U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration

My Bright Future: Physical Activity and Healthy Eating For Young Women

This booklet will help you learn about healthy eating and physical activity. With the help of your health care provider, it will also show you what areas might need some improvement and how to set and reach your goals. Here’s what you’ll find inside:

Introduction: What Is In This Toolkit?

Where To Start?: Where To Start? Building Block #1—Learning About Your Community

• Understanding Your Community’s Strengths and Needs
• Checklists To Understand Your Community’s Needs

What To Do?: Building Block #2—Activity Ideas

• Community Activity Interest Form

Who Can Help? : Building Block #3—Teaming Up With Partners

• Forming Partnerships
• Sample Meeting Letter to Partners
• Sample Thank You Letter to Partners

When To Do It?:Building Block #4—Setting a Date

How To Do It?: Building Block #5—Planning the Activity

• Steps for Successful Planning
• Sample Planning Timeline and Checklist

How To Get The Word Out?: Building Block #6—Promoting the Activity

• Creating Promotional Materials
• Working With the Media
• Sample Flyer or Poster
• Sample Flyer or Poster
• Sample News Advisory
• Sample News Release
• Sample 30-Second Radio Public Service Announcement (PSA)

How Did It Go?:Building Block #7—Lessons Learned

• Evaluating the Activity
• Activity Tracking Form
• Participant Feedback Form

What To Use?:Building Block #8—Materials

• A Report of the Surgeon General: Physical Activity and Health for Women
• Bright Futures for Women’s Health and Wellness: Overview
• Get Moving for the Health and Fun of It
• Get Moving: Fun Physical Activities
• Physical Activity Safety Tips
• Sample Walking Program
• Healthy Eating Across the Lifespan
• Important Nutrients
• Understanding the Nutrition Facts Food Label
• Serving Sizes
• Healthy Tips for Eating Out
• Healthy Recipes
• Setting Healthy Goals

Where To Go for More Help?:Building Block #9—Other Resources

What Is Your Story?: Building Block #10—Sharing Your Story

• My Success Story

Introduction—What Is In This Toolkit?

Welcome to the Healthy Women Build Healthy Communities Toolkit for Physical Activity and Healthy Eating! This toolkit from the Bright Futures for Women’s Health and Wellness (BFWHW) Initiative is for women who want to improve the health of their communities. Women like you can take action to help people:

• Be more physically active
• Eat healthier

You can start by planning a physical activity or healthy eating event for your community. You DO NOT need special training to start a community activity. What you DO need is enthusiasm and the drive to make a difference in your community.

The Healthy Women Build Healthy Communities Toolkit is meant to be fun and useful. It will help you plan, carry out, and evaluate a physical activity and/or healthy eating event. The toolkit provides 10 Building Blocks—ideas and tools to help you. Each building block starts with a question to get you thinking about the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” of planning a community activity. You can read the toolkit from front to back or one section at a time—however it best suits your needs.

The toolkit also includes real-life stories from women who took action in their communities to get people moving and eating healthier. Join other women across the Nation to boost physical activity and healthy eating in their communities! Then tell BFWHW about your activity, using the form at the end of this toolkit. You CAN make a difference!

Success Story: Sisters in Motion

“I used to exchange clothes with my girlfriends at a local program, and I found that a lot of my clothes were going to the ‘too small’ pile. When I had to give up my favorite brown suit, I decided that there would be no more giving away clothes that didn’t fit. Instead, it was time to start an exercise plan. My friends and I borrowed a fun exercise tape, cleared out the furniture in my living room a few times a week, and started Sisters in Motion!

We had so much fun that we wanted to ask other women to join us. So we came up with a program that was exciting and appealing. We invited three good-looking, single men to teach us different kinds of exercise. We got the okay from a local community clinic to hold a ‘Brothers Working Bodies’ physical fitness class. We knew these men were popular in the community, but we didn’t expect the response we got. People called, asking about what exercise clothes to wear, and on the first day of class, 80 women showed up!

We built a solid group with these women. Now we have all sorts of programs to keep us healthy—a walking group; a monthly support group; classes in vegetarian cooking (with no meat); and line, salsa, and belly dancing. We also took on the Black Women for Wellness 100-day challenge—walking 1 mile a day for 100 days.

To reach even more women, we found funding through Johnson & Johnson’s Center for Excellence in Women’s Health. This helped us grow into a more organized program.

When we started, the most important thing we did was to focus on ourselves. We found our needs were the same as the community’s needs. We planned activities to help make lasting changes in our lives, not just quick fixes. We went from dealing with our own weight gain to a program of health and well-being through physical fitness, healthy food, friendship, and fun.”

Janette F.
Los Angeles CA

Where To Start? Building Block #1—Learning About Your Community

To build a healthy community, you must first decide what part of your community to serve (your “target audience”). Then you must learn about the community’s needs and strengths—the first building block.

