By: Gwen Cooper, CFRE
Executive Director, Women 4 Women
gwen@w4w.org
As we move into the holidays, our thoughts often turn to food, the bountiful holiday meals we’ll consume, the decedent desserts we’ll enjoy and the potential weight gain we’ll take into the New Year. No, this won’t be another blog about what you can do to avoid putting on the holiday pounds. But, this is a blog about how the food choices we all make can contribute to creating a healthier community.
We all know our State is one of the unhealthiest and overweight in the nation. The by-product of obesity is diabetes, heart disease and ultimately a shortened life span – and most of these obesity-related diseases are preventable (over 70% of all chronic diseases are preventable). And, as reflected in the Greater Louisville Project Competitive City Reports, our city is no better off.
In its Quality of Place indicators, the 2010 Competitive City Report informed us that almost a third of Louisville adults are obese, the fifth highest among its peer cities. In looking over a decade of data, the 2011 Competitive City Report warns that Louisville’s overall rates of obesity, diabetes and smoking still exceed national averages. The Women 4 Women Benchmark II Report, due out in January, will show that obesity poses significant issues for many women in our community. Half of all women (54%), and 61% of African American women report being overweight or obese in
Louisville.
At Women 4 Women, we believe that the women (and men) in our community can begin the dialogue of improving our health by talking about the choices we make in what we put in our bodies. It’s as simple as how the food you eat affects your mood, your concentration level, your energy and ultimately the operation of the engine that makes you, you.
When surveyed, 62% of Kentuckians view their health as Very Good or Good and just over 16% rate their health as Excellent. Only 21% rated their health as fair or poor, doesn’t sound like such a bad statistic, does it? Time to get excited? I think not, especially when you see the “real” statistics quoted in the preceding paragraphs!
I believe that those who “feel good or great” are accepting of less than optimal health because it is now their new normal. They have felt this way for so long that feeling good or great is relative. When did being out of shape and unhealthy become the new normal? And how can we bring back the old normal and start to recreate a healthier community? How do you give someone a glimpse of what feeling good, well, feels like?
I believe changing behaviors can start with educating the public about the Food-Mood Connection. A simple PR campaign in and out of the workplace, in and out of our schools, grocery stores and media can improve the overall health of our community just by educating all populations on how the food we put into our bodies changes our behavior. Improving our community’s and state’s health is not just a socio-economic issue, it’s a people issue.
Ask yourself this question, if the messages you received on a daily basis were geared toward making healthy food choices based on a DO this rather than DON’T do this approach, do you think the “do” may begin to sink in? If you are reading this and believe you could benefit from a two-week “experiment” to begin entering into your “new normal”, email me and we’ll chat. Remember, one person talking to one person can make all the difference in the world!
Gwen Cooper, CFRE, joined W4W in September as Executive Director. She was most recently President & CEO of Community Health Charities of Florida where during her 11 year tenure she raised over $30 Million for Florida’s top health charities. She serves on the national board of the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation and is married with three children.