Exercise is Medicine, and see how we need to get those other 49% of Americans meeting the minimum recommended amount of physical activity ASAP!!!

Glidecycle: newest invention for walking/running!

Welcome to this new blog for those who promote physical activity. I will be posting things that deal with physical activity in general here, so stay tuned!

For my first post, I want to write about a new company that just opened up earlier this year with an invention that allows those who can't walk or run, to do so! Whether they are an amputee, stroke pt, have bad knees or sore back, or are just overweight and it's hard to walk, much less run, well this device will allow all these types of folks to walk or run again!

Here's a picture of Bill, posing with the GlideCycle at a disability expo. Thx for the picture, Bill!

Check it out here at their website and you can see a lot of video clips of the Glidecycle in action:

http://www.glidecycle.com/

I'm looking forward to demo'ing it very soon, and will post pictures and video of those sessions. I know, it looks "different" than what we've ever seen before, but from what I've read and seen on their website, it works! (When the bicycle first came out, everyone thought that was the most strangest device ever!)