In the news

Community Benefit: First ‘Dance Your Health Out’ Event
Published: 4/19/2011 1400


Cher-Ron Truitt was one of many women who had her blood pressure checked at Christiana Care’s first ever Dance Your Health Out event.

Christiana Care recently hosted women from across New Castle County for an evening designed to inspire attendees to take action to improve their health through exercise and smart nutrition choices.

By uniquely combining dance, fun and education, the first ever Dance Your Health Out event held at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wilmington provided free Zumba instruction, healthy food prep demonstrations and health screenings to more than 200 women.

Attendees took part in a 50-minute Zumba workout led by local instructor Davi Mozie that had them dancing, clapping and moving to the music. Zumba combines Latin and International rhythms with a fun, aerobics-style workout. The group included women of all ages – from teenagers to a woman in her nineties – with varying movement abilities, including “newbies” and skilled dancers.

Christiana Care employee Cindy Noble was one of the more experienced dancers in attendance, having lost 47 pounds in the past year thanks to Zumba and an improved diet. She was impressed by the number of first-time participants at Dance Your Health Out.

“Every time I would turn around just to see what was going on in the room, I was amazed at the volume of people who were there dancing and into it,” noted Noble. “People kept coming onto the floor and they weren’t intimidated.”

“I think the group was exceptionally energetic,” commented Mozie. “When we got started I really didn't think they would be able to last. We ended up going ten minutes longer than we had planned because the group just didn't want to stop. It was great.”

Others took advantage of the free health screenings available throughout the evening. Staff from Christiana Care’s Imaging Services and Center for Heart & Vascular Health assessed attendees’ risk for bone and heart disease, while members of Christiana Care’s Department of Family & Community Medicine calculated body mass index and provided body fat analyses.

Following Zumba, Jenn Barr, with Christiana Care’s Center for Community Health, conducted a healthy cooking demonstration. Attendees sampled low-calorie dinner options provided by local caterer Food for Thought and learned about the importance of nutrition in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

A post-event survey of attendees offered telling insight about the effectiveness of the inaugural event. More than 97 percent of respondents said they were motivated to eat healthier and increase their physical activity.

The event was a collaboration of several departments within Christiana Care, including Women’s Health Services; the Center for Heart & Vascular Health; Family & Community Medicine, Center for Community Health; Food and Nutrition Services; Imaging Services; Preventive Medicine & Rehabilitation Institute’s Food & Nutrition Services; Employee Health; and Volunteer Services.

How to for Parents to Get Their Kids to Eat Health with the Dietitian

“YOU WANT ME TO EAT THAT?”


Downingtown Library and
Downingtown Nutrition & Weight Management Center
have partnered to offer a nutrition and healthy eating program for parents. The workshop, taught by a registered dietitian, will offer tips on getting your child (and maybe you too!) to eat healthy.


Thursday, May 26th from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Downingtown Library, 2nd Floor Multi-purpose Room
330 E. Lancaster Ave, Downingtown



To register, call 610-269-2741 or go to http://www.ccls.org

Summer is around the corner

Yesterday was a beautiful day! Although it was a fun way to play outside and get some exercise, it reminded me bathing suit season is quickly approaching. I've been working hard exercising and eating balanced, but obviously I haven't been perfect (especially since I just discovered chocolate pretzel M&M's). Lately, I feel like all the moving and healthy eating I'm doing is just making up for my sweet tooth! I work hard to create the calorie deficit, but I'm using it for evil. Yesterday I made "healthy" brownies with my girls, pureed prunes was swapped for the oil, Truvia for the sugar, flax seed and water for the eggs, whole grain flour for the white flour and ovaltine for the chocolate. It actually isn't bad and tastes okay. Luckily, it's a treat for the girls they can shape like Easter eggs and I'm not going to drool over it all week. In the meantime, I have to avoid the candy check out and just keep it out of my house. I did have a small gain of victory last night. I was faced with homemade coconut and butter creme eggs in pastel foils, but I said no, but almost said yes. Easter is hard, all those peanut butter smidgens, malted eggs, Cadbury eggs, Peeps, and coconut chocolate. It's like heaven for chocolate lovers. But my desire to feel good and look good are more important than a few sweets in my mouth. YOU CAN DO IT TOO. Enlist a friend, neighbor, co-worker, partner, or family member. Get a walking/workout buddy. Misery loves company. Just kidding but it does make you go everyday if you know someone is doing it with you. Then that can be your go out buddy and you can make good choices together. If you are going out, check out the new apps for your phone. Look at the calories at the menu and make a decision BEFORE you go. Opt for 400 calorie meals or less. YOU CAN DO IT!

Losing weight is hard

Even dietitians wish there was a magic bullet to lose weight quickly. I see so many tempting fad diets, (mostly for the advertised quick weight loss), such as the hormone diet, no or very low carbohydrate diet, grapefruit diet, diet pills, and on and on the list goes. The truth about these diets may be that they lose weight quickly, but mostly because you are decreasing your caloric intake or dropping water loss. These diets are not a way of life. Finding a meal plan that you can have many choices, dine out at restaurants, visit friends dinner parties, eat dessert and attend sporting events is important. Life is about living and food is tucked in every moment of life. We bring food to some one's house, when someone has a baby, eat cake at weddings, and eat at funerals. From womb to tomb we EAT!

It has been a difficult few weeks trying to maintain my weight. Planning out what I'm having for the week, with a little room to go out if needed, and planning my exercise (fun things too...swimming, dancing, group programs with friends) has really helped. It's also motivating to talk to other people who struggle with the battle of the bulge. Reminding myself that summer is around the corner also helps!

In short, there is no easy way to fast weight loss. Slow and steady will win the race to a healthy weight and longer, happier life. Keep on moving everyone. Sunday is suppose to be great and the Muzzy 5k is this weekend. Come out and join me Sunday, April 10, 2011 to burn a few hundred calories and enjoy a beautiful day on the Strubel Trail. For details on the Muzzy run go to http://www.chescocf.org/funds/fund%20purpose/muzzyterryfoundation_purpose.htm.