(ARA) – Hunger is a growing problem globally and the United States is not immune. Nearly 12 million American children have limited access to the nutritious foods they need to learn and live active, healthy lives.

Hunger impairs children’s health in significant and long-lasting ways by impeding growth and development, contributing to poorer mental health and playing a part in a child’s greater susceptibility to obesity.

On the other hand, the World Health Organization has reported that there are 1.6 billion overweight people in the world.

The rise in both obesity and those without enough resources for nutritious meals is creating plenty of areas of need. Here are some ways you can make a healthy investment in yourself and neighbors in need.

1. Volunteer

There are resources available to help locate volunteer opportunities all over the country – such as with Operation Frontline; a program from Share Our Strength that connects families with food by teaching them how to prepare healthy, tasty meals on a budget. You can find a volunteer opportunity near you by visiting www.strength.org.

2. Make a donation.

There are many great programs focused on long-term strategies to end childhood hunger – the difference between feeding a family tonight and helping to ensure that a family never again has to worry about where the next meal will come from. You may not think a dollar goes far, but by investing in the right organization, it can go further than you might imagine. For example, as little as $35 can help feed a child three meals a day for more than a month, according to Share our Strength. For less then the cost of a nice meal out, you can help a child forget about his hunger, and focus on just being a kid.

3. Get involved.

The national Lose for Good campaign from Weight Watchers focuses on both achieving better health and fighting hunger at the local, national and global level. For the Lose for Good campaign, as members lose weight between Aug. 30 and Sept. 17, Weight Watchers will donate up to $1 million to help feed children and families in need. Losing as little as 10 percent of your body weight can bring rewards like lowered cholesterol and reduced blood pressure.

In addition, food drives are being organized in Weight Watchers meeting locations across the country, allowing members to donate food in their communities to spread the good even further. Last year, as part of the Lose for Good campaign, 4 million pounds were lost by members and online subscribers and Weight Watchers donated $1 million to Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger. Also, 1.5 million pounds of food was collected and donated to local food banks.

“Its well known that obesity has an impact on a variety of health conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer,” says David Kirchhoff, president and CEO of Weight Watchers International, Inc. “At the same time, so many people in our country and abroad are struggling to get enough to eat. Now more than ever, we all need to take action – for our own health as well as the health of our families, friends and neighbors.”

As the leading organization working to end childhood hunger in America, Share Our Strength works to surround children with healthy nutritious food. “Children in America are hungry not because they lack food,” says Bill Shore, co-founder and executive director, “but because of a lack of access to programs that can help.”

To find a local Weight Watchers meeting near you, or learn more about Lose for Good, visit loseforgood.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans released by HHS states that adults can gain substantial health benefits from physical activity by doing two hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity coupled with strength training activities. A review by the American College of Sports Medicine states that a greater level of activity is needed to prevent weight gain, produce weight loss, or maintain a weight loss. Maintenance of a weight loss takes the most activity — 250 minutes a week. Starting slow and maintaining motivation are key to staying active for the long term. A great way to get started is to join a walking team and set a goal such as walking a 5K. The camaraderie and team spirit will help you stay motivated and keep you on track.

To boost your weight-loss efforts, Weight Watchers has engaged the Active Network, a leading online community that promotes exercise, to help encourage the importance of physical activity and support efforts to get more active. Active.com trainer Jenny Hadfield suggests the following tips to start moving more:

Go for the goal
Whether it’s to walk in a 5K, or simply set up a course in the neighborhood to walk with friends, set a tangible goal. Write that goal on paper and mark a date to reach it to stay accountable. Keep in mind that trainers estimate it takes an average of three weeks to form a new habit and eight weeks to prepare for a 5K (3.1 miles).

Evolution versus revolution
Evolve into a fitness routine; don’t give your body a reason to revolt. Start where you are instead of where you want to be to prevent injury or burn out. To determine your level of activity, get a pedometer and see how many steps you take in a day. Each week, try to increase the number of steps by 500 to 1,000 with a long-term goal of walking 10,000 steps per day.

Switch to manual
Bypassing everyday conveniences can help a person move more. Take the stairs. Climb the escalator. Keep your car parked at a large strip mall and trek from store to store. Walk to your coworker’s office instead of calling or e-mailing them. These small changes can add up to big results.

