If you are like many of us, you have found that applying the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans in your communties, families, and everyday lives can be challenging. These two important policy documents provide guidance on the importance of being physically active and selecting nutritious foods for living a long and healthy life. However, we know individuals are frequently crunched for time, on a limited budget, or just do not know how to make healthy foods taste yummy. Whatever challenges members of your community face when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, the Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshops can help you teach adults how to be active and make healthy food choices everyday in the places where they live, work, and play.
Based on the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelies for Americans and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, the Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshops are designed for community educators, health promoters, dietitians/nutritionists, cooperative extension agents, and others to teach adults how to put the Guidelines into practice in their everyday lives. This information is creatively packaged in six easy-to-use, interactive workshops. Each workshop contains specific learning objectives, icebreaker activities, talking points, handouts, evaluation forms to gather feedback from participants, and hands-on activities for helping to make lasting lifestyle changes. In addition, the workshop series includes video vignettes, live demonstrations, and a list of helpful resources. The complete Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshop series is made up of the following:
1. Enjoy Healthy Food That Tastes Great
2. Quick, Healthy Meals and Snacks
3. Eating Healthy on a Budget
4. Top Tips for Losing Weight and Keeping It Off
5. Making Healthy Eating Part of Your Total Lifestyle
6. Physical Activity is the Key to Living Well
We know every community and every family is different. That’s why the Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshops and corresponding materials were created to be suitable for all groups of adults, including those who may not have the ability to find, understand, and use basic health information. Developed using health literacy principles, the workshops were pilot tested at ten sites across the U.S., including cooperative extension programs, worksite wellness programs, Head Start, and community groups. After attending the workshops, many participants reported increased physical activity levels and positive behavior changes in their nutrition choices. So no matter where your community is located, the Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshops can help you teach adults how to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyles through regular physical activity and healthy eating.
Download all the workshops, along with an introduction and appendix section, for free at www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines.
How could you use the Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshops in your community?