Choose a community where you feel comfortable and where you feel you can make a difference. This can be your neighborhood, workplace, school, faith-based or community center,club, or even your favorite hair salon.

Understanding Your Community’s Strengths and Needs

Once you choose your community, take a few minutes to think about the community and answer these questions about its strengths and needs:

• Do people in your community have a way to get information about why physical activity and healthy eating are important?
• Does the community offer ways to learn about healthy eating and cooking?
• Does the community offer ways to join different types of physical activities?

The Checklists To Understand Your Community’s Needs will help you answer these questions and guide you in finding out about the needs of your community.

Checklists To Understand Your Community’s Needs

The checklists below ask questions about several types of communities—your neighborhood, your school, your workplace, and your faith-based or community center or club. These checklists can help you understand the community’s strengths and needs when it comes to physical activity and healthy eating. Check the boxes that apply to your community. The unmarked boxes will help you decide what type of activity to focus on. You can use these questions or make up your own to look at the strengths and needs in other types of communities.

Your Neighborhood

• Are there sidewalks, walking paths, or biking routes?
• Are low-priced or free group exercise classes available?
• Are there parks with tennis courts, basketball courts, swimming pools, playgrounds, or walking/running trails?
• Are low-priced or free gyms or fitness centers nearby?
• Are there any sports teams open to community members?
• Do local grocery stores have information on healthy eating or tours that explain healthy eating?
• Do grocery stores have signs to explain and promote healthier foods, such as lean meats, fat-free and low-fat milk, fruits and vegetables, and foods made from whole grains?
• Is there a farmers’ market that sells locally grown fruits and vegetables?
• Are classes available on healthy eating and cooking?
• Is there a community garden where people grow their own food?
• Do local restaurants offer and point out low-calorie, low-fat, and low-salt foods on their menus?

Your School

• Are physical education (PE) classes part of the regular school schedule?
• Are the school’s gyms, pools, tracks, fields, courts, and/or trails open to the community during nonschool hours (before or after school, weekends, evenings, holidays, summer vacation)?
• Do student or family events—such as dances, field days, carnivals, and fundraisers — take place at the school?
• Are there activity programs for children with disabilities?
• Do vending machines offer healthy drinks and snacks, such as bottled water, 100% fruit juices, fat-free and low-fat milk, pretzels, nuts, and dried fruits?
• Are fruits and vegetables served for breakfast and lunch?
• Does the school cafeteria offer healthy foods each day?
• Does the school have garden projects?
• Are children and parents encouraged to bring healthy foods for parties, bake sales, fundraisers, and sporting events?
• Are classes offered that teach about healthy food choices?

Your Workplace

• Is information on physical activity and healthy eating posted on bulletin boards or in break rooms or cafeterias?
• Are stairs well lit and clearly marked with signs that point out their location?
• Is using the stairs instead of elevators and escalators encouraged at work? Are there posters that explain why using the stairs can help improve health?
• Are low-priced gym fees, an onsite gym, or exercise classes offered to employees?
• Does the cafeteria offer healthy foods each day?
• Are healthy potluck lunches encouraged?
• Are healthy drinks and foods, such as bottled water, 100% fruit juices, and fruit, offered during meetings?
• Are there healthy drinks and snacks, such as bottled water, 100% fruit juices, fat-free or low-fat milk, pretzels, nuts, and dried fruits, in the vending machines?

Your Faith-based or Community Center/Club

• Is information on physical activity and healthy eating posted on bulletin boards or in newsletters?
• Are there special events such as health fairs that focus on physical activity and healthy eating?
• Are members encouraged to bring healthy foods to events?
• Are there healthy drinks and snacks, such as bottled water, 100% fruit juices, fat-free or low-fat milk, pretzels, nuts, and dried fruits, in the vending machines?
• Are classes available on healthy eating and cooking?
• Are low-priced or free group exercise classes available?

What To Do? Building Block #2—Activity Ideas

Once you decide on your community and what its needs are, the second building block will help you choose an activity that promotes physical activity and/or healthy eating. Activities can be one-time events (for example, a community health fair), a series of events (for example, healthy cooking classes), or ongoing programs (for example, a weekly exercise group). To make a difference in your community, you could start out with one activity, and then build on it. For example, Mildred J. from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, started a walking group at her workplace. A group of employees walked together three times per week—then they started lunchtime sessions with invited speakers to learn more about healthy lifestyles.

Use the list of ideas below to choose and plan a fitness or healthy eating activity. In the blank rows, you can add your own ideas or those of other community members. (See the Community Activity Interest Form.)