Get fit with friends and family
Gather a group of friends and set a time to walk or run each week. The commitment provides a built-in source of accountability and can make it more fun. Make activity a family event as well, by adding a sense of variety and adventure on the weekends. Whether it’s organizing a hike with your spouse or a treasure hunt with the kids, getting the buy-in from family with help you reach your goal.

Fitness checking account
Think of the food you eat as money spent, and the activity burned as a deposit, similar to a checking account. For those with busy schedules challenged to find a slot of 30 minutes to exercise, break it up throughout the day. Ten minutes at lunch walking the parking lot; 10 minutes power shopping at the grocery store; and adding 10 minutes to the walk to get the mail. Just like money, whether it’s one big deposit or three small deposits, all denominations add up. If you’re following the Weight Watchers program, adding up activity POINTS values can translate into extra POINTS values for food.

Visit a Weight Watchers meeting for additional support. To find a meeting location near you visit www.weightwatchers.comor call (800) 651-6000.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Many overweight individuals try to lose those extra pounds on their own, instead of finding help that can teach them how to get and stay healthy. Interestingly, recent studies show that not only does the likelihood of being overweight increase among friends and family members, but also the opposite holds true.

When people joined a group based weight-loss program with friends and family, they lost more weight and kept it off better than those who joined the same program alone, according to research published in the Journal of Consulting Clinical Psychology.

“Obesity isn’t a problem that occurs in a vacuum,” says Karen Miller-Kovach, chief scientific officer of Weight Watchers International. “It should be no surprise, then, that the solution also doesn’t occur in one either.”

Whether simply working to lose weight and exercising with a friend, or attending group meetings through an organized weight loss program, people find better success with support, studies show. Witness the Weight Watchers phenomenon: those who attend meetings lose, on average, three times more weight than those who try to lose weight on their own, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Still not convinced that group support will work for you? Consider these tips when evaluating a weight loss support group.

* Look for a group that offers nonjudgmental support. “Few of us respond well to pressure and embarrassment,” says Liz Josefsberg, Weight Watchers Leader. Find a group, like Weight Watchers, where your progress is praised but not necessarily shared – unless you want it to be. “No one shouts out your weight or shares it with anyone but you,” Josefsberg says. “And if you don’t want to know it, we won’t tell you either. We’ll note it in the computer for later so you can track your progress.”

* Seek a setting where the emphasis is on total health and how your progress makes you feel, rather than on the numbers. Most of us have enough stressful goals to achieve at work and home; a weight loss goal should be something that makes you feel positive, not stressed. A gathering where you are able – but not required – to speak up and share will create a supportive, positive and stress-free experience.

* Both sexes need – and succeed with – support. Weight isn’t just a woman’s issue; both sexes struggle with obesity and the health ramifications of excess weight. Cardiovascular disease, which includes weight-related problems like heart disease, hypertension and stroke, is the number one killer of women, according to the American Heart Association. Losing 10 percent of your body weight is not only the first big step toward your ultimate goal weight, but it can also reduce your risk for many diseases and increase your self-esteem.

* Programs that advocate a specific quick-fix diet may be successful for some people for a period of time, but are difficult to sustain in the long run. Seek a weight loss program that emphasizes healthful variety and portion control, rather than a restrictive diet that may make you feel deprived. This allows you to fit your weight loss program into real life, including special occasions like birthdays, weddings and get-togethers.

* Meetings should be dynamic, diverse and fun. For example, Weight Watchers meetings not only include weigh-ins, but information on a weekly weight-loss topic, as well as support, tips, strategies from others sharing your weight loss journey.

* It is helpful if group leaders have gone through the program themselves and successfully lost weight as a result. “You wouldn’t take your car to a mechanic who’d never driven one,” says Josefsberg. “You’ll benefit more practically and emotionally from guidance delivered by someone who’s successfully lost weight following the same program you’re following.”

* Look for a weight loss program incorporating support that fits conveniently into your life. Most of us find weight loss challenging enough without compounding the difficulty. Programs like Weight Watchers now offer many meeting sites and online tools to help you stay on track between meetings.

You can find a Weight Watchers meeting by logging on to www.weightwatchers.com, or by calling (800) 651-6000.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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