North Carolina Launches Helpful Healthy Shopping Videos

There is so much more I need to post about my trip to NYC, but I had to share this first...

One of the cool projects I worked on at NC State University was launched online this week and I wanted to share it with you because it is awesome!

There is a really wonderful website in North Carolina called My Eat Smart Move More (http://www.myeatsmartmovemore.com/) that provides lots of tools and tips to help people eat better. It supports some of the curricula used statewide (the most popular is "Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less)." But it is a great resource for anyone trying to eat and live better.

If you go to the website, you'll see a grocery store shopping cart and a link to "Aisle by Aisle" (http://www.myeatsmartmovemore.com/AisleByAisle.html).

The link brings you to a page with 12 videos (or aisles) from the grocery store. I wrote four of the video scripts and did quite a bit of work on the pocket sized guide (also available on that page). But, there was a whole team of us that worked together for almost a year to create this.

I am really excited because I think the videos can be really helpful for people who want to buy better food for themselves and their families. I hope those of you looking for something like this find them helpful.

Here is the press release from the NC Department of Health:
New Videos Help Grocery Shoppers Buy Healthier Foods

RALEIGH – A healthy diet starts in the grocery store, but knowing what to choose when you get there can be challenging. The N.C. Division of Public Health in collaboration with N.C. Cooperative Extension has created Aisle by Aisle: Choosing Foods Wisely – a series of 12 free online videos to help North Carolinians navigate their grocery store aisles.

The video series helps grocery shoppers with simple tips on making better choices when buying food for themselves and their families.

“Most people know they should eat a healthy diet to prevent disease and promote good health, but there is still a gap between what we know and what we do,” said Dr. Ruth Petersen, chief of the Chronic Disease and Injury Section in the Division of Public Health. “The videos provide great take-along messages with specific information about how to make smart choices for yourself and your family.”

Each video is approximately two minutes long and covers tips on how to shop, read nutrition labels and understand ingredient lists. Video hosts provide a range of choices to help consumers feel confident when buying and eating healthier food items.

“These videos were designed to specifically improve grocery shopper confidence in making better choices in food purchases,” said Dr. Carolyn Dunn, a nutrition specialist with N.C. Cooperative Extension. “They also help shoppers reach the goal of cooking and eating more meals at home – an important strategy for managing weight and controlling sodium, fat and sugar.”

The video series can be found on www.MyEatSmartMoveMore.com. Each video is accompanied by a tip sheet that provides specific tips for each aisle in the grocery store, from frozen foods to bread and snacks. The tip sheets are free to download and are sized to fit into a purse, pocket or coupon book for ready reference.

Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina is a statewide movement that promotes increased opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity wherever people live, learn, earn, play and pray. The N.C. Division of Public Health works to prevent diseases like diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer, some of the leading causes of premature death and disability among North Carolinians. For more information on healthful eating and active lifestyles, visit www.MyEatSmartMoveMore.com.

NC Cooperative Extension helps individuals, families, and communities put research-based knowledge to work to improve their lives. Contact NC Cooperative Extension’s Family and Consumer Sciences online at www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/F&N.html.

Did you check out any of the videos?
What do you think about them?
Are they useful to you?

Fitting it all in at Thanksgiving!

Now that we are in Raleigh, NC, visiting family for the holidays is proving extremely challenging.  I think a lot of it also has to do with having a dog.  Unfortunately, he hates the car and we hate leaving him behind.

So, this year for Thanksgiving, I took the whole week off to try and see all of the family and bring Darwin along.

We started with a 12.5 hour drive from Raleigh to Rhode Island on Sunday before the holiday.  In the usual fashion, Darwin sat behind the seat, resting his head on the center console for the entire ride.  I can't imagine he's comfortable now that he's too big to really fit in that space!

His body is behind the driver's seat and then twists so he can rest his chin on the console.

We made an hour pit stop in New Jersey so Darwin and I could get out and stretch our legs.  It was dusk when we arrived at Jen's family's farm house, but the dogs still ran around chasing each other for awhile.

By the time we arrived in Rhode Island, I was exhausted and Darwin's stomach told me he was not feeling well.  We both needed a good night's sleep, but had a hard time resting that first night after a stressful day.  It took a solid 36 hours of being "home" and a more restful night's sleep before we both felt normal.

