Copy
Spring 2016
View this email in your browser
Alcohol and Your Health:
The Missing Piece
Imagine four friends sitting down at the local watering hole after a work day

As they glance over the menu and drinks list, friend #1 says, “I’m trying to eat healthier. Maybe I’ll pass on the wings and nachos.” Not too shocking, after all, you are what you eat and who doesn’t want to be healthy?

Friend #2 says “Well I’ve been running or walking every day – that’s the key to de-stressing and feeling great.” Again, no argument here. Physical activity is hands-down good for body and soul and sitting around is not.

Friend #3 say, “I am two weeks not smoking. That’s worth celebrating.” And thanks to supportive friends, friend #3 is doing great and feeling good.

This group of friends has just about covered it. Healthy eating, physical activity and not smoking are three really important things you can control in order to live a healthy life.

Wait a minute. There is a fourth. The missing piece is alcohol consumption. Unfortunately, being unaware of the long-term effects of alcohol, friend #4 orders the first of a couple of rounds just like yesterday and the day before and the day before that.  
Alcohol is the missing piece. 

Here’s something that alcohol ads don’t mention. Alcohol consumption is a leading cause of disease and disability, second only to tobacco.

Drinking alcohol is linked to over 65 diseases and conditions including cancer. In fact, alcohol is casually linked to the two leading causes of cancer related deaths in Ontario, colorectal and breast cancers. The risk for developing chronic disease starts at only a couple of drinks a day and increases with consumption. Even moderate consumption has some risk.

Over time, drinking alcohol can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver diseases, digestive problems, diabetes, certain cancers, mental health problems and alcohol dependence.

A hangover may be the least of your problems.

What advice can we give friend #4 to go along with those other healthy choices? 
Moderate your alcohol consumption.
Can we be more specific? Absolutely. Follow Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines. Based on science these guidelines give people who choose to drink sensible limits to reduce the risk of developing a chronic disease and other problems.

So the next time you’re making choices about a healthier lifestyle, give some thought to rethinking your drinking. You might start with taking a few non-drinking days each week, or switching to lower-strength drinks, or setting a daily and weekly limit for yourself based on the Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines.


Top
Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines
For these guidelines, a “drink” is: 
For more information visit  Canadian Low Risk Drinking Guidelines
The health benefits of alcohol are widely misunderstood. Drinking moderately may provide some benefit to certain groups of people like middle-aged adults but these benefits are limited. It doesn’t make sense to start or increase drinking for your health.

For anyone who wants to track and change their drinking habits, to cut down or quit, there’s now an app for that. Saying When is a free mobile app developed by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Saying When is available on iTunes. For an intro video visit click here.
Are you up for the Challenge?

During the week of June 5 to 11, workplaces and their employees across the country are being challenged to use alternatives to driving alone for at least one day of the Commuter Challenge week.

Strap on your helmet, lace up your shoes, hop on a bus, fill your car with friends, paddle a canoe or telecommute! This is the week to try something new or just get colleagues to join in on the fun. 

The Commuter Challenge is a national friendly competition between workplaces, cities and provinces. Participating is easy. Visit commuterchallenge.ca, create an account for your workplace and then get co-workers to setup personal accounts. During the week, people track their distances travelled to help mark Thunder Bay on the map. You also have the chance to win great prizes.

Nearly 800 people registered locally last year – let’s amp it up! Here are some reasons to join:
  1. Win prizes. Prizes will be awarded for highest percentage of participation in a workplace, most epic commute, most greenhouse gases avoided and just for participating.
  2. Get your exercise. Accumulate the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week while you travel actively and reap the health benefits. Studies show that cyclist commuters take half as many sick days as car commuters.
  3. Be a leader, inspire others. Show your peers and younger generations that sustainable commuting can be a fun and healthy part of daily life.
  4. Overcome commuter zombification. A little change in the commuting routine will sharpen your senses and make you feel more energized.
  5. Fight the climate chaos. Transportation accounts for 34% of Thunder Bay’s greenhouse gas emissions.
  6. Save money. Driving 18,000 km per year costs an average of $8,441.
  7. Have fun and boost morale at work.
Don’t see your worksite registered? Become a Commuter Challenge worksite coordinator by contacting EcoSuperior to help get your worksite registered. We will also be hosting a FREE lunch and learn on April 22, 2016 at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit for people who are interested in getting all the information and resources they need to get their fellow co-workers to participate.