Neighborhood Activities

School Activities

Seasonal Activities

Faith-Based or Community Center/Club Activities

Workplace Activities

Community Activity Interest Form

To help plan your physical activity or healthy eating event, ask members of your community about their interests. Make copies of the form below and give them to people in your community. Ask them to fill out the forms and collect them, or have them mail the forms back to you. Please remember to add a return address and due date at the end of the form if people are asked to mail it back.

Success Story: Crossroads’ Annual Fourth-Grade Excellent Biking Adventure (CAFEBA)

“I am a fourth-grade teacher who loves telling kids that there are many fun physical activities they can do instead of watching TV. Since 1978, I have organized the Crossroads’ Annual Fourth-Grade Excellent Biking Adventure (CAFEBA) at Crossroads Park Elementary School. The idea for a bike ride grew from my hope to get kids moving and excited about biking—something I enjoy so much.

We get a lot of help from the parents, school, and community, so the 1-day, 20-mile event is free. In the weeks before CAFEBA, volunteers from the local bike shop and hospital come to tell the kids about wearing helmets for safety. A police officer also teaches them about bicycle laws and places they can ride. On the day of the ride, all of our fourth graders—about 75 students—and as many parents as possible come. They bring their own sack lunches and coolers. A donated truck carries the bicycles to the trails. If a student doesn’t own a bike, I arrange to borrow one.

Besides the bikes, the parents and school provide cell phones and first aid kits. Cell phones are a good way to reach people at different points along the trail and to alert others if there are any problems.

One of my proudest memories is CAFEBA’s 20th anniversary ride. We increased the distance from 15 miles to 20 miles that year. The school had some doubts about whether the kids could ride that far. But I knew they could—and they did! Every fourth grader finished that ride with a big sense of success and satisfaction. Now, at least three other schools in the district have a bike ride like ours, and other kids throughout the community want to ride too! It is great to be a part of that.”

Carol M.
Des Moines, Iowa

Who Can Help? Building Block #3—Teaming Up With Partners

Teaming up with people and groups in your community will go a long way toward making your activity happen. Teaming up—or partnering—is the third building block.

Why are partners important? They can help you with:

• Ideas, support, and/or feedback.
• Reaching your target audience.
• Site or facility space.
• Experts and skills in physical activity and healthy eating.
• Materials, staff (including volunteers), and/or funding.
• Promoting the activity.

Forming Partnerships

Think about involving the following people and community groups as partners:

• Family and friends: Ask family and friends, neighbors, church members, and coworkers early on to help plan your activity or to give you feedback and support.
• Community groups: These include groups such as Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, YWCAs, neighborhood and social organizations, park and recreation departments, and community centers. Community groups may be able to offer building or other facility space, staff (including volunteers), help with reaching people and spreading the word, and skills in planning activities and fundraising.
• Places of worship and faith-based groups: Many places of worship and faith-based groups already have community service and health-related programs. They may be able to give you space and staff, help to reach people, and offer skills in activity planning.
• Health care providers: Local hospitals, community health centers and clinics, and health departments often have experts who can teach a healthy eating class, carry out health screenings, and give you materials on physical activity and healthy eating. Often these services are free or very low cost.
• Local businesses: Grocery stores, supermarkets, sporting goods stores, fitness centers, beauty salons, dance studios, and restaurants can help. Local businesses may be able to cosponsor an activity or give prizes and free items, such as water bottles and food samples. They can also help to reach people by posting flyers and other information.
• Community leaders: School, faith-based, and health care leaders; neighborhood councils; chamber of commerce members; and fundraisers are just some of the community leaders who can help find extra funds and facilities. They can also spread the word about your activity.
• Media: Local television and radio stations, newspapers, magazines, and newsletters can help spread the word about your activity. They may also want to have someone attend the activity to write or air a story about it.
  

Approaching Partners

The best partners are the ones that share a common interest in your activity. Take a few minutes and write down a list of people and groups that you’d like to approach. Include names, titles, phone and fax numbers, and street and e-mail addresses. If you’re already working with other people, ask them to help write the list.

Reaching Out to Partners

• Call or write to potential partners and set up a time to talk about your ideas for a community activity. (See Sample Meeting Letter to Partners.)
• Take notes when you meet with or talk to partners.
• Let the partners know what you’d like to do (your activity ideas and goals).
• Find out if and how the person or group wants to be involved in the activity.
• Talk about a few ways that the person or group might help as a partner. For example, the partner might give you space; funds; materials; staff; volunteers; free items, such as food samples and food items for cooking classes; and publicity. The partner could also help reach participants or find expert speakers.
• Review the main points of the meeting.
• Set up the next meeting date and time.

