Can you feel the difference?

Round One Results Are In!

So far the average Shape Up & Go! participant has lost 1.7 pounds, exercised for 377 minutes, and walked 101,509 steps--that's 51 miles! Are you up to the average? If you are, I challenge you to pull your team even further....
Together, Cleveland Clinic employees have lost 3,459.9 pounds, exercised for 942,496 minutes, and walked 313,359,194 steps (about 156,680 miles, which is 6.3 times around the earth at the equator!).

Greetings!

Welcome to Week Four of Shape Up & Go! We can't believe we're nearly halfway through the challenge already. Can you feel the difference after two rounds? Has your team begun to muscle its way to the top of the rankings? Don't forget, you can host your own "mini-competition" by selecting other Shape Up & Go! teams as 'Rival Teams' on your challenge standings webpage. As we all know by now, nothing motivates quite like friendly competition. So go ahead Medina Hospital Hot Tamales, challenge your fellow Medina Hot Flash Fillies to a little micro challenge and see who gets top bragging rights! Of course we can all choose rivals teams, wherever we work, from wherever we work. We just chose Medina Hospital as our example to welcome them into the Shape Up & Go! program.

With so many spectacular seasonal fruits & vegetables just begging to be bought at the market, if you're like us, even the thriftiest shopper can be overzealous and purchase too much. What's a health conscious Cleveland Clinic employee to do? Use these top tips to maximize your healthy investment!

Great tasting fruits and vegetables begin with proper storage at home. Just remember the FIFO rule: First In, First Out. Use whatever is oldest first and continually rotate your stock to ensure freshness and reduce waste. The FIFO rule applies to all types of foods-fresh, frozen, canned, and dried.

Fresh

Use within a few days.
Some can be left at room temperature to ripen, then refrigerated.

Frozen

Store at 0°F or less.
Use before the "use by" date on the package.
As a rule, use within 6 months.

Canned

Check the "use by" date on the can.
Most canned goods have a shelf life of about 2 years.
Store at room temperature (about 75°F).

Dried

Store in a cool, dark place (warmth makes the food spoil faster).
Some dried foods may be refrigerated- check the package.
Use before the "Use by" date on the package.
Most will last from 4 months to a year.

Now that we have your attention, are you ready for our Joke of the Week?

Older Women Are So Reasonable

AFTER BEING MARRIED FOR 44 YEARS, I TOOK A CAREFUL LOOK AT MY WIFE ONE DAY AND SAID, "FORTY-FOUR YEARS AGO WE HAD A CHEAP APARTMENT, A CHEAP CAR, SLEPT ON A SOFA BED AND WATCHED A 10-INCH BLACK AND WHITE TV, BUT I GOT TO SLEEP EVERY NIGHT WITH A HOT 25-YEAR-OLD GIRL".

NOW I HAVE A N EXPENSIVE HOME AND CAR, NICE BIG BED AND PLASMA SCREEN TV, BUT I'M SLEEPING WITH A 69-YEAR-OLD WOMAN. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT YOU'RE NOT HOLDING UP YOUR SIDE OF THINGS.'

MY WIFE IS A VERY REASONABLE WOMAN. SHE TOLD ME TO GO OUT AND FIND A HOT 25-YEAR-OLD GIRL AND SHE WOULD MAKE SURE THAT I WOULD ONCE AGAIN BE LIVING IN A CHEAP APARTMENT, DRIVING A CHEAP CAR, SLEEPING ON A SOFA BED AND WATCHING A 10-INCH BLACK AND WHITE TV.

AREN'T OLDER WOMEN GREAT? THEY REALLY KNOW HOW TO SOLVE YOUR MID-LIFE CRISES.

Michael F. Roizen MD

We hear that laughing fifteen continuous minutes burns off the caloric equivalent of 2 Hershey Kisses. Now there's a sweet reason to laugh out loud when you read our weekly newsletter. We hope you enjoyed this edition. We'll see you next week!

Please send us your success stories, team photos (come on, start submitting them - we'll share them in the newsletters!), and suggestions to support@shapeupandgo.org. Keep up the great work, and look for us again next week!

Yours in Health,
Cleveland Clinic Employee Wellness

Fresh, frozen or canned -which is better?

Fruits and vegetables are the nutritional powerhouses of your diet. But what if there are slim pickings in the produce aisle? Should you head to the freezer case to pick up bags of frozen fruits and vegetables? You betcha!

Frozen fruits and vegetables are nothing more than fresh fruits and vegetables that have been blanched (cooked for a short time in boiling water or steamed) and frozen within hours of being picked. Further, frozen fruits and vegetables are processed at their peak in terms of freshness and nutrition. What's not to like?

Any fruits and vegetables are better than no fruits and vegetables. For peak flavor and good value, fresh produce in season is always a good choice. But frozen or canned fruits and vegetables, without added salt or sugar, can be just as good for you as fresh. Canned and frozen vegetables are generally
picked at their peak of freshness and processed immediately, sealing in nutrients. Their actual nutritional content can be higher than fresh
vegetables, especially when it comes to Vitamin C. The longer green vegetables sit on a truck or in the supermarket, the lower the Vitamin C content.

The idea is to focus on getting MORE fruits and vegetables in your diet. Fresh, frozen, diced, sliced, steamed, raw, whatever. You just want more.

Shopping Tips for Frozen Vegetables and Fruits

Choose frozen plain vegetables or those made with low fat sauces to control fat and calories.
Select frozen fruits that are unsweetened - be sure to read the label as many are sweetened.
Serve partially frozen fruit to preserve its shape.
Purchase fruits and veggies in loose-pack plastic bags - use what you need for each meal and keep the rest frozen.

Portion Distortion Weekly Reality Check - "Say Cheese(cake)!"

With today's hectic lifestyles, it has become increasingly difficult to determine the correct portion size for most of our meals and snacks. It's not only the price of a movie ticket that's gone up, it's the super-size tub of popcorn and soft drinks being sold to theater goers. Before you dig in, take a look at exactly how much sizes have changed. In case you're not a fan of popcorn, how about a slice of cheesecake? This decadent dessert is on many people's top treat list. It's a sweet treat, but you may want to halve your slice before you sink your teeth into this diet disaster!

Power Foods for Health

Fruits and vegetables are the nutritional powerhouses of your diet. Remember that the more you eat, the more you turn on their power to provide health benefits. Eating MORE fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet can help lower your risk for many diseases and are important for health and maintenance of your body.

Did you know that eating fruits and vegetables

Reduces the risk for stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases.
Reduces the risk for type 2 diabetes.
Protect against certain cancers, such as mouth, stomach, and colon-rectum cancer.
Diets rich in foods containing fiber may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
Eating fruits and vegetables rich in potassium may reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and may help to decrease bone loss.
Read More to learn how to incorporate more fruits and veggies into you daily diet

Exercise Tip - Basic Crunch

The abdominal muscles are a part of the "core" muscles in your trunk. The abs play a vital role in stabilizing your back, and in maintaining balance and control for your whole body.