Your Monthly Check-Up: March toward Good Health during National Nutrition Month®

Alright, so there might be only a few days left of March, but it’s not too late to get the most out of National Nutrition Month®! When it comes to your overall health and well being, it’s never too late to start adopting better eating habits and a solid exercise routine – both for yourself and your loved ones. 

National Nutrition Month® is a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association). It began in March 1973 as “National Nutrition Week” but became a month long observance by 1980 due to growing public interest in nutrition. 

With more than 70,000 members, the Academy is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. Its mission is to promote optimal nutrition and well being for all people by advocating for its members. The majority of the Academy’s members are registered dietitian nutritionists and dietetic technicians. 

National Nutrition Month focuses attention on the importance of making smart food choices and developing solid eating and exercise habits. This year’s theme, “Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle,” encourages everyone to adopt eating and physical activity plans that are focused on consuming fewer calories, making informed food choices and getting daily exercise in order to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of chronic disease and promote overall health. 

The Academy provides a number of resources for people looking to get on or stay on the path toward good health. For example, the Good Nutrition Reading List includes publications from both the Academy and otherwise collected into the following categories: 

• Children and teens
• Diabetes
• Food Sensitivities
• Nutrition and lifestyle
• Pregnant and breastfeeding
• Special needs
• Sports nutrition

Another resource is MyPlate, a tool of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). According to the MyPlate website, the MyPlate symbol is an “easy-to-understand visual cue to help consumers adopt healthy eating habits consistent with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.” (The USDA replaced MyPyramid with MyPlate in June 2011. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans is in development.) According to the Academy,

MyPlate provides practical information to individuals, health professionals, nutrition educators and the food industry to help consumers build healthier diets with resources and tools for dietary assessment, nutrition education and other user-friendly nutrition information. The online resources and tools can empower people to make healthier food choices for themselves, their families and their children.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans focus on balancing calories with physical activity and encourage Americans to consume more healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy products and seafood, and to consume less sodium, saturated and trans fats, added sugars and refined grains.

The Academy offers a few rules of thumb to help consumers work some of these Dietary Guidelines into their daily lives: 

• Enjoy your food, but eat less
• Avoid oversized portions
• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1-percent) milk
• Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread and frozen meals and choose the foods with lower numbers
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks 

Ready to take your nutrition and exercise goals a step further? Check out the SuperTracker, an interactive tool via the MyPlate site that can help you plan, analyze and track your diet and physical activity. Gain insight on how much you should be eating, track your foods, physical activities and weight and personalize with goal setting, virtual coaching and journaling. 

Wellness is an important part of life at Hinda, which is why we dedicate at least one post per month to wellness news and trending topics. No matter where you are in your health and fitness journey, there’s no better time than National Nutrition Month to take a step back and review your goals, analyze your results and make whatever tweaks you can in order to achieve optimal health and overall well being. 

Merchandise Monday: Get Fit!

Spring starts in three weeks – although it doesn’t feel like it – and there’s no better time than now to start getting in shape for the warmer months! As always, Hinda has everything you need to shape up and feel good about yourself, from clothing to equipment to DVDs and more. This article represents just a small sample of all of the great workout gear we have available in our assortment!

adidas® Climalite 3-Stripes Half-Zip Men's Training Top

Stay cool and dry while you train with the Climalite pullover, featuring lightweight knit fabric with mesh insets, bonded front zipper, elastic finish at cuffs, side panel articulation and puremotion® stretch. Stay comfortable while you work up a sweat!

Garmin® vivosmart™ Fitness Bracelet

vívosmart™ displays distance, steps, calories and time of day and vibrates when you get an alert, such as an email or if you've been sedentary for an hour and automatically syncs your data to Garmin® Connect™ when you use the free app on your compatible Bluetooth® device.

Huffy® Bicycle Tool Saddle Bag

This saddle bag is easy to install and includes everything you need for repairs on the road – a complete tire repair kit, set of three resin tire levers, 6-15mm bone wrench, crank arm extractor and a ring wrench. Also features an additional zippered storage pocket for convenience.

Huffy® Floor Pump/Compact Hand Pump Combo

The Floor Pump/Compact Hand Pump Combo is portable, lightweight and can be used with Presta and Schrader valves to inflate sports equipment. Its sturdy construction features an integrated valve cap to improve function and easy to follow instructions with integrated 160 PSI dial gauge.

SmartWorks Yoga Blocks – Set of 2

These blocks provide stability and balance, aiding you in deep yoga poses and alignment while increasing strength. They’re also light enough to take anywhere you go. Durable high density foam can be used on any surface.

Wilson® "Cast Away" Volleyball

This replica of "Wilson" from the movie "Cast Away" features a polyurethane cover and 18-panel machine-sewn construction. Painted handprint "Wilson" face decorates the outside of the ball – you might not want to play with him!