Working With Partners

• Call or send thank you notes, and go over the partners’ roles in the activity. (See Sample Thank You Letter to Partners.)
• Send the partner any extra information about the activity, such as goals, an outline or agenda, materials, and a timeline. (Refer to Building Block #5 for the Sample Planning Timeline and Checklist.)
• Set up the next meeting(s) that brings all the partners together.
• Get items ready for the next meeting, for example, a list of topics to discuss (agenda) and any other materials.
• During meetings, go over activity goals, partners’ roles, how you’re moving ahead with plans, and any activity needs.
• Learn from your partners, and use their ideas and feedback to plan the activity.
• Keep in touch, and thank the partners for their help during the activity.
• After the activity has ended, ask your partners to tell you what they thought went well, and what they thought could be made better. This “evaluation” is important for future planning.
• Let your partners know what participants thought about the activity.

Sample Meeting Letter to Partners

Be sure to change the letter so that it fits your physical activity and/or healthy eating event. Type or print on letterhead or unlined, white paper.

Sample Thank You Letter to Partners

Be sure to change the letter so that it fits your physical activity and/or healthy eating event. Type or print on letterhead or unlined, white paper.

When To Do It? Building Block #4—Setting a Date

Consider holding your community activity around a national health observance. Many health organizations, teachers, and community groups use a special day, month, or occasion to tell people about health risks, how to prevent disease, and to promote health events.

Use the list below to help you decide when to have your community event. Or refer to www.healthfinder.gov/library/nho/nho.asp for more information on the special days, weeks, and months listed. Many of the groups that sponsor these observances also offer free or low-cost materials.

National Health Observances (related to physical activity and healthy eating)

Other national holidays

Events can also be planned around a national holiday such as Mother’s Day. In Omaha, Nebraska, for example, a local Sisters Together group held a Mother’s Day of Wellness, Mind, Body, and Spirit. This health fair offered screening for blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes; a healthy cooking class; and health informatiovn. (See Success Story: Sisters Together—Omaha Chapter below.)

Local events

Another choice is to plan an activity around a local event, such as a neighborhood party, the opening of a new grocery store or restaurant, or a communitywide festival—especially since you may be able to join advertising efforts.

Other considerations

Make sure the date and time you choose do not get in the way of other local events that would stop people from attending your activity. Also think about weather and time of year, especially for outdoor activities.

Success Story: Sisters Together—Omaha Chapter

“My girlfriend’s daughter passed away from diabetes complications. When the doctor first told her she was diabetic, he gave her a prescription for medication, but didn’t give her any more information on how to manage her illness. At that time, I weighed 365 pounds, and I knew that obesity could set off diabetes. Since diabetes already ran in my family, I knew I had to take control of my weight. I learned from my girlfriend’s experience that if I didn’t get a hold of my own health problems, no one else would.

I looked into what I could do to help myself. I cut back on fried and fatty foods, and I really took care of myself. As a result, I have lost 165 pounds, gained a lot of knowledge, and started the Omaha chapter of Sisters Together.

While I was losing weight, someone gave me a book about Sisters Together and how to start healthy living activities in your own town. I knew that no group in my community was doing this, and I had so many ideas—walking groups, healthy cooking displays, and exercise classes. I linked up with two women who were also interested, and we set up the Omaha chapter working from my home.

We held our first big activity in May 2000 with a Mother’s Day of Wellness, Mind, Body, and Spirit health fair. Booths were set up for the groups that attended. The American Diabetes Association, for example, did a healthy cooking class and screened people for diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure at their booth. We had donated materials and created a positive buzz by going to community meetings and talking up our plans. We also had articles in local newspapers; announcements on the Christian radio station; and flyers in the library, banks, beauty shops, and churches. We planned for 100 participants but got 225. This told me that our efforts to get noticed were well worth it! The great turnout also told me that our community needed the program.

Since then, we’ve signed up 195 members and have held other activities. We had a healthy holiday cooking workshop, and a day in the park for the community to meet our participants. At “The Doctor’s In” event at the Urban League Family Resource Center, three doctors answered questions from the public. We also have an exercise group, whose participants have lost 286 pounds and 101 inches this year all together. Our walking group of 45 women has lost 190 pounds and 200 inches all together.

I consider those facts my success story. Hearing that someone was able to lose weight or get off blood pressure medicine or lower his or her blood sugar level is what makes this rewarding for me. I tell everyone that the program is not about me—it is about them and their personal commitment. I can only tell them my story, and hope I can move them to say, ‘If she can do it, I can too.’”

Mary H.
Omaha, Nebraska

How To Do It ? Building Block #5—Planning the Activity

Steps for Successful Planning

Set goals. After you choose an idea for your physical activity or healthy eating event, set a few clear, easy goals. This will keep you focused and help make your activity successful. Use the Examples of Event Goals box as a guide and change them to meet your community’s needs.

Plan with partners. (See Building Block #3.) Most partners will help with ideas for activities and ways to reach the target audience. Partners will also give you great advice on how to plan the activity and find expert speakers. They may give you support and resources. Involve partners early on!

