Week-Long Activities Promote Small Steps to Healthy Living The YMCA and the America On the Move Foundation, a national nonprofit dedicated to improving health and quality of life, are working together to encourage individuals to take small steps to achieve and maintain healthier lifestyles. During America On the Move Week with the YMCA, families and individuals can participate in various activities that promote moving more and making smarter food choices. Each day, participants can count their “steps” taken while engaging in any form of physical activity, such as swimming, biking and dancing, and other group or family activities that promote well-being, such as eating together as a family.
“The Treasure Valley Family YMCA hopes to inspire the community to take simple steps to achieve lasting healthy changes in their lives,” says Jim Everett, CEO of the Treasure Valley Family YMCA. “America On the Move Week with the YMCA provides individuals and families with tools to make healthier choices at home, work, school and throughout the community.”
According to research by the America On the Move Foundation, making two small daily changes – taking 2,000 more steps (the equivalent of about a mile) and eating 100 fewer calories – can prevent the average annual weight gain of one to two pounds. This year, the goal is to reach 10 billion steps across the country during this designated week.
“Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is critical to the nation’s efforts to combat the crisis of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes – the leading causes of death in the United States,” says Everett.
America On the Move Week with the YMCA will provide individuals and families with tips and strategies that make it easier to begin moving more and making smarter food choices.
During this week, participants of all ages can choose to participate in a variety of ways:
1. Log on to http://www.americaonthemove.org and sign up to join the Activate Treasure Valley group. Track your steps and your calories. The America on the Move site offers daily tips and educational material throughout the year.
2. Log on to http://www.ymcatvidaho.org for free tools and materials to help youth and adults choose healthy lifestyles, including an activity conversion chart to help you track your steps.
3. Participate in a free “Wellness for Life” session at your local YMCA. Sponsored by Regence Blue Shield of Idaho, this program is designed specifically for each individual. The program incorporates multiple resources covering several wellness topics and helps youth and adults to begin or continue their journey towards making wellness a priority in their lives. Appointments must be made in advance. To schedule an appointment or for more information, contact one of the following:
Downtown branch: Kimberly Justus / 344-5502, ext. 236 / kimberly.justus@ymcatvidaho.org
West Y-City branch: Christine Border / 377-4886, ext. 433 / christine.border@ymcatvidaho.org
Homecourt branch: Michelle Houde / 855-5711 / michelle.houde@ymcatvidaho.org
Caldwell branch: Matt Barclay / 459-2498, ext. 660 / matt.barclay@ymcatvidaho.org
Not near a YMCA facility? We will come to you! Contact: Kimberly Justus / 344-5502, ext. 236/ kimberly.justus@ymcatvidaho.org
America On the Move Week with the YMCA is a partnership between the YMCA and the America On the Move Foundation. America On the Move is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving health and quality of life by promoting healthy eating and active living for individuals, families, communities and society. PepsiCo is supporting this effort as a national supporter of YMCA Activate America and the National Presenting Partner of America On the Move Week with the YMCA. Regence Blue Shield of Idaho is supporting this effort in the Treasure Valley.
The Treasure Valley Family YMCA is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that welcomes all people and provides an atmosphere to enrich spirit, mind and body. With over 52,000 members across the Treasure Valley, we also serve over 37,000 children every year with our services and programs. In 2008, we provided $4.5 million in financial assistance and scholarships so that no one is turned away from a YMCA program or service due to inability to pay. We are dedicated to the values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. We build strong kids, strong families, strong communities.
America On the Move Foundation (AOM) is the leading non-profit organization fighting the obesity epidemic by providing consumer-focused solutions for individuals, families, organizations, and communities. Through its programs and outreach, AOM initiates and maintains meaningful and measurable individual, social, and environmental behavior changes that support healthy eating and active living habits in our society. AOM’s science-based programs provide the support and tools that help individuals of all ages manage weight effectively through energy balance. All programs are available at http://www.americaonthemove.org/.
Regence BlueShield of Idaho is a leading health plan in Idaho with more than 210,000 members, offering health, life and dental insurance. Regence is the largest health insurer in the Northwest/Intermountain Region, serving more than 2.5 million members as Regence BlueShield of Idaho, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah and Regence BlueShield (in selected counties in Washington). Each plan is a nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Regence is committed to improving the health of our members and our communities and to transforming our health care system. For more information, please visit www.regence.com or www.twitter.com/RegenceIdaho.
PepsiCo offers the world’s largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 18 different product lines that each generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade – also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in over 200 countries. With more than $43 billion in 2008 revenues, PepsiCo employs 198,000 people who are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.
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