Focus on Wellness

March is National Nutrition Month®

What better time to make healthy, nutritious changes in your diet than now - after all, it is National Nutrition Month®! 

National Nutrition Month® is a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored annually by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). The theme for this year's National Nutrition Month® is "100% Fad-Free." The campaign is designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits, instead of falling prey to fad diets and misinformation about nutrition.

The ATU encourages you to check out the ADA website for more information on National Nutrition Month®, and to access nutrition fact sheets, healthy eating recipes (including Classic Macaroni and Cheese and Jamaican Jerk Ranch Steaks).  Go to:  http://www.eatright.org/nnm and get started today!

 

3 Exercises to Keep Back Pain Away

Standing or sitting for long periods of the day can take its toll on your legs and lower back.  Take a few minutes before you get up each morning to do these exercises (while you are still in bed) and feel better by tonight!

  1. HIP RAISES - Lying on your back with knees bent, feet flat and heels close to your tush, push your hips toward the ceiling.  Hold a second or two, then return to the bed.  Repeat this 10 times.
  2. HEEL SQUEEZES - Lying on your stomach (prop up on your elbows if this position is uncomfortable), bend your knees and press your heels together as hard as you can.  Repeat this 10 times.
  3. ALTERNATING ARMS & LEGS RAISE
    • OPTION ONE - Lying on your stomach, place your forehead on the back of your left hand.  Extend/reach your right arm above your head as straight as you can.  Keeping your shoulders and hips on the bed, raise your right arm and left leg, pause and lower.  Repeat this 10 times then repeat with the left arm/right leg.
    • OPTION TWO - This exercise can also be done standing.  Face a wall or closed door and place your forehead on the back of your left hand.  Extend your right arm above your head.  Pull your right arm and left leg away from the wall/door, pause and repeat 10 times.  Repeat this with the left arm/right leg.

Work up to 20 repetitions of each of the above and feel the difference by the end of the first week.  Please note that you should stop any exercise that causes any pain or discomfort.

**Recommended exercises are provided to the ATU courtesy of Marsha Mann, a certified medical and conditioning specialist in McLean, Virginia.

 

What's in Your Break Room Vending Machine?

With tight schedules and workdays that typically begin before sun-up, many public transportation employees do not have enough time to prepare and pack a healthy meal or snack to bring to work.  This often means that they must select their meal from the break room vending machine - which offers few, if any, healthy (and tasty) options.

The good news is that many vending machine companies now offer healthy alternatives to the traditional chips, candy bars, frozen pizzas, and donuts offered in most break rooms.  Some alternative include items such as pretzels, veggie crisps, dried fruit, trail mixes, nutrition bars, healthy cereal, veggie snack packs, Lean Cuisine or Weight Watchers frozen entrees, and vegetable soup.

If your break room vending machine doesn't contain these or other healthy options, talk to your local union officers or employer to see what other options your vending machine company has available.

 

Tell Us Your Story!

As part of the ATU's Focus on Wellness campaign, we would like to feature stories about ATU members who have successfully transitioned to a healthier lifestyle.  If you are an ATU member who has recently lost weight or significantly improved your health and wellness in another way, please share your story with us by emailing atuaction@atu.org.

Tell us why you decided to make healthy lifestyle changes, what type of program you followed, what the results were, what worked and what didn't.

Your story may help inspire other ATU members to get healthy as well!