Our in-boxes this month are filled with gym offers, discounted memberships to diet plans and reminders to start watching calories to make up for the holiday indulgences so many of us fell prey to!  How do we sort through all of the nutrition and diet information we receive and find guidelines and recommendations we can trust? 

The U.S. News & World Report just released its Best Diets 2012 article featuring a rating of 25 different diet plans. Winner of the best diet overall, the DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), offers specific dietary selections to prevent high blood pressure.  The other diets that made the list can be viewed by visiting http://health.usnews.com/best-diet.

OWH recommends that you talk to your physician about the right diet options for you and your personal goals. Do you wish to manage diabetes? Lose weight? Select nutritious and healthy choices? OWH reminds you to focus on the big picture of getting to and maintaining a healthy weight, which requires focusing on your lifestyle and how you will be successful with a long-term change, rather than on changing your eating for the first few months of 2012.

As for exercise, we know that it helps boost our mood and control our weight, but did you know about some of these new exercise offerings and trends to try?  OWH offers these three new exercise trends as choices to help you work your unused muscles and re-energize your workout routine: 

 1) Kettlebells - many gyms have these cast iron balls that are used for swinging and working muscles that are not often used. Women should stick with an 8 - 15 lb kettlebell and should first receive instruction on proper form for the exercises from a trainer or experienced professional.

 2) TRX Suspension Training - developed by a Navy Seal and requires a minimum level of fitness to start. Suspension devices are used to create resistance on muscles with gravity and a person's own body weight, requiring already developed core muscles. Individuals over the age of 45 should first check with a physician before beginning this exercise activity.

3) Aerial Yoga - among the other trends of mixing yoga with classical fitness classes such as strength training, this blend involves the formation of traditional poses while being suspended upside down in "hammocks." 

 

~Read an ISDH press release marking National Cervical Health Awareness Month and urging women to make their New Year's resolution to schedule an appointment with their doctor for a pap smear, at: www.in.gov/isdh/       

January 28-29 - Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center tissue collection event as part of The Super Cure partnership with the Indianapolis Colts! The tissue bank holds five donation collections a year in Indianapolis. To find out the donation process and view personal anecdotes about donating breast tissue, visit  http://komentissuebank.iu.edu/tissue-donors/.  Women must pre-register for the January event.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) just launched a new website that helps professionals better understand Medicaid.  The site - which also includes information about the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) - features a resource center program information searchable by topic, state, and population. Visit:  www.Medicaid.gov

Human trafficking, in particular sex trafficking, is a hot topic these days, especially surrounding the upcoming Super Bowl. While exact estimates of trafficking in Indiana are difficult to determine, Indiana prosecutors and human services organizations know it’s happening. Major events have been shown to attract increased prostitution, with experts suggesting it is highly likely that some of it is forced. Legislation introduced this legislative session, just now underway,  intends to tighten the existing trafficking laws and removes the requirement to prove force or fraud for children under 16. To learn more about the legislation, visit: http://www.in.gov/apps/lsa/session/billwatch/billinfo?year=2012&session=1&request=getBill&doctype=SB&docno=0004. To learn more about human trafficking, visit the Indiana Protection for Abused and Trafficked Persons at http://www.indianaagainsttrafficking.org/ (site under construction).