On Tuesday afternoon, I made my way up to Worcester (without Darwin) to celebrate with my dear friend, Juliamy, on her 30th birthday.  Since she works in the schools, the party started at 3pm!  Even though it started so early, we still closed the bar down at midnight!!  I'd call that a successful party.

Here is "my best friend Juli" with her birthday cake.

(Apologies for the "fuzzy" look - it was taken with my phone camera)

After a very filling breakfast a the local diner in Spencer, MA, I made my way back to Rhode Island.  I had been trying to get walks in with Darwin each day after the 12 hour drive, but I decided to up the ante and run on the eve of Thanksgiving.  My parents are so fortunate to have a greenway less than 0.5 mile from the house.  At some point it will connect from Worcester, MA to the southern beaches in RI - but for now it is an easily accessible 8-10 miles of well maintained pavement.  Most of this section travels along the Blackstone river and offers an abundance of opportunities to view, and experience, nature.

While I catch my breath after a 5 mile run, Darwin acts like it was no big deal!

 

While traveling, there are 3 main things I need to feel at my best - rest, exercise, and eating right.  Unfortunately, it's difficult to combine all 3 of these things when away from my routine at home.  I'm pretty good about getting a run or walk in on the greenway when visiting my parents.  It helps that they love to go walk/run as well.  Colin and I also frequently run in the neighborhood at his family's house.  The resting part is hit or miss.  When we try to do a lot, I don't rest much.  On this trip, I felt tired the entire week and didn't really get caught up on sleep until the weekend after I came back home.  Eating is also hit or miss.  My mom makes really delicious foods that are mostly healthy.  During the holidays, there are always a few extra desserts that I really don't need.  I always find myself choosing the less healthy options when I am away from home as well.  On this trip, I did pretty good with my eating - until we celebrated our niece's 1st birthday!

My mom's Thanksgiving spread was amazing!!

My fairy healthy portion of turkey, stuffing, corn, potatoes (white and sweet), and veggies.

I wanted to make sure I left room for dessert (which I will not show you).

From RI it was on to the Albany, NY area.  I think Darwin remembered how awful the last car trip was, so he would not get in the car.  Colin threw out his back getting him into the car (I think he just likes picking Darwin up - but this time it backfired).

In upstate NY, we celebrated Snow White's 1st birthday (our niece) 

with lots of food, desserts, and presents.

Darwin was also a big hit, especially with our nephew Brian.  

As Brian says, "I'm Darwin's best friend."

It took Darwin a little time to adjust to his new surroundings, but I think he was just so happy to be out of the car again.  We managed to get a few walks in the neighborhood, but didn't run because of Colin's back and rested only a little because we snuck in some visits with friends.

So after 3 days in Rhode Island, a day in Worcester, and 2 days in upstate New York, it was time to drive back to North Carolina.  Knowing the Sunday after Thanksgiving would be an awful driving day, we decided to leave upstate NY at 6am in the hopes of beating the traffic (although we had low expectations for south of DC).

Halfway to NYC, we saw the first signs of daylight.

Making just one pit stop in Jersey to get gas, take a bathroom break, and stretch our legs, we made it to DC in about 6.5 hours!  Unfortunately, by noon, people were on the roads heading home.  After sitting in N. Virginia traffic for an hour and only going about 20 miles, I needed to take a real break.  A consultation with Google Maps on our phones allowed us to see that we were very close to "Prince William Forest Park" - a national forest near the Quantico Marine Corp base.  Since it was about 70 degrees and sunny, we pulled off the exit, parked the car, and hiked a 2 mile trail.

It was a really pretty trail and the day was fantastic.  The hour break was just what I needed to rejuvenate for the 250 miles we still had left on the drive.

Thankfully, there was only another hour of traffic before we had 3 hours of stress-free driving again.  I could not have been more thrilled to pull into our driveway - 14 hours after leaving NY - safe and sound.  

I think this image of Darwin summarizes how we all felt.

 

It was great to visit family and friends - but oh so exhausting.  That drive up I-95 is brutal!!  I'm looking forward to having family visit us in North Carolina in a few days for Christmas!!

How do you keep your sanity when traveling long distances by car?