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M O N T H LY N E W S L E T T E R
NUTRITION
NEWS
Abilene ISD Student Nutrition Department
Volume 2, Issue 8
April 2015
:
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Page 1
-Spring into Healthy Habits
Page 2
-Spring into Healthy Habits, cont.
-Rebecca’s Corner
Page 3
-April Challenge
-Fuel Up & Move Bus Tour 2015
Check out our “Fuel Up & Move” Tour Dates on
Pg. 3!
-Get Moving, Abilene!
-Monthly Recipe
Sp ri ng i nt o he al th y h abi t s
S
pring is finally here! The weather is warmer and
the days are longer giving you more time to spring
into healthy habits! !
Many times we get caught up in unhealthy habits
which eventually lead to an increase in weight-gain. By
making simple adjustments to your daily habits you
can create a wholesome style of living and get back to
a healthy weight. !
Replacing your bad habits with good ones will result in
more energy, enhancement of moods, controlled
weight, and improvement of longevity! !
!
!
Here are some tips to get you looking and feeling right
this Spring:!
!
Eat regu larl y
Life gets busy and hectic and sometimes we may skip
a meal to play catch-up. In the long run, skipping
meals only slows down your metabolism. Have you
ever felt a little light-headed after skipping a meal?
That’s because your blood level drops. Then when you
finally have time to sit down for a meal, you overeat to
make up for the dip in blood sugar. A big part of living
a healthy life-style is planning for one! The benefits of
eating regularly will allow you to not overeat, give you
more energy, stabilize your blood sugar, and reduce
your cravings for unhealthy food.
S p ri ng int o h e a lth y h a b it s , c o nt .
Re
Control your
portions
Did you know that April is
Garden month?!
!
It’s unrealistic to ask you to go
around with measuring cups trying
to figure out the correct serving size
of every meal you eat, instead let
your hands guide you! Hand
symbols are a great way to figure
out portion sizes so you don’t over
indulge! This hand chart allows you
to visualize healthy serving sizes for
different foods. Keep in mind, over
serving yourself can lead to calorie
overload! !
Gardening is a great way to teach
your family about plants, fruits, and
vegetables! It’s also a great way to get
everyone outdoors and off the couch!
Children are more inclined to learn
when they have the opportunity to
interact with what they are learning
about! This month, start a family
garden in your very own backyard!
!
Here are some great ideas of what to
plant in your family garden:
!
!
www.ateaspoonofhappiness.com
change up yo ur exe rcise
Working out 6 days a week and not seeing the results you want? First, check
your eating habits! 80% of your fitness results come from nutrition, exercise
accounts for only 20%. The saying is true, you can’t outrun your fork! If you’re
eating healthy and still not seeing results, try changing up your workout! If
you’re doing the same workout routine or not mixing strength training with
cardio, then you’re going to stay right where you are! Adding versatility to your
workout schedule and increasing and decreasing your heart rate through your
exercise regimen will ultimately lead to the results you have been waiting for.
Heart rate monitors are a great way to measure your effort, maintain the right
exercise intensity, track your progress, and prevent you from exercising too
hard in one session. Remember, if your workouts aren’t challenging you, they
aren’t changing you either!
Add in some snacks
It’s always hard to get all the nutrients you need in just 3 meals. Planning
snacks as part of your daily menu will help you and your child achieve your
nutrition needs. A great guideline for snack planning is to combine 2 food
groups making a combination snack. !
Here are some great combination snacks to add to your lunch box:!
• Low-fat yogurt topped with berries !
• Whole-grain bread spread with peanut butter & bananas!
• Fresh carrot matchsticks with hummus
er
n
r
o
C
s
becca’
•Bush beans grow best in welldrained soil. Make sure to plant them
in an area where they’ll get full
sunlight. Bush beans are packed with
Vitamin A, C, K, iron, potassium, and
fiber.
!
•Peas, just like bush beans need a
nice sunny spot to grow with welldrained soil for planting. They also
need to be protected from high
winds! Add peas to a pasta, vegetable
stir fry, or a parsley salad with diced
tomatoes. Yum!
!
•Beets & carrots can be planted as
soon as your soil is ready for Spring.
Carrots are full of Vitamin A, which
helps fight diseases. Beets offer
Vitamin A, B, & C as well as many
other benefits!
!
• Herbs are also easy to grow &
maintain! Most herbs can be grown
in a container or a flower bed. Some
of my favorites are basil, mint,
oregano, and parsley. Herbs add a
flavorful addition to any meal,
provide healthful benefits, and are
inexpensive to plant!
!
Once you’ve harvested your home
grown garden, be sure to add them to
your favorite meals!
“FUEL UP & MOVE” BUS TOUR
2015
APRIL MONTHLY
CHALLENGE
THE STUDENT NUTRITION DEPARTMENT IS PROUD TO
ANNOUNCE OUR NUTRITION BUS IS ON THE MOVE!
CATCH OUR HANDS-ON NUTRITION EDUCATION SESSIONS
AT A SCHOOL NEAR YOU!
This month, let’s test just how fit we are! Fit-tests are a great
way to check your progress throughout the month.
Performance assessment is a great tool to use to gauge your
progress and verify that your current fitness plan is working.
It also allows you to identify any areas that need to be
improved upon. Perform each exercise for 60 seconds and
record how many reps you achieve. Perform this fit test
every 2 weeks in the month of April! !
60 second squats:
60 second push-ups:
60 second crunches:
60 second lunges:
60 second burpees:
!
!
APRIL 2ND
TAYLOR ELEMENTARY
!
APRIL 7TH
BASSETTI ELEMENTARY
!
APRIL 14TH & 16TH
MARTINEZ ELEMENTARY
!
APRIL 23RD & 24TH
AUSTIN ELEMENTARY
!
APRIL 28TH
WARD ELEMENTARY
!
_________
__________
__________
_________
__________
Get Moving, Abilene!
!
m o n t h l y r e c ip e
Abilene state park 5k run
Abilene State Park!
Saturday, April 4th!
Start Time: 9am!
Entry Fee- $25 !
!
-Visit www.abilenerunners.com/april!
!
Mayors 5K and 10K
Abilene Civic Center!
Saturday, April 11th!
Adults-$25 until 4/11 !
12 & Under-$10!
Start Time: 8:30am!
!
!
-Visit www.abilenerunners.com/april!
Insane inflatable 5k
C or n & C hi ck pe
a Fi es ta
Sa la d w it h C i la
nt ro L im e
• 2- 1/2 cups corn kernels!
• 2- cans of chickpeas, dra
ined & rinsed!
• 1- green bell pepper, dic
ed !
• 1/2 red onion, finely dic
ed!
• 1 English cucumber, cho
pped !
• 3 cups of cherry tomato
es, drained & rinsed
Combine all of the sal
ad ingredients in a
big bowl. In a separa
te bowl, whisk
together the dressing
ingredients. Pour
the dressing over th
e salad ingredients
and stir until everyth
ing is mixed well.
Refrigerate until ser
ving or at least for a
half hour to let the
flavors blend. Enjoy
!!
!
!
!
Dressing!
• 1/2 cup extra virgin oliv
e oil!
Taylor County Expo Center!
Saturday, April 18th!
Entry fee- $59 until 4/10!
Start Time: 9am!
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, cho
Experience the most fun, wild and
insane obstacle run in the world! !
• dash of salt & pepper !
!
!
!
!
pped !
• 4 tbsp lime juice!
• 1 clove garlic, minced !
www.ateaspoonofha
ppiness.com
-Visit www.insaneinflatable5k.com/
abilene-tx!
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contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339; or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.!