Think about costs. Most activities will involve some costs. These costs may include:

• Photocopying materials for partners, the media, and participants
• Buying postage for flyers
• Buying supplies, such as posters and pens

You may also wish to have healthy food or drinks at your activity, or giveaway items. Keep in mind that partners may be able to help with some or all of these costs.

Examples of Event Goals

Create a schedule or timeline. Allow as much time as possible to plan your activity. Having plenty of time will help you make sure that all parts of the activity are taken care of, including any possible problems. (Refer to the Sample Planning Timeline and Checklist at the end of this section.)

Prepare materials. Look over the physical activity and healthy eating materials in Building Block #8. With your partners, decide what to give out during the activity. Remember that you can get other materials from the groups that sponsor national health observances or from partners and expert speakers. Work with partners to prepare materials, such as flyers and posters, that you will need to promote the community activity. (See Building Block #6.)

Keys to a Successful Physical Activity or Healthy Eating Community Event

Sample Planning Timeline and Checklist

The amount of time needed to plan a community activity depends on the type of event or program, the number of people expected, and the partners or resources needed. In general, you will need about 3–6 months to plan most activities. The earlier you start, the better. For some large events, such as a community health fair, you may need up to 1 year to plan.

The checklist below is a sample guide for planning an activity. Your activity may not require all of these steps. It also might require other steps. For more information, please review the community planning resources listed in Building Block #9.

Before the Activity

During the Activity

After the Activity

How To Get the Word Out? Building Block #6—Promoting the Activity

Whether you plan a one-time event, a series of events, or an ongoing activity, you’ll need to promote it—the sixth building block. This means getting the word out so that people will know about and take part in your activity.

Here are some ideas for getting the word out:

• Mail, fax, or hand out flyers, brochures, and newsletters to the community. For example, you can hand out flyers to parents at sports games.
• Place flyers, newsletters, and posters on neighborhood, workplace, grocery store, or community group bulletin boards.
• Use word of mouth—tell everyone you know about the activity and encourage them to attend.
• Get the media involved, especially if you’re planning a large event—send news releases, advisories, articles, and public service announcements (PSAs) to the local media.
• Find people such as nutritionists or coaches who are experts on healthy eating or physical activity. Provide their names and phone numbers to local media stations for interviews.
  

Creating Promotional Materials

Flyers, brochures, posters, newsletters, and/or media tools are needed to get the word out to the community. These materials should tell the story about your activity in a simple and clear way.
(See the end of this section for examples.)

What information should you include? The who, what, when, where, why, and how:

• Name of activity
• Who the sponsors are
• Whom the activity is for
• What you want people to do (activity goal)
• When it will take place
• Where it will take place
• Why you are having the activity
• How to sign up or get more information
  

Working With the Media

Television, radio, and newspaper media can help get people’s attention about your activity, so think about contacting the media or ask partners to do this for you. Media will find your event newsworthy if it’s new, if the topic is already getting wide coverage (such as the problem with obesity in the United States), or if it’s part of a national health observance or local festival.

Create a media list. This is a list of the media people you will contact about your activity. Depending on where you live, your media list may be a few names and stations or more. Ask your partners to help you make a list of reporters, television channels, radio stations, newspapers, and news editors. Include names, titles, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. The library can also help you find information on the media. Try to find out about deadlines for sending news and about each media’s preferences for how they would like to receive information, for example, by e-mail or fax, and add this to your list.

Prepare media tools. Here are some general tips for creating media tools. Examples of media tools are found at the end of this building block.

News advisories or releases: These are the most common tools for communicating with the media. A news (or media) advisory is a short announcement or invitation to an event or activity. A news (or press) release is usually more detailed and should include information about the activity and related health issues.

Tips:

• Use letterhead or good quality paper and include organization or contact name, address, and telephone number.
• Put “For immediate release” directly under, or to the left of, your contact information.
• Use a catchy title.
• Include the who, what, when, where, why, and how.
• For a news release, include interesting details or facts about physical activity or healthy eating in your community.
• Use short, clear sentences.
• Keep news releases short—one or two pages; news advisories should be one page.
• Go over news advisories and news releases carefully. Make sure there are no errors.

Public Service Announcements (PSAs): There are many different types of PSAs, such as prerecorded PSAs or PSA scripts for radio and television. PSAs are very short—usually 10, 30, 60, or 90 seconds in length. Consider writing a radio PSA script that will then be read on the air by a radio announcer. Unlike advertisements, PSAs are free to place, but you can’t choose the times when your PSA will be read.

Tips:

• Have a catchy title.
• Give specific information or an action to take.
• Read the PSA to yourself and time it to make sure the length is correct.

Send information to the media. Send media tools—news advisories, releases, and PSAs—to the people on your media list at least 1–2 weeks before the activity. Also include background information about the benefits of physical activity or healthy eating. (See Building Block #8.) Give information about the organizers and partners, such as where they’re located and what they do. Make a follow-up call to each contact on your media list to make sure that the tools were received, and answer any questions they may have about them.

