Let's Move! May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month ~ GNC $100 Gift Card Giveaway~ Giveaway Closed

Let's Move is the challenge started by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama to help combat obesity.
Let's Move focuses on four key components:

1. Making Healthy Choices
2. Healthier Foods in Schools
3. Access to Healthy Affordable Food
4. Increase Physical Activity

I find it sad that obesity has become a national epidemic.  Obesity can lead to so many other health problems yet it is preventable and curable.  Small steps to change our lifestyles can literally save our lives and the lives of our children.  Here are a few things that have worked for my family.

I'll be the first to admit that I am not a gourmet chef nor do I particularly enjoy cooking but I do love to eat.  Throughout my pregnancy and when I became a parent were the real eye openers for me to look at my eating habits more closely.  Today's family has so much packed in their schedule that they often overlook healthy eating habits by sliding through the drive through or ordering pizza.  I can admit that this has been the case with my own family especially when I held a job outside of the home.  How do we work nutritious meal choices into our schedules?  One of my best friends in the kitchen is my Crock Pot/Slow Cooker.  I love being able to toss ingredients into my crock pot in the morning then presto! I have a fast and nutritious option for dinner.  I've also avoided heating my house with the oven which is an added bonus.  I am fortunate in my home as that we all love vegetables.  I keep a freezer full of them.  Look out though be sure to read the packaging and go for the no salt added versions.  Most frozen veggies can go from microwave or stove to the table in less than 15 minutes.  We really can eat fast food at home with a little planning and discipline.  This will leave our families healthier and our wallets too!  For the ultra organized family plan your meals and put them on your calendar along with soccer practice, ballet, football, school functions etc.  Doing this you can adjust your meals to fit with the activity.  Just remember small changes over time can make a big difference.

Snacking is also something we do a lot of.  I too am guilty of grabbing prepackaged snacks for on the go.  We have recently cut way down on the number of prepackaged snacks and started buying fruit to take for snacks.  One of my favorite snacks has become nuts.  They are delicious and often give you the pick me up that you need.  (here too look for low or no salt added)  Wash fruits and go ahead and prepackage them in snack sizes for easy grab and go accessibility.

Staying active is also a part of fighting obesity.  I know by now this probably sounds like a confessional but, I have a motto that I am allergic to exercise.  My husband and daughter are both avid runners but that is not my thing whatsoever.  I do however enjoy aerobics, walking, swimming and love the new active fitness options for the wii.  Did you know that it is recommended that children get 1hr of physical activity a day and  30 minutes per day for adults?  Here again think small steps.  When I was working outside of the home I had a 3rd floor office conveniently located across from the elevator.  I made the decision to use the stairs instead and it was a change that was easy to do and I didn't miss the elevator at all!  I was reading today a study on colon cancer, the study looked at physical activity and the incidence of colon cancer and found that those who exercised an hour a week were at lower risk of developing colon cancer.  Wow!  That really opened my eyes especially since my father has colon cancer.

Water, Water, Water.  Yes, water can help in the fight against obesity.  I am NOT talking about bottled water.  Please invest in eco-friendly reusable containers.  Did you know that most Americans do not get the recommended amount of water per day?  When you don't have enough water your body may tell you that you are hungry.  Think about that before you hit the snacks between meals.  Keeping water at your desk or with you can help curb hunger, stay hydrated and fight obesity.

There are many resources for the Let's Move initiative:
http://www.fitness.gov/
http://www.letsmove.gov/
http://www.smallstep.gov/kids/flash/index.html
http://www.smallstep.gov/get_the_facts.html
http://www.healthfinder.gov/

GNC http://www.gnc.com is sponsoring this post by providing a $100 GNC giftcard to one lucky StuffSmart reader.

Rules:
Contest begins Monday, May 16, 2011 at 1:00pm EST.  Contest ends Monday May 30, 2011  at 10pm EST.  Contest open worldwide.  Winner will be chosen using random.org.  Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48hrs to reply.  If no reply is received a new winner will be chosen.  Limit entrants to one person per household.   Entrants are subject to disqualification if rules are violated.

Mandatory entry(must be completed before any bonus entries to count):  Like GNC on facebook, follow @GNCLiveWell on twitter and follow @jeffhennion  returning to leave a comment saying that you have done so.
Bonus Entries:  Please make a comment for each entry.  ie: If a bonus entry=3 Make 3 comments adding entry #1,#2,#3.

• Please share whether or not you/your family have made any changes in your diet and/or activities. If so please share the changes you've made. 3 extra entries
• Visit StuffSmart Blog's facebook page
• Follow @StuffSmart on twitter.
• Tweet : Sample tweets; "Let's Move! May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month ~ GNC $100 Gift Card Giveaway http://bit.ly/iNEtDk #gnc #letsmove #fitness"    "@StuffSmart say's join National Physical Fitness & Sports Month & enter to win a $100 GNC gc http://bit.ly/iNEtDk #letsmove #fitness #GNC.  (May tweet up to 2x's per day at least 2 hours apart and leave tweet link.)
• Follow StuffSmart using Google Friend Connect.  3 extra entries
• Tell a friend!  Tell someone about this post.  If they enter and say that you referred them you will get an additional entry. unlimited
• Blog about this giveaway including a link back.  Post must be at least 75 words and blog must have at least 20 followers. 5 extra entries