The holiday season can be a time of great joy and celebration with family and friends but can also lead to increased stress and unhealthy lifestyle choices.
Get Healthy CT, the regional wellness coalition of hospitals, health departments and other health and social service providers, offers some guidance to help area residents navigate their way through the holidays in its December Monthly Health Feature, “Have a Healthy Holiday,” available online at GetHealthyCT.org.
The information includes:
- Recipe for Healthy Baking During the Holidays
- 13 Surprising Baking Substitutions
- Make Healthier Choices
- Healthy Holiday Gift Guide
- 9 Tips for Staying Active over the Winter Holidays
- Walk Away the Holiday Calories
- 11 Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress
- Holiday Health and Safety Tips
- “Pass it on: Spark a Community Effort,” Chapter 12 of A Year of Being Well by The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation
- Get Moving Today Activity Calendar
Most information in the packet is available in English and Spanish. Direct access is available at
http://gethealthyct.org/topic-of-the-month/. An archive of previous monthly features is also available.
Get Healthy CT focuses on a different obesity prevention topic each month and provides resources in print and online. Printed information packets are also available in some area libraries, community centers, regional health departments, and other locations.
Get Healthy CT is a community coalition that works in the greater Bridgeport, New Haven, and Greenwich regions to make the “healthy choice the easy choice.” Get Healthy CT provides information about being healthy and connects people to local resources to support healthy eating and physical activity through its website GetHealthyCT.org. More than 150 large and small businesses and nonprofit and community organizations have joined the coalition, along with individuals and families.
Obesity in the Region:
Obesity rates in the United States are increasing due to factors such as portion sizes, food choices, lack of convenient supermarkets in neighborhoods, consumer advertising, food costs and more sedentary lifestyles. Likewise, it is clear that obesity contributes to other serious health complications including diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. According to the Greater Bridgeport Community Health Assessment (2013), survey respondents in Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford, and Trumbull report obesity rates ranging from 16% to 32%. The Greater New Haven Community Health Index (2013) lists obesity rates in the New Haven region from 18% to 31%.
About Get Healthy CT
Founded in 2010, Get Healthy CT (GHCT) is a coalition of large and small businesses and nonprofit and community organizations that are collaborating to reduce obesity in the greater Bridgeport, New Haven, and Greenwich regions. To accomplish this goal, Get Healthy CT strives to educate and encourage people to eat healthier and exercise more in order to stay healthy and productive and be the connecting point through its website to help people find affordable, healthy foods and low or no cost ways to be active. There is no cost to become a member. To learn more, visit GetHealthyCT.org or search for Get Healthy CT on Facebook.
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