Sample Flyer or Poster

Sample Flyer or Poster

Sample News Advisory

Sample News Advisory

Sample 30-Second Radio Public Service Announcement (PSA)

For longer PSAs, add more information.

Success Story: The Lifestyle Challenge

“The idea for the Challenge was born out of a need. A few years ago, a group from the hospital where I work came to me because they wanted help losing weight. It was important for me, as a dietitian, to give them information about how to make healthy eating choices, but I also wanted to teach them about fitness—and I wanted them to have fun! I started the Lifestyle Challenge as a competition between departments.

I taught the group about nutrition and physical activity and then watched their progress, cheering them on all the way. At the end of the 15-week program, teams with the most combined weight loss or exercise minutes won small prizes—massage coupons or pedometers that were bought with the $2 that everyone chipped in to join. The teams were more excited to win “bragging rights” than the goodies.

That sort of personal pride created a positive buzz. Before I knew it, other businesses, the local radio station, and even the state health agency jumped on the bandwagon! With so much interest, I have been able to get funding to expand the Challenge community wide. It has now grown from 72 hospital employees to about 350 people from the general public. This is exciting, because our town only has 7,500 residents.

The participants come from all walks of life. One team called “Three Generations” was a grandmother, parents, and teens. Some persons with physical and mental challenges do chair aerobics and upper-body exercises. Wherever they are in life, each person is as motivated, energetic, hard working, and positive about their health as the next.

Not only are these people making changes, our community is seeing a need for services that promote physical activity and healthy eating. Restaurants have started offering healthy meal options, and our town—which never had fitness facilities—raised $2.25 million from private donations to build a $10 million wellness center.

It’s been amazing for me to watch this whole process. Something I do outside of my regular job has taken on a life of its own because of the enthusiasm of the participants. I’m glad that I was given the chance to share their story when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services invited me to speak at their Healthy People 2010 Summit in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2003.”

Michelle W.
Estherville, Iowa

How Did It Go? Building Block #7—Lessons Learned

Evaluating the Activity

It’s important to evaluate your activity after it ends to see how it went, what people thought of it, and what lessons you’ve learned. Evaluation is the seventh building block. The information you collect can be used to plan other activities and to improve your efforts in the future.

Evaluation will help you learn:

• What worked well
• Whether you have met your activity goals
• What needs to be improved for next time
• How to improve the activity

How to evaluate an activity: The end of this section has an Activity Tracking Form and a Participant Feedback Form to help you keep track of:

• What participants said about the activity
• How many people attended the activity
• How many materials were used or given to participants
• How much media coverage took place

Track people and materials: Getting information or feedback from participants on how they found out about the activity, what they learned, and what they liked is a must! Ask people to fill out the Participant Feedback Form and collect it at the end of the event. If your activity takes place over a few weeks or months or is ongoing, you can ask participants to fill out the form in the middle or at the end of the activity.

Track promotional efforts: Compare the number and type of promotional materials that you created and sent out with how people found out about your activity. For example, if you learn that most people heard about the activity through flyers, then you know that flyers worked well as a promotional material. (See the Activity Tracking Form.)

Track media coverage: Learn what types of media were most interested in your activity. For future events, send press releases, advisories, and PSAs to these contacts. (See the Activity Tracking Form.)

Track partners and their reactions: Write down who your partners were and what they provided. Also ask your partners what they thought went well and what needs to be improved. (See the Activity Tracking Form.)

How to use your evaluation results: Go over the results from the Activity Tracking Form and the Participant Feedback Forms. Share this information with your partners and discuss the lessons you’ve learned. Your results should be used to plan and improve future activities. For example, as a result of the evaluation you may decide to:

• Hold activities on a different day or time.
• Keep activities that were successful and change those that weren’t.
• Choose materials that better meet your community’s needs.
• Make sure the activity goals meet the needs of the community.
• Promote the activity differently next time.
• Send information to the same or different media contacts.

Activity Tracking Form

Use the form below to help track and evaluate your activity. The information you collect will help you and your partners plan future activities.

Participant Feedback Form

Organizer: Give out the form below at the end of a one-time event or during an ongoing activity. Make sure you fill in the name of the activity and the activity goal before you copy and hand out the form. Decide in advance and tell people where they should leave their forms, for example, in a box in the activity room.

Success Story: Philly Fitness for Life

“I went to a camp, where I lost 65 pounds by learning how to eat healthy and do more activities like walking and dancing. At the end, the mayor gave a speech. He also had lost a lot of weight and talked about what it would be like outside of camp. He said the best thing we could do was to stay connected to each other and keep the support going.

