Healthiest Nation
Plus 3 Network Turns Exercise
into Charitable Donation
Significant to making the world a healthier place, Plus 3 Network and the Alliance to Make the US Healthiest have agreed in principle on a major partnership.
“I would like to add my kudos and congratulations for the impressive work by Plus 3’s management team and staff," said J. Nick Baird, M.D., CEO of the Alliance to Make US Healthiest. "They have actualized what we have been conceptualizing for years!”
New Plus 3 Mobile iPhone Application Makes It Easier to Track, Record and Wirelessly Upload Fitness Activities, Earning Money for Charities
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Plus 3 Network officially launched a free GPS-enhanced web site that allows members to turn any exercise, such as walking, running, bicycling and gym time, into charitable contributions. Plus 3 also announces the new Plus 3 Mobile, a free iPhone application, with which members can now track fitness activities with their phone and wirelessly log them on the Plus 3 site.
The first of its kind social network is a scalable Web 2.0 and mobile application solution combining health, mobile technology and charitable initiatives. Over the last year in beta, the site has grown to over 7,000 members and moved over $70,000 in donations to not-for-profit causes. Plus 3 currently has more than 11 sponsors supporting 16 causes and that number is increasing as more companies learn about this unique way to enhance their giving by including people in the equation.
“We’re a year round walk-a-thon, run-a-thon, bike-a-thon, you-name-it-a-thon,” said Rick Sutton, CEO for Plus 3 Network. “We can seamlessly take someone’s exercise; walking the dog, biking to work, a morning yoga hour, and turn that into money for worthy causes.”
Reaching out through community settings (schools, family health centers and hospitals) using body mass index (BMI) studies, classroom curricula, wellness programs and policy interventions, the Cleveland Clinic is pulling out all the stops in its fight against childhood obesity.
Focusing on education, nutrition, physical activity and wellness is paramount to the Clinic’s comprehensive obesity prevention program. Highlights of the efforts include a pilot project where school menus and vending machines receive a nutritional assessment and an interactive wellness program that utilizes best practices in school-based prevention programs to teach students positive health-related behaviors and their long-term health effects.
Here are some of the details of this multi-pronged program:
5 to GO!TM
An integral part of the program is the overarching 5 to GO!TMmessage modeled after programs piloted in Maine and Chicago, which is aimed at preventing obesity in children and keeping them healthy throughout their lives. The 5 to GO!TM program has targeted messages for two key audiences, children 10 and under, and those 11 and older.
0-10 Years 11 Years +
5 – Eat FIVE fruits and veggies a day. 5 – Eat FIVE fruits and veggies a day.
4 – Give and get FOUR compliments a day. 4 – Consume FOUR dairy a day.
3 – Consume THREE dairy a day.* 3 – Give and get THREE compliments a day.
2 – No more than TWO media hours a day. 2 – No more than TWO media hours a day.
1 – At least ONE hour of exercise a day. 1 – At least ONE hour of exercise a day.
0 – NO sugar-sweetened drinks, ever. 0 – NO sugar-sweetened drinks, ever.
Go – Be well, inside and out! Go – Be well, inside and out!
*According to the AAP/USDA, children up to 10 years need only three servings of dairy per day.
BMI Study
Nearly all fifth grade students in 13 participating school districts underwent BMI screenings during the spring 2009 semester. During the spring 2010 semester, both fifth and kindergarten students will be screened.
Food Is Knowledge
A multi-disciplinary curriculum for children in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten utilizes food to reinforce math, social studies, language arts, science, nutrition, art skills, culture and hospitality. The program consists of nine interactive lessons based upon the USDA Food Pyramid. The final lesson is a celebration luncheon to which children may invite an adult guest. This program has been successful in both school and community settings.
Healthy Futures Child Wellness Program
Students in grades four through six are the focus of this wellness program that assists students and parents/guardians in understanding the impact their daily choices have on their personal well-being and overall health.
HealthCorps
Utlizing in-school and after-school seminars on diet, nutrition and exercise, HealthCorps empowers high school students to become educated consumers and to make shifts in behavior that can be measured by changes in rates of obesity and physical fitness, as well as mental well-being and self esteem. The holistic approach of HealthCorps focuses on providing students with knowledge that will empower them to make healthy choices at home, school and work.
