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Perseverance Does Pay Off
Lighten Up Iowa African-American Women Team

Problem:
When asked to eat healthy and exercise more, most people will start doing exactly what they need to do. However, obstacles arise in the form of not enough time in the day because of busy lifestyles, or the temptation to eat large portions of foods that should be eaten in moderation. Individuals soon lose the battle by giving up on eating healthy and maintaining a healthy physical activity level.
Iowa State University Polk County Extension office received a Lighten Up Iowa grant of $500 to assist the teams in their effort to maintain a healthy lifestyle during the five month program which started in January 2006 and ended in May 2006. The Families field specialist started with a total of five teams. Only two of the teams had the available time to receive the nutrition/physical activity coaching. For their added dedication to the program, these two teams received the incentives (exercise balls from a local vendor) at the end of LUI. The captain of each team received a plaque for a job well done.

Response:
Iowa State University Extension Families Field Specialist Myra Royal conducted several nutrition workshops at a local hair salon. The group made up the five member Lighten Up Iowa team “Fit for a King.” These ladies continued the effort to have a healthy lifestyle, and successfully completed the five month Lighten Up Iowa program. These nutrition workshops consisted of the following Iowa State University Extension programs:
  • Fit to Walk (What to know about buying a good athletic shoe)
  • The ROSE Plan (Reduce, Omit, Substitute and Equip) targets foods that have too much fat, salt, and sugar in labels and/or ingredients.
  • “Would You Like to Super Size That?” (How much sugar is in today’s soft drinks)
  • The DASH Plan (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) which helps individuals reduce their risk or help maintain a healthy blood pressure level.

The impact on the participants:
The participant who lost the most pounds in LUI program was the captain of the Fit for a King team. She lost eighteen pounds during the five month LUI program and she indicated that she is three dress sizes down. She credits the nutrition workshops and the team effort to meet each Tuesday and Thursday for physical activity fun at the hair salon. The one-hour physical activity program the team members became involved in was “Walk Away the Pounds” video by Leslie Sansone. The second highest individual weight loss was thirteen pounds, two of the team members lost 11 pounds each, and one member lost five or more inches. The total weight loss for this LUI team is fifty-three pounds.

Contact:
Myra Royal, Field Specialist/Families
Polk County Extension
5201 NE 14th Street Suite A, Des Moines, IA 50313
Phone 515-261-4212; Fax 515-263-2704
Email mroyal@iastate.edu

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Last update: July 12, 2006  
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