I related to that completely. I did not want to lose the good feeling I had. I liked my new energy and how I looked. I wanted to share that with the world! So I started a support group, Philly Fitness for Life, for the ladies I went to camp with and anyone interested in healthy living.

It turns out a lot of people were interested. We grew from 9 to 84 members just by inviting our friends and families. We moved our monthly meetings from our homes to the church community room. Each person gives $5 so we can have cooking classes and drawings for prizes, like healthy cooking books. We also have guest speakers, exercise, and sing and dance together. That is what life is all about—helping yourself and others to stay healthy!

It’s better to be healthy and have the freedom to enjoy life, not just talk about aches and pains. My mom passed away from complications due to diabetes. Most of her later years were spent at the doctor’s office. Me? I’m spending my older years doing fun things! I find that my excitement is catching—that is the key to starting a support group. Be an example, live it, and feel good about yourself—that’s what motivates others.”

Louise T., 69
Willow Grove, Pennsylvania

What To Use? Building Block #8—Materials

This section includes materials on physical activity and healthy eating—the eighth building block—that you can copy and give out during your community activity. You can also use other materials from the groups that sponsor national health observances (Building Block #4) and from the groups listed in Building Block #9.

Background materials for the media:

• A Report of the Surgeon General: Physical Activity and Health for Women
• Bright Futures for Women’s Health and Wellness: Overview

Physical activity materials for participants:

• Get Moving for the Health and Fun of It
• Get Moving: Fun Physical Activities
• Physical Activity Safety Tips
• Sample Walking Program

Healthy eating materials for participants:

• Healthy Eating Across the Lifespan
• Important Nutrients
• Understanding the Nutrition Facts Food Label
• Serving Sizes
• Healthy Tips for Eating Out
• Healthy Recipes

Also included is a form to help participants set goals for lifestyle changes:

• Setting Healthy Goals

Asking participants to set healthy goals at the start of an ongoing program can help change and improve their physical activity and eating habits. You can ask people to look at their goals at the end of the program to see if they have met them. You can also send out physical activity and healthy eating tips to remind people about making lifestyle changes. Another good way to keep people on track is to ask them to put their written goals in a self-addressed envelope and have a friend mail it back to them in 2 to 4 months. This written list will help to motivate and remind people of their goals and track their success.

A Report of the Surgeon General: Physical Activity and Health for Women

Key Messages:

• Physical activity need not be strenuous to achieve health benefits.
• Women of all ages benefit from a moderate amount of physical activity, preferably daily. The same effect of activity can be obtained in longer sessions of moderately intense activities (such as 30 minutes of brisk walking) or in shorter sessions of more strenuous activities (such as 15-20 minutes of jogging).
• Additional health benefits can be gained through greater amounts of physical activity. Women who can maintain a regular routine of physical activity that is of longer duration or of greater intensity are likely to have greater benefit. However, excessive activity should be avoided, because risk of injury increases with greater amounts of activity, as do the risks of menstrual abnormalities and bone weakening.
• Previously sedentary women who begin physical activity programs should start with short intervals (5–10 minutes) of physical activity and gradually build up to the desired level of activity.
• Women with chronic health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, or obesity or women who are at high risk for these conditions, should first consult a physician before beginning a new program of physical activity. Women over age 50 who plan to begin a new program of vigorous physical activity should first consult a physician to be sure they do not have heart disease or other health problems.
• The emphasis on moderate amounts of physical activity makes it possible to vary activities to meet individual needs, preferences, and life circumstances.

Facts:

• More than 60 percent of U.S. women do not engage in the recommended amount of physical activity.
• More than 25 percent of U.S. women are not active at all.
• Physical inactivity is more common among women than men.
• Social support from family and friends has been consistently and positively related to regular physical activity.

Benefits of Physical Activity:

• Reduces the risk of dying from coronary heart disease and of developing high blood pressure, colon cancer, and diabetes.
• Helps maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints.
• Helps control weight, build lean muscle, and reduce body fat.
• Helps control joint swelling and pain associated with arthritis.
• Reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression and fosters improvements in mood and feelings of well-being.
• Can help reduce blood pressure in some women with hypertension.

What Communities Can Do:

• Provide environmental inducements to physical activity, such as safe, accessible, and attractive trails for walking and bicycling and sidewalks with curb cuts.
• Open schools for community recreation, form neighborhood watch groups to increase safety, and encourage malls and other indoor or protected locations to provide safe places for walking in any weather.
• Encourage employers to provide supportive worksite environments and policies that offer opportunities for employees to incorporate moderate physical activity into their daily lives.
• Provide community-based programs to meet the needs of older women, women with disabilities, women of racial and ethnic minority groups, and women with low incomes. Include childcare arrangements to encourage the participation of women with children.
• Encourage health care providers to talk routinely to female patients about incorporating physical activity into their lives.

