By C. Austin Risbeck, RDH
On New Year's Day 2006, dental hygienists across the United States were invited to challenge themselves to eat healthy, whole foods every day, to get up and move around more, and to make time to exercise. They are joined by hundreds of thousands of people who have signed up for the National Body Challenge — a free, eight-week, comprehensive fitness and weight-loss challenge that provides tools and inspiration to get in shape, shed extra pounds, and adopt a healthier lifestyle. This is a national campaign to improve people's health and combat the obesity epidemic.
These dental hygienists are determined to make some changes, starting with their self-care, and make proper nutrition and increased physical activity top priorities in their lives. The National Body Challenge teaches the fundamentals of good nutrition, active living, and stress management.
Every day, hygienists are logging on to the Discovery Health Channel's Web site (www.discoveryhealth.com) and following the National Body Challenge's week-by-week meal plans, as well as video lectures and tips on eating healthy and getting fit. The National Body Challenge menus and fitness plans are based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines are evidence-based recommendations to promote health and reduce the risk of disease through a healthy diet and physical activity.
The meal plans are based on real foods and common foods. It is not a diet, but rather an overall healthy lifestyle plan. The meal plan focus is on making healthy choices to get the most nutrition out of the calories you consume. The menus encourage consumption of a wide variety of whole grains, plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats.
The National Body Challenge is helping dental hygienists include in their already busy and hectic schedules daily stretching, cardio five times a week, and strength training at least two times a week.
In eight weeks, all of us expect to achieve amazing changes in our lives. The key is to keep practicing our newfound lifestyle habits everyday — for the rest of our lives. We are all making small changes to gain control of our health, and to achieve lifelong success.
Online registration will remain open throughout the National Body Challenge, Jan. 15 through March 11, 2006. If you would like to participate in the National Body Challenge, and join our group — Dental Hygienists Against Heart Disease — send your request to Austin Risbeck, and you will receive an invitation to register.
Healthy Weight Week was celebrated this year, Jan.15-21. To address the obesity epidemic, the California Dental Hygienists' Association promoted healthy eating and active lifestyle through its Web site, Healthy Eating and Physical Activity For A Lifetime www.cdha.org. The site is based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and provides information on choosing nutrient-dense foods, achieving adequate exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight. The site also provides dental hygienists with the resources and tools to incorporate diet screening, dietary guidance, and referral into the dental hygiene practice.
C. Austin Risbeck, RDH, is an author and speaker on the associations among periodontal disease, heart disease, and diabetes. He is president and founder of Dental Hygienists Against Heart Disease, a coalition that provides nutrition, tobacco cessation, and other health-promoting resources to local, state, and national organizations. Austin has been featured in Access and RDH magazines, and has authored several articles in professional publications on the role dental hygienists play in promoting healthy lifestyles. He is a member of the Editorial/Advisory Board for two peer-reviewed professional publications. Austin volunteered as a Basic Life Support (BLS) instructor with the American Heart Association for nearly 24 years. He is a member of the American Dental Hygienists' Association Tobacco Cessation Task Force and works as a Smoking Cessation Liaison for the State of California. Austin serves on the ADHA and the California Dental Hygienists' Association Councils on Public Health. He is a consultant to the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center, a national program office of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and to Colgate as a member of the Colgate Dental Hygiene Advisory Board. Austin is a recipient of the 2005 Sunstar Butler/RDH Healthy Gums. Healthy Life. Award of Distinction. Austin has been involved in dentistry for more than 28 years, and is a clinical dental hygienist at The Center for Aesthetic Dentistry in San Francisco, Calif.