School-Wide Policy Interventions
In a policy intervention pilot project, the Cleveland Clinic will audit school menus and vending machines (where applicable) and make recommendations for change; work with schools to establish the availability of at least thirty minutes daily for physical activity; and help schools develop policies to discourage weight-related teasing and bullying.
Obesity Prevention Program ToolKit
The Cleveland Clinic is also currently creating a ToolKit to encompass the entire obesity prevention program. Expected completion date is July 2010. This kit will be available to communities with instructions on replication and dissemination.
Note: Aspects of the
We are a non-partisan organization that facilitates partnerships between national and grassroots efforts, fosters innovative actions, and connects individuals to spark a nationwide social movement to make the U.S. the healthiest nation in a healthier world. 
We understand that health is the key to not only physical, emotional and intellectual well-being but also to economic strength. Our members are committed to making health and well-being a priority in industry and government, but also for individuals, families, and communities. 
Achieving our goal requires a wide range of collective action across sectors. We will facilitate that action, engaging diverse perspectives from organizations and individuals to create a network of people, ideas, policies, and programs.
BECOME A MEMBER NOW!
If you, your family or organization are looking for ways to increase your health and well-being, you will find key resources on this site including tools to eat healthier, manage relationships, and create dialogue with others like you who can share what they are doing to lead happier, healthier lives.
The Alliance to Make the US Healthiest has broken down various wellness programs and health strategies into three categories: science-based, knowledge-based and new, innovative programs. Each category has information for both businesses and communities.
Science
These programs and recommendations have been reviewed and include scientific-based evalutaion methods. There is significant evaluation and peer review that has been completed on these programs and the Alliance supports the efforts in hopes that they will support your organizations in becoming healthier.
Knowledge
Many programs are effective and innovative and have started to show results. The Alliance believes that this information can be valuable to you in your efforts to become healthier.
Innovation
There are many exciting and cutting-edge programs that are new and innovative and but have not yet been evaluated. While the Alliance does not validate these promising programs as "best practices," the Alliance believes these programs may benefit you in your efforts to making your organization, community, family or yourself healthier.
Other Resources
Keep Up with the US Health Care Reform Debate
Heard the phrase "Garbage In, Garbage Out"? Probably, but not like this. Let's take a look at that entry in the US Healthiest Dictionary:
Garbage In, Garbage Out: Usually refers to data and statistics. An old-school way of saying your decisions are only as good as the information they are based upon. Often abbreviated as GI/GO. Health equalvilent: You Are What You Eat.
When it comes to eating and health, there are all kinds of studies, reports and literature out there. Examples: bellybytes.com has the 29 healthiest foods on the planet, foods that give you the "biggest nutritional bang for your caloric buck, as well as decrease your risk for deadly illness like cancer, diabetes and heart disease."
These includes fruits and vegetables loaded with anti oxidants and bera-carotenes, to grains, beans and nuts, loaded with proteins and other essentials, to seafood. To find out which seafood made the list, check out www.bellybytes.com.
That's great stuff, but I need more than just fruit and vegetables.
Well, here's a health cookbook from the National Institutes of Health that may help. Deliciously Healthy Dinners, a new cookbook from NIH's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, features 75 simple, tasty recipes influenced by Asian, Latino, Mediterranean and American cuisine.
"Good food is one of life's great pleasures, and good health is one of our greatest gifts," said NHLBI Director Elizabeth G. Nobel, M.D. "With healthful habits, we can reduce the risk of many chronic diseases, including heart disease, and increase the chance of a longer life."
The cookbook can be ordered from NIH for $5, but the recipes are available for free online, at http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/healthyeating. Take the Stir-Fried Orange Beef recipe. It has one of my favorites -- beef -- combined with ginger, garlic and onions (three of those 29 healthiest foods on the plant.)
Eating good foods that are good for you is critical to continued good health. By snacking on the "healthiest foods on the planet," and following that up with Deliciously Healthy Dinners, you can make a big difference in your health and the health of those you dine with. Do your part to Make the US Healthiest Nation!
And remember Garbage In, Garbage Out, which, according to the US Healthiest Dictionary, means: You Are What You Eat.