For more information contact:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity,
MS K-46 4770 Buford Highway, NE
Atlanta, GA 30341–3724
1-888-CDC-4NRG or 1-888-232-4674 (Toll Free)
http://www.cdc.gov

The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Room 738H
Washington, DC 20201

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports

Bright Futures for Women’s Health and Wellness: Overview

Bright Futures for Women’s Health and Wellness (BFWHW) is a new Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) initiative that builds on the successful approach used in the Bright Futures for Infants, Children, and Adolescents Program.

The mission of BFWHW is to plan, develop, implement, and evaluate a variety of culturally competent consumer, provider, and communitybased products to increase awareness and use of preventive health services for all women across their lifespan. BFWHW identifies opportunities for integrating prevention into self-care, culturally competent health care, and community action to achieve better physical, mental, social, and spiritual health through:

• Increasing women’s use of preventive services
• Empowering women to share in health care decision making
• Encouraging women to practice prevention in their daily lives
• Increasing practitioner utilization of preventive health guidelines
• Supporting communitywide health promotion

Activities

The development of an organizational and conceptual framework for Bright Futures for Women’s Health and Wellness began in 2001. Several guidelines, including those for osteoporosis screening, heart disease prevention, and depression screening, have been analyzed to compare age and periodicity of the recommended interventions. Professional and consumer preventive health literature for women and adolescent girls has been collected and analyzed. Further analyses of the literature, development of communications and evaluation strategies, and the creation of BFWHW products is underway.

BFWHW product development is guided by a Federal executive management committee chaired by Peter C. van Dyck, M.D., M.P.H., Associate Administrator for Maternal and Child Health, HRSA, and a non-Federal steering committee. Members of the steering committee represent multiple disciplines and include consumer representatives. Federal and private organizations will be partners throughout the initiative.

A variety of resources are being created for consumers, community organizations, and health care providers. Evidence-based recommendations for age appropriate preventive health services delivery are the cornerstone of these tools. Communitywide health promotion activities to improve women’s health are addressed as well.

Resources

Additional information on BFWHW will be available in the future from the HRSA Women’s Health Web page: www.hrsa.gov/womenshealth.

The HRSA Information Center offers a wealth of women's health publications and resources. To see a complete list of offerings, visit www.ask.hrsa.gov or call toll-free, (888) ASK HRSA (275-4772).

Get Moving for the Health and Fun of It

Are You Physically Active?

Physical activity, or moving your body, is a good way to stay healthy and have fun. Look around—whether you live in the city, the country, or in between, you can find many ways to be active. You can take a walk, work in the garden, briskly push a baby stroller, climb the stairs, play soccer, or dance the night away.

For general health and fitness, adults should get 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week, preferably each day.

To prevent gradual, unhealthy weight gain, aim for 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity most days of the week. To lose weight, aim for 60-90 minutes of daily moderate physical activity while controlling calorie intake.

Children should get 60 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week.

Moderate physical activity is any activity that takes about as much energy as a brisk walk. For the average person, this is a pace of about 2 miles in 30 minutes. No matter what you choose, you can do it all at once, or divide it into two or three parts during the day. Even small, 10-minute bursts of activity count toward your total.

Do I need to see a doctor before starting or increasing my activity?

Get Moving: Fun Physical Activities

Make Physical Activity a Part of Your Day

Reasons To Get Moving
Physical activity may give you these benefits:

• Help you feel good
• Help you feel more energetic
• Boost your fitness level
• Help to build bones, muscles, and joints and to keep them strong
• Build endurance and muscle strength
• Improve flexibility and posture
• Help control weight
• Lower the risk of heart disease, some cancers, type 2 diabetes, and bone loss
• Help to control blood pressure
• Help you beat stress and the blues
• Help you sleep better

Try these physical activity ideas. Remember, even chores around the house count!

Physical Activity Safety Tips

• Slow down if you are out of breath. You should be able to talk while exercising without gasping for breath.
• Drink water before, during, and after exercise.
• Limit hard exercise until 2 hours after a big meal. A short walk is okay.
• Wear supportive shoes, and use sunscreen when outdoors.
• Use the buddy system. Bring a friend along when you go swimming or walking so you have someone around if you need help.

STOP exercising and call 9-1-1 right away if you feel any of the signs below for more than a few minutes:

• Have discomfort or pain in the center of your chest
• Have discomfort in your arm(s), back, neck, jaw, or stomach
• Feel dizzy or sick
• Feel short of breath
• Break out in a cold sweat

Sample Walking Program

Walking is a great way for most people to get regular physical activity. To walk, you do not need special gear, other than a pair of good, comfortable walking shoes. Try walking around your neighborhood, park, or mall. Ask friends or family to join you for safety and fun!

If you have not been active for years, do not start with a 3-mile walk. Start slowly and build up the amount of time and the number of days you walk each week. Try this sample walking program.