Wilson® US Open Racket

The US Open tennis racket features Arc 2 Technology, fused graphite construction, double hold technology creating more power, a 16 x19 string pattern and measures 27” L x 103” head size with a standard 4.4” grip.

Your Monthly Check-Up: Do You Know Your Blood Pressure?

February is American Heart Month – perfect timing as we just celebrated Valentine’s Day – and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is asking, “Do you know your blood pressure?”  According to its website, “The CDC and Million Hearts^® – a national effort to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes in the United States by 2017 – are encouraging Americans to know their blood pressure, and if it's high, to make control their goal.”

Uncontrolled high blood pressure is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke. In fact, more than 67 million Americans have high blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are four times more likely to die from a stroke and three times more likely to die from heart disease, compared to those with normal blood pressure.

High blood pressure often shows no signs or symptoms, which is why having your blood pressure checked regularly is important. It's easy to get your blood pressure checked. You can get screened at your doctor's office and drugstores or even check it yourself at home using a home blood pressure monitor.

If you already know you have high blood pressure, the CDC lists some steps you can take to get it under control:

• Find out from your doctor what your blood pressure should be
• Take your blood pressure medication as directed
• Quit smoking, and if you don’t smoke, don’t start
• Reduce your sodium intake

It’s important to note that, “While heart disease doesn't discriminate, your gender, race, ethnicity and where you live can increase your risk,” according to the CDC. “African American men are at the highest risk for heart disease. About two in five African Americans have high blood pressure, but only half have it under control.” 

The CDC points to a recent article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that shows that

Americans aged 30 to 74 who live the Southeast—specifically, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia—are at higher risk of developing heart disease over the next 10 years than people who live in other parts of the country. Many of these states have a large African American population.

Visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/features/heartmonth/ for information about high blood pressure and resources for helping you or your loved ones get under control and keep stay there. You’ll also find information about smoking cessation, healthy eating and sodium reduction right on the web page.

Wellness is an important part of life at Hinda, which is why we dedicate at least one post per month to wellness news and trending topics. Will you pledge to make control your goal?

Merchandise Monday: A New You for the New Year!

It's the last Merchandise Monday of 2014 and we'd like to leave you with a few items to assist with your New Year's resolutions! This is actually a repost from earlier this year, but it included some great items and, as always, we've got plenty more to add come January 1!

Whether your goal is to lose weight, get in shape, eat healthier, save money or spend more time with your family, Hinda's ever-growing assortment of merchandise has everything you need to turn your resolutions into lifelong habits.

So enjoy the last few days of 2014 and we'll see you in the New Year!

Your Monthly Check-Up: Throwback Thursday

Since we're elbows-deep in the holiday season, we thought we'd repost this gem from last year - "Tips for Staying on Track During the Holidays." We all have a tendency to overindulge this time of year. Here are some great tricks to help you stick to good habits, avoid gaining holiday pounds and steer clear of the food coma while still enjoying all that the season has to offer!

Merchandise Monday: Keep the Cold Out!

The official start of winter is merely a week away and there’s no better time to start working on those winter projects and hobbies that will help warm you up and keep the cold where it belongs – outside! Hinda’s got everything you need to do just that. Whether you prefer to snuggle on the couch or spring into activity our assortment of items to keep out the cold is sure to please everyone in your household this winter!

Anchor Bay Entertainment Bob Harper: Beginner's Weight Loss DVD

Warm up with a great workout - drop pounds and renovate your body to its best form. Push yourself and punch-up your heart rate to annihilate calories, attack fat and reconstruct your body completely with this beginner’s DVD.

GLD Products® Mainstreet Classics Micro Bag Toss Game

Don’t let the cold keep you from playing your favorite outdoor party game – with the Micro Bag Toss you can play inside or out! It features two portable boards with carrying handles and eight micro bags. Stir up some friendly competition year round!

KidKraft® Play Teepee

It might be too cold for camping, but your kids will have fun pretending with this teepee. These toys stand at over 3.5’ H and were built to last. Mesh window allows parents to look in and kids to look out. Quick assembly – just a few easy steps and you’re ready!

The North Face® Thermoball™ Full Zip Jacket

Designed to imitate down, Thermoball™ is constructed with low-weight, high-loft clusters that retain heat even when wet. Just as compressible as down, Thermoball insulation provides phenomenal warmth in cold and wet conditions.

Waring Pro® Belgian Waffle Maker

Nothing warms the soul and starts your day off right like a hot, hearty breakfast. Professional quality lets you create extra-deep, 1” restaurant-style waffles that are crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. Delicious!

Yankee Candle®Perfect Pillar Candle – Sparkling Cinnamon

There’s something about the smell of cinnamon and other spices that warms you right up! This slim, contemporary style fits easily with pillar holders and candle accessories. It is made with a smooth wax blend, has a wider flame for quicker fragrance release and burns up to 95 hours.