For more information contact:
Ashley Priem, City Program Coordinator
624-2142  or  ashley@ecosuperior.org

Top
TBDHU’s Cycle Loan Program

The Thunder Bay District Health Unit continues to strive to be a community leader when it comes to innovative programs that foster health and overall well-being. Staff of the Health Unit provides various key services to the City of Thunder Bay and its surrounding District using evidence-based information as its guiding principles. A health topic that has been discussed in the media recently is physical activity and sedentary lifestyle. The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines states that adults age 18-64 years should accumulate a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity per week. This can be achieved by doing activities in bouts of 10 minutes or more. To help staff members achieve this goal, the management of the Health Unit reached out to Sustain Mobility, a southern Ontario based company that is non-profit, to launch the CycleLoan program. The program is targeted to inspire employees to start moving by using active, sustainable transportation options during business hours. The CycleLoan bike fleet program included four easy to maintain bicycles that staff can sign out at any time during business hours.

Since the program inception in May 2015, the Health Unit’s CycleLoan program has been well received by its employees. Usage of the bicycles ranged from staff using them during their breaks to run personal errands to attending off-site workshops and meetings. To learn more about the Health Unit’s CycleLoan program or to set one up in your own workplace contact Jessly Bonifacio at jessly.bonifacio@tbdhu.com or 625-5979.
New Exciting Quit Challenges - #2016QuitChallenge

The Canadian Cancer Society has launched a new tobacco cessation program called Run to Quit. This program uses physical activity as a cessation aide to help Canadians end their tobacco addiction.
With three ways to participate, smokers across Canada can take advantage of this challenge that addresses two key risk factors for cancer - physical activity and tobacco use:
  1. Commit to Quit challenge FREE
  2. In-store 10 week Running & Quitting program (13 locations in Ontario in 2016)  Cost: $69.00
  3. Online 10 week Running & Quitting program (anywhere, anytime with internet access) Cost: $49.00
    Smokers must register by April 23,quit smoking by June 12 then complete a 5 km run / walk event before July 31 to be eligible to win the grand prize, Ford Focus car or one of five $1000 prizes!  
Run to quit is a partnership project of Running Room Ltd. and Canadian Cancer Society with financial support from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Top
How to Balance Screen Time with time to Run. Jump. Play. Every Day.

Our “busy” 21st century lives have resulted in our kids being more sedentary than ever. According to ParticipACTION kids don’t play as much as they used to for a lot of reasons. One very real barrier to play is the constant lure of screens – video games, television, the internet and smartphones – that has replaced time spent running, playing and being active.

The Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for Children and Youth recommend limiting kids’ screen time to two hours or less a day (and zero screen time for children under the age of two). However, Canadian kids are spending an average of 7 hours and 48 minutes a day in front of television, video games and computer screens. The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for Children and Youth recommend at least 60 minutes of moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activity every day.

Why does HKCCTbay want your family to Run. Jump. Play. Every Day?

Regular physical activity is so important for children’s development, not just physically, but also socially and mentally. Being active can help children:
  • Improve cardiovascular fitness (heart and blood flow)
  • Build strong muscles and bones
  • Learn coordination, movement control and confidence
  • Maintain a healthy body weight
  • Have less risk of chronic disease later in life
  • Improve self-esteem and have less depression, anxiety and emotional distress
  • Improve learning and attention span, and achieve more at school
  • Have more chances to express themselves, learn new skills and have fun
  • Build social skills such as cooperation, respect for others, problem solving, athleticism, fair play and teamwork
What can you do to encourage your children to Run. Jump. Play. Every Day?
  1. Be a good role model and limit screen and mobile phone time.
  2. Get out of the way and let them play. Kids naturally play more outdoors.
  3. Eliminate background TV and model active outdoor play as the norm in your household. Reinforce minimal screen time is not a punishment.
  4. Keep a list handy of active outdoor games. We’re talking grassroots games you used to play as a kid like capture the flag, kick the can and sardines.
  5. Unplug for a day. Watch for details about HKCC TBay’s ‘Power Down Tuesday’ hashtag Challenge this spring.
Top
New Presentation now available. Booze News!

The majority of those who choose to drink alcohol may do so in ways that seem normal and harmless but even moderate alcohol consumption affects your health over time. This interactive presentation explores some of the myths and facts around alcohol and health including topics such as mental health, sleep and alcohol combinations. It also takes a closer look at something you won’t see in alcohol advertising and may not be aware of: the link between even moderate drinking and chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer. By the end of the presentation, you’ll be able to set realistic goals to improve your health through low-risk drinking. 

Contact Sue at susan.armstrong@tbdhu.com or 625-5911 to book this presentation for your workplace.


Top

Quinoa Avocado Salad
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
5 roma tomatoes, finely chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, shredded
½ cup red onion, finely chopped
4 avocados, chopped
2/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled


Dressing: 5 Tbsp lemon juice, 5 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt

Directions
Add dressing ingredients into a small bowl/jar and whisk together. Add all other ingredients into a large bowl, cover with dressing and toss to combine. Chill until ready to serve.

Note* lemon juice dressing will help keep the avocados from browning. However, they could be cut and added before serving.


Top


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list